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Historic Places

by Sheri Leigh

This month we have a selection of amazing travel options. When we came up with Historic Places as a theme, I never dreamt of just how wide the range of offerings from our Tour Hosts is or the variety of articles we would receive. With over 1,600 Tour Hosts to choose from and a wide selection of travel writers, I should not have been surprised.

After nearly four years, I am still amazed at the diversity of trips and the degree of specialization offered by the myriad of tour companies throughout our world. However, as long as we make a positive cultural difference for travelers, hosts and the local people they encounter, I consider our mission a success.

Thank you to all who read and contribute to our pages. From all of us at Cultural Travels, may you have a blessed holiday season and remember to make a New Years resolution to experience a new culture and expand your horizons in the coming year. 

Name: Fez Medina Morocco
Location: Morocco
Specialty: Traditional Moroccan home rentals
Why We Like Them: Founder Lori Wood’s dedication to preserving the unique architecture of the traditional houses in Fez’s medieval medina is a blessing to the city. I have seen Fez’s fabulous houses both before and after renovation, and the work involved to restore one of these gems to original is immense. Had I know of Lori’s service a few years ago before my last trip to the city, I would have rented one of these fantastic homes without a second thought! Total immersion in the life of a city is my idea of the perfect cultural travel experience. There is no better-suited company for this month’s Tour Host Pick.
Article: At Home in the Medieval Medina of Fez, Morocco     

Name: Carpe Diem Travel Limited
Location: Cambodia
Specialty: Cambodia from the local perspective
Why We Like Them: Any company who uses local transportation boats, trains and even motorcycles, has to be truly in touch with the community. Utilizing small guesthouses and local guides, allows travelers who have an open mind to experience the natural beauty of the countryside, as well as the historic treasures and nightmares of Cambodia’s past. Experience the beauty of the Angkor Temples, the cities, with their remnants of French Colonization, to the horrors to the Khmer Rouge interrogation camps. A journey through Cambodia with Carpe Diem, will allow the traveler to meet the local people who give this country its soul.
Article: Cambodia – a country with a fascinating past and a new future

Name:  MILA Tours to Latin America
Location: So. America
Specialty: Archeological and cultural tours in Latin America
Why We Like Them: MILA Tours focuses on the archeological treasures and history of the region’s native peoples. With more than 20 years experience offering trips to Latin American countries, Mila Tours is sure to provide you with exceptional service whether you travel independently or on one of their scheduled group journeys. For the next few years, MILA Tours will offer a special series of trips to Machu Picchu in honor of Hiram Bingham’s 1911 discovery. University archaeologists and professors with significant field experience in Peru will accompany each tour, providing a truly educational experience. Combined with visits to local artisans, shamans and the native people of the Amazon and Andes, these trips offer the traveler an in depth look at the local communities and their migration from pre-Incan times, through the Colonial and Republic periods.

Name: Global Research and Discovery Network
Location: Mongolia
Specialty: Archeological and cultural expeditions into unexcavated places
Why We Like Them: Whether you choose a “Mystical trip to Mongolia” experiencing life with the reindeer herders or a first of its kind ”Paleontology Excavation” in the Gobi desert, in conjunction with the University of Ulanbaatar, these hands on trips are for true adventurers. Transportation can be via camel or horseback or under your own power with hiking required into otherwise inaccessible places. Expect to experience life from a local point of view, complete with ger’s, aureg, horse dung fires and roasted marmot. Oh, there are rumors about fantastic scenery as well.
Article: Why Mongolia? 

Name: The Institute of Design and Culture
Location: Rome
Specialty: Guided walking tours of Rome
Why We Like Them: Mission: To combine Rome’s glorious past and interpret how it has influenced the art, architecture and daily life of our time. Well IDC has done it with flair by creating a series of themed City Courses. These guided journeys, two hours to a full day, are available on request to fit your schedule. The courses, arranged by departments invoking contemporary imagery, such as the Department of “If I could Turn Back Time” and “All That Glitters” are quite inventive as are the course titles. Tours such as “Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves”, “Lives of the Rich & Famous” and “Rome-ancing the Stones”, are sure to conjure images of American Pop Culture. Not surprising, two American women living in Rome, Dr. Laura Flusche, and Architect Susan Sanders, founded the IDC. If the creativity put into the naming conventions is any indication, the courses themselves are likely to be just as entertaining. When in Rome, “Walk Like an Etruscan “
Article: What’s Love Got To Do With It?