Direct financial support for your local walking group.
Authentic Experiences
See the world as a localWe’ll show you the world as it really is: not as a tourist, but as a local.
Ramblers Worldwide Holidays has been operating walking holidays for almost 65 years, and our unrivalled range of itineraries and destinations means that you can count on us to deliver an experience that is both magical and exceptional. It’s our passion for experiencing the world ‘up close and personal’ that keeps people walking our way.
We’ll show you the very best of the area by foot, and you’ll take in the local sights, cultures and contrasts – not to mention some good local cooking!
The stresses and strains of modern living rarely leave us a chance to enjoy the outdoors, so a walking holiday offers an ideal escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Natural exercise in the fresh air, in wonderful locations, ensures that you return home relaxed, revitalised and energised.
Travelling in small groups, you will be taken off the beaten track by our expert leaders who will immerse you in cultures and landscapes in a way that no other walking company does. In many of our long-haul destinations, we employ and train local guides to accompany our leaders, and they provide invaluable insights into their native culture and surroundings.
On our walking holidays, you’ll stay in hand-picked hotels appropriate to your destination, from family-run guesthouses, mountain huts or campsites to comfortable city hotels and properties with something particularly outstanding about them; see our Special Selection for examples. On our ‘Cruise & Walk’ holidays, naturally you’ll enjoy the accommodation and facilities of your cruise ship.
If you have a particular hobby or area of expertise, you will be able to absorb yourself in it on one of our Special Interest holidays, on which you can hunt orchids, spot birds, enjoy cookery lessons, experience Christmas in Crete or take the family on a fun-filled adventure.
You travel to experience something different...Travel overseas and you’ll encounter different cultures, standards, behaviour and values. A four hour flight can take you not only to a different country, but to experience something wholly foreign to what you’re used to at home.
Its easy to find yourself out of your comfort zone, to be shocked - and exhilarated; this is part of the reason to get on the aeroplane in the first place - to have the chance to experience different sights, different food cooked and served in different ways, different ways of living and of life, different clashes between affluence and poverty.
It’s good to experience the best of what a country has to offer, but it’s also good to try simpler accommodation, food from local restaurants and markets where possible to get a closer feel for what it is to live in the place that is you holiday destination.
Pioneer holidays and being well off the tourist trackOn trekking holdays you might have to wash with a flannel in your tent, in alpine huts share simple facilities and shower under a cold or lukewarm water and in many destinations eat with locals with wildly different standards of hygiene. You might not be able to get as clean as you would at home; it may be difficult to avoid an incidence of stomach upset at some point during your holiday. It’s all a part of the experience and your discovery of what’s different and special around the world.
Some of our holidays have aPioneer grading to particularly highlight more adventurous and off the beaten track holidays where you’re likely to experience some culture shock, basic local conditions and facilities, poor roads and itineraries likely to be modified at short notice.
And before you go...A little time to read up on your destination may give you a much better feel for what to expect on your holiday and ensure that you get the most out of it. Guidebooks, travelogues or postings on our blog pages can all give a different perspective on your destination. Getting some understanding of local culture and customs and a few words of the local language can go a long way and allow you to engage more with the locals and local life.
Don’t forget to visit the Foreign Office Travel Advice website for up fo date information on your holiday destination.
Paraphrasing the Tourist Ten CommandmentsThe Tourist Ten Commandments have been around for a while, but they’re still pretty good advice!
- Don’t expect to find things as you find them at home; you’ve left home to find things different
- Don’t take things too seriously, for a carefree attitude is the basis for a fine holiday
- Don’t allow other tourists to get on your nerves; you’re paying good money to enjoy yourself
- Remember to take half the clothes you think you need (and twice the money)
- Know at all times where your passport is, for a person without a passport is a person without a country
- Remember that if we had been meant to stay in one place, we’d have grown roots instead of feet
- Don’t worry, for he who worries has no pleasure
- When in Rome, be prepared to do somewhat as the locals
- Don’t judge a country by the one person who has given you grief
- Remember you are a guest in other lands, and he who treats his host with respect shall be honoured!
