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Build a Cultural Adventure

These 8 companies offer guided excursions that emphasize immersion in the local culture of your destination.

By Tracey Minkin

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

You know you want to savor local flavors and meet local people, but you're not sure how to do it? Let the following companies guide you to excellent adventures that combine culture, language, food and wine, and light exercise such as walking, biking, or hiking.

Country Walkers offers a broad spectrum of trips on every continent, with an emphasis on walking as a means of connecting you to the landscape and culture.

Butterfield and Robinson is the venerable Canadian-based outfitter that focuses on walking and biking in far-flung settings rich with cultural adventures, and always bedding down in luxurious digs at night.

Backroads has specialized for years in excellent cycling-based cultural adventures. On its itinerary this year is a new group of Insider Trips that claim to turn up the culture and take away the exertion.

Exodus, based in the UK, has been leading adventurers on trips around the world for 30 years. Look for their Egyptology trip, Ecuadorian village exploration, and wine-tasting forays in Italy, Spain, and South Africa.

GAP Adventures offers so many cultural trips, you'll need a weekend off just to read up on the 779 tours they currently have listed on their website.

Cactus Language lets you make language the focus of your travels by connecting you with language schools and travel packages in more than 45 countries.

ToVino Wine, Culinary and Cultural Tours offers tours in Spain and Portugal for wine and food lovers.

Vagabond Gourmet provides culinary adventures in Europe, Asia, and North America.

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