Lorey's Background

My impulse for bringing groups to France springs from two sources: my family and my profession.

My own parents organized and led ski trips to Austria and Italy for years. Their emphasis was on getting off the beaten path to ski places of exquisite beauty. Both of my parents had an eye for lodging, food and activities that offered an authentic cultural experience of the host country and I acquired an enthusiasm for other cultures as I listened to their stories. Later, I began to realize that I could offer a similar experience through tours to France, which was the country that I knew the best.

Meanwhile, I had become a French teacher. I watched as high school students went on educational exchanges experience that were sometimes difficult. I began to see that a first-time experience to a country could be more positive if there was a way of steering the trip towards friendly interactions. Especially while one is still learning the language, it can be a relief to lean on someone else for that first visit. I observed many travel experiences that were limited because of lack of knowledge or inability to communicate. I'll bet you can see where this is going....

So I traveled to France and scouted. I found the spots that could offer many great day trips in a small area and I then launched my student tours. They were a great success and many of the students who came with me later went on to travel on their own or to study language. Before long, there were adults asking if they could come along, so I organized more than one tour each summer to broaden the possibilities.

As they say in French, voila! This has become a most enjoyable way to travel to France each year and I never tire of revisiting old favorite spots and looking for new gems!

Tours for 2006