I’m a solo traveler. Everybody knows that. This makes me think that the folks at Trafalgar Tours were pretty sure they had a great concept when they asked me to join a bus tour called, Rome and Tuscan Highlights – At Leisure. I was one of a melange of travel journalists that between us hailed from seven different countries. Now here we were, 31 very independent folks on an eight-day bus journey probably all supposing the same thing at the same time — seeing a country en masse through a bus window might simply not be our usual style, at leisure or not.

Our fearless leader…

Roberto was the affable Trafalgar tour guide cum concierge appointed to lead our group. I remember thinking, ‘anybody who dares to wear dark orange pants has got to have a sense of fun and a sense of adventure.’ I liked him even more when he explained that all At Leisure Tours were exactly that… a journey at leisure. He promised we would never leave our hotel in the morning before 9:00 AM. Hurray! He also explained that with this particular program we wouldn’t be checking into a new hotel every night which meant we wouldn’t be wasting time continuously packing and unpacking. Hurray, again! I allowed myself to relax just a teeny bit. Maybe this wouldn’t be as structured as I expected it to be.

No precious time is wasted…

When I travel solo no matter how well I plan, I always lose much time and energy transferring from one city to the next. So while I missed the challenge of doing it on my own (buying my tram ticket at the tabaccaio, negotiating my suitcase up the subway stairs the easiest way possible), I had to admit to myself that I was getting soft because I grudgingly loved the idea that I barely thought about transfers or touched my luggage all week. I left my bag outside my hotel door in the morning and it magically appeared on the bus when we were ready to depart. My only responsibility was to be in my seat on time and leave the details to my host. Ahh…

We never had to wait…

When we arrived at a major tourist attraction like the Sistine Chapel in Rome there was never a wait. Truthfully, I felt a twinge of guilt gliding past all the independent tourists standing in long lines waiting to go in. I also missed the fun of chatting with other independent travelers when I was the one standing in those long lines. Yet there was no getting around the fact that Roberto’s itinerary accomplished more in one day than I was ever capable of doing on my own. And, I was never exhausted at the end of that day. I loved that!

I learned things I never would have known…

We hit all the high spots — Vatican City and the Colosseum in Rome, the elegant statue of David and Santa Croce in Florence, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Piazza del Compo in Medieval Siena where the famous Palio horse race is run, the spa city of Montecatini and the UNESCO world heritage site of Cinque Terre. Local guides did their expert guiding and when it was just too noisy we received the use of an audio system so we wouldn’t miss a single word of instruction. I learned things I never would have known if I was there on my own.

Discovering the rhythm of the culture…

A traveller needs to ‘wade into the crowd’ on their own or with a pal, and simply meander. They need to feel what it’s like to be walking the streets of that particular place in their own time and in their own rhythm. And this I felt was how Trafalgar’s At Leisure Tours spoilt me silly. Every day we were offered enough free time to go out and express ourselves and we had Roberto to help us. He was our own private concierge. With his knowledge and his cellphone he could accomplish miracles. Want to know where the best gelato is? Ask Roberto. Want to know how to get to Fiesole? He explained in easy detail.

My time to explore…

During our free time I took photos to my hearts content in Montecatini and walked over the ancient Ponte Vecchio to Roberta’s, my favorite glove store in Florence. And I won’t soon forget stopping in a tiny sandwich shop in Siena and asking Paolo to prepare his absolute favorite sandwich for me. It makes my mouth water to remember his combo of pecorino cheese, Toscano salami and arugula dressed with virgin olive oil and balsamic. Oh my goodness it was good!

Solo travelers often miss out…

Once, as a solo traveler in France, it took me almost a full day by train, bus and finally taxi to reach a wonderful village restaurant I’d read about. With Roberto and our trusty coach in Tuscany we were able to get off the main highways to make stops at treasures the average solo traveller would never have even heard of. My favorite was an authentic Tuscan restaurant nestled in an olive grove just outside Florence. It simply oozed ambience as we were treated to wonderful homecooked food, hospitality and an endless supply of wine.

Looking back…

Based on my experience I have absolutely no reservation about recommending a Trafalgar At Leisure Tour to other women travellers. I had a great time with them in Tuscany. The creative itinerary is certainly varied, the foodie quotient is high and the accommodation is in first class hotels. The program allows experienced travellers the luxury of being escorted in comfort and the newbie traveller enough free time to test her solo travel wings. Ask for it and Trafalgar will try to match same sex single travellers. They also offer the option of a single supplement if the woman requests a room of her own.

For further information contact: www.trafalgartours.ca. Click here to watch one of their videos that is so woman-friendly you will absolutely love it.