You Go, Girls! VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations and Country Walkers Unveil the 10 Best Mother and Daughter Trips

Williston, Vermont – April 12, 2019 – Flowers and chocolate are nice, but there’s no better way to show mom how much you care than by spending some quality time together. This Mother’s Day, why not plan a special mother-daughter getaway to show mom how much she is appreciated?  To help inspire gift givers, VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations and Country Walkers have identified the 10 best girlfriend getaways for mother-daughter trips. Whatever mom’s passion may be - wine tasting, the great outdoors, history, music, art, food, shopping, wildlife and more - these tours will create memories that will last a lifetime.

1. Whether mom likes to cook, bake or simply enjoy good food, Country Walkers’ Italy: Tuscany & Umbria tour is sure to satiate any foodie. Highlights include a bounty of sophisticated cuisine in renowned restaurants, farmhouses and family-run trattorias, from fine cured meats, exquisite wine and shaved black truffles to traditionally pressed olive oil, handmade pasta, gelato, and more.
2. If mom loves French splendour, style and gastronomy, then VBT’s Loire Valley tour will exceed her expectations, no matter how great. Explore magnificent châteaus and medieval cities, sip the region’s celebrated wines, relax in manicured gardens, and enjoy fresh produce from the “Garden of France.”
3. Is an African safari on mom’s travel bucket list? Visit the park that boasts the highest number of mammal species in Africa - Kruger National Park - on Country Walkers’ South Africa Safari: The Cape & Kruger National Park. Guests will experience the thrill of tracking game on foot on a bush walk led by expert, naturalist guides, from penguins, southern right whales, giraffes, zebras, and hyenas to the famed “Big Five.” The tour also includes stops in South Africa’s wine country, Cape Town and Fernkloof Nature Reserve.
4. For the art-loving mom, VBT’s Spain’s Costa Brava: Cycling Dali’s Landscapes offers numerous opportunities to marvel at a gallery of landscapes during a breathtakingly picturesque roll along Spain’s “Brave Coast” - the same land that inspired Salvador Dali. During the tour, guests will stop at Púbol Castle, purchased by Salvador Dali as a gift for his wife Gala, to view some of his original paintings, sculptures and custom-designed furniture, as well as haute couture dresses designed by Christian Dior for Gala.
5. Take a Mother’s Day getaway with Mother Nature and enjoy America’s national parks together. Country Walkers’ Montana: Glacier National Park tour includes rafting down the Flathead River, hikes to the most scenic areas of the park with snow-capped peaks, massive glaciers, cedar forests and icy waterfalls, and ample wildlife viewing opportunities for spotting deer, elk, mountain goats, moose, eagles and grizzly bears.
6. Nothing compares to a leisurely ride to the shore, and VBT’s Maine Coast: Purely Acadia tour will delight any mom who dreams of breathtaking seaside vistas. Ride along Rockefeller’s  historic and car-free carriage roads through Acadia National Park, explore cozy beaches and craggy shorelines, photograph historic lighthouses, savor some of New England’s fresh Atlantic seafood (lobster, mussels and clams) plus creamy chowdah and berry scones, go sea kayaking and whale watching, take a lobster boat to Little Cranberry Island, browse charming gift shops, boutiques and art galleries in Bar Harbor, and more.
7. For the mom who loves fun and music, there’s no better destination than Ireland with its Irish spirit: ebullient and witty, life-affirming and infectious. Country Walkers’ Ireland: Connemara & Galway Bay tour visits the vibrant streets of Ireland’s cultural heart, Galway, with busking musicians, historic buildings and charming shops; the dramatic coast along the Cliffs of Moher; Inishbofin Island with its golden beaches, grassy walking paths and breathtaking coastline; fjord-like Killary Harbor; the Momturk Mountains, the “fairy hills” of Sheeauns; and the lake-dappled peatlands of Connemara National Park.
8. If mom loves arts and culture, she’ll enjoy VBT’s Charleston to Savannah: A Southern Reel tour. Stops include Fort Moultrie, which played a key role in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and was also where Edgar Allan Poe once served in the U.S. Army; the Penn Center, offering an overview of the culture of the Gullahs and also where Dr.  Martin Luther King Jr. held his annual retreat; Beaufort, where Forrest Gump, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini were filmed; and Savannah and the moss-hung gardens of Bonaventure Cemetery, featured in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
9. Instead of gifting mom a bottle of wine, take her directly to the source! Country Walkers’ Chile: Wine Country & the Coast includes the best of the country’s burgeoning wine culture, with tours of renowned vineyards, estates and cellars, opportunities to sample fine vintages served by expert sommeliers, and even learning how to blend, cork and label your own bottle.
10. Closer to home, VBT’s California Wine Country & the Pacific Coast stops at legendary vineyards in the heart of Sonoma wine country, with time to explore vineyards and tasting rooms including Coppola Winery, Everett Riddge, Quivira Biodynamic Winery, Gracianna Winery, VJB Cellars, and Madonna Estate Winery.

Accompanying images available upon request.

For more Mother’s Day - or any day - travel inspiration, visit countrywalkers.com (800-234-6900) or www.vbt.com (800-245-3868).

About Country Walkers

Celebrating 40 years in 2019, Country Walkers provides active, experiential, and stunning travel experiences on five continents. Based in Williston, Vt., the company’s unique adventures and insider access bring the beating heart of a destination to life with well-crafted itineraries for Guided Walking and Self-Guided Walking. All walking trips highlight local cuisine, authentic accommodations, and immersive cultural experiences. Country Walkers is recognized as one of the leading providers of Walking Adventures worldwide, having garnered countless awards including National Geographic Traveler’s “50 Tours of a Lifetime” and Travel + Leisure’s “World’s Best” Awards.

About VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations

Founded in 1971, VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations offers over 50 deluxe, small group Bicycling, Walking and Waterways “bike & boat” vacations at unsurpassed value throughout the world. Each trip includes all accommodations, most meals, two local bilingual Trip Leaders, unique facilitated cultural experiences, and vehicle support. Unlike other companies, VBT also includes round-trip international airfare from over 30 U.S. cities and select Canadian cities for all international vacations. VBT has been rated among the “World’s Best Tour Operators” by the readers of Travel + Leisure for eight years. For more information on VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, visit vbt.com or call 800-245-3868.

Media Contact:

Kathie Gonzalez, [email protected], 800-707-9190 ext. 817