Why Travel With TCI, The Serious Traveler?
Cultural Tours to Better Understand the World and its People
We are not your typical tour company. We are different in the places we visit, how we travel, and the people who join us! And we’re proud of our differences!
Expert Guides
Our tours are led by hand-picked local guides who are fun, friendly, and knowledgeable. They meet you upon arrival and stay with you throughout. Our guides are also our close friends. As friends do, they share perspectives from their part of the world.
Life Experiences
Get ready for some great fun. We’re always observant, flexible, and watchful for serendipitous opportunities that positively touch and positively change our lives (and the lives of those we meet). You’ll never be the same. Who would have expected travelers to be a part of the reunion of adopted Romanian children and their birth mother? It happened!
Detailed Brochures
The descriptions are here to entice you to call us. If the dates and destinations meet your needs, learn more. Rather than produce massive catalogs, we provide a detailed brochure for each specific tour. These are available quickly by PDF in printable format. Just call or email to order. As a preview, look for the itinerary on our website. If you need help with navigation, please let us know.
Personalized Attention
You are unique and not just a number to us. We are available to assist—before, during, and after your tour. The greatest compliment we receive is that so many travel with us again and again. We happily provide references.
We Go All Over
Yes, we have gone to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Right now, we focus mainly on Ethiopia and Iran—burgeoning destinations.
Cultural Visits
We include musical programs, cultural exchanges, performances, counterpart meetings, embassy visits, home visits, trips to schools and crafts centers, and private lectures by local experts.
Choose Your Air Arrangements
What’s best for you is best for us. Use your airline mileage or secure your tickets in a way that best meets your requirements and needs.
Small Groups
Most of our groups are 10 to 15 citizen diplomats, both men and women, singles, and couples of all ages. We offer room shares for single travelers. Our travelers are simply the best. You’ll fit right in!
Pre-trip Study Material
Since we believe that enjoyment of the journey begins long before departure when you start learning about your destination, we prepare you with informative pre-trip study material.
About the Serious Traveler
The company was formed by League member Gwen Erwood in 1984 to organize tours, predominately for League of Women Voters members – both men and women. The LWV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization encouraging active and informed citizen participation in the American political system. In 1987, the company was incorporated in the State of New York. The first tours were to the Soviet Union during the Cold War, followed by China when it first opened to tourism. Travel Concepts International Inc. (TCI) has successfully operated tours to Iran since 1999 and was one of the first companies offering Americans the opportunity to see Iran since the 1979 revolution. The destinations, programs, and dates of travel are determined exclusively by Travel Concepts International. The inspiration for the series is to bring members together to further the League’s position of promoting peace in an interdependent world. Although the “Travel with the League” series began exclusively as a League of Women Voters project, our travelers – thanks to word-of-mouth endorsements – extend beyond the League of Women Voters to include AAUW, United Nations Association, Peace Links, Rotary International, and friends of those who travel. We share experiences, good humor, and a love of history and culture, which are unparalleled. Many of our trips feature optional cultural exchanges and embassy visits. They foster lasting friendships. We carefully plan these Cultural Tours to Better Understand the World and Its People.
The greatest compliment is that many members travel, again and again, encouraging their friends to join. We sincerely appreciate your trust, and we’ll do our very best to make sure your travel experience is full, rewarding, and great fun! In 2006 we trademarked the name “Serious Traveler,” which is the name of our domain: www.serioustraveler.com, as well as the name of our newsletter. Serious Traveler defines both us and the exceptional people who travel with us. There are other TCIs but only one Serious Traveler.