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Ludlow Travel Club
Ludlow, Massachusetts
About US - My name is Jim Martin and I started the Ludlow Travel Club in 2008, three years after my retirement from Ludlow High School, where I taught French and Spanish for 36 years. During that time I traveled extensively, including numerous trips to Europe with student groups. I also studied in France and taught English in a French high school for one year. In addition to my travels abroad, I worked for fifteen summers as a tour director for Peter Pan Bus Lines of Springfield, Mass., an endeavor which took me to just about every U.S. state, Canadian province and territory. These travel experiences and those of the past 17years with the Ludlow Travel Club, have given me the opportunity to visit over 35 foreign countries on 6 different continents.
17 Years of Travel: 2008-2024
London & Paris (Oct.-Nov., 2008) - 10 days: city highlights, plus Chunnel train, Windsor, Versailles
Italian Vistas (April-May, 2009) (Sept., 2015) (Aug.-Sept., 2017) - 13 days: Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Verona, Alpine Lakes Region
Shades of Ireland (Sept., 2009) - 10 days: Dublin, Limerick, Galway, Ring of Kerry, Waterford and more
Classical Greece & Its Islands (April-May, 2010) - 15 days: a tour of the mainland, Mykonos, Santorini
Canadian Rockies by Rail (Sept., 2010) - 10 days: Vancouver, Victoria, Icefields Parkway, Banff, Calgary and more
California New Year's Getaway (Dec., 2010-Jan., 2011) - 5 days: Long Beach, Tournament of Roses and more
Southern Charm (May, 2011) - 7 days: Charleston, Savannah, Jekyll Island, St. Augustine. Jacksonville and more
China Highlights & Yangtze River Cruise (Oct., 2011) - 15 days: Shanghai, Three Gorges, Chongqing, Guilin, Xi'an (Terra Cotta Warriors), Beijing (the Great Wall)
San Antonio Holiday (Dec., 2011) - 5 days: Festival of Lights, Fredericksburg, Bandera, LBJ Ranch
Music Cities USA (April, 2012) - 8 days: New Orleans, Memphis, Graceland, Nashville, the Grand Ole Opry and more
New York City (June, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and Oct. 2017, 2018 & 2019)) - 1 day: free time for sightseeing, shopping, seeing a show, etc
Quebec City (June, 2012) - 4 days: City tour, Montmorency Falls, Ile d'Orléans, St. Anne de Beaupré
Exploring Alpine Countries (Sept., 2012) - 13 days: Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Munich, Oberammergau, Black Forest, Lake Geneva, Berne, Zermatt, Lucerne
Branson Musical Holiday (Nov.-Dec., 2012) - 5 days: 7 shows, Branson Belle Riverboat, Silver Dollar City
Christmas in New York (Dec., 2012) - 1 day: free time to view Christmas markets or to do as one pleases
From the Outback to the Glaciers (May, 2013) - 21 days + 4-day Fiji option: Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, Melbourne, Sydney (Australia); Christchurch, Mount Cook, Queenstown (New Zealand)
Amish Country & Noah (May, 2013) - 3 days: Bethlehem casino, Amish lands tour, Noah at Millennium Theatre
British Landscapes (July, 2013) - 11 days: London, Cambridge, York, Lake District, Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon, Stonehenge, Edinburgh, Ruthin
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta (October, 2013) - 6 days: Santa Fe, Old Town, Nuclear Science Museum and more
America's National Parks (September, 2013) - 12 days: Scottsdale, Sedona, Lake Powell, Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Salt Lake City, Temple Square, Jackson Hole, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Cody, Crazy Horse Monument, Mount Rushmore
Washington D.C. & Baltimore (October, 2013) - 4 days: U.S. Capitol; Library of Congress; Smithsonian; Arlington Nat. Cemetery; Lincoln, FDR and Iwo Jima Memorials; World War II, Korean and Vietnam Memorials; Kennedy Center, National Cathedral, Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and Embassy Row; Viewings of White House, Supreme Court, Pentagon, etc.; Fort McHenry, Baltimore city tour and Inner Harbor
Hawaiian Adventure (February, 2014) - 10 days: Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Polynesian Cultural Center, Kilohana Plantation on Oahu; Waimea Canyon, Coffee Plantation on Kauai; Iao Needle, Lahaina, Kaanapali, Polynesian Luau on Maui
Seattle & Alaska Adventure (June, 2014) - 11 days: Seattle, Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Celebrity Solstice (ship), Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria
Canadian Maritimes (July, 2014) - 9 days: Fredericton & St. John in New Brunswick; Halifax & Peggy's Cove, the Royal International Tattoo, Cape Breton Island, the Cabot Trail & Alexander Graham Bell Historic Site in Nova Scotia; Charlottetown, Cavendish & "Anne of Green Gables" musical in Charlottetown; Boothbay Harbor, M
Rhine River Cruise (Sept., 2014) - 9 days: MS Gérard Schmitter (ship); Amsterdam, Volendam & Arnhem in the Netherlands; Cologne, Rhine River Gorge, Mannheim, Rudesheim & Heidelberg in Germany; Strasbourg in France
Amish Country, Moses and Philadelphia (Oct., 2014) - 3 days: American Treasure Museum, Amish home & country tour, Moses at the Millennium Theater, Philadelphia city tour with National Constitution Center, Liberty Bell and Reading Terminal Market
France Magnifique (April, 2015) - 14 days: Paris, Versailles, Normandy, Loire Valley castles, Avignon, Provence, Nice, Monaco
Ontario, Canada (June, 2015) - 5 days; Thousand Islands, Toronto & Niagara Falls, Finger Lakes of NY State
Spirit of South America (Oct., 2015) - 16 days: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Iguazu Falls; Lima & Cusco, Peru; Machu Picchu, Peru
Pacific Coast Adventure (July, 2016) - 10 days: Seattle, Portland, Oregon Coast, Redwood National Forest, San Francisco
Magnificent Cities of Eastern Europe (Sept.-Oct., 2016) - 14 days: Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow and Warsaw
Hudson River Valley (Oct., 2016) - 3 days: Hyde Park & FDR Home & Library, Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill, Vanderbilt Mansion, West Point, Rhinebeck & Beekman Arms, Culinary Institute of America, Walkway over the Hudson, Madava Farms
Colorado Rockies with Utah Canyons (May, 2017) - 13 days: Denver, Rocky Mt. National Park, Arches & Canyonlands National Parks, Colorado National Monument, Durango-Silverton RR, Mesa Verde, Pike's Peak & Garden of the Gods
Ottawa, Montreal & Quebec City (July, 2017) - 7 days: city tours plus Rideau Canal, Montmorency Falls & Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré
Spain's Classics and Portugal (Oct., 2017) - 14 days: Lisbon, Fatima, Nazaré, Obidos, Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba, Sevilla, Granada, Valencia & Barcelona
Springtime Tulip River Cruise in Holland & Belgium (April, 2018) - 9 days: Amsterdam, Arnhem, Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, Keukenhof Gardens and more
Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor & Campobello Island (June, 2018) - 4 days: Freeport, Camden, Rockland, Wreaths Across America and more
Grand Train Tour of Switz. with Hamburg, Germany (June-July, 2018) - 13 days: Lucerne, Jungfraujoch, Zermatt, Lugano, Lake Como, Miniatur Wunderland
Chicago, Mackinac Island & the Legacy of Henry Ford (Sept., 2018) - 9 days: Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, Ford Assembly Plant, Frankenmuth, Mackinac Island, Chicago
Magical Iceland (Oct., 2018) - 7 days: Reykjavik, Golden Circle, Vik, Blue Lagoon, Lava Center, Glacier Lagoon and more
Quebec Winter Carnival (Feb., 2019) - 4 days: City tour, Château Frontenac, Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, Montmorency Falls, Carnival Parade
Tropical Costa Rica (April, 2019) - 9 days: San Jose, Guanacaste, Monteverde, Cloud Forest, Arenal Volcano, Lake Arenal Cruise, Zarcero, Tortuguero Nat'l Park
Alaska Land & Cruise (June, 2019) - 13 days: Fairbanks, Alaska RR, Denali Nat'l Park, Inside Passage with Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Seattle
Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor & Campobello Island (June, 2019) - 4 days: Freeport, Camden, Wreaths Across America and more
Discover Scotland (Aug, 2019) - 10 days: Edinburgh with Royal Military Tattoo, St. Andrews, Dunrobin Castle, Orkney Islands, Northern Highlands, Loch Ness, Isle of Skye, Distillery
Southern Charm Holiday (Dec., 2019) - 6 days - Charleston, Savannah, Jekyll Island, Andrew Low House, Christmas Festivities and Caroling
Vermont Summer Holiday (July, 2021) - 4 days - Robert Lincoln's Hildene Home, Lake Champlain dinner cruise, Burlington, Shelburne Museum, Cold Hollow Cider, Stowe, aerial gondola, Trapp Family Lodge, Montpelier, Rock of Ages quarry, Quechee Gorge, Woodstock, Vermont Country Store
Southern California (Sept., 2021) - 8 days -Santa Monica Pier, tours of L.A., Farmers Market, Catalina Island, San Diego Zoo & Balboa Park, Palm Springs tour, Desert Adventures tour
San Antonio Holiday (Dec., 2021) - 4 days - Riverwalk, city tour, El Mercado, LBJ Ranch, Fredericksburg, Nat'l Museum of the Pacific War, Witte Museum, San Antonio Botanical Garden
Danube River Cruise & Oberammergau Passion Play (May, 2022) - 11 days - Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Wachau Valley, Linz, Passau, Munich, Bavarian Alps, Oberammergau
White Mountains of New Hampshire (June, 2022) - 4 days - Lake Winnipesaukee cruise, Omni Mt. Washington Resort, Mt. Washington Cog RR, Cannon Mt., White Mt. National Forest
Portugal & Its Islands (Sept., 2022) - 13 days - Lisbon, Sintra, Estoril, Azores, Ponta Delgada, Madeira Island, Funchal
Santa Fe Holiday (Dec. 2022) - 6 days - Georgia O'Keefe Museum, S.F. Cooking School, Bandalier National Monument, Chimayo, Madrid, Allan Houser Sculpture Garden
South Africa & Victoria Falls (April, 2023) - 13 days - Cape Town, Table Mountain, Johannesburg, Soweto, Kruger Nat'l Park, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Chobe Nat'l Park, 7 safaris
Shades of Ireland (May, 2023) - 10 days - Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, Blarney, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Limerick, Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Kilbeggan Distillery / London & Edinburg extensions
Adirondacks & Mohawk Valley (June, 2023) - 4 days - Howe Caverns, Erie Canal cruise, Lake Placid & Olympic sites, Lake George & luncheon cruise, Saratoga Springs
Canadian Rockies (Aug.-Sept., 2023) - 8 days - Vancouver, Rocky Mountaineer train, Lake Louise, Banff, Icefields Parkway, Columbia Icefields, Moraine, Peyto & Bow Lakes
Nashville & Smoky Mts. Holiday (Nov.-Dec., 2023) - 8 days - Nashville tour, Grand Ole Opry, Opryland Hotel, Dollywood, Gatlinburg, Smoky Mts. Nat'l Park, Asheville, N.C., Biltmore Estate
Also: Tours for 1 to 4 people to the Alpine Countries, Canyon Country USA, San Antonio, Costa Rica, France: Shrines and Lourdes, Fatima, Lourdes & the Shrines of Spain,
Europe: Memorials of War
Jim Martin on a four-day Yangtze River Cruise
in China
