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Family travel: Why PST?

10 Reasons to Choose our Family Tours

10 Reasons why a Peter Sommer Travels’ family holiday is perfect for children – and for parents.

I loved the French toast and all the food. I loved the ancient cities, especially the creepy parts. I loved the rocking of the boat, I super loved the underwater museum. I liked driving the gulet, our guide became my best friend in Turkey and the crew was really nice to me everyday. The best part was climbing through the hatches to get in and out of the boat - it was my secret way to get in and out. The kayak and beaches were really cool. When I grow up I’m going to be an underwater archaeologist and carry my own spear gun to protect all the ruins.”
Ben Roesler - aged 6, CA, USA

1. Adventure: Exploring ancient sites like Indy

Peter Sommer Travels’ family tours and gulet cruises in Turkey, Greece and Italy are dedicated archaeological adventures. We don’t see archaeology as just a list of names, dates, objects and walls. For us, it is about seeing the very places where people lived, loved, fought, had fun, suffered, and so on. We aim to give our guests, young an old, a sense of hands-on exploration, investigating the glories and the mysteries of the ancients. Also like Indy, we try to avoid snakes!

2. Wooden Boats: Travelling on traditional hand-built gulets – like Pirates of the Carribean

On our family gulet cruises, we use traditional Turkish gulets, beautiful wooden motor-yachts that are still hand-built according to generations of local tradition, while also fitted with modern conveniences and safety features. Still, the creaking of ropes and wooden beams, the proud masts and flapping sails, and the beautiful wooden finish of decks and interiors all tempt us to feel we have moved back across the centuries and are travelling just like the adventurers of olden days.

3. Pure Fun: Things to Do: So many things to enjoy, on and off the boat

On a Peter Sommer Travels’ family cruise, archaeological adventures are just one part of the trip. There is ample time each day to relax, read, chat, play and simply admire the lovely scenery. And even more importantly, our boats come with kayaks, snorkels, masks and flippers and various other swimming aids. So there’s no reason to hesitate: the sea is there to be enjoyed, above and below the surface.

4. More Fun: Things to Learn: Exploring history hands-on and learning fun facts about the past

Our site tours are lessons in living history, but they are like no history lesson in school. On our tours, we meet some of the great ancient characters, like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, the Crusader Knights and the Pirates of later ages. We don’t just hear about them, we go to the actual places where they did stuff. We also learn all kinds of fascinating things, including some weird, funny and gross ones, about how they ancients lived their lives, from Roman toilets to the strange adventures of Greek gods and heroes.

5. Yummy Food: Delicious meals on and off the boat

Each of our boats has an on-board kitchen with an an-board chef who produces yummy food from fresh ingredients every day. It’s all very healthy (to keep parents happy), but Mediterranean food is really fun. Your day may start with a delicious breakfast including French Toast with lovely jam and local honey, continue with a lunch of scrumptious mezes and end with wonderful Turkish meatballs or fresh fish. And we didn’t even mention the juicy watermelon and the incredible Turkish sweets! Perhaps you’ll even get to eat a fish you caught yourself?

Our two kids are seldom in agreement about vacations whether it is destinations, climate or type of adventure. The gulet cruise though was number one with them both. To create such an environment about which two teenagers raved and which their parents were just as enthusiastic is quite an accomplishment.
Donna Rohling, Georgia, USA

6. Family Time: Being together and sharing adventures

On our family tours, you get to spend lots of time enjoying exciting archaeological adventures and simply having fun with your loved ones and old or new friends – a really wonderful experience! The small size of the group (most of our boats have only between 8 and 10 cabins) means that you get to know everyone very quickly There’s enough space to have some time by yourself if you want to, but you’re never alone if you don’t want to be.

7. Ease of Mind: We look after everything – you just enjoy each day

This one’s for parents and kids alike: On Peter Sommer Travels’ family cruises, we arrange everything, from airport transfers to the site visits and the fabulous food whether on-board or on shore. Between your arrival and departure you don’t have to spend a second worrying about plans or practicalities. You can relax and spend all your time enjoying the sights and adventures of each new day, as well as being with your loved ones and friends.

8. Personal Service: Your personal expert guides and a dedicated crew

Your small group is escorted and looked after by two dedicated tour guides. One is an archaeological expert, there to bring the ancient sites to life and to answer the questions of adults and children alike. Your second host is a local guide who knows the country and its culture inside out and can explain any topics of interest. Additionally, the crew, typically with 3 or 5 members, is there to look after your needs and wishes. If you’d like it be even more personal we can even design a bespoke private trip just for you, your family and friends.

9. Find Nemo or Meet Flipper: In the water, on land and even in the air: there’s wildlife to watch

On most of our tours, we come across a lot of animals. You can snorkel to look for fish, or perhaps spot a dolphin, a shoal of flying fish or even a turtle while we’re cruising. Ashore we see tortoises and lizards, goats and sheep maybe a wild boar and wild horses; some creepy crawlies might also make an appearance…

10. Making Memories

The experience of a Peter Sommer Travels’ family tour is not just educational and fun at the same time: it is also unforgettable. Travelling in a relaxed atmosphere, sharing in exciting adventures, being on a boat, spending lots and lots of quality time with friends and family makes for a unique holiday – the trip of a lifetime!

Our family had been looking forward to travelling with Peter Sommer Travels for years. Finally the kids were old enough, and we went....and it was everything we dreamed it would be and more. Relaxing, educational, a gorgeous boat, the most delicious food, beautiful scenery, and we made such good friends. Now my two boys want to be archaeologists when they grow up! To say they got a lot out of the tour would be a massive understatement – it was THE educational experience Of A lifetime! We can’t wait to come back for another family tour!
Rochelle Benning, California, USA

For more information about our family trips including testimonials from adults and children, see our Family Tours page.

To see dates and itineraries of our family tours please see our full schedule of escorted tours in Europe and Asia.

Accreditations

AITO Tour Operator of the Year 2015 Gold Award AITO Tour Operator of the Year 2017 Gold Award AITO Tour Operator of the Year 2018 Silver Award AITO Tour Operator of the Year 2019 Silver Award Best Travel Company for Arts and Culture Holidays Silver British Travel Award 2022 Member of AITO The Specialist Travel Association Member of ABTA the Association of British Travel Agents Member of ASTA The American Society of Travel Advisors Member of ABTOI the Association of British Travel Organisers to Italy

Rated as Excellent on Aito Reviews with over 500 reviews