Realizing Your International Travel Dreams —
Custom, Independent, International Travel from Home At First
Your journey begins in the immense sky.
Over the vast ocean, you sleep
high above the storm.
Begin Your Dream Journey Here…
SIX STEPS TO MAKING YOUR Custom, INDEPENDENT, international Travel DREAMS COME TRUE —
1. DREAM
Do you dream of custom, independent, international travel?
• Maybe stories you have read or movies you have seen have inspired you.
• Or, maybe tracing family roots is your ambition.
• Or, maybe music, theater, or sports are your focused goals.
Whatever your reasons to travel overseas, your travel dreams can come true. This is where the travel experts at Home At First come in.
2. dESIGN
Tell us your travel dreams. We design a free trip proposal for you, with all the right flights, lodgings, & ground transport you need to turn your international travel dreams into realities, efficiently and economically. Only when you accept your personalized trip design is your deposit payment due. Once your deposit is received, we put in place all the arrangements to make your dream trip come to life.
3. dAYDREAM
Read & daydream about your trip! Before your trip begins you receive a comprehensive guidebook keyed for your destinations. Thirty days prior to your departure you receive all necessary trip documents (tickets, vouchers, passes) plus detailed arrival information, including your overseas addresses, contact information for your lodgings and your hosts, and specific meeting plans for arrival day.
4. dEPART
Departure Day. Check-in and Security and two hours of Waiting-to-Board (sorry). Then the big bird soars, and the wise flier snores. Too soon breakfast interrupts rudely, signifying the approaching landing. Terra Incognita appears out the cabin window. A new world appears as if out of your airplane slumber. Dreams begin to transform into first impressions, but not yet hardened enough to be considered realities.
5. dECOMPRESS
Arrival Day. In some prearranged way — train, bus, taxi, rental car — you find your foggy way to your first night’s lodging. Bed’s invitation wrestles with your curiosity to explore, and bed mostly wins, at least for a couple of hours. You wake in a new place where you barely remember arriving. Time seems as fuzzy as your mind is groggy. You are hungry. Your first meal will help reestablish order. Relaxation begins, and Peace happens.
6. dISCOVER
Your custom, independent, international travel dream begins. A new morning — the first day of your new life. Take a walk. Eat a fresh pastry with a reassuring coffee or a change-up tea. Watch & listen closely. Hear strange language: even English words now sound foreign. Observe all around you. Dare to speak, to order, to shop. Can you find your way home? Home. Your new home. Comfortable. Roomy. You’re Home At First.
FIND YOUR CUSTOM, INDEPENDENT, INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL DREAM DESTINATION HERE:
Home At First Destinations
Our World of Custom, Independent, International Travel
Featuring Quality Hosted Lodgings
Jump ahead to see our Current Travel Bargains.
Open to visitors. No Covid tests or locator form required.
SUPERBLY LOCATED CENTRAL LONDON APARTMENTS:
• Tower Bridge North
near historic Tower of London & Tower Hill tube.
• Tower Bridge South
in fashionable riverside Bermondsey.
• London Bridge North
near Monument tube station.
• London Bridge South
near London Bridge station.
Open to visitors. No Covid tests or locator form required.
COTTAGES IN FOUR
ENGLISH REGIONS
Heart of England
The West Country
Northwest England
North Yorkshire
& by SPECIAL REQUEST:
• Cambridge • Oxford
• Cheshire & Shropshire
• The Midlands
Central England
Open to visitors. No Covid tests or locator form required.
LODGINGS IN THREE SCOTTISH REGIONS:
Scotland’s Heartland
Scotland’s Historic Capital
The Northern Highlands
& by SPECIAL REQUEST:
• Glasgow
• The Borders
• Isle of Skye
• Mull & Iona
• Outer Hebrides
• Orkney & Shetland
Open to visitors. No Covid tests or locator form required.
COTTAGES IN TWO
NATIONAL PARK REGIONS OF WALES
Brecon Beacons Nat’l. Park
Snowdonia Nat’l. Park
& by SPECIAL REQUEST:
• Southwest Wales
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Ireland & No. Ireland open to visitors without Covid restrictions.
COTTAGES & APARTMENTS IN FIVE IRISH REGIONS:
Tipperary & Clare
Cork & Kerry
Donegal & Sligo
Antrim & Londonderry
Dublin
Open to vaccinated North Americans without Covid restrictions.
LEFT & RIGHT BANK
PARIS APARTMENT LOCATIONS:
Central Paris
Apartments
in safe, attractive, desirable neighborhoods near attractions, the Métro, restaurants, and services:
Arrondissements 1-8, 11, & 18.
& by SPECIAL REQUEST:
• Provence
• Normandy
• Alsace
Open to all visitors. No Covid testing or other restrictions.
APTS. & CHALETS ACROSS THE SWISS ALPS:
Locarno & its neighbors
The Matterhorn & Zermatt
& by SPECIAL REQUEST:
• Eastern Switzerland:
Pontresina, the Bernina Alps, & the Upper Engadine
Open to all visitors. No Covid testing or other restrictions.
CIRCLING ICELAND:
THE RING ROAD TRIP
Boutique Hotels, Inns,
& Apartments around
Iceland’s Ring Road
including Reykjavik,
volcanoes & glaciers.
Independent discovery set itineraries of 3, 7, & 10 day lengths, or custom-made for your budget, interests, and time constraints.
Iceland is combinable with most European destinations.
Open to vaccinated Americans & Canadians. No testing or restrictions.
LODGINGS IN THREE DANISH REGIONS:
• Zealand: Copenhagen & Roskilde
• Odense & Funen
• Aarhus, Aalborg, & Jutland
Classic lodging locations in Copenhagen & Roskilde. Special request locations throughout Denmark.
Open to vaccinated Americans & Canadians. No testing or restrictions.
OSLO, BERGEN, &
THE FJORDS
Plus Stavanger, Kristiansand, Lillehammer, Ålesund, Trondheim, Lofoten, & Tromsø
Lodgings at 8 classic & 5 special request Norwegian locations including the World Heritage Site fjords.
Open to vaccinated Americans & Canadians. No testing or restrictions.
LODGINGS IN FIVE CLASSIC REGIONS:
• Stockholm
• Uppsala
• Gothenburg
• Lakeland
• West Coast
Boutique Hotels, Inns, & Apartments at 5 classic & 4 special request locations across Sweden.
Open to vaccinated visitors. No tests needed. NZ Traveller Pass required.
NORTH & SOUTH ISLANDS — A ROAD TRIP OF DISCOVERY:
Individually planned itineraries using boutique lodgings with outstanding hosting in:
• 7 North Island regions
• 7 South Island regions
Vaccinated US, UK, & Canadian visitors welcome with pre-arrival test & form.
BETWEEN BRITAIN &
THE CARIBBEAN:
Bermuda offers much
more than its famed pink sand beaches. We offer cottages & inns across the island.
OPEN to vaccinated Americans & Canadians with little or no formality.
COUNTRIES WE CUSTOM-PLAN DREAM TRIPS TO:
• Britain • Ireland
• Finland • Iceland
• Germany • Holland
• Greece • Italy
• Portugal • Spain
• France • Switzerland
• Denmark • Norway • Sweden
A Letter from Home…
STICKER SHOCK. Have you flown recently? If so, was it domestically or to the Caribbean or Mexico? Bet you paid a high fare. When you reached your destination, did the prices for lodging, car rental, and restaurant meals shock you? Maybe you’ve been reading about travel inflation or experienced sticker shock first hand at your local gas station. But the current domestic economic realities are not universal.
BUT NOT EVERYWHERE. Fact is, travel for Americans & Canadians to much of Western Europe right now is available at bargain rates. Because of Covid worries, Ukraine worries, and inflation worries, the expected boom year in North American travel to Europe has not materialized.
GOOD NEWS (for a change). The Covid pandemic has largely burned itself out here and abroad. Want to travel with a minimal risk of Covid? Get vaccinated and stay current with your booster shots. Stay healthy. Don’t take unnecessary risks.
NO MORE RE-ENTRY COVID TESTING FOR RETURNING YANKS. Afraid of catching Covid and getting stuck overseas by a failed exit rapid antigen or PCR test? The USA finally ended its test requirement for returning citizens (& all vaccinated passengers). One less worry, and, for many, one less travel insurance cost.
NO PLACE TO RUN TO, BABY. NO PLACE TO HIDE. Want to avoid getting nuked by Putin? Think Chicago will be safer than Chernobyl if the ICBMs start to fly? If you’re staying home for this reason, you should be putting this year’s travel money into building a backyard bomb shelter. Otherwise, don’t expect the Russkies to hit the beaches of Scotland or parachute into Paris. They pretty much have their hands full in the Donbas.
THE NEW MATH. But isn’t inflation worldwide? Yes. In Western Europe, inflation is running at annual rates from below 3% to above 10%, depending upon the country, with most countries projecting between 7-9% increases, levels very similar to the United States. There is an important difference. The US dollar has strengthened significantly since January versus European currencies: (9.3% against the Euro; 10.3% against the pound sterling; even 9.2% against the normally stolid Swiss franc). This means that despite inflation eroding your buying power at home, your dollars actually go further than last year in Europe.
FEAR OF FLYING. About those airfares. Domestic: bad. Transatlantic: good. Have a look at our current collection of Travel Bargains, featuring Iceland, England (Cornwall, Cotswolds, Lake District, or North Yorkshire), & (NEW!) Cascais (near Lisbon) Portugal offering terrific savings for travel during 2023. Such bargains mean it’s probably cheaper for most of you to travel to Europe for a week than to book a week at Disney.
FLY WITH THE EARLY-BIRDS. And, if you would love to travel to any Home At First European destination in 2023 for 2022 rates, our 2023 Early-Bird Special offers current prices for 2023 travel if you act by October 31, 2022. But you had better act soon while the best selection still exists!
— Ron Fahnestock, Editor
Sign up for Travel Bargain Alerts!
We’ll send you breaking news of special bargains for international travel to your favorite Home At First destinations — like the ones in the right-hand column. Notices come as we discover them — approximately monthly — and typically offer savings of 17-30% off full-packages with flights, lodgings, & land transportation.
FIND OUR BEST VALUES HERE:
Current Travel Bargains
4 OUTSTANDING DEALS
FOR TRAVEL DURING 2023!
It’s Back!
Announcing Our—
PAY 2022 PRICES FOR 2023 TRAVEL!
• Pre-Reserve 2023 Now; Confirm by October 31, 2022
• Get 1st Choice of Destinations & Lodging Dates
• Lock-in 2022 Rates for your 2023 Travel
• Avoid paying anticipated 2023 increases
TRAVEL PERIOD: 13JAN23 – 27OCT23
7-Days or Longer Independent Full Packages
to Quality Hosted Home At First Destinations in:
• British Isles: London, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
• Continental Europe: Paris, Italy, Switzerland
• Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland
Full Packages Include:
• Round-Trip Transatlantic Flights
• Minimum of 7 Nights Quality Lodgings
• The Right Ground Transport for your Destination
• Practical, usable on-site activity guidebooks
BOOK/PAY BY OCTOBER 31, 2022
2023 EARLY-BIRD SPECIAL DETAILS
Exciting New Destination!
Cascais, Portugal
SPRING INTRODUCTORY SALE!
TRAVEL 31MAR23 – 27MAY23
7-Day Independent Full Package:
• Round-Trip Flights No. America to Lisbon, Portugal
• 7 Nights Lodging (Sa-Sa) upscale, seaside Cascais
• Spring – the Best Time to Visit Cascais & Lisbon
• Centrally-Located Quality Vacation Apartments
• Excellent, attentive, English-speaking hostess
• Independent Travel in Portugal by Car or Rail
• Beaches, Food & Wine, Culture, Architecture
• Explore Cascais, plus nearby Sintra & Lisbon
• Your Choice of: Flexi RailPass or Car Rental
EXTENDED OFFER!
BOOK BY OCTOBER 3, 2022
• Friday Departures 31MAR23 – 19MAY23
Special Introductory Full-Package Price!
$1,993
PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
INTRODUCING CASCAIS SPECIAL: DETAILS
ICELAND
in the Spring
SPRING 2023 SPECIAL!
TRAVEL 28MAR – 24MAY 2023
7-Day Independent Full Package:
• Independent Fly/Drive Travel with Transatlantic Flights
• Lodgings are inns near attractions across Iceland
• Start & End in Reykjavik, Iceland’s Capital
• 5-Days of Rental Car Included
NEW OFFER!
BOOK BY OCTOBER 11, 2022
• Tuesday Departures 28MAR – 16MAY, 2023
$AVE UP TO 21.4% – $579/person!
$2,121
PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
ICELAND SPRING SPECIAL : FULL DETAILS
SPRING 2023 SPECIAL!
Oh to be in —
now that Spring is there!
TRAVEL 3MAR – 20MAY, 2023
CHOOSE FROM 4 DESTINATIONS:
• CORNWALL (SW England)
• COTSWOLDS (Heart of England)
• NORTH YORKSHIRE (NE England)
• THE LAKE DISTRICT (NW England)
7-Day Full-Package includes:
Independent Fly/Drive Travel with Transatlantic Flights
+ Cottage/Apartment Lodgings + 1-Week Car Rental
NEW OFFER!
BOOK BY OCTOBER 3, 2022
• Friday Departures 3MAY – 12MAY, 2023
$AVE UP TO 23% – $609/person!
$1,991
PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
HOW TO BUILD, PRICE, & BOOK YOUR CUSTOM, INDEPENDENT, INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL —
Contact HOME AT FIRST: (800) 523-5842 (toll-free USA & Canada) • +1 610 543 4348 (worldwide) • info@homeatfirst.com