Historic Tours - Pre-Tour Questions Historic Tours - WWII,Cold War, Veterans Tours, D-Day Tours, D Day, Victory In Europe Tours, Normandy Tours, Normandy Battlefield Tours, Band of Brothers, Omaha Beach, Battle of the Bulge Tours, Bastogne, Military History Tours, Berlin Tours, Eagles Nest Tours, World War II, World War ii, WW II, WW 2, World War Two, Third Reich, National D-Day Museum, Battlegrounds Tours, Battlefield Tours, War, Patton

pfeiffersRay and Cristy Pfeiffer, the owners of Historic Tours have returned from Normandy to their Florida research office.

Their 2006 season was one of their busiest and most successful. They operated tours for The History Channel, their second Easy Company 506th P.I.R., 101st Airborne Division WWII Commemorative Tour with "Wild Bill" Guarnere and "Babe" Heffron and their third tour for the Appalachian College Association among others.

They are looking forward to their:

25TH YEAR OF EXCEEDING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS

When considering taking a World War II commemorative tour please understand that such a tour needs to be planned, designed and operated by specialists. Taking a World War II commemorative tour which is operated by a general interest tour operator, will most likely end in a unsatisfying and frustrating experience. Just visiting Omaha Beach or the Battle of the Bulge areas with a general interest tour may not satisfy your need to know what really happened there. There are many companies which operate "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" type of tours which may happen to spend some time in Normandy with a European Tour Director. These tours are fine for a "panoramic" tour of Europe. However if you want a World War II commemorative tour which is properly researched and operated, you need specialists and Cristy and Ray Pfeiffer will be your "Personal Historians" who relate history on a daily basis on walks, with discussions and on-site presentations. They make the sacrifices and the actions "come alive"!


Therefore Ask The Following Of Any Tour Company You May Be Considering:


Who will actually be doing the tour guiding - not just "escorting" the tour, but actually guiding the tour?


Ask to speak with the actual Tour Director/Guide. Then ask how many tours they have personally guided - the more specific the question, the better. Ask questions such as "Where is the E-3 Draw and how do we reach it"? Where are the graves of the Roosevelt brothers and the Niland brothers (the story of Saving Private Ryan was based on them) located? Where is the Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation in Paris? At what end of Remagen is the "Bridge at Remagen"? Your Tour Director should immediately know the answers to these basic questions.


Will the tour simply go from battlefield to battlefield?


At Historic Tours we "Commemorate the sacrifices and celebrate the freedom"! Our tours are a learning experience, but also provide camaraderie, fun, great hotels, fine meals, and are guided with a sensitivity for all ages. On most tours to Paris we include one of the city's most elegant experiences - a deluxe dinner cruise on the Seine. In Munich we include the dinner and show at the Hofbrauhaus beer hall and in southern England we include lunch at the historic pub where Ike and Monty met each day to plan the upcoming invasion. In Normandy we include a boat ride along the invasion beaches on the Colonel Rudder. Champagne receptions allow for a chance to meet with Europeans. Fine meals in country inns provide the experience of rural life. Commentary is provided on the social, political and economic life in the European Union. Many of our veterans say after experiencing the beauty and culture of Europe, "It was worth fighting for"! Cristy and Ray know the details of the important sites and they will relate the events and their importance not only to World War II but also to today's world. They will personally walk with you on Omaha Beach, along Whitehall in London, guide you on the route of the 4th Armored Division's relief of Bastogne, and to the Third Reich sites of Munich, etc.


Does Historic Tours subcontract with European guides?


NO. This is the norm with many companies and is a key to a successful tour- your Tour Director could be visiting the sites on the tour for the first time! Again ask to actually speak with the Tour Director -not just a "Tour Escort". If you are told that it is not possible to do so, you be can certain that you do not wish to book with such a company.


When considering a World War II tour specialist ask:

How long has the company been in business, and how many World War II commemorative tours the actual Tour Director has guided.


Some well known companies have been sold to new owners and their experience in actually operating tours is minimal. Historic Tours has 25 solid years of experience and so do our Tour Directors. Again, ask to speak with your Tour Director before you book your tour. Cristy and Ray always get to know their tour members before the tour departs. They contact tour members by phone and find out what is really important to them. Perhaps they may wish to visit a certain foxhole, the grave of a friend or a loved one, or to have time to explore independently. Our tours are planned to the smallest detail, yet allow enough flexibility for personal preferences. Time is allowed for shopping, visiting museums, or simply enjoying a cafe.


What type of hotels you will be utilizing.


Don't be confused by companies, which offer "Superior Tourist Class" hotels. Historic Tours utilizes only "Deluxe Class" and "First Class" hotels, which we know from 25 years of experience, offer the comfort which Americans prefer. All hotels and restaurants on our tours are selected for quality, location and service and have been enjoyed by our tour members for many years. Our hotels are selected at least one year in advance and in many cases, such as our hotel for the 60th anniversary commemorations of D-Day in 2004, years in advance.


Ask the tour operator:

Will there be opportunities to meet with local people in Europe and to experience on-site tributes by Europeans to the Americans for their liberation.?


Historic Tours through our long personal relationships with the key people involved in commemorating the War throughout Europe arrange for wonderful receptions and events where veterans and all Americans are thanked for our sacrifices not only in WWII but also in the Cold War. These receptions are planned years in advance.



Lastly, a well thought out, well designed tour allows tour members the chance to relax, to experience the areas they are visiting for more than one hurried day and allows them to enjoy the natural beauties of the area as well. A well-planned tour does not change hotels almost every night. Neither does it arrive in Europe and then immediately begin with a full day of touring on your first day, in which case you may never catch up on your sleep after your overnight trans-Atlantic flight. Historic Tours always begins its tours with a day of relaxation at our first hotel and then a wonderful "Welcome Dinner". The touring begins on the next day when tour members have caught up on their sleep and are ready to enjoy their trip.


"It's Not Just A Tour -It's A Life Experience"

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