Meet Mark Wolk of A La Carte Italy Tours

Mark Wolk is a business owner, tour leader, and head chauffeur. His business, A La Carte Italy Tours, offers a personalized luxury tour service in Italy.

1. How and when did A La Carte Italy Tours get started as a business?

A La Carte Italy Tours started fourteen years ago in the hope of bringing Italy closer to travelers. We all know that there are many tourists wanting to see Italy and its beautiful spots. The tours we provide are custom-made to suit their every need and interest. We cater exclusively to smaller groups, mainly coming from the USA and Canada, to give them a personalized luxury tour service. We try to give our clients the best service; that is why we have lasted all these years. Most of our clients remember us and even recommend us to those wanting to travel here in Italy. Not to mention our returning clients--some coming back for a second or third tour!

2. What are some of the benefits for travelers who work with you to arrange an individualized tour, rather than participating in a tour with a large group?

When you work with a large group, a lot of time and energy are wasted on organization, waiting, and large vehicle logistics. If you come in a small group--say a couple, a small family, or probably a group of friends up to six individuals--we can provide a tailor-made tour to Italy that is one of a kind. We chose to specialize exclusively in private tours, so our clients can be comfortable with each other and enjoy the trip all throughout.

The real aim here is to provide our clients, mostly Americans and Canadians, a personalized luxury tour to see the different beautiful places of Italy. As this is a private tour, everything is set to fit the clients' requirements. We prepare our proposition for the places to visit day-by-day and decide the places to go and see first. Our clients also have a free hand to drop by preferred places on the way, stop for an unscheduled photograph, etc.

Generally, we allow two weeks or more for the tour to maximize time and the benefits it provides. So it is going to be an enjoyable trip that will make memories.

3. How do you customize the tour for each traveler or family?

Italy is beautiful place to see, be it in huge cities like Milan, Rome, or Venice, or the coastlines like the Amalfi Coast and Sicily. As a private tour company, we have studied and plotted these magnificent tourist destinations for many years to allow our clients to choose the places they prefer to see.

Let us say in the Amalfi Coast tour, we allow our dearest customers to see the West Coast of Italy. We provide them a private local driver who has great knowledge of these places, and we also have local specialist guides explain the rich history and culture of the area.

We suggest ten days to see the Amalfi Coast, Central Italy, Northeastern Italy, Northwestern Italy, a Rome to Amalfi tour, Sicily, and Tuscany. As for most tastes, there are more attractions to see in Milan-Tuscany and Rome, and the private tour should take around twelve days. The Rome-Florence-Venice tour should take fourteen days. To see the best of the Northern part of Italy, the tour should take around fifteen days. To see the best of Italy should take seventeen days.

Our clients are provided with great and comfortable accommodations. They are also privileged as we organize Italian cuisine and wine tasting in the best possible conditions.

The price is variable to suit the number of participants in each tour. We are usually booked ahead well in advance, and we suggest that our customers make their bookings at least three months before the trip. A La Carte Italy Tours is a personalized quality tour service that gives customers the utmost satisfaction.

4. Why did you choose minivans as the chauffeured vehicles for your tours?

A minivan is a great choice for the tour as it is comfortable when it comes to having more people riding the vehicle. Passengers can easily talk to each other, and there is more room for the luggage. It is easier to travel and to see the beautiful places of Italy along the way. Using this vehicle will allow the passengers to see better as it is large enough inside, but small enough for all Italian roads and streets. The minivan is provided with great air conditioning and heat to suit the warm weather or the cold season.

5. What has been some of the feedback you've received from clients who have enjoyed your custom-made tours?

Absolutely all our clients are happy with our personalized luxury service. They are provided with a tour guide and chauffeur that take them to the many beautiful places in Italy. They see truly magnificent tourist attractions at a price worth the effort. As this is a tailor-made tour suited to their requirements, we as the provider make it a point to never miss what is included in the itinerary. The service is great; hence our clients are always satisfied with it.

The most rewarding feedback we received from our clients is their wish to return to Italy. Our clients enjoy our personalized luxury service, and most of them write to us after the tour to keep in touch.

We love to share our love for Italy. One of our clients enjoyed visiting Maranello so much with us that he wrote to us from the cruise ship that took him back home to the USA. He admitted he had just purchased a Ferrari on eBay, while at sea! It was a remarkable gesture how this client remembered us and considered us his new-found friends.

Thanks, Mark!

Meet Adam Dailey of Ludus Tours / Ludus Sports

Ludus Tours offers unique experiences for individuals and groups looking to travel and/or attend major international sporting events. As the entrepreneurial professionals who make up Ludus Tours say on their website, the company is about "a passion for traveling and a passion for entertainment, sports, and hospitality."

1. Why do people choose to coordinate their travel through Ludus Tours rather than their neighborhood travel agent?

People prefer to coordinate their travels through Ludus Tours over their neighborhood travel agent because the Ludus Team is comprised of sports savvy, passionate professionals with a genuine love of traveling. Here at Ludus, we create an authentic appeal to our events: something that your typical travel agent often lacks. Our staff have been to the events we sell packages for, loved their experiences, and decided to help you experience that same magic. The Ludus team have played sports all their lives and take a genuine interest in the success of your trip because we are just as excited to be at the event as you are! When you combine our traveling expertise with our love of sports, you get the Ludus touch.

2. What are some examples of events you've participated in around the world through your involvement with Ludus Tours?

One of the coolest things of this job is getting to go to all of these amazing bucket list events--and it's part of the job. I've got to sit down and watch the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics and also run with the bulls in Pamplona! Our events are what really set us apart. We carefully select experiences where we have insight and passion. Things like the World Cup in Brazil and the Summer Olympics are typically staffed by former athletes who can bring something extra to the table.

3. What are the benefits of attending a big sporting event like the Super Bowl or the Olympics with a group travel package arranged by Ludus Sports?

The benefits of attending a big sporting event with a group travel package arranged by Ludus Sports is that you get seasoned travelers combined with passionate sports fans. We love our events and we love what we do. This will ensure that you get the ultimate travel experience.

4. Do you create unique tour events/packages based on the specific interests of particular individuals or groups?

We do create unique tour events/packages based on the specific interests of particular individuals/groups. Based on our collectively extensive travel experience, we know that not all trips are created equal. For instance, if you are an avid soccer fan and you want to attend the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, you may want to catch a couple of matches in a number of different host cities. We are happy to build out that package for you. On the other hand, maybe you want to explore Rio de Janeiro exclusively, World Cup games and all. The Amazon River, Christ the Redeemer, the Sugarloaf Mountain? It's done. We've got the perfect packages for you!

5. How did you personally get involved with Ludus Tours, and what are some events you're looking forward to over the next couple of years?

I got involved with Ludus Tours after I graduated from the University of San Diego. I've been a passionate soccer player/fan all my life, and I jumped at the opportunity to become part of a company that sells World Cup packages. It's truly a dream come true. Soccer aside, I'd love to check out the Summer and Winter Olympics. It would be exciting to be around such a buzzing atmosphere surrounded by the top athletes from all over the world. In addition, Carnaval, Pamplona and Oktoberfest have always been on my personal bucket list. Ludus Tours can turn my dreams into reality.

Thanks, Adam!