HOME AT FIRST

Vacations

TRAVEL TO DREAM DESTINATIONS WITH ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME

BRITAIN & IRELAND

A New Year — A New Destination + A New Idea

          Home At First’s operations year normally mirrors the American school year. We announce our new travel programs and prices for the coming year at the start of the preceding autumn. It’s already late-autumn 2011. We're running a little late and we have two big announcements to make for 2012:

OUR NEW DESTINATION: While we add new destinations almost every year, for 2012 we head in altogether a new direction — the north-central Atlantic — announcing an all-season destination with British roots, North American connections, and African, Native American, Portuguese, and Caribbean influences. Known for golf courses, pink sand beaches, a privateers’ past and an insurance-industry present, this destination usually makes top-ten lists of highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Visitors will want to explore its fifty miles or so of main roads, but by law may not rent cars. Buses go everywhere, and ferries offer short cuts across bays, but many visitors fall in love with exploring this modest-sized island by motor scooter. Not that it doesn’t rain. And good thing it does — rain water is the only source of fresh water on the island. What island? Britain’s remaining North American colony from the time of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas: BERMUDA.

OUR ANNOUNCEMENT: For 2012 Home At First offers Bermuda, an all-year, cottage-based island destination with great beaches, terrific snorkeling, world-class golf, deep-sea fishing, English traditions with African flair, a rich North American colonial history with a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the British colonial fortress/town of St. George’s.

Travel packages include:

• Round-trip Flights from Boston, New York, or Philadelphia.

• Airport Transfers to your lodging.

• Lodgings for 7 nights: cottages, apartments, condos.

• A Choice of Ground Transportation: transpass for island buses and ferries, or taxi vouchers, or motor scooter rental.

• A Guidebook to help you get the most of your visit.

The price: as low as we can make it without sacrificing quality (promise!), and lower than any of our European or South Pacific destinations. Benchmark published prices for 2012 are:

The experience: priceless.

Learn more about Bermuda HERE.

OUR NEW IDEA. For 2012 Home At First offers a new way to experience our most popular destination: Scotland, by small group escorted touring. Designed for those not wanting to drive themselves, but still wanting independence and flexibility in their daily travel planning, our small group escorted tours provide a combination of independent living in your own cottage or apartment in Central Scotland with daily options for guided excursions to locations throughout Scotland.

          Two one-week trips are planned: Spring 2012 (May11-19) and Autumn 2012 (October 5-13). Groups will be limited to a maximum of 12 persons.

Small Escorted Group itinerary includes:

• Round-trip Non-Stop Flights to Glasgow, Scotland from Newark or Philadelphia.
 Domestic Connecting Flights or other Transatlantic Flights by request.

• Glasgow Airport Transfers to/from your Central Scotland lodging.

• Lodgings for 6 nights: cottages or apartments in Central Scotland towns.

• Orientation on Welcome Day.

• Join any or all of escorted small group trips led by Home At First driver and guide offered over the next five days, each following a different route to different parts of Scotland.

• Evening “happy hours” daily, with one “wee dram” provided per person. Here you learn of the following day's planned itinerary and have the opportunity to sign up or elect to enjoy the day in your lodging and town on your own.

• The mid-week “happy hour” expands into a traditional Scottish supper with good food, lots of fun, and maybe a kilt or two.

• A final night at a quality Glasgow Airport hotel, within easy walking distance of check-in for your flight home the next morning. Comes with a chance to explore Glasgow city independently.

• Our exclusive “Scotland Activities Guide” to help you get the most of your visit.

The price: $2,999.00 per person (double occupancy). Single occupancy extra. Reductions per person for occupancies of from 3-6 persons.

Availability: limited to 12 persons per trip.
   • Registration for Spring 2012 Trip closes January 1, 2012.
   • Registration for Autumn 2012 Trip closes March 1, 2012.

The experience: priceless.

Learn more about our new Small Group Escorted SCOTLAND Trips HERE.

Happy New Year, everybody. Happy travels, too.

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Ron Fahnestock
Editor

— HOME AT FIRST —