The progression of travel seems to unfold similarly for many curious adventurers. First, we start by exploring domestically with big-city trips like New York and Vegas and exploring the U.S. national parks. From there, we venture out to easy international adventures like Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. After that, a deeper love for travel emerges and we find ourselves wanting to explore more internationally. From an accessibility and ease-of-planning standpoint, Europe becomes the next logical choice.
After many trips exploring Europe, travelers like myself fall in love with learning about new cultures, trying new foods, and begin to see the immense value that stepping away from our “bubble” can truly provide. Many tourist hotspots in Europe like Paris, Rome, and Athens are easy to navigate for U.S. travelers thanks to modern technology and many English speakers. After many trips to Europe, many travelers find themselves with a deepening desire to see more of the world. From here, we start thinking about bucket-list long-haul travel destinations like Japan, Thailand, or Australia, exotic but accessible destinations like Peru or Morocco, and nature and adventure-focused travel like trips to the Patagonia or Tanzania.
Even as an avid Type-A traveler and someone who loves a good planning session, the idea of planning the logistics of an adventure-focused trip to these harder-to-navigate areas felt overwhelming. Here’s where EF Go Ahead Tours’ guided, immersive group tours make places that feel “hard to reach” a real option to fuel anywhere your dreams take you. With the help of a flawlessly executed travel itinerary from EF Go Ahead Tours, I was able to cross seeing the Patagonia off my bucket list. Here’s how it unfolded (and quickly became one of my favorite trips ever).
What the itinerary got right
When you’re traveling to the “southernmost tip of the world”, don’t expect a direct flight. Getting to the Patagonia area means you’ll need to endure long travel days (but the views are SO worth it). Unlike planning a simple direct flight to a European hot spot like Rome, getting to areas of the Patagonia like Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales means using domestic, regional airlines and airports after flying into major South hubs in South America like Santiago or Buenos Aires. Given that many of these areas speak very little (or no) English, doing this trip with an EF Go Ahead tour made life so much easier.
With the help of a bilingual tour director, my group and I had a helpful hand and support through every step of the journey. In our group of about 20 people, our EF Go Ahead Tours director managed every logistic of the trip effortlessly. The tour, which includes multiple on-tour flights to get from Santiago, Chile to Punta Arenas, Chile and from El Calafate, Argentina to Buenos Aires, Argentina, handled all the logistics so all travelers had to do were show up and take in the beautiful views (without all the stress).
This type of support means that everything from hotels to transportation to tickets to activities is already included and taken care of for travelers. From packing guidance and support pre-tip to on-tour support like what to bring and wear for each day, I never had to take on any of those “unwanted” aspects of travel and could focus solely on the best part of travel: experience.
Logistical guidance
Managing flights with a language barrier can be challenging, though not impossible. But many aspects of this tour included other logistics that would otherwise pose a barrier to visiting many of these areas. For example, this tour includes a long bus drive that crosses the land border between Chile and Argentina, as well as difficult drives through the mountains of Torres del Paine National Park (where cell service is non-existent).
Of course, we can’t forget my favorite part of all — a speedboat tour to explore Marta Island and Magdalena Island, two small islands in the Strait of Magellan where travelers can view sea lions and Magellanic penguins in their natural habitat. Had I not gone on this EF Go Ahead Tour, I would’ve missed out on these unforgettable memories due to concerns about managing logistics in a foreign country on my own.
With the support of the group tour, I was able to see life-changing landscapes such as the Perito Moreno Glacier with my own two eyes — without having to stress or fear about the “unknowns”. EF Go Ahead Tours covers every aspect of logistics and “what ifs” so that travelers can make the most of their journeys while also learning along the way.
A blended itinerary
What I loved most about the itinerary of this EF Go Ahead tour is the diverse itinerary that included both city and rural explorations. Given that travelers need to pass through major cities like Santiago or Buenos Aires to access Patagonia, why not stop to explore all the cities have to offer? Unlike tours that focus solely on the Patagonia area, this tour blends the beauty of Patagonia with an urban exploration of two vibrant city capitals. In turn, this means a balanced 12-day itinerary that includes natural landscapes, city views, wildlife, and valuable educational lessons.
