Why You Should Consider UnTours

In a world where AirBnB and VRBO loom large, a nearly 50-year-old company offers a slightly different way of getting to know a culture by staying in one place for a while.

It’s called UnTours, and its tagline is UnPack Once, an attractive concept nowadays. The company’s late founder, Hal Taussig, began arranging trips to Switzerland the way he liked to travel, which was slow enough to get to know a place, start friendships and understand the culture. More than the name of a travel company, UnTours became a travel style. And it caught on. The company grew to thousands of annual travelers and nearly 30 destinations across Europe. Taussig was an unusually generous man, inspiring the B Corp movement as UnTours became the world’s first certified B Corp. Paul Newman and John F. Kennedy, Jr. awarded UnTours with the Most Generous Company in America award.

But what is an UnTour?

“UnTours are for more independent-minded travelers who like to explore and experience the true essence of a place but appreciate not having to sift through lodging options or figure out transportation,” said Richard G. Edwards, Chief Marketing Officer for UnTours and the Untours Foundation. “You stay in one villa, apartment, or chalet in one of your dream locations for a week, two weeks, or longer. Each trip includes the most appropriate transportation for the week, whether a rail pass in Switzerland or a rental car in Tuscany. We also provide orientation and support from our UnGuides.”

An “UnGuide” is a local person ready to help you out. If you travel with Untours, you are an “UnTourist.” The UnGuides can answer questions, provide logistical guidance, and give recommendations on restaurants, tours, and sightseeing. But they don’t lead you around, and their role is closer to that of a concierge.

UnTours can also lay claim as one of the earliest companies to promote the “slow travel” movement and was a pioneer in the industry. By making a version of slow travel accessible to a broad audience, they’ve become a leading voice in helping travelers understand the value of taking more time in each place. As Edwards noted, “By doing so, you’re lowering your environmental impact with fewer flights, preserving tradition and culture by incentivizing communities to stay true to themselves.”

How does it work? Say you want to spend time in The Netherlands. Every other company will point you to Amsterdam. UnTours, on the hand, will likely book you into one of their properties in the small city of Leiden.

“UnTours originated and thrived in the towns that exemplify local culture,” said Edwards. “When you’re in one small village for a week or two, you feel the rhythm of local life, have the coffee shop owner learn your name, and see things that tourists on a quick stopover wouldn’t discover. We choose places with easy access to bigger cities and towns, have interesting things to do, and also help you get a true sense of place. We also have UnTours in big cities – Rome, Paris, London, and Barcelona – where things to do and see are everywhere. Even there, we strive to help you dig into local culture and slow your pace.”

UnTours are measured in weeks instead of days. It’s common to see UnTourists go to Europe for two weeks and stay somewhere in Switzerland for a week and then somewhere in Italy the other week.

As for the mission of UnTours, this is a business that funnels profits to the UnTours Foundation to work towards alleviating poverty.

“The UnTours Foundation helps promising entrepreneurs who are trying to make the world a better place with their businesses, yet don’t have access to the financial help they need to grow,” said Edwards. “We’ve helped Equal Exchange in the coffee and food industry, the sporting goods company Senda, and more recently, the Reset Tourism Fund. We’re trying to even the business playing field for women and under-represented people by providing low-interest loans and the occasional investment in businesses that need that nudge to succeed.”

Go to UnTours for more information.