Enjoy the Best of Regional Cuisine

Every VBT trip is a culinary adventure

Ever notice how things just taste better after you’ve worked up an appetite in the great outdoors? You will, once you’ve experienced the pleasures of dining with VBT. Look forward to the best of regional cuisine…. Hand-rolled bucatini pasta with smoky pancetta and fresh shaved parmigiano reggiano…. Saffron-scented paella valenciana brimming with clams, shrimp, and swordfish .… Buttery tartes tatin filled with apple and caramel.… The table is set, the candles are lit, the wine is uncorked—let the feast begin.

“I thought I would come home 10 pounds heavier because the food was incredible. I loved waking up to a grand spread in the morning—that made it feel like a luxury vacation.”

Barbara E., Puglia: Italy’s Undiscovered Coast

Most meals are included

Be it an intimate supper in your agriturismo hotel, a cottage breakfast or an elegant dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, you can be assured of superior fare. All VBT vacations include daily breakfast, many lunches and most dinners. Breakfast might be served buffet- style and is typically substantial, to help us get off to a good start. Lunch is usually enjoyed en route, perhaps at a local bistro or outdoors, picnic-style. In the evenings we take our included dinners together, and they are sometimes served family style, with everyone joining the fun and passing platters as we recount the day’s discoveries.

We intentionally leave certain meals free so you can follow your own tastes and try local restaurants. Need a tip? Your Trip Leader will always have great recommendations.

Healthy indulgences

For our included meals we choose establishments that serve fresh, local ingredients, artfully prepared—a Puglia masseria with its own olive grove and press … a Côtes du Rhone mas serving wines from the house vineyard … an Austrian gasthaus that brews its own beer .… And we always offer vegetarian alternatives. Today’s exercise has already burned off the calories, and tomorrow’s adventures require fueling. So go ahead—indulge!

Dine with us—al fresco!

We’re famous for our signature picnics— moveable feasts where the setting is as memorable as the fare. We don’t just offer standard box lunches, but delicious samplers of local delicacies hand-picked by your Trip Leaders. We’ve hand-picked the locations, too, so you can savor great scenery along with your lunch. Maybe as you cycle through a Portuguese village, we’ll stop at the local market to fill our baskets with tangy azeitão cheese, olives, vinho verde wine, and sweet malasadas pastry. In New Zealand, we might rest in the garden of a local potter while our Trip Leaders prepare a picnic of lamb, greens, and kiwi tarts. Between the fresh air and fresh fare, you’re certain to feel revived and satisfied.

Join our special culinary themed anniversary departures

In 2011 we will have four special anniversary departures led by our renowned Trip Leaders in Provence, Puglia, Tuscany and Vietnam. These departures are enhanced with special events such as cooking classes, wine and cheese tastings, and market visits.

The culture of cuisine

Food is an important aspect of any culture, so it often plays a part in our daily exploration. Typically, we’ll start your tour with a welcome reception before our first meal, where we’ll tempt your tastebuds with a local appetizer—perhaps some Italian bruschetta, Dutch cocoa and pastries, or some cheesy gougères to go with a glass of buttery Chardonnay in Burgundy. On the road, you might sample fresh Vietnamese noodles when we visit a small family-run factory, enjoy the the fruits of your labor after your Croatian cooking class, or enjoy fresh-roasted Doka Estate coffee during a plantation visit on the slopes of Costa Rica’s Poas Volcano.

A toast to local wines and spirits

From Sonoma to Orvieto to Burgundy and beyond, many of our routes traverse the world’s most celebrated wine-growing regions. Here, you’ll sample the local vintages during winery tours and private tastings, as well as during select meals.

There are other occasions that warrant a toast, too—perhaps a visit to a whiskey distillery, a local pub, or a micro-brewery.

Whatever the venue, whatever the menu, the good company of your VBT friends will make every meal memorable.