GBC Tours

03/26/2026

03/09/2026

For the third time, we are heading to Europe with the genealogist, Cathy Sturgell. This tour has some similarities to previous tours, but we've added in some excellent sights of interest that are unique to this tour!

Read on!

Genealogy tour of France in September of 2026.

01/05/2026

01/05/2026

2026 is going to be a great one...

Working on several client tours, as well as some potential public offerings (past clients always get first dibs).

My wife and I spent two weeks in Italy last November. It was the perfect time to travel. Less crowds, more access, and caught the tail-end of some amazing spots, just before the winter shut-down.

One city we absolutely fell in love with was Bergamo. It was - to me - the "Salzburg of Italy." Small, historic, charming, and gorgeous. And we stumbled onto a pasta dish that they specialize in making there...

And while doing some digging on the dish, I stumbled onto a brilliant food blog by a guy who goes ALL IN on everything he does. It's not just a list of lifeless recipes... He really lays it all out and adds in a lot of important extra info.

So here it is.

Italy has an almost endless supply of authentic regional recipes. I love making ravioli and there are already many recipes on this blog, both traditional and of my own invention. After the recent j…

07/19/2025

I have shared the same struggle that many up and coming artists, designers, and small businesses share...

One's personal network and connections can be larger and more impactful (my personal page friends list is over 3,000.)

But things have been in motion, with several tours on the horizon - and the best kind of them all, repeat customers-now-friends.

I've put a lot of work into the website, giving it quite the facelift - as well as my home office and organization.

For those who follow this page, GBC Tours is very much alive and well. I'll be sure to give this page some life and energy in the weeks, months, and years to come.

www.gbctours.com

04/17/2024

https://architectourgd.medium.com/step-inside-12-of-the-prettiest-pubs-in-london-c9a650f976f4

#1 The Churchill Arms

11/28/2023

For those who truly want to understand European history, you have to go back before Hi**er, the start of WWI, and even Napoleon...

It starts with Charlemagne (French for "Charles the Magnificent") or as the Germans call him, Karl der Große (Karl the Great... and the ß is an "s-set" meaning "ss." It's not a B!)

The story of Charlemagne, the first sovereign of both France and Germany, is a rich one. In this article, Deputy Editor Sarah Jones looks at Europe’s development and progression with regards …

11/26/2023

I'll tell you one reason why, and it may well be the most obvious...

If you've flown on budget carriers (Southwest excluded), you deal with a lot more risk if you flight is delayed or cancelled due to weather, maintenance, crew issues - or even your own mistake. Budget airlines have crap for customer service, rarely even have a customer service desk in major airports, and also happen to show low fares, which balloon considerably when you add basic things like a checked bag or a seat reservation.

And I'm going to take legal action against Lufthansa, a major carrier whose customer service and reputation took a serious nose dive in recent years, for shorting me and some wonderful clients out of seven international flights.

I think the thing Americans crave with something as important and expensive as major travel is this: accountability.

Major US airlines posted big Q3 2023 profits, but their low-cost counterparts' earnings suffered. Is this the beginning of the end of budget carriers?

10/18/2023

After a lengthy hiatus doing tours for a great band (and dearest brother), it has been wonderful to be back on European soil again...

And in a month and some change, GBC Tours is doing another Christmas Market tour to Italy, Austria, and Germany (Bavaria)!!!

Ireland spring tour to be announced in the weeks ahead!

08/15/2023

We are still alive and kicking... Finishing up some website clean-up and streamlining, suffice to say this:

With a full plate of family and working closely with a dear brother's band, there is a smaller window for running tours in Europe.

But make no mistake, doing tours abroad is absolutely vital to our company - for me personally, for the great friends we have and continue to make as we travel (clients and locals), and the massive injection of stimulation that comes with being on foreign soil (which is always a homecoming for my brain and soul).

We are doing two tours this fall/winter for repeat clients who reached out to book trips: a three-week tour of Norway and its Viking past and a two-week Christmas Market tour.

We will continue to offer select trips, which makes the ones we do all the more special. Feel free to send friends who are looking to travel abroad our way, for we don't just lead tours but can easily and perfectly plan them for interested parties, with our wealth of connections and experiences.

:)

05/13/2023

Touring a different part of the world...

A three-week band tour through Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Idaho, Washington State, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico!