Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Z Michelson Travel Podcast, where every journey is a story waiting to be told. I'm your host, z Michelson, and I'm so excited to take you on a ride through the world's most incredible destinations, hidden gems and unforgettable experiences. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just starting to plan your next getaway, you're in the right place. Starting to plan your next getaway? You're in the right place. Each episode, we'll be diving into everything from must-see landmarks to off-the-beaten-path treasures, speaking with locals and travel experts and sharing stories that will inspire your next adventure. So sit back, relax and let's wander the world together, one destination at a time. Are you ready?

Speaker 2: 0:47

Let's get started, hey this is Zee Michelson here, and you know I have Diana from Celtic Tours with me today. Hi Diana, hi Zee, how are you? Very good, thanks. And you know we're sitting here still in the middle of summer Ah, still hot, it is very hot. And we're sitting here still in the middle of summer Ah, so hot, it is very hot. And we're talking Celtic tours. But Celtic tours has a little secret that nobody knows about. They do more than just Celtic.

Speaker 3: 1:14

Oh yeah, yeah, I think we did. I think we did a whole series on Italy. Right, we did a whole series on Italy.

Speaker 2: 1:20

We talked about Scotland. We talked about Ireland.

Speaker 3: 1:26

And we did a little bit of the Christmas market, yeah, which was like Poland, yes, austria.

Speaker 2: 1:28

So we did a lot of that, yeah, and now you're telling me, celtic Tours, does Germany private tours?

Speaker 3: 1:35

Yeah, not just private tours. We have all different types of tours in Germany, all different, I mean different. We can do like independent trips. We can do German B&B packages, so if they wanted to go to a bed and breakfast all over Germany, we could put that together for them. Golf vacations in Germany, golf there were golf courses in Germany. Nobody thinks Germany and golf. And then we can also, of course, do small group tours and chauffeur drives. Course do small group tours and chauffeur drives, so we have quite a few on our website to offer as far as German private tours.

Speaker 2: 2:11

Now, when you say private tours, you know you say a private chauffeur, and to me it would be great when you're going to a country that English is not their first language. Right Now, I know a lot of Germans speak English. They do, yeah, they do. But how comforting that would be if you have a private chauffeur that speaks the language. Right Now, I know a lot of Germans speak English. They do, yeah, they do. But how comforting that would be if you have a private chauffeur that speaks the language Yep and can help you go to all these places that you always heard about.

Speaker 3: 2:34

Yeah, yeah, and you can customize the tour any way you want, anywhere from four, five, six, seven to 11 nights, 11 nights, 11 nights.

Speaker 2: 2:44

If I was going over to germany, I would have to go oh absolutely.

Speaker 3: 2:47

Why would you go all the way over to europe and not at least spend 10 to 14 days, exactly? You know? Yeah, right. Or give us an example of one of these tours. Well, we have a seven night black forest and romantic germany black forest and romantic germany tour. It's a seven-night adventure and it goes from frankfurt to munich. And again, this is a private tour and the departure dates are through the rest of the year, so you know, anytime that they want to go, as long as there's availability at the hotels for travel, that's yeah, so they can. They actually book into this now? Well, yeah, they would just go ahead and contact their travel advisor or go ahead and take a look at our website to see what's available.

Speaker 3: 3:29

So this particular tour here, it's again just a beautiful, beautiful tour, because you arrive in Frankfurt, then you go to Heidelberg, baden-baden. You'll go to Schrausberg, prieberg, neuschwanstein, where the castle is the castle. Salzburg, priebusch, neuschwanstein, where the castle is the castle. Yeah, the famous Ludwig II and his you know, he was notoriously known as the Mad King, right, you know. So he has this beautiful castle in the mountains that he had built and it's gold and just absolutely, absolutely beautiful.

Speaker 2: 4:01

Now do they? Oh, you actually get tourists to go into the castle and stay.

Speaker 3: 4:05

Oh, yeah, it's all part of the tour, so your tour would actually include tickets to Nordschwanstein, so you don't have to worry about that. It would be included.

Speaker 2: 4:14

Yeah, it just includes so much so in a private chauffeur. So you would get the private chauffeur. You would get all these tours that would be there Hotel accommodations, right Accommodations at different.

Speaker 3: 4:24

You would get all these tours that would be there. Hotel Accommodations, correct Accommodations at different, you know, hotels all over. Yeah, what type of hotels would they be staying at there? Are always superior hotels. We always. Now again in Europe they really don't have a star system, right, but they, you know anywhere from.

Speaker 2: 4:40

you know three, four, five star hotel we never book anything that's not a superior hotel, and has been vented by us Right Now. We, as Americans, we always think we have a bathroom in our hotel. Yeah, we have it in our room. So I would actually recommend, if they are talking with a travel advisor and they want not to share a bathroom, to let their advisor know that they want their own accommodation that way.

Speaker 3: 5:04

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 5:06

So these things can be handled, of course.

Speaker 3: 5:09

Absolutely yeah, we can. Again, one of the things that I love about this company is the customization. We can customize anything, almost anything, for our clients, and in Germany we have like a magical Bavaria tour.

Speaker 2: 5:23

Now what does that mean to you?

Speaker 3: 5:25

It's a six-night tour. It takes them all throughout Bavaria and again they just get to see. I don't know if anybody knows much about Bavaria, but that's kind of the stuff of Germany. They speak Irish and you get to go to Wolfsburg and the Eagle's Nest and a lot happened there also during, you know, the war.

Speaker 2: 5:46

During the.

Speaker 3: 5:46

World War II. So they have some of the Nazi grounds that are actually included in that particular tour, including a Rasenbergen which you kind of get a little taste of, Rasenbergen.

Speaker 2: 6:00

I know my husband is very much into the World War II history so he would probably want to do a tour designed around all of that. So that would be very interesting to him, or World War II bops that they want to see these areas and what happens and this can be interesting Done by Celtic tourists, yeah.

Speaker 3: 6:19

Oh yeah, wow Again, there's, of course, you know, there's so much history, just so much history with the war, with World War II. There there's places that they can go, where they can actually see where bombs have fallen, and there's still these big caverns, wow, that have just kind of grown in with Foliage. Foliage yeah, correct, and it's just amazing. And of course, you know some of the camps that were there in Germany. Wow, yeah, there's just so much history. So people really, really want to go back and see the history of the war.

Speaker 2: 6:53

They can definitely put something they can do that. So you were talking about the Black Forest, romantic Germany. Now, when I think Black Forest, I think of a cake I think of is that where they are the pots?

Speaker 3: 7:05

are there? Yeah, the cuckoo clock and the black forest cake? Yeah, oh well, yeah, with the cherries and the whipped cream and the chocolate cake, and I'm a big cuckoo clock.

Speaker 2: 7:15

I would have to go just to buy a cuckoo clock. So now you said also magical Bavaria. But then you have something that you were talking to me about was called the heart of Germany, yeah, the heart of Germany.

Speaker 3: 7:27

11 nights, wow, 11 nights, and you arrive in Frankfurt, which is the main location Everybody who travels to, but 11 nights and you'll go all over. You'll go to Heidelberg, you'll go to Strasbourg, fussen, you do 11 nights around the entire country of Germany. So you start in Frankfurt and you end in Frankfurt.

Speaker 2: 7:50

So the entire country is included in this Yep and give us an example of some of the tours.

Speaker 3: 7:56

Well, some of the tours you'll go to Berg and you'll do a beautiful downtown tour on the banks of the main river, there, where it's beautiful, and you'll have a sightseeing tour there. Of the cities, you'll have a sightseeing tour of Nuremberg. Again, all the tour guides are included in this tour. You know, of course it's a private tour. Nuremberg is a historical city, so a lot to see there. It's well-preserved, with castles and Gothic churches, and some of the houses there are really romantic and the squares there are beautiful. And, of course, munich. Who doesn't want to go to the Hofbrauhaus? Absolutely, even if it isn't during Oktoberfest, you still have to go to the Hofbrauhaus and you have to go to the Marmplatz Square, which is the main plaza there. Again, so much, so much is included.

Speaker 2: 8:46

It's amazing to know that Celtic tourists can actually put private tours together for you in Germany. When you think Celtic tours, you don't think Germany, but we have to start thinking that way. Yeah, celtic tours is more than just the Celtic region. Yeah, and that makes it exciting because, like you said, we can customize. Celtic tours is more than just the Celtic region. Yeah, and that makes it exciting because, like you said, we can customize. Celtic tours can customize. That's very important, particularly for a lot of people that want to do family trips. They want to. You know mom and dad, the kids, grandma, grandpa, sometimes where grandma and grandpa's family are from. Oh, yeah, and you can do all of that. Now. You also said you got B&Bs available. They're amazing that you can do B&Bs.

Speaker 3: 9:27

Yeah, let's say, for example, you wanted to customize your tour and you wanted to do a self-drive and you wanted to stay at certain locations. We would actually go ahead and find B&Bs in the area where you wanted to go and put that together for you.

Speaker 2: 9:42

Now, when I think Germany, I think food. Fool me crazy, but I think food.

Speaker 3: 9:47

Some good schnitzel, some spaetzle, some good sausages.

Speaker 2: 9:51

Yeah, and I know that you know a lot of culinary people might think of going to Germany to taste and try some of the foods. Can Celtic tours do this?

Speaker 3: 10:00

Yeah, of course, of course. I mean, that would probably take a little bit more time because that's not something we have done before, right? Yeah, let's say, for example, they wanted to go and just try different places. I don't know, and again, this is something I would probably have to find out, but we might even be able to find cooking classes, different cooking classes for them in Germany, where, and again, every, every area is different, you know so.

Speaker 3: 10:26

So the sauerkraut that you're going to get in the North isn't going to be the same sauerkraut that you're going to get in the South, just like potato salad yeah, potato salad, yeah, potato salad. You know, it's not going to be the same in one area as it is the other area. So you're always going to have different flavors and different tastes. And it's just the culture and even the beer there, of course. Germany is known for their beer, you know, just like Ireland is Even the beer in Germany. You're going to have different beers made from different pubs there. We call them gas houses, you know. So there's going to be all different types of flavors that they can enjoy and travel all over Germany, just to try it.

Speaker 2: 11:06

You know, like I said, when I think of Germany, I think yeah, because I, my parent, my mother's German heritage, my grandmother was from Germany and you know I remember the food, yeah, yeah. So there's a lot of food and a lot of food fairs going on. Now we had talked briefly on another one about Christmas markets, and of course Germany is also known for the Christmas markets and that too is something that Celtic tourists can work on getting at. But we were talking off mic. You know, because when I think of going through Germany, you were talking about a private chauffeur and I'm thinking of like a nice big van or something with my family, but the train seems so romantic. So can you do?

Speaker 3: 11:49

train. The rail is so easy in Germany to get from place to place. It's just so easy. So, yes, you can do a complete rail trip and see the country the way it should be seen. You know, going through it you'll have good spots and you'll have bad spots. You'll have the countryside and then you have the cities. So you can definitely do a rail and visit all different types of castles along the way. Heidelberg Castle they have these beautiful open air museums as well that they can go see. There's so many ways to see Germany, so many ways.

Speaker 2: 12:24

Now, when I think of train trips here in the United States we have Amtrak. Now can people stay on the trains? Do they sleep on the trains? Do they have sleeper trains? Do they have all different?

Speaker 3: 12:35

types they can. I mean, it depends on where they're going and where they're traveling. I wouldn't recommend doing that. I would recommend using the train for transportation and then staying at a B&B or staying at hotels and you know, just doing it that way. If you're a light packer, you know, and that's the best way to do it. Don't bring two suitcases with you along a rail, because it's very difficult to do, right. Yes, they do have sleeping cards as well, if you wanted to go ahead and sleep. But again, I would use the rail as transportation and not as, like a hotel, so going from point A to point B.

Speaker 2: 13:10

Correct Would be the best way to use the train and then this way you can sit back, relax. Now I know some of the trains also. You know you have food on board and things like that, so you can relax and enjoy the trip. So that would be a very very fun thing.

Speaker 3: 13:23

Yeah, they have of course food and of course you know bars where you can get your beer Right.

Speaker 2: 13:28

That always has to be included.

Speaker 3: 13:30

We're going to Germany.

Speaker 2: 13:32

Now, you had said there Germany, you think of the castles, and one of the most famous castles, which I cannot pronounce the name.

Speaker 3: 13:39

Nordschwanstein. There you go, and one only yeah, that's one Right. And then Linderhof Right, which is also a castle by the crazy King Ludwig, which they actually had three to rebuild. He liked to build things. That's actually ruined the history. I don't want to ruin anything for our guests.

Speaker 3: 14:07

But you know he actually put Germany in the hole by building all these castles. That's why they called him the Mad King, because he was just spending too much money. Spending, spending, spending, yeah, so yeah. Castles all over Germany that are just beautiful. So if people wanted to just do a castle tour, they could do that as well.

Speaker 3: 14:17

Romantic Roads and Castle Tour we actually have that as well. Oh, romantic Roads, roads and Castle. Romantic Roads and Castle Tour we actually have that as well. Oh, romantic Roads, roads and Castle. Romantic Road and Castle Tour, that's pretty cool. Yeah, that's a six night, or sorry, five night and six days, and again that starts in Frankfurt and goes all the way to Munich. So you'll be stopping along the way in Rothenburg, jolleburg, where else? Of course, nordschwanstein and Linderhof, which I mentioned, abergamen, no.

Speaker 2: 14:47

I have a question. Okay, in Scotland, in Ireland, some of the castles you can stay in Is that an opportunity that we can do?

Speaker 3: 14:55

in Germany, typically not. There are castles that you can tour but not stay in Correct, they're still old. Correct, yeah, they're still. They're actually just historical castles. And what's really amazing, I've been to Neuschwanstein, right, and the view, of course, is very, very difficult to get there. It really is, because you have to climb a steep hill to get to the castle, to the area. Now, they do have. They do have, of course, strong carriages that you can rent, that it would take you to the top. You know things like that. So here are ways to get there if you can't do the hill. The view from inside of Neuschwanstein, looking at those mountains, and just thinking about him actually building this castle in these mountains, it's just, it's mind boggling. And when you walk through it and you see all of the gold and all of the details in everything, including, you know, the bedding, my mouth just drops.

Speaker 2: 15:53

And it's amazing the history of Germany to know that some of these castles are still there. Oh yeah, it astounds me, and you had a little inside tip there. It's hard to get to, so if you are a little challenged by a walk, there are other ways to get up that hill to get to the castle, yeah. Which is kind of nice, but again that's a little bit of an add-on price, yeah, but how nice that would be to go up to the castle in a horse-drawn carriage I know I know that really adds to the excitement and how romantic that would be.

Speaker 2: 16:25

You know that would be a cute thing for a second honeymoon.

Speaker 3: 16:27

It's just even a first honeymoon, right? A big frame for my first honeymoon so you have all of that Now.

Speaker 2: 16:34

You said there was at least 15 tours that Celtic Tours can do.

Speaker 3: 16:38

Yeah, we have 15 different private tours that Celtic Tours can do for anyone. And, of course, the dates are up to you, right, whatever you decide. And the prices the price that you see on our website is a starting price, of course, right, because as you add, right, it's going to go up, because if you do two people, your price is going to be a little bit more if you're doing a private tour, right, versus if you do six people, right In the tour, right. I'm splitting it, correct.

Speaker 2: 17:08

Correct. So all of the Germany tours are private. So all of the Germany tours are private.

Speaker 3: 17:11

Correct, all of our tours are private and, of course, like I said, you can do the independent journeys or the rails, or a self-drive, if you want to do the self-drive as well. Mm-hmm yeah.

Speaker 2: 17:24

You know, I think of Germany and I think of the Autobahn. Now, I have never driven on the Autobahn. Have you driven on the Autobahn? Yes, I have driven on how fast.

Speaker 3: 17:31

I was actually on the back of a motorcycle on the Autobahn. That's just crazy, diana, that's just crazy. How fast can you go? I don't know, I wasn't driving, I was on the back, but I know it's fast because we were zooming in and out of the traffic. Oh my God, because that's where my family is from Right. So you know I went there, my cousin took me on the Autobahn and my mother yelled at him when we got back. She goes why are you taking her on the Autobahn?

Speaker 3: 17:57

On a motorcycle On a motorcycle, and then I have driven on the Autobahn as well and I did about I'd get about 100. And then I had to back off a little bit. But you know it's so different over there Because on the Autobahn people know how to drive you little bit. But you know it's so different over there because on the autobahn people know how to drop. Yeah, you know you stay on the right hand side. You know if, if you're not, but if you're, if you're passing, you know you're, you're passing on the left, you know. And if you're in the way, boy they get, they get angry, yeah they get angry.

Speaker 2: 18:26

yeah, and from my understanding the autobahn roads are so smooth, very, because you know, they know people are going at high rates of speed and one blowout can really hurt.

Speaker 2: 18:38

So these are amazing things in Germany. You got the food, you got the highways, you got the schools. You know, you got your self-drive tours that Celtic tours can design for you. So you're kind of by yourself, but you have a guide. Yeah, something's're kind of by yourself, but you have a guide. Yeah, something's guiding you through. Yeah, you're looking for all the things and again, you know, tell me, in September you have Oktoberfest.

Speaker 3: 19:04

Yeah, end of September, oktoberfest, right. And then you have the Christmas market, which I would definitely start planning for next year, not this year Absolutely. Because, you're not going to get in this year. You know that sells out pretty fast, right, because we're talking.

Speaker 2: 19:17

we're in 2025 right now.

Speaker 3: 19:19

Right, right so let's plan 2026.

Speaker 2: 19:22

Yeah, and we can do that now.

Speaker 3: 19:24

Yeah, of course. So that's very, very important. I highly recommend booking, at least you know, anywhere from 10 months to a year out.

Speaker 2: 19:31

Yeah, for sure. Now what about airfare? Can Celtic Tours also package airfare?

Speaker 3: 19:37

in. We can. We definitely can do the airfare for them as well, to include it in their entire package. If they'd like us to do that, it can be they have if they want to use their points, or something like that.

Speaker 2: 19:49

Right, that's another story.

Speaker 3: 19:50

That would be something they would have to do on their own because we don't have access to their accounts to use their points. But we could definitely go ahead and their airfare and we could add their points by just getting their miles number. You know with whomever they might be with. Yeah, well, that's good, and there's some really, really good flights, you know, depending on where you're coming from. You know, here in Orlando they don't have any non-stop flights, but it's only one stop, typically somewhere in the Northeast, and it goes right on over.

Speaker 2: 20:22

So your travel time is maybe 10 to 12 hours, you know, with the layover, so that's not too bad, yeah, and I'm sure they're going to main airports like Berlin.

Speaker 3: 20:29

Oh, yeah, yeah, Into Frankfurt. Frankfurt is that's pretty much where everybody flies into in Frankfurt. That's the best airport to fly into or in and out of Munich as well. Okay, yeah, so you heard it here first Frankfurt's a good airport, yeah.

Speaker 2: 20:43

Those are.

Speaker 3: 20:43

They're very easy, they're very easy.

Speaker 2: 20:46

Yeah, right, so these, these are a lot of things that people should consider. Celt should consider. Celtic tours can help you. If you are looking at going to Germany, yeah, you can see all of Germany by that heart of Germany tour. That would be really cool.

Speaker 3: 21:00

Yeah, and if you wanted to focus on one area, let's just say, for example, you wanted to focus on Bavaria, the south, you know. Or you wanted to focus on the north, you know we have a tour that's called the Pearls of the North. That include, of course, just, you know, the northern side of Germany. If you wanted to go to the east side of Germany because, remember, germany used to be split, we've had the east and the west Well, that wall is gone. Well, not all of it, because they left some of it up, but, you know, now you can go to the east side of Germany as well and see the east side of Germany, and it's a whole different cultural experience, completely different cultural experience, but you can actually see it Correct.

Speaker 2: 21:41

Yeah, it's nice. Yeah, so, with all of that being said, again, travel agents can contact Celtic Tourism and let them know they have clients that are looking to go to Germany. Again, celtic Tours just does not only deal with Celtic. It deals with all different tours in Europe, which is fabulous. And Germany could be a private chauffeured tour, which is even, to me, would be the best thing to go, because you know, if you don't speak the language or you only know a few words and you have a private chauffeur, they're here to take good care of you. Yeah, and these people are all working with Celtic Tours. Yeah, so you don't have to worry that. You know the guy that just came off the train and said I'm here to take you. So these are people that have been vetted, so to speak. Oh, of course, yeah, and Celtic Tours takes good care of you.

Speaker 3: 22:31

Yeah, celtic Tourist Hicksford care of you. Yeah, I mean, imagine we can do boat tours along the Rhine River as well. You know where you go, to Heidelberg Castle, and then, you know, go down the Rhine a little bit more and you can do a cable car. The largest cable car in Germany is actually there, so you can do the cable car in that area as well. Wine tastings oh, germany has some amazing wines. If you've never had German wine, they're really, really amazing wines. So I mean, there's just, it really really is endless, depending on what you want to do. But what's?

Speaker 3: 23:06

nice so people can go on a beer and a wine tour oh yeah, really nice is? We just have so much to choose from. So if you're looking for something specific, you can kind of take a look and say, oh, this is exactly what I'm looking for, right.

Speaker 2: 23:20

So again, it's CelticTourscom. Celtictourscom. Very easy to look at the website, easy peasy. Contact your travel agent, your travel advisor, and say I heard Celtic Tours can do Germany events and Germany tours. I want to know more about this. Tell your travel advisor what you're looking to do, how much you're looking to spend, how many people will be going with you. Let them know all of this. And again the same thing if you're contacting Celtic Tours, let them know what you want. Yeah, because even though we're really good at what we do, we don't read minds.

Speaker 3: 23:54

No, but that's true. Yeah, we'll customize your germ indication to suit your preference. Right, I love that Because everybody is different, everybody likes to travel differently, and some people just really really want to be on their own, some people really really want to have their hand held. So just tell us what you want. Give us date, please, because dates definitely matter. Right, tell us what you want to spend and let us customize that package for you. And can you do it year round? Not necessarily year round, I wouldn't say year round.

Speaker 3: 24:24

So Christmas markets would probably be the end of the year. Correct, because it really gets cold in Germany. It is a little bit chilly. Yes, it's really, really gets cold. In Germany it is a little bit chilly yes, it's really and it snows, so you don't want to be out in some of that. So typically our dates are anywhere from March time frame, when it's not really snowing, to we do some to the end of December, that's kind of the. Christmas market, thing Right.

Speaker 3: 24:49

And then some goes to the new year and then that's pretty much it, right? Some of them we can do year round, but, for example, one of our tours, I think the Enchanted North if you go to the website, you'll see that we do have year round on there, but it's just because of the style of the tour, right, okay?

Speaker 2: 25:09

So know what you want. Look at it. Talk to your travel advisor, celtictouristcom. Again, diana, thank you for sharing all of this, and there's so much more to come. Look for you next week.

Speaker 3: 25:22

Yeah, absolutely, thank you. This was my. This is one of my favorites because it's my home. So Right, it's your home away from home, home away from home. Thank you again, thanks.

Speaker 1: 25:31

Z Bye-bye. Well, that's it for today's episode of the Z Michelson Travel Podcast. I hope you enjoyed our journey and found some new inspiration for your next adventure. Remember, the world is full of stories and sometimes all it takes is a plane ticket to start your own adventure. If you loved today's episode, be sure to tune in every week and don't forget to share your favorite travel moments with me on social media. I'd really love to hear about where you're headed to next. So until next time, keep exploring, keep discovering and, as always, keep traveling with your heart wide open. I'm Zee Michelson and I'll see you on the next adventure.