Photo: Downton Abbey
	The "Downton Abbey" TV drama has inspired a tour to England.

High-end group travel and TV

© 2012 Group Tour Media Blog,
June 13, 2012

By David Hoekman

My colleague Amanda Black’s blog about the TV show Dallas and travel reminded me of England and Downton Abbey.

Right from the top I must state I have not seen an episode of the popular TV period drama shown in the United States on public TV’s Masterpiece Classic.

Downton Abbey is not my cup of tea.

What intrigues me about Downton Abbey, however, is a tour and a high-end one at that.

Zicasso, an online luxury travel service based in San Francisco, is offering Downton Abbey, an exclusive seven-day trip to England to visit the filming locations used in the making of Downton Abbey.

As everyone but me knows, Downton Abbey is the fictional Yorkshire country house of the Earl and Countess of Grantham. The series tells the story of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants beginning in 1912.

The custom tour is available from July to September and starts from $4,500 per person based on double occupancy, depending on final hotel choices.

Put together a group and there are benefits.

The price per person is lower when there are more travelers per private group.

For more information, visit: http://www.zicasso.com/luxury-vacation-uk-tours/downton-abbey-themed-vacation

According to Zicasso, guests immerse themselves in early 20th-century English culture and aristocratic society as depicted in Downton Abbey. “For fans of the TV series, this vacation will leave them with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the culture and scenery,” Zicasso’s news release said.

Expert guides will accompany the private and fully customizable tour.

Trip highlights include:

· Visits to Highclere Castle, used as the Crawley home and where most of the drama unfolds, and the real Oxfordshire village that was used for the village scenes in the series.

· Expert historian guides on World War I, the British monarchy and noble society, providing in-depth knowledge of the Downton Abbey period.

· Visits to the cities of Oxford and Cambridge, where most privileged children were sent away to school and university.

· Day trip to Henley-on-Thames with its rich history and beautiful scenery. The home of rowing in England, this city is still one of the highlights of the elite’s calendar, with a visit to the Henley Royal Regatta each summer for the races.

· Sightseeing tour of London taking in all the well-known sights including the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace.

Zicasso says it matches discerning travelers with the industry's top 10 percent travel specialists.

It’s not a tour operator or an online travel agency.

Zicasso describes itself as a luxury travel referral service that connects buyers (travelers) with sellers (travel agencies and tour operators) — somewhat like eBay being a marketplace that brings buyers and sellers together.

“We do the homework to match you with up to three relevant quality travel companies and provide a platform which facilitates easy communications and transaction with the travel companies. When you decide which travel company to purchase from, you pay them directly,” the company says on its website.

You may not be able to put together a TV tour for your group that is as extensive Zicasso’s Downton Abbey.

But you can devise a tour itinerary that ties in some sort of TV element.

It can be as simple as going to lunch at the Mayberry Café in Danville, Ind., or touring the WISH-TV studios in Indianapolis.

Are TV tours your cup of tea?

David Hoekman, the managing editor of Group Tour Media, lives in Holland, Mich. He watches a really old TV.

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