Hand Crafted Travel's owner, Bryan Smith, has been guiding his own small group tours in Europe for more than 20 years.

While it's never too late to contact us about a custom tour, Bryan's time is usually booked up about one year in advance. We are taking reservations for 2019 and beyond right now.

A lot! Bryan guides tours in just about every country in Europe, from Portugal to Poland, and from Scotland to Sicily. We do not offer custom tours in Scandinavia, the Balkans (Croatia, Serbia, etc), Greece, Bulgaria or Romania – but we know people who do!

Most people are pleasantly surprised to learn how affordable a private tour can be, especially for four to six people. Compared to many larger tours, a custom, private tour is often a better value.

For most of his custom tours Bryan uses a 9-passenger minibus, meaning we can take up to eight passengers, plus the driver. Bryan does all the driving himself, and gets constant praise from clients about how safe and comfortable they feel.

This depends entirely on your budget and travel style. During the planning process we'll discuss a range of options, and ultimately choose the hotels that we feel best fit your desires, whether it's a family-run B&B or a 5-star luxury hotel. Hotel costs tend to be the biggest variable in the cost of a private tour.

Breakfast at the hotel is always included in our rates. Beyond that, which meals we include in the tour cost is up to you. We can include all, none, or somewhere in between.

Fewer included meals means a lower up-front cost. Many groups choose to have the first night's meal in each location included, and any subsequent nights on their own.

Each tour member receives a custom Tour Handbook that includes restaurant recommendations in each of our overnight locations.