With Member Choice Vacations, the World is Within Your Reach
True adventures go beyond incredible destinations or inclusive packages. AAA Member Choice Vacations delivers a sense of possibility across all seven continents. Don’t think tours are for you? Do you like to venture off the beaten path or maybe enjoy things on your own time to wander and explore? Take the next few minutes to enlighten yourself with some things you may have not known and I’m confident I can change your mind.
Since 1918, we have been sharing our love of travel. Today our worldwide travel collection features comprehensive land tours, river cruises, small ship/yacht adventures, rail journeys, safari’s, small group tours, family trips, garden holidays, faith pilgrimages and more. With MCV, wake each morning on your guided travel experience with endless opportunities in front of you. When your head hits the pillow, you will know it has been an amazing day filled with new lifelong memories. Best of all, we seamlessly handle the details. Why not enjoy a ride in a private sedan to the airport and not have to worry about dragging your luggage from place to place? From the big things to the tiny details you’re covered. All you have to do is enjoy the adventure.
MCV is not only family owned but also the oldest guided tour company in the world. We have dedicated our lives to providing culturally immersive, customizable, extremely inclusive, travel experiences. What does this mean for you? Well, expect to have your lodging establishments to be in the center of the focus on those few days. That may be an estate or villa in the country, a cabin or glass igloo in the Lapland’s or mountains or an historic or boutique hotel in city center. This not only submerges you in the cultural but it also cuts down on drive time. Pacing is very important to us and we never want you to feel rushed but rather have enough time to enjoy each destination. Your included meals may be in people’s homes, castles, farms, family owned restaurants, floating oyster farms, culinary schools, aboard a boat or even in the Eiffel Tower!
Having a strong philanthropic arm, we incorporate what we call Impact Moments on many of our tours. We are committed to taking care of the places we live, work and travel. We focus on four key areas – Community, People, Travel and the Planet – in our goal to make a positive impact on our world to preserve it for generations of travelers to explore. We work to sustain and preserve communities, cultures and traditions through tourism and positively impact the places that give us so much. The Earth is filled with awe-inspiring natural wonders. That is why we are actively making responsible decisions to take care of it and reduce our carbon footprint in various ways. These special moments may be in the form of an activity, excursions or meal where we partner with a local organization or nonprofit. It leaves our guests feeling inspired and empowered while also making a difference in the world.
Now, take your preconceived notion of what you think a guided travel experience is and throw it out the window. All of the activities and excursions allow our travelers partake in fun, fulfilling, educational and rewarding events. Your major sites are included without having to wait on lines or a dime coming out of your pocket. Unless you want to choose one of the handful of optional excursions we offer. (Don’t worry AAA will give you $$ toward those as well as a discount off your total price.) Of course some one-of-a-kind hidden gems are placed throughout that really push these trips over the top. You will also get plenty of free time to venture off on our own to explore. You can rely on your tour manager (an MCV employee who lives in destination majority of, if not all of the year) to give you suggestions and help set up personal experiences. By working with your local travel agent, they will best match your interests and wants as well as a comfortable activity level that best suits you to the perfect tour. They can provide extra pre and post nights, upgrade your airfare or even add guided, multi-day extensions. Their knowledge, insight, connections and experience is boundless and you get to tap into that free of charge!
Love to be adventurous? Peru & Galapagos Wonders would interest you as you hike the Inca Trail to look out over Machu Picchu before boarding your yacht and heading over the see the wildlife on the Galapagos Islands. Want to have an off the beaten path experience? Check out the Northern Lights of Finland where you take a mush ride to breakfast, ride a horse drawn carriage to a reindeer safari in the North Pole not to mention stay overnight in a glass igloo. Maybe you want a relaxing, easy pace with fairytale esque scenery. Then our Springtime River Cruise through Holland and Belgium during the tulip season if just for you. Step back in time as you flow down the canals in Amsterdam appreciating the baroque architecture and soak up the kaleidoscope of colors as you peep out of a windmill viewing over 7 million tulips in full bloom in the Keukenhof Gardens! Want to have a well-balanced trip of beaches, mountains, jungle and city? Why not book a trip on Tropical Costa Rica and be zip lining through the jungle and hiking a volcano one day and soaking up the sun on a beautiful beach before tasting your way through a cooking demonstration featuring local ingredients on the next.
If taking in the jaw dropping views of the Grand Canyon, enjoying breakfast on a cruise through Lake Powell and hopping in a chuck wagon on your way to a cowboy style dinner and show is up your alley then jump on our next National Parks of America trip. Cross off another item on your bucket list with one of our many African Safari’s and spot the Big 5 while appreciating the plains, jungles and waterfalls that adorn this once in a lifetime destination. Do you enjoy the finer things in life or want to really do it up for a special occasion? Board one of a brand new yachts to explore Greece, Croatia or even Sicily. Be pampered on board with our award winning chefs as you glide along the crystal blue Mediterranean observing the land from a new perspective.
As you can see, there are so many unique options to choose from. Speaking of choices, did you know that MCV offer “Choice on Tour”. Want to take an exciting white water rafting ride through some rapids? Not your thing? Don’t worry, you can choose to take a scenic boat ride with a local guide looking for wildlife instead. Many of these options offer two different levels of activity or two different topics of interest. This is an included feature that allows you to choose how you’d like to spend your day. You will not only get your money’s worth but also appreciate the customization of your trip! We also have a Diner’s Choice or a Progressive Dining experience. The latter is when you get to eat each course at a different restaurant and really being able to enjoy the local flavors in many locations. Diner’s Choice is when MCV gives you a list of local restaurants and you break off from the group and have a meal on us! Enjoy!
So you’re sold on the travel style but still have some hesitations due to Covid? Let me put your mind at ease. As I mentioned, MCV has been around for over a century. We kind of have a little experience in regards to the ups and downs of the world. Through the thick and thin we stick to our values of integrity as well as upholding our strong morals and always do what’s right for our travelers, employees and travel advisors. That being said, since the pandemic has begun we have refunded over $135 MILLION dollars as a full cash refund right back to the method of payment used. Purchased insurance or airfare with us, well that was refunded as well. We also offered price matching (including airfare) to move to a future date or 105% travel voucher for those that wanted to travel but didn’t know where or when yet. We have even been offering the option to move your tour or date up until 60 days prior to departure and have all change fees waived. Of course when you purchase our travel insurance you also have until the day before travel to cancel for any reason, no questions asked, no documents needed and receive all of your money back less your insurance.
Currently we are requiring to have 1 of the following to travel, unless the local government states otherwise:
- A negative Covid Test within 72 hours of departure
- Proof of vaccination
- Proof of antibodies within your system postdating from 90 days from your return date
Now that you know your finances are in good hands I can also assure you that your physical wellbeing is as well. We have an extensive wellness program in place that breakdowns what is required before, during and after a tour. We work very closely with the local governments as well as follow CDC guidelines when setting these protocols. Temperature checks, half capacity coaches and masks are just the tip of the iceberg of what has been done over the past year and a half to ensure the safety of all our guests. Never once sacrificing quality. To learn more about the ever changing wellness protocols, please go to www.memberchoicevacations.com/travelingwell.
We are extremely proud to say that we have spearheaded the return of travel back in July of 2020 with rave reviews from our travelers. We have also maintained an A+ rating throughout the pandemic with the Better Business Bureau. Never once did we allow our standards to falter and continued to provide a culturally immersive travel experience and top notch service. We have already begun going to international destinations back in April of this year including Iceland, Panama and Costa Rica. We only continue to add more destinations as boarders open. Convince but not sure if right now is the best time for you? Well don’t worry about that. With all the pent up demand for travel we are booking through 2022!
So how did I do? Did I change your mind on tours? Remember, not all guided travel is created equal. There is that absolute perfect trip that will fulfill, excite and inspire you just waiting for you to experience. So what are you waiting for? Pick up the phone, write that email or walk through the door of your favorite AAA travel agency and start creating memories!
