Travel to Europe stress free

Related links

• Free champagne the favourite perk
• Fancy a working ski holiday in Canada?
• It's just plane common sense
• Sea World wins top tourism award
• Our home on wheels
• Yosemite bows to no man
• Adventure travel holiday favourite
• Mountain joy on Valentine's Day
• Hotel offers touch of Brazil
• Staring down the Devil's Throat
• Whisk her away to ask her
• Be pampered with romantic getaway
• Versailles: King-sized conceit
• Between a rock and a hard place
• Grand tour of Iceland
• Sail off on a European adventure
• Eastern Europe delights

GOVERNMENT worker Marie Coughlan loves to travel, but never dreamed she would finish her much-needed holiday feeling more stressed than before she left.

"What should have been a well-deserved holiday visiting Europe's most beautiful destinations became a stressful experience and I returned to work more exhausted than ever," she said.

Coughlan is not alone; in a recent travel survey, it was found that 63 per cent of participants have suffered stress both from organising a holiday and while travelling.

Over half said that planning their own holidays caused the stress, but surprisingly, organised tours seem to offer little respite, with 42 per cent admitting that they've also experienced stress after a planned tour thanks to crammed in itineraries and hectic schedules.

According to Albatross Tours' Euan Landsborough, the solution is finding a happy medium - an exciting organised tour that takes the stress out of planning, but still affords passengers the luxury of feeling like they've had a holiday.

"The survey revealed that the number one reason people travel to Europe is to experience other cultures, and the reason people take holidays is because they need to relax; the two need not be mutually exclusive," Landsborough said.

"Our tours are run for smaller groups and we spend less time inside a coach with more time in each location, so travellers feel like they really get to immerse themselves in each destination."

Albatross Tours' passenger Jean Brown felt the benefits of the Albatross difference firsthand, on her recent tour of Italy with the award-winning company.

"I've travelled independently, and my Albatross tour is by far the best travelling experience I've ever had. We couldn't have done it anywhere near as well on our own.

"The tours are designed to maximise sight-seeing time and you get a deep appreciation for each destination, rather than a chaotic whirl through," she said.

Australian and New Zealand travellers keen for a travel experience with the European experts can book with Albatross now for a 2012 summer tour.

>> Read more travel stories.