HOME AT FIRST
HOME AT FIRST’S CURRENT TRAVEL BARGAINS
Current Travel Bargains to Home At First International Destinations —
Choose from 4 Italian Regions!
Springtime
in —
SPRING 2025 SPECIAL SALE
4 DESTINATIONS TO CHOOSE FROM:
• ROME: Old City Apartments Walkable to Roman Ruins & the Vatican
• SIENA: Exquisite Walled Renaissance City in Tuscany with superb food & wine
• ALTA MAREMMA: Historic Rural Tuscany Highlands Estate between Siena & the sea
• CINQUE TERRE: 5 Colorful Coastal Villages in NW Italy with noted walking path
* Amalfi, Florence, Venice, and Sicily available for supplemental cost. Please inquire.
CURRENT TRAVEL BARGAIN!
7-Day Full-Package:
Independent Travel with Flights, Lodgings, RailPass or Rental Car
FANTASTICO NEW OFFER!
BOOK THIS TRAVEL BARGAIN BY OCT. 27, 2024
TRAVEL to ITALY
SPRING 2025
TRAVEL 21MAR – 24MAY, 2025
$AVE 25% – $782/person!
$2,345
PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
1-Week, Full-Package to Italy!
Special low rate 25% below our anticipated 2025 Main Season prices to Italy. NOTE: supplements apply for 2-person occupancy in larger apartments.
ITALY — LOTS TO SEE, DO, & ENJOY:
• Art, architecture, galleries & museums
• Comfortable, Convenient Apartments
• Lodgings are Ideal Bases for Exploring
• City Apartments near Sites & Services
• Seaside: fishing villages & beaches
• History: Romans; the Renaissance
• Restaurants, shopping, touring
• Food & Wine: World’s Best?
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THIS FULL-PACKAGE TRIP INCLUDES:
• ROUND-TRIP FLIGHTS from New York (JFK), or Newark (EWR) to/from Rome (FCO) Italy.
Flights from all USA & Canada airports available.
Please inquire about fares from your home airport.
• 7 NIGHTS APARTMENT LODGINGS
enjoying the Italy location of your choice:
• Amazingly in Rome‘s central, historic Old City
• Sumptuously in a Tuscan estate by Siena‘s walls
• Prominently poolside on a rural Tuscany hilltop
• Gastronomically & culturally in Cinque Terre
• GROUND TRANSPORTATION:
Choice of a Flexi RailPass OR a 1-week Car Rental for Siena. Car Rental for Rural Tuscany. Flexi RailPass for Cinque Terre. 5-Day City TransPass for Rome.
• ON-SITE ACTIVITY GUIDEBOOK
Keyed for your chose Italian region. Guides include suggested activities, beaches, walking, touring itineraries, scenic sightseeing, shopping, restaurants, museums, galleries, castles, historic sites, & palaces.
THE FINER DETAILS:
• FLY TRANSATLANTIC OVERNIGHT to ROME, ITALY: Departures daily between March 21 and May 16, 2024 from New York City (JFK), or Newark (EWR) USA. (Departures & Connecting Flights are available from other USA & Canada airports — please inquire.) Arrive the following morning at your destination airport: Rome (FCO), Italy.
• IF STAYING IN ROME, SELF-TRANSFER TO YOUR VACATION APARTMENT: Catch the high-speed airport train. Follow our pre-printed directions to travel to your lodging destination in Rome. Transfer time: approximately 90min. Meet your apartment contact, check-in and take occupancy that afternoon.
NOTE: Airport meeting & car transfer to your Rome apartment available at extra cost.
• IF TRAVELING BY RAIL & STAYING IN SIENA, OR CINQUE TERRE, SELF-TRANSFER TO YOUR VACATION APARTMENT: Catch the high-speed airport train into central Rome. Change to a very high-speed train to your destination region. Follow our pre-printed directions to travel to your lodging destination. Transfer time: approximately 5 hours. Meet your apartment contact, check-in and take occupancy that afternoon.
• IF TRAVELING BY CAR & STAYING IN SIENA OR RURAL TUSCANY, SELF-TRANSFER TO YOUR VACATION APARTMENT: Pick up your rental car at Rome’s FCO Airport and drive north approximately 2-4 hours into Tuscany. Follow our pre-printed directions to drive direct to your lodging in rural Tuscany or in Siena. Meet your apartment contact, check-in and take occupancy that afternoon.
• DAY 8: RETURN FLIGHT TO NORTH AMERICA: Return to Rome Airport. Catch your daytime flight from Rome (FCO) back to New York (JFK), or Newark (EWR), or to other USA/Canada airports after 7 full days/nights in Italy. NOTES: guests returning from some Italian locations may need to overnight in Rome or at Rome’s FCO Airport prior to flying back to North America.
• 1-WEEK’S LODGING: 7 total Nights Lodging in your vacation apartment in Italy. Lodgings in Rome, Siena, & Cinque Terre are centrally-located: near shops, restaurants, & cafés.
• GROUND TRANSPORTATION: Rome guests receive a 5-Day Rome TransPass for use on Rome’s buses and métro. Guests to Cinque Terre receive a 4-Day Flexi Italy RailPass. Siena guests may choose a 4-Day Flexi Italy RailPass or a 7-Day Car Rental. Guests to Rural Tuscany receive a 7-Day Car Rental. Car Rental comes with basic insurance. Upgrades to larger car, &/or automatic transmission car are extra. Some local taxes or insurances may affect Car Rental at pick-up or drop-off.
• ACTIVITY GUIDE: Guests receive regional guides keyed for their specific Italian lodging regions. Guides include dozens of pages of suggestions for exploring your destination, sightseeing, visiting historic sites, museums & galleries, shopping, restaurants & cafés, food & wine, churches & cathedrals, palaces & castles.
• THIS OFFER EXPIRES MIDNIGHT OCTOBER 27, 2024. To take advantage of this special Travel Bargain offer, you must book and pay for your trip prior to the end of October 27, 2024. These special prices are great travel values, but are non-refundable. We recommend you purchase travel insurance to cover (at the least) potential losses due to your needing to cancel your trip or needing to interrupt your trip to return home early. HOME AT FIRST reserves the right to end this offer early for any reason.
• TOURIST ENTRY FEES: Italy, along with all Schengen member countries (basically, Western Europe except the UK) have announced plans to require 2025 visitors from North America to pre-register on-line and pay an entry fee. Entry fees (often called “tourist visas”) that may be in effect during the times of your planned trip are not included in Home At First’s 2025 prices. Completing any required forms and paying any required fees will be the travelers’ responsibility. HOME AT FIRST will be able to advise you about any requirements, once they have officially been announced.
• COVID: Because COVID variants are still in circulation, being fully-vaccinated is the best kind of travel insurance for your trip.
There’s No Place Like Iceland.
SPRINGTIME
in —
SPRING 2025 SPECIAL SALE
Explore Iceland in Spring, as the night skies morph from the Northern Lights to the Midnight Sun.
VISIT ICELAND’S CAPITAL, REYKJAVIK, PLUS A 2ND ICELANDIC DESTINATION. CHOOSE FROM:
• AKUREYRI & THE FAR NORTH: Iceland’s 2nd City, set on a north coast whaling fjord near the Arctic Circle.
• VIK & THE SOUTH COAST: Glaciers, volcanoes, black sand beaches, lava fields, thermal spas, ice lagoons, & waterfalls.
LATEST TRAVEL BARGAIN!
7-Day Full-Package Independent Driving Tour of Iceland with Flights, Lodgings, Rental Car
BEST-EVER ICELAND OFFER!
BOOK THIS TRAVEL BARGAIN BY OCT. 29, 2024
TRAVEL to ICELAND
SPRING 2025
TRAVEL 01APR — 30MAY, 2025
$AVE 35.65% – $1,107/person!
$1,998
PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
1-Week, Full-Package to ICELAND!
Special low rate 35.65% below our anticipated 2025 Spring prices to Iceland.
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THIS FULL-PACKAGE TRIP INCLUDES:
• ROUND-TRIP FLIGHTS from JFK, EWR, BOS, or BWI to KEF (Reykjavik, Iceland).
Flights from all USA & Canada airports available.
Please inquire about fares from your home airport.
• AIRPORT BUS TRANSFER ARRIVAL DAY.
From Keflavik Airport to your Reykjavik hotel.
• 7 NIGHTS LODGING (INNS) with BREAKFAST.
Choose 2 of 3 exceptional regions of Iceland:
1. REYKJAVIK: Iceland’s outstanding capital city, plus
2. AKUREYRI: Iceland’s 2nd city on an arctic fjord, or
3. THE SOUTH COAST, packed with volcanic wonders
• 5 DAYS USE of CAR RENTAL
following first 2 nights in Reykjavik city.
Pick-up in Reykjavik; drop-off at Keflavik Airport.
Includes taxes, unlimited mileage, & liability insurance.
• GUIDEBOOK FOR TOURING ICELAND
Sightseeing, Activities, Restaurants, Scenic By-Ways.
THE FINER DETAILS:
• FLY TRANSATLANTIC OVERNIGHT to REYKJAVIK, ICELAND : Departures daily between April 1 and May 23, 2025 from New York City (JFK), Newark (EWR), new! Boston (BOS), or new! Baltimore (BWI), USA. (Departures & Connecting Flights are available from other USA & Canada airports — please inquire.) Arrive the following morning at your destination airport in Reykjavik/Keflavik (KEF). Self-transfer by pre-paid airport bus to your reserved hotel in downtown Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city. Take occupancy at your first Iceland lodging, the hotel in Reykjavik, that afternoon.
• RETURN FLIGHT 8 DAYS LATER: Daytime flight from Reykjavik/Keflavik (KEF) back to New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Boston (BOS), Baltimore (BWI) or to other USA/Canada airports after 7 full days & nights in Iceland.
• LODGINGS: 7 total Nights Lodging in pre-reserved hotels &/or inns at your choice of 2 of 3 set locations: Reykjavik city plus either Akureyri in the far north on a whale-filled arctic fjord, or on the South Coast region dense with volcanic wonders, active geo-thermal sites & amazing waterfalls.
• HOME AT FIRST‘s Iceland specialists will help you plan an individualized, independent Icelandic fly/drive itinerary that meets your needs, tastes, interests, pace, and budget. Note that minimum occupancy numbers and some luxury upgrade supplements may apply to a few specific lodgings.
• NOTE: for this 7-night visit you visit two regional locations: the Icelandic capital Reykjavik plus either Akureyri (small city in the far north of Iceland near the Arctic Circle), or in locations along Iceland’s dramatic, tectonically active South Coast. All three locations offer remarkable scenery and a wide selection of activities. By limiting the amount of driving you do, you will have much more time to pursue activities like whale watching, thermal spa-ing, visiting waterfalls, glaciers, geysers, lava fields, and geothermal sites, and, if the weather permits, seeing the Northern Lights.
• GROUND TRANSPORT: Guests in Iceland have use of a RENTAL CAR for 5 days. Pick-up the car conveniently in downtown Reykjavik following 2 days in the city where you get around on foot, by public transport, or by taxi. At the end of your week in Iceland, return your rental car at Reykjavik’s Keflavik Airport. Rental Cars come with unlimited mileage, basic liability insurance, and most taxes included, but rental may be subject to some locally charged fees. Note that you will find pre-paid gas cards the best way for obtaining fuel as you circumnavigate sparsely-populated Iceland. We recommend purchasing gas cards in Reykjavik prior to setting off for the driving journey.
• ACTIVITY GUIDE: Guests staying in Iceland receive an Iceland guidebook with dozens of pages of suggestions for touring by car, walking/hiking, whale watching, national parks, geothermal & volcanic sites, restaurants, shopping, churches & cathedrals, villages, towns, cities, and scenic inland and coastal byways.
• THIS OFFER EXPIRES MIDNIGHT OCTOBER 29, 2024: To take advantage of this special Travel Bargain offer, you must book and pay for your trip prior to midnight October 29, 2024. This special price — our best savings ever for Iceland travel — is a superb travel value, but is non-refundable. We recommend you purchase travel insurance to cover (at the least) potential losses due to your needing to cancel your trip or needing to interrupt your trip to return home early. HOME AT FIRST reserves the right to end this offer early for any reason.
• TOURIST ENTRY FEES: Iceland, along with all Schengen member countries (basically, Western Europe except the UK) have announced plans to require 2025 visitors from North America to pre-register on-line and pay an entry fee. Entry fees (often called “tourist visas”) that may be in effect during the times of your planned trip are not included in Home At First’s 2025 prices. Completing any required forms and paying any required fees will be the travelers’ responsibility. HOME AT FIRST will be able to advise you about any requirements, once they have officially been announced.
• RETURNING HOME: There are no Covid restrictions for travel to Iceland or returning to the USA or Canada. Nevertheless, because Covid variants are still in circulation, being fully-vaccinated is the best kind of travel insurance for your trip.
London for the Holidays!
This Year Enjoy The
Holidays
in Festive
CHRISTMAS &/or NEW YEAR’S
SPECIAL SALE!
HAVE A DICKENS OF A TIME!
Experience a Traditional London Holiday Season!
• Shopping on Bond, Oxford, Regent, & Carnaby Streets, and at South Bank Christmas Markets.
• Choral services at Westminster, St Paul’s, & Southwark Cathedrals.
• London Theatre adds many special Holiday shows, like The Nutcracker.
• Join the carolers at Trafalgar Square nightly.
• Find the Holiday spirit at festively decorated historic pubs.
• Experience a Holiday high tea, & a traditional roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.
• Join the throngs at the New Year’s Eve fireworks & New Year’s Day parade.
• London museums offer special Holiday programs & are mostly free.
AVAILABILITY LIMITED!
BOOK THIS TRAVEL BARGAIN BY OCT. 27, 2024
TRAVEL to LONDON
FOR THE HOLIDAYS
TRAVEL BETWEEN 06DEC24 – 03JAN25
$AVE 23.7% – $711/person!
$2,288
PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
1-Week, Full-Package to London!
Special low rate 23.7% below our official Main Season prices.
MORE HOLIDAY SAVINGS!
Queen’s Guard Paddington Photo © Home At First.
SUBTRACT AN ADDITIONAL $50/prs IF YOU MENTION ‘QUEEN’S GUARD PADDINGTON’ WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR BOOKING.
Offer applies to the first ten London Holiday Full-Package bookings made after 20AUG24.
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THIS FULL-PACKAGE TRIP INCLUDES:
• ROUND-TRIP FLIGHTS from New York (JFK), or Newark (EWR) to/from London (LHR or LGW) UK. Daily Departures from 06DEC24–03JAN25.
Flights from all USA & Canada airports available.
Please inquire about fares from your home airport.
• 7 NIGHTS APARTMENT LODGINGS
in a comfortable, safe Home At First London Apartment very near the iconic Tower Bridge.
• GROUND TRANSPORTATION:
LONDON TRANSPORT PASSES for your use on the Underground, Red Buses, certain train lines (including the Docklands Light Railway, and the hyper-modern Elizabeth Line), even certain Thames River cruisers
• LONDON/ENGLAND ACTIVITIES GUIDE
Comprehensive guide keyed for your Holiday visit with suggestions for sightseeing & touring, shopping, museums, restaurants, pubs, churches, castles, Royal England, activities including walks, day-trips out of London, and much more.
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CONSIDER A SECOND WEEK!
For a more leisurely trip & to experience both Christmas & New Year’s in London.
ADD 7 NIGHTS LODGING & TRANSPORT FROM:
$1,460
PRICE PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY FOR ADDING 1 WEEK OF LODGING & TRANSPORT. PRICE CAN VARY BY LODGING SELECTED & SEASONALITY. A HIGHER RATE APPLIES IF CHANGING LODGINGS OR REGIONS.
THE FINER DETAILS:
• TRIP PLANNING: HOME AT FIRST‘s London & England specialists help you plan an individualized, independent itinerary that meets your needs, tastes, interests, pace, & budget.
• FLY TRANSATLANTIC OVERNIGHT to LONDON, UK. Departures DAILY between December 06, 2024, & December 27, 2024, from New York City (JFK) or Newark NJ (EWR), USA. (Departures & Connecting Flights are available from all other USA & Canada airports — please inquire.) Arrive the following morning at your destination airport in London, UK.
• ARRIVAL NEXT DAY: Getting to your LONDON lodging.
After flying all night from North America to London, you self-transfer via Underground or the new Elizabeth Line (or both) to your London apartment where you will be met by your landlord/host at a specific time introduced to your lodging when you take occupancy.
Alternatively, be met at the airport by our dedicated car service for a comfortable, personalized cross-London drive to your apartment. Your driver will show you and your luggage to your London apartment.
(This service free for guests who upgrade to Business Class airfare. This service option comes for an additional fee to all others. Please inquire.)
• 1-WEEK’S LODGING: 7 total Nights in your pre-reserved London apartment. Note that minimum occupancy numbers and some luxury upgrade supplements may apply to a few specific lodgings.
Your landlord, host, or their representative provides support during your visit if you have questions, or if problems or emergencies arise.
• OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL LODGING/WEEK: Although this special package is priced for 7 nights of lodging, you may add a week in the London apartment/cottage, or change locations to other regions of ENGLAND or WALES where HOME AT FIRST has lodgings. We are British Isles specialists and can custom-make all the arrangements.
Please inquire!
• GETTING AROUND LONDON using your London TransPass on London’s comprehensive transport network requires a little getting used-to. You will find the directions in our “London Activities Guide” quite useful in helping you get to your destinations efficiently and securely whether by Tube, bus, train, or river cruiser.
• ACTIVITY GUIDE: Guests receive Home At First’s “London Activity Guide”, loaded with scores of pages of suggestions for exploring London by public transport: sightseeing, touring, visiting historic sites, museums, pubs, restaurants, shopping, churches & cathedrals, and activities such as walking, shopping, and theatre-going.
• THIS OFFER EXPIRES MIDNIGHT OCTOBER 27, 2024. To take advantage of this special Travel Bargain offer, you must book and pay for your trip prior to the end of October 27, 2024. These special prices are great travel values, but are non-refundable. We recommend you purchase travel insurance to cover (at the least) potential losses due to your needing to cancel your trip or needing to interrupt your trip to return home early. HOME AT FIRST reserves the right to end this offer early for any reason.
Save Big $ – Book by Oct 31
OUR ANNUAL
Early-Bird Special!
2025 TRAVEL at 2024 PRICES
MAJOR TRAVEL BARGAIN!
Reserve your Home At First
2025 Full-Package Trip Now.
Get the Best Selection of
Destinations, Lodgings, &
Travel Dates You Want.
Confirm your 2025 trip plans by OCTOBER 31, 2024,
& avoid any 2025 price increases!
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NOW BOOKABLE INTO
MID-SEPTEMBER 2025!
RESERVE YOUR 2025 TRIP BY OCTOBER 31, 2024
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APPLIES TO THESE DATES & DESTINATIONS:
FRIDAY DEPARTURES 10JAN25 – 12SEP25
7-Days or Longer Independent Full Packages to Quality Hosted Home At First Destinations in:
• BRITISH ISLES: London, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
• EUROPE: Iceland, Italy, Paris, Portugal, Switzerland
FULL-TRIP PACKAGE =
Independent Travel with Round-Trip
Transatlantic Flights + Lodgings
+ Car Rental or other ground transportation
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TWO WAYS TO BUY YOUR
2025 HOME AT FIRST TRIP
1. BUY NOW — PAY NOW
• On/before October 31, 2024, confirm your provisional 2025 trip reservations by paying for your 2025 Full-Package trip using current 2024 prices.
• Pay any trip costs for any extra things you may have added 90 days before your trip start date.
• Airline Tickets will be issued in November 2024 once your Full-Package Payment is received.
THE UPSIDE:
• Make reservations for the time & location of your choice. Confirm your 2025 reservations by paying the 2024 price for your 2025 Full-Package Trip. By locking in the 2024 price you avoid any potential price increases that may affect your 2025 trip’s international airfare, lodgings, &/or ground transportation.
THE DOWNSIDE:
• Once paid, your payment for your 2025 trip becomes non-refundable. At this point, consider purchasing trip cancellation insurance in the full amount of your trip.
2. BUY NOW — PAY LATER
• On/before October 31, 2024, confirm your provisional 2025 trip reservations by paying your $800/person non-refundable deposit.
• Pay the balance of your trip costs 90 days before your trip start date.
• Airline Tickets will be issued once your 90-Day Payment is received.
THE UPSIDE:
• Make reservations for the time & location of your choice without having to pay fully until 90 days prior to the start of your trip. Only once your 90-day Payment is made do all trip costs become non-refundable. At this point, you should consider purchasing trip cancellation insurance in the projected full amount of your trip.
THE DOWNSIDE:
• Although you pay 2024 trip prices, you do pay for any airfare increases that may occur before the issuance of your flight tickets (usually 90-45 days prior to departure). Be advised that airfares rarely go down, and can rise significantly.
THE FINER DETAILS:
• INCLUDED TRANSATLANTIC AIRFARES are based on fares from the lowest-priced East Coast USA gateway airports, usually New York (JFK), and/or Newark (EWR) to your overseas arrival destination.
If your trip will begin/end at an airport other than JFK or EWR, when making your provisional reservations, be sure to request a quote for supplemental airfare from your home (origination) airport. Once flight reservations from your home airport have been made and ticketed, they, too, are locked in at fixed rates.
• LODGINGS & GROUND-TRANSPORTATION PRICES are fixed in place when your trip is purchased. In some cases local taxes for lodgings and/or ground transportation (car rentals) may be payable only on-site and cannot be fixed at time of payment. Car rental prices include basic liability insurance coverage. You pay for any additional car rental insurance coverage (e.g. comprehensive) you require on-site when you pick-up your car.
• THIS OFFER EXPIRES MIDNIGHT OCTOBER 31, 2024: To take advantage of this special Travel Bargain offer, you must book & pay for your trip by the end of October, 2024. Your payment must be received no later than midnight October 31, 2024.
These special prices are great travel values, but are non-refundable. We recommend you purchase travel insurance to cover (at the least) potential losses due to your needing to cancel your trip or interrupt your trip to return home early. HOME AT FIRST reserves the right to end this offer early for any reason.
• Travel Insurance policies offer a wide variety of coverage options. Most travelers who insure their trips obtain coverage for trip cancellations, trip interruptions, and accident & medical costs (with or without medical evacuations).
Although we can provide limited advice regarding insuring your trip, HOME AT FIRST does not provide travel insurance, nor are we party to any travel insurance policy purchased by our clients. We recommend contacting a travel insurance specialist to help you obtain the coverage you prefer.
• TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN: Children under various age thresholds (2, 12, 16, even 26 years old!) may qualify for discounts on some aspects of your trip: airfare, lodging, &/or transportation passes (rail &/or city transit). Be sure to ask about any potential child discounts when you reserve your trip.
• TOURIST ENTRY FEES: The United Kingdom and the Schengen countries (basically, Western Europe except the UK) have announced plans to require 2025 visitors from North America to pre-register on-line and pay an entry fee. Entry fees (often called “tourist visas”) that are in effect during the times of your planned trip are not included in Home At First’s 2025 Early-Bird prices. Completing any required forms and paying any required fees will be the travelers’ responsibility. HOME AT FIRST will be able to advise you about the requirements, once they have officially been announced.
• COVID: USA citizens no longer need to take a Covid test before returning home. Nevertheless, because COVID variants are still in circulation, being fully-vaccinated is the best kind of travel insurance for your trip.
Avoid missing future Travel Bargains: sign up to get TRAVEL BARGAIN ALERTS HERE.