A different type of holiday

I'm guessing that since last November (at least in the UK), there's been a steady increase in summer holiday marketing promotion. Not so aware of it over here, although I'm sure that's down to me. All those special inserts, the single column ads, full page spreads, on line morsel sized snippets of summer promise that litter the internet. We're assaulted from every conceivable direction to go on holiday. We have friends who are inveterate cruisers and have pretty much travelled all over the globe, others with children where the need for sun and sand is imperative. I've a Uni friend who is in the middle of a six week skiing holiday with her husband, another who has just spent Christmas and New Year in Thailand. These days every season, region and city, every type of activity and mode of transport have been moulded into holiday packages of some kind or another. We're so used it, that it's easy to forget what an extraordinary explosion of possibilities  have developed over the last few decades, and that it wasn't so long ago for the idea of a holiday - certainly abroad - to be unheard of. 

I've just come across what is described as a revolutionary concept for travellers passionate about politics and current affairs. Both of us are 'doer' types rather than 'lolling about on the beach' types. So ears pricked up, slightly warily, on reading about Political Tours. Just what was this?  Cruising with an edge?  Well yes, so it seems and a whole lot more.

"We offer group tours and tailor-made itineraries in destinations around the world". "Current Affairs at first hand". The company is currently taking bookings for Mandela's Dream - A Political Tour which runs Jan-Feb 2014. A Mandela's Legacy tour is also available. Here are some of their others: 

Greece and the Euro tour, North Korea-DPRK Tour, London and the Financial Crisis tour. New tours coming up are looking at Scottish Independence, Israel and Palestine. Other possibilities include  setting-up fund raising trips, in-depth study tours and awareness campaigns.

Political Tours launched in 2009 by Nicholas Wood. His biog makes very interesting reading. A top-flight journalist. Yes there are the usual trappings - good food, good accommodation etc., However the core aim is 'bridging the information gap'. We are bombarded on a daily basis with news items from all over the world, so much so that it's impossible to keep up with or really evaluate what's going on. To quote directly from the website: 

"We meet villagers, sit down with families in communities, and meet with local leaders.
Between meetings and visits, analysts, diplomats and journalists provide excellent analysis. Participants also get to meet the politicians and international officials in the countries concerned. Tour members can pose their own questions and make up their own minds."

Clearly not your average package holiday.