Month in Review: June

Tropic bird

You are here

Last updated:
29.06.2018
 

Welcome to Summer! We are excited to share our first summery Month in Review post, and by now we expect you to know the gist. If not, let us quickly recap the process. We start with top destinations that travelers are exploring as you read this post, then we continue to see what were the most booked tours over the course of last month. In addition, we count how many itineraries our destination specialists sent out to clients and review the updates from our Product Development team, finishing the post with a quick glance at the blog section and top reviews. So let's dive in the Firebird news from June!

 

Top destinations for traveling in June

The first month of Summer is the time when we all get the holiday fever, and by that, we mean counting days til our romantic getaways or beach vacations or cultural experiences. What is more, June is known as a good month for traveling as the weather hasn't reached its highest peak in Europe, and it is pleasantly warm. So here are the top countries that stand out in the best-to-visit-in-June list are:

  • Italy - sun and Italian heritage - a match made in heaven;
  • France - walks by the Seine, admiring Eiffel Tower is the perfect scenario for June;
  • Britain - if you think outside of London for your trip to England, you will be surprised by the unique nature of the country.
 
 

Most popular tours of the month

We did the math, and can say that June has been the first month we have seen a peak in cruises booked for France and tours for the hottest destination combination of Spain, Portugal and Morocco also appeared on our travelers' radars. Interestingly, we also observed a growing fascination of Greenland with some clients wanting customized trips that include stops in Norway and the frosty island, with Epic Fjords of Norway being their second choice. Lastly, the FIFA World Cup 2018 put tours in Russia back on our "most popular" list:

  • Barging in France - 11 days to discover top attractions of French towns like Reims, Beaune, and Lyon, to go on exclusive wine and champagne tour and many more fun activities;
  • Epic Norwegian Fjords Tour - 12 day cruise with a premium land program in Oslo, Flam and Bergen paired with the Hurtigruten Scenic cruise up to Arctic Circle;
  • Two Continents: from Barcelona to Marrakech - in 24 days you explore Spain from north to south, then you cross Gibraltar and find yourself surrounded by Moroccan treasures, and end your journey discovering Portugal;
  • Best of Russia - the 11 day trip will take you through a cultural rollercoaster of Russian history with sights including the Kremlin, the impressive Moscow Subway, and a boat ride along rivers and canals of stunning St.Petersburg.
 

Itineraries created: 2,466

Compared to the last month of Spring, June has been outstanding in regards to the number of itineraries Firebird destination specialists have designed for our travelers. To be honest, it's the highest number we had this year, 559 more than our record month January. We believe that there are a couple of reasons for that - the global football event in Russia and the absorbing holiday fever, which, let's admit, we all suffer from.

Want to learn what itineraries we are talking about and get one too? Contact your specialist.

 
 
 

Top blog posts of the month

During the last month, we spruced up Firebird blog with a few exciting, travel advice filled articles. Firstly, our team of travel experts shared what it's like to cruise onboard of MS Rostropovich, during Firebird Cruise from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. The article then was quickly followed by Top 10 Norway Experiences post, where we listed the must-do activities and must-visit places in the breathtaking corner of Scandinavia. Lastly, we addressed the current affairs - the FIFA World Cup 2018 on our most recent post - The Rush in Russia.

Moreover, our Youtube Channel travelers could find a few updates too. Our travel representative Vera is still exploring Russia and sharing her Firebird experience with our travelers. In the first week of June, she took us for a tour in Peterhof, which is included by default in all trips to the Northern capital of Russia - St. Petersburg. Afterward, she joined a Trans-Siberian small group tour and continued vlogging as she makes her way from Moscow to Vladivostok on the world's longest railway. She has now reached Lake Baikal, and you can watch her latest video here:

 

 
 
 

News from Firebird Product Development

Finally, the most exciting part of the segment - news in tours, or as we call it internally - Product Development. First big news is that the departure dates for May and June are now open for Trans-Siberian Small Group Tour (the one our rep Vera is traveling on), as well as Firebird Cruise(which we talked about on the blog), then tours in Russian capitals - Treasures of Two Capitals and Classic Moscow and St. Petersburg. What is more, we have released departures for the next year for the most popular tour of June - Luxury Barging in France.

By the way, there is still time to board our small group Trans-Siberian in August, visit Imperial Europe (only one September date left) or experience the colors of Morocco (only two dates left)!

 

Review of the month

As always, we would like to share our most loved review, received in June. It's from Sara where she tells about her trip with us, calling it - Dream Honeymoon:

"Firebird tours was amazing throughout the whole process. My husband and I had an amazing honeymoon, and we could not have done everything without them! I had originally planned to make all hotel and travel arrangements myself, but once I started looking around, I got overwhelmed. I was afraid if we went through a travel agency, we would not have gotten what we wanted. Our agent listened to our requests and even booked two specific hotels that were on our "bucket list." I'm really happy we went with an agency. It was a lot more stress-free and our 9 day trip to Norway was amazing. We went to 4 cities and saw the northern lights, drove husky sleds, saw the fjords, visited viking ships. I could go on and on. Thanks, Firebird!" - Sara via Trustpilot

If you went to Europe with us, make sure to leave us a review for your chance to be featured in our next post!

 

All things considered, June surprised us with new destinations on the rise - France and Spain, Portugal and Morocco. It also proved to be the record-breaking month concerning itineraries, and we are excited to touch base with you in a month's time, where we compare it to July.