…and felt like you could have seen more, experienced more, and been more inspired? Global Gourmands was started because experiential travel, especially culinary experiences, immerse you in local culture and leave you feeling connected and engaged. In this era of remote-ness and social media, connection is the essence of culinary travel. It also benefits rural economies and helps keep their traditions alive (more about this here). Whether it's dining with a local family, taking part in a traditional ceremony, or learning to cook traditional dishes, culinary travel offers rich and authentic experiences.
Global Gourmands’ group tours are small, intimate affairs of 10-16, not large groups in big busses. They are focused on local people and local food and wine, but there will be visits to well-known locations as well. (If you are in the Basque Country, you should stop in at the Guggenheim, and if you are truffle hunting in Corréze in February, you should definitely go to Lascaux.)
Every day includes unique food and wine experiences: a visit to an artisanal food producer, or a farmer or a family-owned winery; food tours and hands-on cooking workshop as well are also enjoyed.
Accommodations are an important part of every journey, and family owned four-star boutique properties are used wherever available. This means two things: there is no compromise on luxury, and more money goes directly to the community we’re staying in.
Finally, besides amazing memories, you will more than likely leave with new friendships as well.
About Me: Claudia Royston
I started Global Gourmands in 2018 because I wanted to bring together my passion for experiential travel, food and wine as a gateway to culture, history and people. Guided by cultural respect and curiosity, I work with in-country partners to create tours with two goals: show people the world through the eyes of locals and make travelers a part of their own story – not just observers.
As a child of immigrants, food and travel have been integral to my life. I spent my youth living in the US and visiting family in Europe in the summers for extended periods. A Junior Year Abroad in Munich grew into three years. During that time, I hitchhiked, “train-ed” and flew all over Europe – from the Black Sea to Scotland and from Spain to Hungary. During two of those years, I escorted other Junior Year Abroad Students to East Germany where she met dissidents and poets and Communist party members - and managed to give the secret police the slip - twice!
I moved from Germany to England in 1991 and began a steady career progression in the travel industry: first with EF Language Journeys booking ferries for students, then as a hotel manager in central London for two years. I returned to the US in 1998 and worked on United’s MileagePlus Asia program (for their agency) and then joined luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent in 2005. This is where I learned the ropes of the travel industry and first got the spark to start my own travel company - one that offered a similar kind of comfort while traveling, but also was more intentional by using local four-star boutique properties rather than large US-chain hotels.
