Tell us how you like to travel. We'll plan the rest.
Classic Travel Planners is a Birmingham, Alabama agency that focuses on three things. Answer six quick questions and see which one fits you best.
- European river cruises
- European tours and destinations
- Villa rentals, from a long weekend to a season
What we plan
We don't try to book everything. We focus on trips we know well, so the advice you get is specific.
European river cruises
Small ships that tie up in the middle of town. You unpack once and wake up somewhere new each morning, with lodging, meals, and excursions in one plan.
European tours
Classic and lesser-known cities, planned end to end. Hotels, guides, transfers, and tickets are handled, so the only thing left is deciding what to see next.
Villa stays, short or long
A private home in Tuscany, Provence, or on the Portuguese coast. Book a long weekend or a whole season, with local help arranged before you land.
A sample outline
An example only. We shape every itinerary around your dates, pace, and budget.
Travel guide
What we've learned about river cruises, European tours, and villa stays. Pick a topic to see the places we plan most and the questions we hear most.
From our travels
A few places we've explored ourselves, from river towns to mountain valleys. Click any photo for a closer look.
Why plan with Classic Travel Planners
Three specialties, no filler
River cruises, European tours, and villa stays. Because we stick to what we know, you get real recommendations instead of a catalog.
One planner, start to finish
You talk to the same person from your first question to the day you're back home, and you get answers in plain language.
Based in Birmingham
We're a local agency in Birmingham, Alabama, and easy to reach by phone or email whenever you have a question about your trip.
Hi, we're David and Alecia
Before this was a business, it was simply how we liked to spend our time off: planning the next trip, down to the last detail. A sunset walk along a Venice canal, breakfast with a view of Lake Como, a hike through the Swiss Alps, a first look at Mont-Saint-Michel rising out of the bay. We planned those trips ourselves, and the planning became something we loved almost as much as the travel itself.
Classic Travel Planners grew out of that. What started as planning trips for our own family turned into a business built around the three kinds of travel we know best: river cruises, European tours, and villa stays. We still plan every trip personally, which means you're working directly with people who have stood in the squares, eaten at the cafes, and sailed the rivers we're recommending.
The name comes from what draws us to Europe in the first place: its history. The old rivers that shaped cities long before airplanes did, the quiet corners with centuries of stories behind them, the kind of travel that feels classic because it never really goes out of style. That's the feeling we try to build into every trip we plan.
We're based in Birmingham, Alabama, and we'd love to help plan your next trip to Europe.
Free download: The First-Timer's Guide to River Cruising
Six short pages on what to expect, when to go, and what to ask before you book.
- Five popular rivers and the best months for each
- Cabin types, packing checklist, and passport basics
- Eight questions to ask before you book