Why Travel with PTG Tours
PTG is one of the very few rail holiday companies that are members of ABTA (Y2193) and ATOL bonded. ABTA membership is the highest accreditation available in the travel industry. To be accepted as a member of ABTA you must have very stringent financial controls and a large amount of surplus cash. We must report quarterly to ABTA to prove our financial position is always sound. We are also ABTA bonded which means all holidays booked through PTG are covered for financial failure – whether there is a flight element or not. We are also ATOL bonded which gives full protection to holiday with a flight element.
- All our tours are escorted and group sizes are small. There is no better way to travel than in a group of people of similar interests and ages. The majority our customers are over 60 and have a shared interest to culture, history and rail travel.
- At PTG we have, possibly, the largest number of repeat customers of any similar company. Several of our customers have travelled with us over 50 times in our 27 years of trading and almost all of our customers travel with us again
- Our holidays are unique in that identical holidays are not offered by any other rail holiday company.
- We have traded successfully for 27 years since we were established back in 1998.
- We travel on the whole to countries and areas off the beaten track, and not offered by other companies, so you know if you travel with us you will have a very unique experience
- We are a small friendly family run company where we care about each individual customer – many who have become friends over the years
- We have a whole range of tour types aimed at people with a general interest who like to travel by the most relaxing form of transport on the planet – rail
- We have about two or three holidays each year (out of 40) aimed at the railway enthusiast. These are clearly identified in this brochure, so you can choose to travel on, or avoid, these specialist trips.
- Our group sizes on all of our culture tours (Classic, Vintage, Grand Tour and In Style) are small with often 12-16 travellers and never exceeding 36
- Before you travel you can get to know your Tour Manager and clear up any questions or concerns you have so that you know before you set off that the tour is what you are expecting it to be.
Even if you do not decide to travel with PTG we recommend you only book with holiday companies which are both ABTA and ATOL bonded. If you book a holiday which does not include flights with a company that is only ATOL bonded then you are NOT covered. Also make sure the company has proper liabilities insurance and is abiding by The 2018 Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations. A legal requirement of anyone selling a package holiday (holiday made up of more than one element – so pretty much any trip that is more than just a train ticket).
What is Included
- All travel and excursions as outlined in the itinerary – unless they are shown as an option.
- Good quality en-suite hotel accommodation.
- Meals as listed in the itinerary – (B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner.
- Services of our tour manager. All tours are accompanied by either a UK based tour manager or a local tour manager. Your tour manager will meet you on arrival and be with you for the whole trip up to the departure airport – unless stated otherwise.
- All our “with flight” prices include a cabin bag and an item of hold luggage regardless of the airline used. Weight varies by airline from 15kg to 23kg.
- In some cases the flight price might increase from that shown for people booking less than a month before departure.
Office Hours
Our office in Wantage, Oxfordshire is manned from 09:30 to 17:00 Monday to Friday. Being a small, family, company we also need to get away! So for 2019 our office is closed from 27 July to 11 August inclusive.
Who We Are
- Paul Spracklen is the Director and run the Company from the UK. You will speak to Paul as he continues to run the main office and take an interest in every single tour and every single customer. There are not many holiday companies where you get direct access to the company’s owner!
- Marisa Pratt is our Office Manager and is likely to be the first person you talk to when calling our office. Marisa@ptg.co.uk
- Kevin Hoggett (based in Belgium) has been with us6 years and acts as Tour Manager on some of our tours including Germany, Scandinavia
- David Gourlay (based in Lisbon, Portugal) If you travel on any of our Portugal tours then the chances are that David will be looking after you. David has been in Portugal for 18 years, speaks Portuguese, and has a good knowledge of the country. David is also our Tour Manager for France, Spain and Sri Lanka. David@ptg.co.uk
- Philip Wormald has been travelling European and worldwide railways since 1982 so has acquired a good knowledge of many countries railways. Philip has planned many enthusiasts tours including all Baltic States, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia and now to Bosnia and Greece, and also across the Atlantic to Alaska. Phil@ptg.co.uk
- Alessandra Pellegrini is our tour manager for various tours including Southern France, Midnight Sun and Sardinia
- Andrea Calligaris based in Munich is one of our tour managers who leads tours in Italy and Scandinavia
- Chris Walsh, based in Cornwall, is tour manager for some of our UK tours including Wales and the West Country
- Jonathan Lee is tour manager for our specialist rail enthusiast tours in Spain, Slovenia and Asia.
- Peter Bromley leads our Sardinia tour and others as required
- Craig Vaisey is a new tour manager joining us in 2026 with Galician Paradores, Southern France and Corsica trips
- Chris Phillimore has a passion for railways and especially for the unique lines in Romania. Chris designs and runs our tours to Romania to create some very unique railway experiences in this unspoilt country. chris@ptg.co.uk
Our Unique FREE Customer Day
Our annual customer day in North Wales runs every year on the second Sunday in June and is completely free to the first 80 people booking with us each year. Please ask for a confirmation at the time of booking.
This is a full day as our special (steam hauled) charter train takes though the heart of the Snowdonia National Park on the world famous Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways with onboard catering stunning views and comfortable carriages – with a window seat for everyone.
Before you Book
We recommend you also check the FCO website for the latest travel advice https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice