You are standing in the Prado in Madrid, one of the world’s great art galleries. In this 19^th century neo-classical building is a collection of paintings that can only be called breathtaking. Velasquez, El Greco and Goya are among the 6,000 European works of art to be found here. There are paintings previously owned by the Spanish Royal family, when Spain annexed the Netherlands – Rubens, Rembrandts and the finest collection of Bruegels.

This is only one of the many fabulous sights, which your Insight tour to Spain, Morocco and Portugal will offer. Before returning to London, where your 15-day tour originated, you will have visited Toledo, Granada, the Costa del Sol, Rabat, Fez, Tangier, Gibralta, Seville, the Algarve, and Cape St. Vincent and Lisbon. By the time you get home, you will have seen some of the more fascinating sights of Iberia and Morocco.

What will make your trip so pleasant, however, is the absence of stress and aggravation. No hassles with language difficulties, no problems with porters, no likelihood of going through a town and missing the major sights. All of this has been taken care of by your multi-lingual tour guide. On top of all this, you are traveling with a group, which shares many of your interests and includes people who you will call “friends” by the time the tour finishes.

Package tours can be an absolute delight and are especially valuable in areas where language and unfamiliar surroundings may cause complications.

Thomas Cook, the venerable English travel company, was the instigator of the forerunners of today’s package tour. At a time when travel facilities were primitive at best, they organized groups of people to travel together for mutual protection and support, visiting such exotic destinations as the Temples of the Nile and the capitals of Imperial Europe.

Today’s package tours are slicker, quicker and much more sophisticated, but the principles remain the same. The options for today’s package tourist are immense. Tourist organizations, clubs, common interest groups, and airlines are all in competition. Experienced operators offer complete packages with top hotels, some meals, coaches and guides who understand the history and cultures of the countries through which you will travel.

Then there are “special interest” packages. Pick a copy of a travel magazine and you will find tours of France or Italy that include the finest restaurants and wineries, often with cooking lessons as well. There are specialist packages for almost every type of interest, career or hobby.