Tour Description

Ernest Hemingway was a legend in his own lifetime. He worked hard at being an amalgam of all the masculine attributes he gave to the heroes that inhabited his pages—a drinker, hunter, traveler, a boxer and bullfighter.

It’s no surprise that he was considered by many to be the ultimate adventurer and truly a “man's man”. He once wrote that a boy must do 4 things in his life to demonstrate his manhood: fight a bull, plant a tree, write a novel and father a son. Of course, many people argue that these 4 tasks are just metaphors for doing something of the like. Hence, this trip is meant as a challenge to create lasting memories, whether it provides the seeds for a novel or the inspiration to replant a forest! "There are only 3 sports” he wrote “bullfighting, horseracing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games”. So it is no mistake you’re your destinations have at their heart Hemingway’s three passions.

Begin your adventure in Barcelona from which you’ll head to Pamplona to soak up some of the unique atmosphere. Get ready for your first night on the town and join the revelry. Don't expect to get much sleep before you run with the bulls!

From Spain, you’ll move on to Paris to discover the areas that Hemingway once roamed. Get inspired and conceive of a novel—if not a son—of your own! He once wrote, "If you are lucky enough to have lived here, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." At the center of your tour will be a visit to the Hippodrome de Longchamp and Auteuil—horse tracks. He had a keen interest in racing, and these were the two tracks that went to regularly.

From France you’ll head into Italy, a country of central importance to Hemingway’s life and work during World War I, when he emerged as a promising writer. You’ll visit the St Bernard Pass, which served as the setting of a Farewell to Arms. In his letters, he wrote that the tall mountain pines reminded him of aisles in a cathedral. It’s no coincidence, then, that you’ll plant trees here as part of a UN initiative called the Billion Tree Campaign, a program that encourages the planting of indigenous trees.

One would do well to remember that Hemingway was at times neither a gentleman, not a good father, and not a role model. He was deeply flawed. Regardless, he has come to represent an aspect of masculinity. His life was full of amazing adventures that continue to inspire the dreams of boys and men alike.