Packages Promote Passion Play Performances

Oberammergau, the picturesque Bavarian village where the Passion Play is staged only once every decade, will be a popular destination for travelers to Europe this year. But travel agents and tour operators catering to mature travelers seem to be pushing Oberammergau especially hard, offering dozens of packages centered around the event (performances begin May 21 and end Sept. 9).

Keep in mind, though, that as moving as the play is, it represents just one stop in a European tour itinerary. It is wise to choose your tour for the entire package, one that incorporates Oberammergau with other desired destinations.

Travel agents and tour operators who belong to the Senior Travel and Recreation Activities Council (STRAC) can generally recommend leisurely-paced tours for mature travelers.

Among the STRAC members with European tours incorporating Oberammergau (all prices are per person, double occupancy, based on round-trip air from Los Angeles):

--Trieloff Tours, which has three different 16- to 18-day itineraries at $2,599 or $2,799.

--Giovanni Tours, with three departures on its all-inclusive 14-day tour of Bavaria and Italy for $2,790.

--Great Western Travel’s 15-day Oberammergau and Scenic Alpine Splendor tour for $3,695 for a meal-packed tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

--Gadabout Tours has four depatures for its two-week Austria At-Your-Leisure Tour, priced at $2,835, including breakfast and dinner daily.

On the national scene, Grand Circle Travel, a large tour wholesaler catering to mature travelers (thus not available through travel agents), offers expensive European tour programs featuring the Passion Play.

Grand Circle has several departure dates for its five itineraries, which range from a basic nine-day Austrian Tirol tour for $1,629 to a 16-day Rhine River Cruise and Tour costing $3,379.

Rhode Island-based Collette Tours has five European tours built around Oberammergau, each with multiple departures. Most travel agents have brochures.

For those mature travelers checking travel agencies for Oberammergau tour ideas, other tour wholesalers whose programs cater to mature interests include American Christian Tours, Club Europa, A.J.S. Travel Consultants, Insight International, Love Holidays, Mayflower Tours, Passages Unlimited, Travalgar Tours, TWA Get-Away Tours and Yugotours.

For those interested in other international destinations, here are some of the travel suggestions passed along by STRAC members and others that cater primarily to mature travelers:

--Silver Senior Travel has a wide variety of mostly escorted international tours, including a 15-day “Best of Scandinavia” for $2,699, including round trip from the West Coast by Scandinavian Airlines. The tour highlights Norway, Denmark and Sweden. There are two departures each in June and August.

--George Demas’ Tour Master has an 18-day “Grand Iberian Tour” that features much of Spain and Portugal by motor coach, including Gibraltar, Andorra and a stop at Lourdes, France. Priced at $1,999, it departs Oct. 9.

--Gadabout Tours’ extensive programs includes a 14-day “Tulip Time in Holland” tour departing May 2. In addition to an extensive motor-coach tour of the Netherlands, it includes visits to nearby Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany. Cost is $1,998 from Los Angeles.

Another Gadabout Tour is a 15-day cruise/tour to the Soviet Union leaving June 16. In addition to Leningrad and Moscow it features a seven-night cruise along the Volga River aboard the Maxim Gorki, visiting many colorful Soviet cities not often seen by American visitors. Cost is $3,778.

--Giovanni Tours offers a 17-day tour of Peru, Brazil and Argentina for $2,890, including all meals. Highlights include Lima, Iguacu Falls, Rio de Janeiro and a four-day cruise on the upper Amazon River. Departure is Sept. 11.

--New Zealand takes up most of the time on Trieloff Tours’ “Australia and New Zealand” 22-day tour. The trip includes more than two weeks exploring both North and South islands, then another week in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. Priced at $4,299, with departures Oct. 11 and Nov. 15.

The Laguna Hills-based company also offers a 23-day cruise on the Bermuda Star that makes 10 port calls sailing down the Atlantic, through the Caribbean, the Panama Canal and up the Mexican coast to San Diego. One of the scheduled stops is Cartegena, Colombia. Prices begin at $2,699. The trip is set for an Oct. 11 departure from Los Angeles.

--World Adventures in Travel offers perhaps the ultimate in international travel for 1990, a one-month tour around the world for $13,000.

“Going Global Gucci Style” leaves Sept. 15 and includes first-class air travel via Singapore Airlines and TWA, and four- or five-star hotels, with an average of three to four days at each of the stops along the route. Stops include Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bali, Zurich, Nice and Paris. Two of the features include a resort stop at Villi Varu in The Maldives and a day-trip on the Orient Express.

Contact these tour and travel agencies for more information:

Gadabout Tours, 700 E. Tahquitz, Palm Springs 92262. Call toll-free (800) 521-7309 or (800) 537-1623.

Giovanni Tours, 5308 Derry Ave., Suite F, Agoura Hills, Calif. 91301, (818) 889-3156.

Great Western Travel, 3814 E. Colorado Blvd., No. 200, Pasadena 91107, (818) 578-1161 or (800) 344-7090.

Silver Senior Travel, 23078 Lake Center Drive, El Toro, Calif. 92630, (800) 672-9922 or (714) 855-4211.

Tour Masters Inc., 3350 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 508, Los Angeles 90010-1829, (800) 992-8877 or (213) 386-1698.

Trieloff Tours, 23521 Paseo de Valencia, Suite B-1, Laguna Hills 92653, (800) 432-7125 or (714) 855-2126.

World Adventures in Travel, 307 N. Santa Anita, Arcadia 91006, (818) 445-2220.

National tour and travel agencies:

American Christian Tours, Senior Travel Club, 201 S. St., Rice Lake, Wis. 54868, (715) 234-6500.

Club Europa, 802 W. Oregon St., Urbana, Ill. 61801, (800) 331-5655 or local manager Kevin Fitzgerald at (714) 629-7785.

Grand Circle Travel, 347 Congress St., Boston, Mass. 02110, (800) 221-2610.

A.J.S. Travel Consultants Inc., 50 Plus Club, 177 Beach & 116th St., Rockaway Park, N.Y. 11694, (800) 221-5002.

Love Holidays, 15315 Magnolia Blvd., No. 110, Sherman Oaks 91403, (800) 456-5683 or (818) 501-6868.

Mayflower Tours, 1225 Warren Ave., Downers Grove, Ill. 60515, (800) 323-7604.

Passages Unlimited, 48 Union St., Stamford, Conn. 06906, (800) 472-7724.

SAGA Holidays, 120 Boyleston St., Boston, Mass. 02116, (800) 366-SAGA.

Travalgar Tours, 21 East 26th St., New York 10010, (800) 854-0103.

TWA Get-Away Tours, (800) GETAWAY.

Yugotours, 3440 Wilshire Blvd., No. 1105, Los Angeles 90010, (213) 383-2438.