NOTICE: the individual trip pages are still under construction and
the links will be added as they become available.
2016 Church History
2014 Italy
2012 Wyoming
2010 Italy
2008 Mexico
2006 Church History
2022 Tour
Wednesday, June 11, 2020
Dear Cardon Family,
We hope you are doing well and staying safe. This has certainly been a unique time and something we have never experienced before. We are an amazing family! Some of you have been caring for those who have had the coronavirus – even volunteering your services in New York City. Others have found ways to support and bring joy to those in quarantine – sometimes going around in the back of a truck giving impromptu concerts. Many are working hard to find creative ways to earn a living and to spend time with loved ones. We look forward to being together again and hearing more of your coronavirus adventures!
One thing we have all had to put a hold on is traveling – especially going out of the country. We know this will not last forever and we can look forward to future travels together. That is the reason for this letter. The Cardon family travel committee has been working on our 2022 “Cardon Family Travel Extravaganza.” Though nothing has been finalized, we thought you might enjoy dreaming about an upcoming trip and even put it on your calendar now to avoid any planning conflicts later.
Unfortunately, we can’t give you the exact dates of the trip. We are waiting for confirmation on the closure dates for the Rome Temple (2022 fall cleaning) and also the dates for the Royal Caribbean 2022 Greek Isles cruises. However, we are tentatively planning to start Friday, Sept.16 and end Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. (We hope it will not be more than a week prior to or after these dates.) We hope to have everything finalized in the last quarter of this year so that we can start the reservation process.
This is going to be a major trip with four options. Depending on your interests, time and budget, you can choose from the following: (You will need to add an extra day on the front end to allow for your flights from USA to Italy.)
- Option A: Piedmont, Cinque Terre, Florence & Rome. Friday, Sept. 16 – Friday, Sept. 25, 2022. This option does not include the cruise. Sorry, but Piedmont only is not an option. (10 nights)
- Option B: Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome and Greek Isles cruise. Monday, Sept. 19 – Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022 (16 nights)
- Option C: Rome and Greek Isles cruise. Friday, Sept. 23 – Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. (11 nights)
- Option D: Greek Isles cruise only. Sunday, Sept. 25 – Tuesday, Oct. 4 (9 nights)
- Possible Option E: Piedmont, Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome, Greek Isles cruise. Friday, Sept. 16 – Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2002 (A long time!)
Option A is the only group visiting the Piedmont region. You will fly into Milan and depart in rented vans on Friday, Sept. 16 for Torre Pellice. Sites to see include the Cardon Borgata (abandoned family village), Rora, and Waldensian sites such as the School of the Barba, Chanforan, etc. You will return on Monday, Sept. 19 to Milan. There we will meet up with those arriving for Option B and continue on to Cinque Terre, Florence and Rome. Option A will fly home from Rome.
Option B includes two nights in Cinque Terre, two nights in Florence and two nights in Rome prior to the cruise. We will have a walking tour in Cinque Terre followed by a full free day. In Florence we will have a walking tour, see Michelangelo’s statue of David followed by a free day. In Rome we will see the Rome Temple (optional temple session), visit the Vatican, see the Sistine Chapel, and have a walking tour to see the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and more. On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 25, our motor coach will take us to the port to set sail on our Royal Caribbean Greek Isles cruise. We fly home from Rome on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Option C will fly into Rome and back home from Rome. You will have two nights in Rome seeing the sites mentioned in Option B prior to our Greek Isles cruise.
Option D will be on your own should you want some pre-cruise days in Rome. You will officially start with us after boarding the ship for our cruise.
Possible Option E – This would be options A & B combined.
Cruise: Because we are still early for cruise schedules in 2022, we can’t give you the exact itinerary for our 9-night Greek Isles cruise. Each cruise has a slightly different list of ports. We suggest you visit www.royalcaribbean.com and look at the 2020 fall itinerary to get an idea. We will reserve inside, ocean view and balcony cabins for our group. As we get closer to making reservations, we will ask for your preference to get an idea of how many cabins we will need in each category.
We would like your input as we work on this Cardon Family Extravaganza. Please email us and let us know what you think; we appreciate your feedback and suggestions. We realize that you are wondering about the cost. We are currently pricing the land portion and hope to give you an approximate price and a more detailed itinerary in our next letter; but we won’t lock into anything just yet. Look at the cruise pricing for 2020 to get an idea what it would be for your cabin preference. Airfare could range anywhere from $800 to $1400 per person. We just don’t know yet.
We hope this email gets you excited about our future trip. Please email us with suggestions and questions. Stay safe and know we miss you!
Ciao,
Becky Cardon Smith – beckysmithtravel@gmail.com
Lisa Coombs – RnLcoombs@gmail.com
2020 Tour
Updates on Boston Trip
We have officially cancelled the Boston Trip which was scheduled for next June. We apologize to all those that signed up for the tour. We know you are disappointed, and we do apologize. Unfortunately, we just didn’t get the numbers that we needed to make the trip viable at the price posted.
The travel committee will have a table set up at our upcoming reunion with pictures of past trips as well as a survey asking your suggestions for future travels. We will also have information about a possible trip to replace the 2020 Boston trip. For those not attending the reunion, we will post this information on the Cardon website. We have enjoyed traveling together and we look forward to future adventures with you.
2020 River Cruise
On another note, I am putting together a group river cruise going from Budapest, Hungary to Prague, Czech Republic. This is not a Cardon tour but there will be Cardon family on it. It is for adults only and is a 10-day tour from Sept. 24th to Oct. 3rd, 2020. Please contact me now if you are interested. The cruise is with Avalon and because it is not a big ship, the cabins book quickly.
Sincerely,
Becky Cardon Smith
beckysmithtravel@gmail.com
Recent Tours
Cardon Family 2018 Italy Tour
This tour began September 19, 2018 and ended Octber 2nd. It included the Piedmont area where our ancestors lived and extended on to include Milan, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence, Siena, Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri.
Cardon Family 2016 Church History Tour
This tour began Spetember 15, 2016 and ended September 25, 2016. It included: Palmyra, Harmony, Niagra Falls, Kirtland, Liberty, Independence, Far West, Richmond, Jamesport (Amish area), Adam-ondi-Ahman, Carthage and Nauvoo.
Cardon Family Tour of 2014 – Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany
This tour began September 4th, 2014. It included the Piedmont Valleys in Italy, then we went north: Montreaux – Berne – Brienz – Schilthorn – Zollikofen – Lucerne – Neuschwanstein Castle – Linderhof Castle – Oberammergau – Salzburg – Berchtesgaden – Konigssee – Dachau – Munich
Cardon Family Wyoming Tour 2012
Logan UT – Evanston WY – Piedmont WY – Fort Bridger WY – Lander WY – Sixth Crossing – Independence Rock – Martin’s Cove
Cardon Family Italy Tour 2010
The outdoor oven on the right was photographed at Cardonera Superiore. This tour started in the Piedmont Valleys then concluded with sites throughout Italy. Torre Pellice – Prarostino – Rora – Venice, Cinque Terra, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Napoli, Pompei, Amalfi Coast, and Capri.
2008 Mexico Colonies Tour
El Paso TX – Columbus NM – Palomas Mexico (MX) – Colonia Dublán MX – Colonia Juarez MX – Mata Ortiz MX – Hacienda of San Diego – Colonia Dublán Cemetery (to dedicate graves of the newly marked graves of our ancestors that died while living in the colonies) – Colonia Dublán (homes of Aunt Kate, Lous Paul, Susette Stalle, Bob Cardon and Mary Naylor) – Casas Grandes – Copper Canyon (optional).
2006 Church History Tour
The Tour included: Palmyra – Peter Whitmer’s Log Cabin – Fayette Chapel – Smith’s Log Home and Frame Home – Sacred Grove – Martin Harris Farm – Lake-Stone House – Palmyra Temple – Niagara Falls – Morley Farm – Kirtland – Johson Farm (Hiram OH) – Oliver and Rosetta Snow Home – Kirtland Temple – Stone Quarrys – Nauvoo – Temple – Mansion House – Carthage Jail – Amish Community – Jamesport – Adam-Ondi-Ahman – Haun’s Mill – Far West – Richmond – Three Witnesses Monumnent – Independence – Liberty Jail