About Political Tours

Nicholas Wood – Political Tours’s Founder

It was my career as a foreign correspondent with the New York Times and BBC that gave rise to Political Tours.

As a journalist I had extraordinary access — to presidents, diplomats, and the front-lines of conflicts. But the stories that stayed with me most were often quieter ones: conversations with ordinary people trying to live their lives amid extraordinary events.

That experience led me to a simple question: why not give others access to people and places in the news (so long as its safe) and explain what’s going on?

In 2013 I was joined by my South African born wife Karen, and we now run the company together – and have run trips in over 40 countries.

Our most popular destinations include Taiwan, South Africa, and the United States. Every year we have new destinations  – meeting demand from a very loyal group of travellers who want new places to go to every year!

How our tours work

All of our tours are led by top reporters or political experts on the ground, and take you beyond the usual routes to places most tourists never see at all.

We visit places, whether it’s a family, village, factory, town or community with the aim of building up a complex overview of a country. Our leaders connect the dots as we navigate our way through different communities, meetings with people, politicians and other experts. Often, the most meaningful moments happen not in institutions, but around kitchen tables, listening.

Finally you’ll get to meet the leading politicians and experts in the country and put your own questions to them. Its an amazing experience.

We provide a detailed itinerary in advance. Because we follow politics closely and meet with people actively involved in public life, the programme can change depending on availability and current events.