Band of Brothers® Tour

I had the great honor of being part of the Band of Brothers tour in May 2025. I could probably write a book about my experiences. But I can’t do it here and now. What I can say is it was beyond my greatest dreams and expectations. Those 14 days pass so quickly. I saw and learned much more than I expected. We were blessed with a great historian, tour manager, and bus driver with us on the tour. On top of everything else I had the honor an privilege of meeting some wonderful people from all across the United States and the countries we visited. Someone asked if I would do it again. What i said to them was a resounding yes, because I would love to see, record, remember, and touch all things I missed the first time.

Having just returned from the Band of Brothers tour, I can confidently say it surpassed all expectations. The tour is led by a historian (in our case, Matt), expertly managed by a tour guide (Connie), and made truly exceptional by an outstanding bus driver (Martjine). From the outset, the tour delves into significant locations, provides connections to history, and shares compelling stories of the brave men and women who served. It is difficult to articulate the profound impact of this experience. However, one returns with a deep appreciation for the courage of those who fought to secure the freedoms and liberties we enjoy today. Every detail, from the tour itself to the accommodations and dining arrangements, is meticulously planned and of the highest quality.

My wife and I did our first trip to Europe on the B.O.B. tour, and we cannot think of a better way to see Europe. She did not have much understanding of the B.O.B. before, and now, having been in their footsteps and in the towns they liberated, she and I have a much deeper understanding of what it was like for those boys. Being at the Crossroads in Holland, and then in the foxholes of the Bois Jaques, brought the reality home. Our historian, Erik, is top-notch! His personal knowledge he has from being friends with several of the Easy Company boys gave so much more to the story than what most people know. Our tour manager, Sabine, kept us all in line and gave some great information on every stop as to where the best places to go were and what the best food in the area was. How our driver, Klaus, negotiated the very narrow roads throughout the trip in a big bus, all I can say is outstanding!

Anyone looking for a great trip full of history, this is the best way to go! We are looking forward to other trips with Stephen Ambrose Tours!

The tour description is not hype… When it tells you that you will walk in the footsteps of the 101st Airborne, that is not hyperbole or exaggeration. It’s exactly what you do. And doing it with Chris Anderson (who knew and spent considerable time with the men) gives you the privilege to know their thoughts, their feelings, their experiences in a way that you’d otherwise never be able to do. If you can do this, please do. You will not regret it.

I can’t imagine anyone anywhere who could provide a more enjoyable and informative event (it’s far more than a tour). This tour is non pareil for sure. Chris and George were delightful and incredibly knowledgeable as both had many interactions with “the men” of the 506th. Thanks for a memory of a lifetime!

Day 14 of my Band of Brothers tour – Points (Going Home).

What an amazing two weeks! I thought I knew the story of the Band of Brothers. I have seen the complete series countless times. I have read the book by Stephen Ambrose several times. I have read just about every book authored by historians and/or by the men from Easy Company. This tour gave me a perspective that none of those stories could.

On this tour, I was able to walk the ground and see where the history actually took place. I was at Camp Toccoa and went to the top of Mount Curahee. I was at Brecourt Manor and saw where the German guns were located. I saw the tree line that Winters and Compton used to attack each gun. We were explained the tactics used and why. I was able to look down on Foy from the Bois Jacques. I saw the remnants of Easy Company fox holes. We were taken into Foy and were told how the battle progressed. We saw battle damage on buildings that were a direct result of Easy Company fire. We stood on the bank of the river in Haguenau where Easy’s last patrol crossed. I sat in the main hall of Hitler’s Eagles Nest.

But our trip wasn’t just about Easy Company and all they accomplished. I saw the D-Day planning maps at Southwick House. I saw Pegasus Bridge where the first Allied soldiers landed on D-Day. I walked the ground of Pointe du Hoc and marveled at how the US Rangers could have scaled the cliff. I saw French fortifications on the Maginot line. I visited US cemeteries at Omaha Beach, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. We even stopped at a German cemetery outside of Bastogne.

There are so many more examples that I could go on of how special this trip was. I met some great people, stayed at some amazing hotels, and ate wonderful food.

If you have an interest in Easy Company, this trip through Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours is the only way to go. Our historian Matt and tour coordinator Connie did an amazing job of making this trip a once in a lifetime experience. It exceeded all expectations. I would travel again with Stephen Ambrose Tours in a heartbeat. After each day, I didn’t think the next day could be better but unequivocally it was. If this trip would have ended after just the first few days, where we studied all aspects of the Overlord invasion, I would have felt that it was worth every penny.

We traveled 1,873 miles, through 8 different countries during the 14 day tour. I have memories of a lifetime. I will pass on my experiences to anyone who will listen because history has to be retold so it does not repeat itself.

There are a lot of other “Band of Brothers” type tours out there but, this is the ORIGINAL one. Developed by Dr. Ambrose who met and traveled with the men from Easy Company. Dr. Ambrose walked the actual ground with Dick Winters and the other members of Easy so every aspect of tour was correct. Don’t be fooled by imitations. Chose the first and the finest!

Curahee!

The best trip that I’ve ever taken : Bar none. Chris Anderson, George Luz and Klaus the bus driver where 3 of the best team members ever. I don’t know, but I think Chris knows everyone in Europe whom has anything to do with BOB’s. George Luz had first hand experience, because he is the son of George Luz an Easy Company member. Because Chris and George have had many experiences with the men of Easy Company, it made all the difference in this tour. I could go on for hours and hours talking about this tour, but if you are a history buff it is something that you need to make your best efforts to try and make it happen.

This was my third SAHT tour with Chris Anderson and it far exceeded my expectations. Just when I think it can’t get any better, Chris puts it over-the-top. With his firsthand accounts from the dozens of Easy Company survivors that he personally knew as well as his personal friendship with Major Dick Winters, he brings the events to life and you can’t help but feel that you’re actually there as an eyewitness. Chris has developed unique and personal relationships with the de Vallavielle family at Brecourt Manor (behind Utah Beach), the Overveld family at the drop zone in Son, Holland and other contacts on the tour that will leave you with memorable experiences that NO other guide can offer. He is a master historian and storyteller that is not afraid to show his true emotions as he shares the well documented accounts through seven countries and 3,000 miles of travel. Oh, and don’t miss the Toccoa extension; even if you have to make a separate trip, do it BEFORE you take the tour with Chris.

This was our first Stephen Ambrose tour, and we wanted to go with Chris Anderson, because we enjoy his History Happy Hours each Sunday. Having a cursory knowlege of the subject area, we really didn’t know what to expect, but having said that, the context, knowledge base, details, locations, and Chris’s personal relationship with most of the Easy Company men all added to the fantastic experience. We were able to go to places along the route that were not seen by many tours based on the personal relationship that Chris has with many of the “locals.” Keith Smith, tour manager for this trip took constant care of all of us, and our driver, Klaus, maneuvered our tour bus into every nook and cranny on the way. Food was exceptional as were the majority of the accommodations. This is a tour that will touch everyone’s hearts and minds — the bravery of the 101, et. al. No one should hesitate to take this tour … get on the list! We have already booked tours for 2023!

I took the trip in May 2016 as a birthday gift to celebrate my 5oth year of life. I took along a buddy of mine who knew very little about the Band of Brothers series or World War II. I was surprised how much he enjoyed the tour as well. It was no doubt the best trip I’ve been on. It was well worth every penny I spent, and actually exceeded expectations! Ron Drez was our guide and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. He was so knowledgeable with so many stories. He made the trip so special. Every day was a new adventure. I would suggest starting the trip in Toccoa, GA. It is longer and more money but worth it. It’s been almost 6 years later and I still have great memories of this tour! Simply the best!! I would go again, it was that good!

My dad and I travelled from Australia to do this tour back in 2005. We had Easy Co veterans Forrest Guth and Buck Taylor on the tour with us. Chris Anderson did an amazing job. The tour was an experience that I will never forget. I can not recommend it highly enough. Thanks Chris and team.

Best trip I have ever been on! You really can’t appreciate what our boys did for us until you go on this trip and actually see where they had to go and the hardships they had to endure

This tour was beyond our expectations. My husband’s Dad trained at Camp Toccoa and participated in the forced march from Toccoa to Atlanta. Even though he was transferred to the 502nd at Fort Benning, we were able to visit each place he jumped and fought. For my husband to be at the jump zone where his Dad landed 75 years earlier was an unforgettable experience. The celebration of liberation in Eindhoven was another experience we shall never forget. To actually visit the places I had taught about for so many years made this the trip of a lifetime. I only wish I had taken this trip earlier to share with my students and my father-in-law!

Over the years I have taken many tours but without question the origianal Band of Brother’s tour I took in 2013 was the best historical tour I’ve ever experienced. Ron Drez was our leader and he did a masterful job of weaving the experiences of Easy Company losing sight of the bigger picture. One can not walk away from the tour without a deep understanding and lasting admiration of leaders such as Richard Winters. What leadership! On more than one occasion I’ve been tempted to repeat the experience.

I had been thinking about this tour for some time & Dave Meyer decided to join me. Chris Anderson & George Luz Jr. made it a truly unforgettable experience with the research & personal contact with the Easy Company guys. We were hoping for a good trip but had a great tour filled with some extras we did not expect that are much appreciated. We had a super group & met some new friends that made it even more special.
A big thanks to Chris, George & our driver Henny for a memory of a life time tour. We will recommend SAHT to anyone thinking about this tour, could not be better.

This was absolutely the trip of a lifetime. I have wanted to do this tour for years and I finally set aside the time to do it. Chris Anderson, George Luz, Jr. and Henny (our great driver) made the tour truly unforgettable. Every day was a new adventure for me and my wife – – made even more special by the personal experiences relayed to us by Chris and George because of their friendships with the men of Easy Company (and George’s stories of his dad). Thanks to Chris, George and Henny for a job that went “above and beyond the call of duty.” For my fellow tour guests (who are now my new good friends)… “What time is it?”….

This was as amazing trip and opportunity to learn more about Easy Company. This was my third trip with Stephen Ambrose Tours and was the best of the trio. Our group was wonderful and resulted in a couple of friends we still remain in contact with. The historian was Ron Drez, his knowledge of the Band of Brothers and their story was second to none. At every stop on the tour Ron was able to relate the story in a way that painted a picture that even someone with only a casual knowledge of history, could follow along. All accommodations and meals were first class and impeccably arranged. I highly recommend SAHT to all that our looking to learn more about the Band of Brothers. Looking forward to my next trip with them, this time for the 75th anniversary of DDay.

An experience of a lifetime. Not just information. An exercise of the heart as well, that lingers long in its memories. Great that teenagers were along with their parents as well as old geezers like me, and a group in the middle whose parents or grandparents had participated in WWII. Chris Anderson & George Luz were the perfect team of guides. Chris the historian who interviewed Stephen Ambrose and Easy Co’s survivors and George the son of an Easy Co soldier depicted in the book and HBO series

I’ve wanted to take this trip ever since Stephen Ambrose lead it. When Mike and I first started talking about it and researching options he mentioned another company, but to me there was only one choice: Stephen Ambrose wrote the book on the Band of Brothers. I regretted not being able to make the trip with Ambrose but still felt the group he started would provide the best tour. The trip was better than I ever hoped for – the personal stories and insights, and the passion for the men of Easy Company, that George and Chris shared with us could not have been duplicated by any other team. I am very grateful! I still believe taking the trip with Ambrose would have been wonderful, but recognize that Band of Brothers was a book project for him. Chris and George literally grew up with them. No other team can match that! My wife and I are planning to take the tour together in 2019, maybe 2020, provided that Chris and George are still leading it as a team. It has been my stories about the two of them that convinced her to go.

I was on the June 2016 tour…Fantastic, Excellent, Outstanding are just some of the terms that come to mind when I remember this tour.

We stayed in very nice hotels, the bus was first rate (especially our driver Henne…the man could drive a bus anywhere). The historian/guide Chris Anderson was informative, knowledgeable and most importantly cared deeply about the subject (he also had some great back stories to tell). Our logistics Guide Matt Brogge did a fantastic job (he had us running like a well oiled machine).

I’ve read comments from people who have not taken this tour and they seem to believe that this tour is a victory lap for Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne. It is not that at all.

While the tour does concentrate on Easy Company it does not skimp or leave out other units who were involved in action in the areas where you will visit. For example, standing on Omaha Beach at the Vierville Draw and looking at the terrain and the defensive positions that had to be taken and overcome, will fill you with awe for the men of the 29th Infantry Division who assaulted the beach.

Following Easy Company will give you a good idea of what the average combat infantry man went through. This tour put into perspective the large scale of the war and also the personal human toll paid for in blood by common everyday Americans. (Not a very easy thing to do, in my opinion)

I would not mess around with any other tour company, if you want a fantastic experience, tour with this group. They hit the ball out of the park!

Thanks again, Chris, Matt and Henne! (I am already looking at my next tour)

We took this trip in 2015. It was an awesome trip and we are so thrilled we did it. I highly recommend this particular tour. I’m sure we went places and saw things other tours are not able to do. It was a bucket list trip and totally worthwhile. Loved it! The promotions are not hype. Accommodations, food, transportation all as advertised.

We have both traveled a great deal, in this country and abroad, and this (Band of Brothers tour with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours) was truly the best trip we have ever taken. Our historian was an incredible guide and wealth of information. We feel truly blessed that we had such a wonderful team and such a memorable experience.