It is a style of travel for which the three countries we cover are well suited: vast networks of speedy highways and peaceful back roads, excellent rail systems, thousands of welcoming small hotels, and every few kilometers another interesting town or village. As you can imagine, it would require special circumstances for us to put our stamp of approval on a more structured way of travel. The Untour, we recently discovered, combines the freedom of independent travel with some of the comforts of a guided service-without the usual disadvantages of either.

Untour was created and marketed by Idyll, Ltd., a 33-year-old, family-owned company based in Media, Pennsylvania. The name and the concept behind it have the simple genius of why-didn't-I-think-of-that inventions like Velcro and the safety pin. It consists of two weeks in a private dwelling (house, condo, apartment, or chalet) in one of 10 European countries, including Switzerland's, Germany, and Austria. With a price that's guaranteed in U.S. dollars comes a roundtrip airline ticket from the U.S. to Europe, a rail pass or rental car, and about as much or as little in-country assistance as the traveler desires. An Untour representative also escorts arriving travelers to and from airports and provides stacks of useful reference materials, as well as an arrival orientation.