I love traveling, but hate the overdetailed itineraries and overbearing travel agents that typically go with it. While I appreciate the youth hostel spirit--affordable accommodations, flexible plans dictated by train schedules--I'm way beyond just winging my vacations, not to mention bunking with 14 strangers in the same room. And I'm way too active to join the blue-haired crowd on a preplanned bus tour.

So when my husband Jay stumbles across Randonnee Tours, a company that plans self-guided tours, I'm thrilled. You pick the location (they go everywhere from Corsica to Canada and plenty of places in between) and the mode of transport (hiking, biking, among others), then they devise a route for you based on your skill and fitness level. In addition, they set up your nightly accommodations at bed and breakfasts and, best of all, transport your luggage from one destination to the next. We choose an eight-day hiking tour of Provence, one of France's wine regions.

After arriving at Vaison-la-Romaine, a village in the heart of Provence--the only part of the trip we had to navigate on our own--our Randonnee representative hands us a set of maps and a detailed description of each day's trail information and accompanying tourist highlights. The next morning we set out, with light backpacks containing just water, cheese sandwiches on crusty bread and the day's itinerary. After a trek through the medieval section of town and some fumbling with the map, we finally reach Randonnees du Pays, a series of interconnected hiking trails through the region. The terrain is rougher than we expected, but the payoff is definitely worth it. We travel through fields full of alfalfa and wildflowers, over rocky hills and through vineyards--we visit in peak harvest season, and local farmers don't begrudge hikers a little sampling of their wares--until we descend upon a ruined castle and disappear into the woods. Thirteen miles later, we arrive at the Hotel les Florets, which features amazing outdoor gardens and gazebos. But instead of lingering outdoors, we head up to our room, where it feels wonderful to kick off our shoes and lie back on the overstuffed feather bed in a room filled with delicate antique furniture.