Locally run vacations
Tours & vacations in 2019 & 2020

The most exciting part of the vacation was taking photos of icebergs on a stormy day with massive waves crashing onto the beach. (more)Tracy Jones

great trip, well organised. memories for life (more)juris uzegovs

Excellent. Our 'Tutor' James Rushworth was exceptional. His ability to place us in the right place at the right time, his knowledge of Iceland and things Icelandic, his photography skills and ability to pass on that knowledge were superb. (more)Alvin Barrick

It was such a wonderful break! The peace of the surrounding area was fantastic, still so undiscovered. Also the hospitality of Ilaria and her family was second to none! (more)Charlotte Broughton

The best parts of the vacation were all the great activities Ilaria booked for us and the wonderful location, lovely food and great hosts. (more)Anthony Johnson

We loved rafting down a beautiful river with a family we had met at the hotel, horseriding, canyoning and an archaeology trip, all organised by Ilaria. The hotel is small enough to get to know everyone... One of our best vacations by far. (more)Nicola Chalton

I really enjoyed the first day meeting classmates, and the teachers, and then exploring the local countryside. (more)Anna Bond

The most memorable part of the vacation was the walks and the quality of teaching. (more)Paul Kyne

It was all good. Great group of people, interactive Spanish lessons and beautiful walking in the region. (more)Julie Thurston

The most memorable moment was exploring Poros on foot: great views in the almost uninhabited western part, and climbing up to the top of Poros town and seeing where the locals lived. Also, Hotel Saronis on Agistri was wonderful, especially the breakfasts. The restaurant in front of it was great too. Both very friendly. (more)Debbie Williams

The most memorable was visiting ancient sites which we'd planned to do for many years. (more)Margaret Carey

Memorable parts? Sanxingdui museum with 3-4000 year old bronze masks and the pandas Tips? Wear flat shoes there was a lot of walking 3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental Impacts or supported conservation? local restaurants used but little else. Overall rating? It was great, I loved China and would go again to see more of the countryside and more museums. (more)Janet Chambers

Walking on the Great Wall was the most memorable part of our vacation. (more)Anne Howick

Our 5 day hike on the "great" Great Wall was memorable. We had a wonderful guide who accompanied us all the way, supplied us with all the water, laughter and encouragement needed when facing those thousands of steps. (more)Criag Knighton

Enjoy it, it's one of the best trip I have made in recent years. It's an excellent balance between an active and cultural vacation (more)Pia Rainey

The vacation was spectacular and offered a huge variety of activities that kept even our 16-year-old son entertained for the entire duration. The itinerary was flexible enough to allow us to meet our elder son in Vietnam halfway through our trip and our activities for that particular day were extended to include him and his four friends. (more)Stewart Fox

Most of it was fascinating... Singapore, Vietnam and Laos are amazing countries. (more)Neville Isaacson

Most memorable was walking through the wonderful Luang Prabang and relaxing on the fantastic beach of Phu Quoc. (more)Tomasz Majewski

Blue skies and the corresponding view of everest from the top of Kalapathar was magical. (more)Barry Mc Carthy

I loved the trek and am so glad I did it. I would also highly recommend the company. The organisers in Kathmandu were really welcoming, I had a great guide (Ale) who went out of his way to be helpful, all of the lodges had a nice atmosphere, lovely staff and good food. Great memories. (more)Rachel Allen

Memorable parts? Visiting the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an and seeing the amazing jade carvings and Buddha statue. Tips? Beijing airport is full of fairly elaborate scams - call your guide if you can't immediately see them. It's worth getting a SIM that works in China, too, for this reason. Local benefits? I felt like this benefited the local people, though I don't think it specifically reduced environmental impact. Overall rating? Amazing experience, one of the... (more)Owen Cawley

Memorable parts? Walking in the bush to see white Rhino in Matobo hills, Zimbabwe. This was a very special experience. Tips? Bring binoculars, sun hat and an open mind. Local benefits? Yes, we stayed in small lodges that employed a high percentage of local people and traveling in small groups has a low impact. Overall rating? This is a varied trip with many highlights, the wildlife viewing and standard of lodges exceeded my expectations. Our two Zimbabwean guides... (more)Robert Jenner

Our most memorable moment was being surrounded by a pod of around 300 spinner dolphins and seeing lots of fish while snorkelling. Sitting on a white sandy beach and walking out into the sea to snorkel in warm clear blue waters. (more)Rosemary Chinchen

We experienced the real Maldives, met local people and learnt about their kindness and dignity...We had a blast!! (more)Veronica Vigano

Memorable parts? Snorkelling in the reefs, staying on islands that were not touristic and having heaps of fun with my guide Kokko Tips? Be prepared to spend time chilling out in the afternoons as it is hot. Local benefits? yes, staying in local guest houses, eating meals with families and using local boats and crews benefitted the community. The only negative is the reliance on bottle water and the subsequent waste generated. Overall rating? I loved it and will definitely... (more)Vicki Carmichael

There are beautiful beaches nearby and the crystal clear blue of the Adriatic Sea made swimming every day a must. (more)Cheri Takaki

The island of Vis itself. The place and people and accommodation and food were all excellent. (more)Joan Retson

The most exciting part of the vacation was going for a sunset walk around the cliffs from diamond beach to silver beach and watching the sunset. (more)Stephanie Williams

Memorable parts? Waking up before sunrise and getting the amazing mountain views! Tips? Spend sometime on the stair-master before you go. There are lots of stair to climb but the climb is well worth the views you get! Local benefits? Absolutely. Pema, my guide, and I picked up trash along the trail as we went. I saw a lot of the tea houses converted to supplying clean water instead of plastic bottles. Overall rating? I had am amazing experience! I really didn't want... (more)Emily From

Memorable parts? It is hard to decide on one thing that was the 'most memorable' - We loved the entire trip! What stood out for us was Ngima and Lakpa's unwavering commitment to our entire team having the best experience we could possibly have. We listened to endless stories about the mountains, the place and other travel groups. We had all our curious questions answered. We stayed in nice and comfortable tea houses each night, with great hospitality where our guide was friends with everyone.... (more)Jennifer Ziegner

The most memorable parts of the vacation were swimming in the clear blue sea, alighting on sandy beaches, getting fit kayaking, learning about Galicia, eating calamaris and enjoying the company of Spanish people. (more)Kate Lambert

A brilliant vacation with great people at reasonable cost...The guides and tour owner made it a very special trip (more)Duncan Thomas

Smelling the orange blossoms as we rode from Astros to Nafplio was memorable. It was very fragrant, and we smelled them pretty much every day for the remainder of the trip. (more)Tiffany Arthur

The entire route was memorable between places, orchards, wildflowers Coastal regions. History, architecture, the people and food and wine. (more)Sanjiv Dewan

Hard to pick out high points of this vacation because there were no low points. Even the brief and brutal thunderstorms on two occasions did not dampen the spirits (and only dampened cycling kit for a short while). The theatre at Epidavros was spectacular and the experience of staying in Napflio was memorable. (more)Lucy Watson

The wildflowers during our trip in April were incredible and profuse in nature. Stunning to look at as we cycled along. Each town we stayed in overnight was a delight to explore with tasty seafood to dine on in the evening. (more)Barbara Myers

The Laconia coastal bike tour was such a fantastic way to really see the country and feel like you've lived a bit of it... the scent of hot olives and orange blossom greeting us as we meandered through little back roads and dirt tracks we would never have thought of taking if we'd been finding our own route... (more)Amber Rosenthal

Would highly recommend, this was our eleventh biking trip around Europe, we go same time each year, the first week in May, the group (seven mates) have rated this in the top three. (more)martin mitchell

Fantastic way to see the area and lovely places to stay. (more)Andrew Cooney

The canoeing across the beautiful lakes was the most memorable part of the vacation. (more)Steve Abbott

First time to Sweden - loved the Vasa Museum, loved how clean and beautiful the country is. The mixed activities worked really well - Canoe was probbaly the highlight but hiking in a thunderstorm close second! (more)Simon Wood

Great vacation, well organized and the kayak guides very knowledgeable and fun to be with. We wanted to make a last minute change to our final day and this was accommodated without a problem. (more)Christine Todd

Hard to choose as the whole trip was so enjoyable. The team at the operator made me feel so welcome. They tailored the trip to my needs and checked in with the throughout my stay to ensure that everything was ok. (more)Fiona Moss

Our best day was our longest day kayaking on Kotor bay. The sea was as calm as a mill pond and the scenery was absolutely stunning. Toni took us to various islands and it was a really fantastic day. (more)Sue Morris

Loved it, and would like to return next year. I feel that I only saw the tip of the iceberg in relation to the area. (more)Lesley Holinshead

Patient and attentive teachers made lessons interesting and fun. It was really great to be in such a small group to be able to ask questions and get the opportunity to practise. (more)Mandy Kee

Great. Class time just flew by and the study was actually fun. I was a novice hiker and found the hikes to be challenging, but worth the effort. I really value the friendships I made with others participating in the program. (more)Mark Hindin

One of the best vacations we've had in Europe. (more)Matthew Gittens

Some of the downhill rides, in particular the downhill through the Vramac range and down into Kotor Bay were truly breath-taking. We also loved the experience of crossing the borders into Bosnia and Croatia on our bicycles. (more)Amy Hart

The most memorable part of the vacation was finding a little cafe on the side of a hill on our way to Virpazar. It came along just at the right time when we were needing some refreshments and shade. We had a lovely plate of cheese, bread and olives made for us which went down treat. They also made us cherry juice 'to go' to take with us. (more)Margit Matthews

What I remember the most are the amazing people I met in each city or village during my travels. As for the operator, this family run business took care of me like an extended family member. (more)Takashi Otani

...I couldn't have asked for a more awesome two weeks. Every days was terrific, serene, and beautiful! Couldn't have hoped for anything better! (more)Glenda Izumi

The hikes outside Punakha! (more)Myka Reinsch Sinclair

The most memorable part of the vacation was the hike in LoPud island (more)David Keniston

The sunset cruise was memorable and comes in at a tie with the optional day which we chose to visit Mljet. (more)Kate Bettjeman

Highlights of this vacation were exploring the stunning coastline by kayak, bike and foot and through the beautiful sunset sail on a catamaran. (more)Ruth Bailey