Self drive vacations
Tours & vacations in 2018 & 2019

Memorable parts? Urban Graffiti Bike Tour in Buenos Aires, El Alcemen tango show in BA, trip to Cabo Polonia, city tour with Valentin in Montevideo, dinner at El Charco in Colonia, climbing the lighthouse, wading in the water, enjoying an ice cream and wandering the streets of Colonia, Going to the defunct bull ring in a golf cart in Colonia, playing in the waves off Jose Ignacio, visiting with Uruguayan family at Estancia del Monte, wandering neighborhoods in Montevideo, dinner at La Pulperia... (more)Jenni Gordon

Most memorable was being so close to wild animals on the game drives at Elephant Plains...Fantastic! (more)Yvonne Chapman

The Drakensberg mountains and Didima camp at Cathedral Peak provided a magical start to the vacation, with stunning scenery, fantastic hiking and lovely accommodation; we could easily have stayed much longer there. (more)Barbara Sykes

Some of the best highlights were - the penguins on Boulder Beach, Cape Point on a glorious day, staying with Hazel of Hazel's Homestays, the Real City tour in PE, Amakhala Lodge. (more)David Catherall

Croatia is wonderful... the Port of Sucrulaj on Hvar is a beautiful village. The best Port City I have ever visited. (more)Tim Goode

Excellent. The operator was exceptional. Our accommodations were the best (more)Joanne Manzo

It was fabulous....Plitvice was pretty cool. Zagreb was a pleasant surprise, as was Zadar. The staff at the hotels in Zadar, Hvar, and Plitvice deserve a call out for their help, friendliness and service. (more)Lisbeth Faulstich

The most memorable was visiting a 75 year old lady and her son living in what is left of a 200+ years old hacienda in the mountains surrounding Soroa, descendants of slaves who had worked on that farm. Their hospitality and joy of live, despite having very little, the beauty and wilderness of the mountains on our hike there ... (more)Thom Brenner

Cuba all of it. Beautiful country! Excellent. Would love to re visit. Tour was beautifully organised too! Thanx (more)Caroline Bustos

For me the most memorable parts are the people-to-people things, and bits of culture ... live music in a restaurant that inspires a couple to break out into some fabulous salsa dancing; and the nice connection made with our homestay family in Havana... (more)Rebecca Pollens

Memorable parts? Seeing the lava flowing at the Masaya volcano is a wow! (45 mins from Managua/Nicaragua); zip lining above the tree tops at Arenal. Watching the beautiful sunset, glass of wine in hand, at Arenal Observatory Lodge. Seeing Quetzals close up in the cloud forest. Hundreds of fireflies lighting up and dancing in front if us as the sun set. Seeing all the wonderful wildlife on offer in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Tips? If driving use a satnav! Driving in Costa was... (more)Martin Blow

Memorable parts? Mvuu camp and the night safaris Tips? Before leaving, i suggest to buy maps and guides because you will not find any tourist indication. They prefer to provide you a guide instead of selling maps and written indication. Local benefits? Yes, I think so for the majority of lodges in which we stayed. Overall rating? 10/10 (more)Giulia Rap

Memorable parts? The warmth and friendliness of the people! Everyone we met was lovely and welcoming. Tips? Take the time to talk to the local people and learn about the landmarks you're visiting. We found out some really interesting things from the places we visited just from chatting to people. Local benefits? Yes, we mostly stayed in small guesthouses and visited small businesses and local guides who were trying to do things in an environmentally-friendly way, i.e. beekeepers... (more)Beth Parnell-Hopkinson

We saw places we never would have thought of on our own and everywhere we stayed was either a great hotel or in a beautiful setting or, most often, both. (more)Jane Colman

The most memorable was snorkelling in Silfra and exploring Reynisfjara Beach. We got really lucky and had 100% sunshine and 0 precipitation the entire 45 days we were there. (more)Charles Ross

Everything was great. I can't isolate one part. (more)Steven Levine

Definitely the friendly hosts at the casa particulars, so happy & helpful, given my limited Spanish, that made it even better in a way, so we both had to 'work' at communicating. The historical areas w/ good guides, helped to bring history alive. The scuba diving at the Bay of Pigs was ok, but the divemasters were very good, so good for father-son vacation (more)Thomas Holthus

Meeting the Cuban people was the highlight. Very enjoyable trip. (more)Roger Phillips

The most memorable was 50 miles offshore Scuba Diving in the Garden of the Queens...this is a healthy reef with sharks to nudibranchs. The soft corals where beautiful waving in the current with the reef fish. We had a wonderful trip and will be returning to Cuba and diving the Gardens. (more)Wilson Wing

Memorable parts? Far too many to mention personally - running the Helsinki Marathon (fantastic scenic route!) at the end of the trip was a personal highlight but aside from this I also enjoyed the beautiful scenery of northern Finland and great accommodation throughout the trip. My 4 year old son enjoyed it all too but his favourites were the Angry Birds Kids Theme Park, Husky Sledding, meeting Santa Claus, feeding reindeers, running the Helsinki Mini Marathon for kids, riding the trams... (more)Richard Mayneord

Memorable parts? The scenic drive from one town to the next and the fabulous churches Tips? Bring umbrella or rain protection. Local benefits? Yes! There are so many things to discover and the only way to see them is via driving....so if more people will opt to do a self-drive tour...more tourist will go to the area. Overall rating? It was great and will recommend to my family and friends. (more)Fay Cruz

The bear watching and having a close encounter with a white-tailed eagle. (more)Robert Bagley

Almost whole tour of ours was exciting as every mile / kilometer of our drive in FINLAND was mesmerizing and exciting. All the activities of sports was new and knowledgable for us. (more)Nehal Lekhadia

we had great time and would definitely go back....seeing the wolverine, bears and willow grouse (more)Mohni Gujral

Fantastic!...Exploring the Byzantine capital of the Pelopponese, Mystras, en route between Tolo and Gytheio. Beautifully painted churches, crumbling ruins, a Frankish fortress with magnificent views and a convent tortoise! (more)Taissa Csaky

Our vacation was wonderful.... We have travelled extensively all over the world and driving in many different countries. This agency was the best that we have ever worked with (more)Sarah Turner

The whole family had a fantastic adventure from the very first day till the last! It was an extremely enjoyable vacation. Can we go again? (more)Diederik Kohnhorst

The vacation was excellent and would highly recommend Cuba as a vacation destination. The 10 day trip was a wonderful adventure from start to finish. Our thanks to Responsible Travel for recommending Marcel. (more)Claire Childs

Wonderful experiences. Recommended...Amazing scenery: El Nicho waterfalls and Vignales valley were the highlights (more)Stirling Tyler

Memorable parts? Close proximity to the wildlife in their natural habitat, amazing scenery and masses of things to do a great first visit to an amazing and diverse country Tips? The operator was fantastic ! Local benefits? Yes Overall rating? Super some wonderful memories for the whole family great experiences and great laughs (more)Anna Dugdale

It was a great family vacation.... Drake bay is a beautiful spot with lots of nature around, nice excursions and beautiful beach at the door step (more)ana cabrita

Amazing. A learning experience that was exciting and fun every day. (more)Sarah Lewis

Book it now! (more)Christine Keen

The landscape and sea life was memorable. (more)Lynda Whitcombe

Wow this is really hard to answer because honestly (and I do not tend to exagerate) this was the most amazing vacation we ever had. We were blown away every single day by the beauty of Iceland, the raw nature, constant changing scenery and wildlife. (more)Ariella Schaerer

The outstanding scenery and unique landscapes which greet you at every turn. Whale watching was possibly the most exciting especially as it was on the last but one day of their season. The Humpbacks, Minkes and white nosed dolphins put on quite an active display for us. (more)Wendy Meade

Memorable parts? So many memorable moments. Capetown, the township tour, the teabag factory, the whales, the safari, the garden route and the caves. Tips? Stay in a hotel half way between the city centre of greenmarket square and the near the waterfront Local benefits? Yes we were made aware of a water shortage in western cape and in capetown. Overall rating? Brilliant (more)Anthony Van Gils

So many memories as it was so varied - the safari experience, the wildlife and the birdlife, dramatic coastlines and mountain passes. Excellent for a first time visit to South Africa. (more)Jill Roberts

Our trip took in 5 different areas of South Africa and every single part of it was unforgettable (more)Philippa Roll

There were so many highlights but the two most memorable parts of the vacation were climbing the beautiful Villarrica volcano and spending 4 days in the breathtaking wilderness of the Torres del Paine National Park. Everywhere we stayed we wished we had been able to stay longer - it is such as beautiful country. (more)Lauren Pavitt

We really liked having the freedom to explore on our own with the comfort of having a safety net. Self guided trips are the way to go. Our agent, Federica, was the absolute best. (more)Deborah Padovan

Memorable parts? This vacation was so packed full of fantastic memories.........From the moment we arrived in Bilbao with the awesome Guggenheim Museum and delicious tapas, through to the final day when we walked down to the beach in Barcelona to paddle in the Mediterranean Sea like a couple of teenagers! Tips? Go with an open mind, and enjoy the real Spain. Local benefits? All the hotels we stayed in, apart from the first night, were family run hotels. The spanish people... (more)Janet Herbert

Memorable parts? Loved that every day was different, a great contrast of locations & hotels, mountain & lakes, bridges & canyons, beaches & restaurants Tips? Our best decision was to swap Budva for Ulcinj Local benefits? Definitely as at hotels and restaurants local food and wines were always a great option. Conservation of National Parks well supported with reasonable entry fees. Overall rating? All we hoped for and more (more)Elaine Margott

Memorable parts? Everything! Crete is so diverse with so much history. We really just saw a little bit. Our visit to Spinalonga was memorable. Although busy with parties of tourists it is a very special place with a special history. Tips? There is so much to do and see in Crete. Impossible to do in one visit. Concentrate on just a few things or one particular region. Local benefits? I hope so. We booked everything through a local Cretan agency. Used a local car hire company,... (more)Maureen Rae

Highlights have to be the painted monasteries, the wooden churches, the fortified churches and the medieval old town centres. The mountains were just lovely and the drive over some of the passes spectacular...The vacation included all we could wish for in the way of scenery and experiences. (more)Helen Preston

Seeing the fantastic and varied architecture - lots of churches (fortified, wooden, baroque, gothic etc). medieval towns, castles, mountain scenery. Traditional way of life contrasting with the modern. Impact of communism in the past. (more)Carol Holmes

My kids definitely vote for floating in the salt lakes (which were flooded old roman salt mines) just north of Sibui, Transylvania. (more)Vikki Wall