The tour we took was a set up get pictures for his website. It was an odd tour, not memorable or…read moreinteresting. The Expedition used was not comfortable for the last seat passengers, there were no snacks or beverages. I would not recommend Chicago Signature Tours for a tour of more than 2 or 3 people. THE OWNER OF THIS COMPANY, MY EX-FIANCEE HAS THREATENED ME IF I DON'T TAKE THIS DOWN. THE STATEMENTS ARE TRUE, BUT I AM AFRAID OF HIM. Please tell me how to take this down.

A tour of Chicago with Alan Katz of Chicago Signature Tours is an extremely entertaining and…read moreenjoyable experience during which you will learn more about Chicago than you ever knew before, regardless of whether you are a native Chicagoan or a tourist to the fair city. Alan picked us up in one of the cleanest most comfortable vehicles I've ever been in. Our tour spanned 4 hours and took us from west to south and back north along the shores of Lake Michigan. We stopped along the route to walk to famous landmarks and hear engaging accounts of the people who built Chicago with fascinating details of downtown buildings like the Tribune; of landmark statuary in our parks; of the University of Chicago and Robie house; and how the World's Fair changed the entire face of the lakefront. Alan has stories and history for every neighborhood. If you are a native you might want to chat about the neighborhoods you grew up in, because it's likely he remembers more about them than you do! It's like reminiscing with an old friend. But anyone from anywhere can ask him questions about an area you are passing through and he will educate you to its history. Alan made us feel safe and secure with his expert driving, never venturing into any area that might make us feel uncomfortable, and all the while keeping us completely hooked into the changing cityscape around us. It was amazing how many times I said "I didn't know that!"! A tour like this would be great to take out of town guests on, since they are small, intimate, and encourage interaction. But even if you've lived here all your life, you will thoroughly enjoy a tour with Chicago Signature Tours!

I've watched several of Kelli's virtual tours on YouTube and greatly enjoyed them. I'm a native…read moreChicagoan, now living on the West Coast, and I love classic movies, so it's fun to find out new facts about the hometown or suburban locations appearing in popular films. Based on Kelli's tour about Marshall Field's and its role in the movie industry, I recently watched "Mahogany" for the first time. And her tour which focused on the LaGrange locations in "While You Were Sleeping" led me to finally check out this movie, as well. Keep up the good work, Kelli, and I hope to take one of your tours in person on my next visit back to the Midwest.

Awesome guide and a lot of hidden surprises during the tour! I loved the fact that the ride was…read moreprivate and we could get comfortable and jump from window to window to catch the views. Three hours were enough to enjoy Chicago and make a plan for our next moves during our vacation. I think that this tour is a great choice for tourists to take in the beginning of their stay (the way we did). Good luck to the company! The staff is professional, knowledgeable and fun.

As a preface, this company is currently under investigation by the Better Business Bureau, the…read moreFederal Trade Commission, the Consumer Protection Division of the Illinois Attorney General's office, the Consumer Resource Center of Washington State, and several financial and private institutions. I will update this review accordingly, if that changes. But here's why: The TLDR: A) the company does not responsibly or efficiently apply the money you send them toward your accommodations, B) they engage in deceptive billing practices, C) they ignore clearly specified preferences when booking additional accommodations/excursions, and D) when questioned about any of the aforementioned aspects, they delay response or cease responding altogether. Here is my point-by-point experience with Magical Mystery Tours (MMM) and their deceptive practices. 1. The company did not responsibly apply our money towards hotel/flight accommodations. We booked travel from December 10-19 of 2004 and the company later revealed, under pressure, that they did not book ANYTHING until early December. In the best case scenario, flight and hotel were booked TEN DAYS before our trip began. In no scenario could this have been the cheapest timeframe. (see picture 1, a segment of an email from MMM). 2. During the trip, our preferences were not adhered to. We informed MMM that we were vegan during our preliminary correspondence. They proceeded to book us reservations at several restaurants with no non-meat (and certainly no non-dairy) options on the menu. Despite this, we showed up, trusting MMM had made some sort of arrangement. The restaurants in question said they were informed of no such thing. The same story played out with 3 other excursions we had them schedule that included meals. 3. When we returned and asked for a breakdown of costs, MMM included a Paypal Transaction Fee of over 3% of the total vacation cost. It is explicitly stated in the Paypal User Agreement that merchants may not pass on the merchant fee to the seller. They must have known this, but were counting on me not knowing. Ultimately, they did refund the fee, but only after being pressed--partly why I continued to distrust and investigate the rest of the bill. 4. When we requested original receipts, our request was denied, despite the their advertising otherwise (see picture 2, a screenshot of their website BEFORE we requested original receipts). After requesting this, they promptly changed the wording in an attempt to hide their billing (see picture 3, a screenshot of their website AFTER requesting original receipts). 5. After sending the before/after screenshots of the changes to their website, and applying additional pressure, they sent undated and unverifiable screenshots of receipts, refusing to send anything else. 6. There were several discrepancies in the final total trip cost relating to the percentage taken as an MMM "fee"--which were substantial. After several follow-up emails were sent regarding this, MMM ceased communications. (Note: the amount in dispute was less than $200. Imagine if you were challenging more than that...) The takeaway: Be careful when dealing with MMM. Do not pay a "transaction fee." Do not book unless promised original, dated receipts beforehand. Demand proof that your travel preferences will be adhered to. Double-check the math of your bill afterwards. My advice: Do not book with MMM. There are many other companies offering this service without deceptive practices: Pack up + Go, The Vacation Hunt, Black Tomato, Rustic Pathways Mystery Trips, Blind Experiences, Guess Where Trips, etc...

We had the absolute best surprise trip experience with Katie and MMT! We had done a surprise trip…read morewith another travel agency previously, and MMT was above and beyond more exceptional in every way. A few highlights: 1. I appreciate the thoroughness of the survey. Based on the questions, you can tell that MMT puts a lot of thought into the nuances of the experience for their customers. 2. I LOVE the customizability, especially with the budget. We weren't sure what our budget should be. Katie was immediately transparent on the minimum budget MMT would recommend in order to provide the experience we were looking for. We ended up giving a larger budget than MMT's minimum recommendation and were issued a refund of unused funds at the end. 3. Katie was timely and thorough in her responses to all of our questions throughout the process. She was sure to double check every detail before finalizing anything. 4. The excursions planned for us were INCREDIBLE and aligned with our survey exactly. It was the perfect combination of activity and downtime that we requested. I cannot wait to book our next surprise trip with MMT!

Blown away by the Windy City and the fab time I had on a recent walking food tour!…read more As a life long Chicago native I can definitely say I don't know enough about Chicago and still have lots more to explore but pair the chance to hear about some Chicago history and try some local eats! Now we're talking! I took the Logan Square walking food tour with my daughter and we had a great time learning more about the area and checking out three places we had never been. This was a progressive style tour where we started at one location for appetizers, roamed the neighborhood before going to the next location for a main entree, perusing the area somewhere, then making a final stop for dessert. Mark was our tour guide and he was very personable and knowledgeable. We really enjoyed the restaurant selections he made for the tour. I enjoyed the intimate nature of this tour since they're capped to no more than 12 people. Our group for the tour had 7 and I really thought this was a nice size! A drink package could have been added on to receive a pairing at each of the locations...but since I was driving I opted out this go around. The drinks did look quite refreshing! I would recommend checking the weather and planning accordingly...it was pretty hot outside on our tour day so we made sure to bring an umbrella for the sun. This was a great way to eat like a local and learn more about the neighborhood. A variety of other tours are also in the works and can't wait to check those out.

My adult son and I took the Frank Lloyd Wright Oak Park buss and walking tour yesterday . The tour…read moredirector was very knowledgable and enthusiastic about Frank Lloyd Wright. He was able to include information on the architectural ideas and other architects designing at the time. When we looked at the Oak Park Wright designed homes he could answer any questions that that were asked . I recommend the tour to anyone interested in Wright.h

We went on the Chicago Underground Tour with Liz as our guide…read more It was a great way to get to know the city we already live in. I have lived in Chicago for 27 years and never knew there was a Mall under the middle of the Loop!! The tour is a walking tour for 2 hours so make sure you take comfortable shoes and prepare for the weather. The only thing I would like is for them to hand out some brochures with some pictures and information about what is covered along with a map of the pedway under the city. Overall, I really recommend it for either tourist or Chicago resident!

My family recently took a 10 day trip to Italy. This was the 2nd trip in recent years where I…read moreutilized Beth Rubin and her team to plan an Italy trip for us. I have kids going off to college, so when I first called Beth my idea was that this would likely be the last big trip we take as a family. Therefore, I wanted this trip to be memorable and everything work smoothly. I was not disappointed. Beth and her team at Olive Tree Escapes had excellent ideas of where to go, what to do and not to do, how much to see and do each day, restaurant ideas, etc. She arranged all our transportation in Italy and guided tours, and every single thing was excellent. I highly recommend Beth and her team at Olive Tree Escapes for traveling in Italy. If I have the opportunity to return to Italy, I will not hesitate to call Beth. Chris M., Collierville TN

I can't express enough what an amazing team of travel professionals this is. Beth and her team…read moreprovided us with an amazing, personalized Italian vacation, and everything was amazing - hotels, restaurants, personal tours, and transportation. I've been to Italy twice before on self-planned trips, and I got so much more out of it this time thanks to the amazing people at Olive Tree Escapes. If you are looking for an amazing Italian vacation, call them!!!

This trip was an adventure of a lifetime. Not only did we drive Route 66, but we had dozens of…read moreamazing stops along the way! A great way to see America and learn things you never knew or just forgot. Everything was executed in a fun and professional manner while making new friends from the US and beyond. To sum it up...........EPIC

This is an organised trip either self driving or hop on the mini bus with Austin (proprietor) it's…read moregoing to take you on a 13 day adventure along ROUTE 66, from start to finish, you'll have facts dished out to you along the way, you'll meet interesting people from all corners of the globe (sometimes) you'll visit car museums, landmarks, gift shops related to Route 66, meet the people that keep the Mother Road going for generations to come. This is living AMERICANA at it's finest, Austin the owner who dot's his I's and crosses his T's, and personally that's what i look for in someone that's taking me across the country. You won't be disappointed.