We have used Classic Travel for several years and several trips. We are highly satisfied and have repeated our use of them and ratcheted up the scope and complexity because we know that Bill & Nancy can handle it and will create for us an extraordinarily educational, fun and highly memorable experience. Our most recent experience was this past December(2021). We took our entire family, all 15 of us, on a trip to the Galapagos islands, Peru and Machu Picchu.  The trip and it's transportation , excursions, guides, hotels and meals was well thought out and well planned. It actually exceeded our expectations,which were NOT low!  We rented an entire boat to accommodate all of us in the Galapagos islands. The boat was comfortable, the crew was capable and friendly, the guide was knowledgeable and helpful and the food was beyond delicious and beautiful!   Being in the Galapagos this way was a magical experience!  We then went to Peru and stayed in Cusco, an historic colonial city, enroute to Machu Picchu. Bill at Classic arranged amazing experiences for us such as rafting on the Urubamba River in Peru, riding to Machu Picchu on the Hiram Bingham train, a former Orient Express train and many other things. The transportation arrangements were flawless, the guides were helpful and knowledgeable. I really don't know what more to say to praise the team at Classic except to say that we have used them before. They earned our selection of them for the trip in December 2021 AND I will be using them again in the future!  In case it is useful for readers to know, Classic planned a remarkable trip for us to Belize for five days each in the mountains and in the shore. They also put together a wonderful trip for us and another couple to Argentina and Brazil. We were in Patagonia, Buenos Aries, Argentina, Iquzu Falls and Rio de Janeiro.  Their commitment to detail combined with their knowledge and resources have been of extraordinary benefit to us. Ed NJ and NYC read more

I got a recommendation from a good friend to plan my honeymoon. I'm so happy we contacted Classic Travel & Tours. They planned an incredible 2 week 4 city trip to Thailand and Cambodia. During the planning, they answered all of my questions very promptly while providing great recommedations and made it a very smooth process. During the trip, we were able to visit all the major attractions in each city at a very comfortable pace. The guides were extremely friendly, professional and very knowledgeable. All the air and ground transportation were included in our package and were always on time which made everything very convenient. All the services arranged by Classic Travel were spot on. I would recommend Classic Travel & Tours for your travel planning. Thank you planning a very memorable honeymoon! read more

Although you get individalized attention, they should really survey the travelers to see what THEY want on their trip. My now-husband and I used them to go to Italy and the word "budget" seems foreign to the owner. We were able to talk him down to a reasonably priced spot in Florence, but the 2nd hotel he chose in Tuscany was not "us" at all! Especially when I paid the bill at check out. I know we were a young couple and may have wanted romantic - but we were in Italy and a crepe with coffee in a cafe would have been good enough for us. Some of his suggestions missed the mark, especially his New Years Eve recommendation, and we had better luck and more fun exploring on our own. If you are planning something crazy extensive, you have the money to burn, or are older - this may be a spot for you - but for two 20-somethings, we could have saved a few grand without them. read more

During the last 20 years Bill and Nancy Gearhart, owners of Classic Travel and Tours have adroitly applied their 45 years of travel experience to arrange delightful adventures perfectly suited to our unusually varied, sometimes frugal, tastes. Their richly varied experiences and meticulous attention to detail have arranged for us to have enchanting adventures: · tide-pooling, indigenous art and virgin forest walks surrounding the legendary Wickaninnish Inn on Vancouver Island, BC followed by an inspiring train ride on the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Jasper ,BC; · a delightful bed and breakfast in the scenic heart of Quebec that served one of the best breakfasts we've ever had, fortifying us for memorable days reliving Quebec's history; · experiencing the Brazilian rain forest from an Ecolodge on Brazil's Rio Negro and the magnificent Iguazu Falls from lovely, convenient Brazil and Argentina accommodations. · safaris with extraordinary nature encounters in Zambia, South Africa and Tanzania, including a visit to a rescued elephant reserve where we each rode an elephant bareback as they ambled to the Zambesi River for their daily frolic in its water and we met a week-old baby elephant, enjoying its mother's gentle care; · They arranged 81 days of travel circling the world with countless adventures, including the legendary hospitality of Marrakesh, where the owner of our authentic, historic hotel, found us and led us home to a delicious courtyard meal after we became lost in the market. This is why we chose Bill and Nancy to arrange our first post-pandemic travel: a 53-year-late honeymoon at the lovely Jamaica Inn, where staff made us feel like treasured family and our breakfasts overlooked the swimmer-friendly, crystal clear ocean with fish and skates providing the "floor show". We know we can count on Classic Travel to customize our travel to suit every imaginable experience we are seeking! read more

Classic Travel and Tour is fantastic. My wife and I worked with Bill and Nancy on 4 occasions over the last 1.5 years and all of them have been spectacular. We were set in our ways to book trips through Expedia, Orbitz and Priceline.com but after hearing Bill's sales pitch we decided to give him a chance. After our initial meeting he learned what we liked and how we liked to travel. Most recently he planned our trip to Spain for 2 weeks and he did a phenomenal job. Trip included things we would have never done even after spending hours researching things online. He selected hotel on his own which fit our preference level flawlessly. After arriving to each area I researched other hotels in the area and hotel selected for us each and every time were exactly what we wanted. Sometimes it is a pain to call him since he is not 100% when it comes to emailing and he still prefers verbal conversation over an email. Lastly, I would like to address several other reviews about him not staying within people's specified budgets. If you are looking to book cheapest trip to Italy or Spain or Cancun he is not the guy for you. In our experience his price is the same as online or maybe slightly higher (only once it was $75 more than Orbitz.com). The way I see it is if you want to buy a Cartier necklace for your wife and you want to pay Costco price for it but Costco doesn't carry it, tough luck. That's what the price is, that's what you got to pay for it if that's what you want. We intend to work with Bill and Nancy on many more trip to come and we recommend him to everyone who is looking for a travel agent who specializes in luxury travel. read more

In January 2018, my husband and I went to see Bill at Classic Travel & Tours to plan our trip to Italy to celebrate my husband's retirement. Bill was a wealth of information about this country. We had an idea as to where in Italy we wanted to visit, and Bill gave us many ideas for each location. He spent at least an hour with us and started the planning right away. Fast forward to June 2018, and we met with Bill two weeks prior to our trip. We were given a detailed portfolio that contained our day-to-day activities and restaurant recommendations for each location that we were to visit. (Florence, Tuscany, Amalfi Coast, and Rome) Nancy was extremely helpful when making our airline reservations. Our trip was so well orchestrated and everything happened according to plan. Our drivers and tour guides were so courteous, so friendly and knowledgeable which made our trip even more special. They were always on time, if not early, to take us where we needed to be. Bill even emailed us during our trip to make sure that everything was going well and that we were having the time of our lives. We returned to the States last week with an experience that we will never forget--all thanks to Bill and Nancy. read more

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I recently booked an Ireland trip 8/5 to 8/ed to $600 a few months prior. The ad read $2395 plus $899 airfare from the business restaurant I frequent. Needless to say, I paid my deposit and low and behold my price went up to in total after i went to his offive cause the group I was traveling with had travelers drop put meaning 2 couples or at least 4 people. I was already bummed out and was told I had to pay extra $595 or but a week or so before my trip I get an extra $865 added to my bill for $4560 since he had forgot to mention the airfare. I was disgusted, angry and called asking what happened and he explained he had told me the price which was $3695 and withheld airfare costs. So now insult to injury, I get $35 travel agency fee not including gratuities or $10 euros per day for my tour bus driver plus meals, drink, etc... and all I get is an Irish complimentary breakfast for my trip. Let's do the math, $4560 for 9 nights hotels, tour bus guided tour with driver not including tip for about $600 per night not including airfare, meals, drinks, tip or shuttle fare back to airport but a free bagel or croissant for 9 of the 10 days sounds fair then this is the trip for you.. I will never book this travel agency again. I guess I am a sucker for not getting a total price written as nothing is refundable and they will rake in about $1699 per person in their overpriced fare. read more

Used him to book our trip to the Caribbean and it was fantastic! Super attentive with amazing suggestions. Easy to work with and easy to get ahold of. Very happy, we'll be using him again! read more

I called them to find out if they could plan my honeymoon. The woman who answered my call was very nice. I explained what I wanted and where I wanted to go. The woman said she was going to transfer me to a gentleman named Bill and that he would gladly help me. Bill answered the phone. I explained what I was looking for and when I wanted travel (this August). Bill asked me a bunch of questions about my intended trip then began to take down my personal info. I gave him my cell phone, email and address. I also gave him my fiancé's info. I had to repeat all this multiple times because he kept getting it wrong. After giving him all this info he proceeds to tell me that he is currently working on a group trip and he will send me some stuff in the meantime. Well it's been almost 4 weeks since we've chatted and I have received nothing! No email, phone call or snail mail. I get that planning a group trip can be time consuming but at least put something in the mail. I would never recommend this place to anyone. read more

HAWAIIAN HONEYMOON We worked with Nancy (& Bill from the sidelines) to plan our Hawaiian honeymoon in July 2012. We interviewed many agents before we decided to work with Classic Travel & Tours. From the minute we met Nancy, we knew that she wouldn't steer us wrong. And we were right. It was fun working with her. She really helped us make smart decisions for our budget but made sure we had the amenities and upgrade opportunities any honeymooners would hope for. We ran into trouble with our flight (mechanical issues) on the first leg of our trip causing us to miss a day in Hawaii. Nancy and Bill were very responsive, despite the time difference (we were stuck in LA). They guided and advised us and helped make a stressful situation better. After consulting with them, we had a clear picture of what was going to happen in order to get on the next flight. And, we were able to make up that lost day at the end of our trip. We would work with them again and again. They are friendly, knowledgeable and listen to their clients. Can't wait for our next big trip! Melissa & Kevin read more

Was referred to him by a friend to book my Mexican trip. I was very pleased with their expertise, professionalism and suggestions. One of the best vacations I been on and looking forward to many more! read more

Beyond the best in customer service, researching and planning domestic and foreign travel. Bill and Nancy Gearhart of Classic Travel & Tours in Metuchen, NJ are the experts in the travel industry and provided us with stellar service and organized our recent trip to Ireland with very careful and close attention to every detail. We spent several hours working with them and it paid off as we had the trip of a lifetime! Thank you so much for helping us to make so many beautiful memories. If you are planning a long awaited trip, vacation, or honeymoon most anywhere in the world, we would highly recommend taking advantage of the travel expertise of Bill and Nancy. read more

We used Classic Travel and Tours for a 3 week vacation in Vancouver and Alaska. Nancy and Bill did one heck of a job and this vacation turned into a trip of a lifetime!!! They suggested hotels and places we would never have thought of. And the suggestion to use a smaller cruise line was genius!! We went from planes to a ship to a train to a car and things couldnt have went more smoothly. I highly recommend Bill and Nancy to plan your next vacation!!! read more

Classic Travel & Tours - Our amazing photos of Denali - Travel Services Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

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If you have an unlimited budget, then this is the travel agent for you. We worked with Bill to plan our dream vacation to Italy. I guess he added in some individualization but for the most part he seems to have a set itinerary for Italy that he suggests for everyone. The problem is that he always suggests the most expensive hotel, the most expensive 5 star restaurant, etc - he has absolutely no regard for your money and doesn't understand the meaning of "value". Another complaint that I had was that towards the end, right before we left for our trip, we still had some details to iron out. It was difficult to reach Bill - he claimed that he had several last-minute trips to plan as well as his own trip. He should've managed his client load better so he could do a great job for fewer clients, instead of doing a mediocre job with more clients. I would not recommend Classic Travel to anyone, nor would I ever use them again. read more

My family and I used Classic Tours for the first time recently. We wanted someone to help us put together a trip we have been hoping to take for many years out west to Wyoming and Montana visiting our first national park Yellowstone. I research incessantly when we travel and had an idea of what we wanted to do but felt that I needed an expert to execute the vision of our trip...I was so happy to find that we were in good hands when we used Bill and Nancy Gearhardt. Bill spent a lot of time asking questions about what our interests were and trying to establish out our trip goals. He suggested numerous options in different price ranges so I felt he understood what we were trying to achieve and offered numerous suggestions at different price points. I also would like to mention our trip got delayed because of an airline delay...I sent an email to Bill to see if there was anything they could do on their end....it was a Sunday departure and, to my surprise, Bill called us soon thereafter to guide us on how to proceed. I have used many travel services in the past and Classic Tours attention to detail has far surpassed any prior experience I have had exponentially. My whole family was so happy with our trip from start to finish....Bill was very thoughtful and detail oriented and most importantly familiar with the places he sent us to....I am so happy we contacted Classic Tours for this trip and will be continuing to use their outstanding service, knowledge and advice for our future travel plans. read more

We flew British Airways business class to Heathrow, London. We were fortunate that we had another day to board our cruise ship in Dover. Transfers were excellent, embarking ship was excellent. We sailed from Dover to Scotland overcast but comfortable. We then traveled to Iceland, the North Atlantic was rough made walking around ship difficult. We circled Iceland, four ports and spent extra day and night in Iceland due to how beautiful we found Norway. One port in Norway easy eliminated and we only visited Bergen, Norway. Return to Dover was much smoother sailing. We enjoyed the smaller ship, food and service was excellent, enjoyed fellow travelers. Activities varied and interesting. Tours we went on were well run and enjoyable. Even got to see Northern Lights. My girlfriend and I were extremely pleased with the planning and iteanrry prepared for us. I would never book a trip without them... read more