We have been on three Friendly Planet Small group tours. Most recently to South Africa. It was spectacular!! Perfect itinerary, great 5-star hotels, fantastic wildlife and a wonderful guide. Just book it, make memories to last a lifetime. We have traveled all over the world and this was one of our favorite tours. read more

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have visited costa rica india and cuba. Each tour was well thought out. Hotels b and b ideal. Knowlegable friendly guides. No bs or false promises. Good value for your $. All that said I prefer the guided tour. The other option is independent t travel. The thing about the small group tours is that pretty much its all figured out for you.The independent travel option as far as what you are going to do- say walk a nature trail going ziplining getting up close and personal eith exotic wildlife in a safe way is on YOU and I at the time to figure this out for ourself. The concierge at the hotel could recommend places to suit your abilities and inclinations read more

Just returned from Kenya and Tanzania and WOW!! What an amazing time... I would highly recommend Friendly Planet Travel. Harry at FPT was super helpful, responsive to all my questions and kept me in the loop of upcoming things I needed to do like get a VISA for both countries. The tour guides in both places were exceptional. The knowledge about their country, the safari animals, and history was wonderful. It was a lot of driving on bumpy unpaved roads but we stopped every 2 hours or so for washroom breaks and some shopping if you wanted to purchase a snack or a souvenir. The food was delicious and the accommodations were excellent for the most part. I am looking forward to my next vacation with Friendly Planet Tours. read more

My trip to Cuba with Friendly Planet Travel was flawless and extremely enjoyable. I would have to list this trip in my top three trips and I have been in many many places. All of the travel visas and paperwork were included and the process of obtaining them was easy and stress free. It's hard to single out the highlights of this trip because every day was amazing and perfect. The agenda each day flowed effortlessly as we moved from place to place in Havana and Vinales. The food that we were offered each day was authentic and delicious. The most memorable part of the trip has to be the people we met. The first person to welcome us to Cuba was our tour guide, Alejandro Carrazana. He has the friendliest smile and the most cheerful personality you will ever encounter. His knowledge and willingness to share it was remarkable. We could not have enjoyed our trip as much as we did without his accurate and ever-present translation from Spanish to English. He went above and beyond his job description every single day. His dedication to making our trip perfect was admirable. He made sure we got to see every single thing we mentioned, whether it was listed on our itinerary or not. Alejandro was accompanied by our tour bus driver, Roberto Chamorro. Right away, it was evident that we were in expert hands with Roberto. He exuded calmness and peace and drove us everywhere each day with complete perfection. He was friendly, professional and a complete gentleman. It was such a pleasure to travel with this team from Friendly Planet Travel. Our casa, Encanto de Perserverancia was clean and comfortable. The staff welcomed us upon arrival and told us that we had arrived at our own home in Cuba. That theme was never lost during the whole trip. The casa did indeed become our home for the entire week. The kitchen staff were incredibly friendly and the breakfast we were served each morning was delicious and fresh. Two staff members that worked at the reception desk every day made our trip even more fantastic. Jose and Rai were available throughout the day and most of the night for any questions we had. They helped us daily with reservations and phone calls. The were cheerful and sweet the entire time. They were engaging and we had so many candid conversations with them. They became our Cuban family over the time we stayed with them. After seven days, that flew by in an instant, we were sad to leave Cuba. We will definitely return, and will book our trip through Friendly Planet again. I can recommend this trip to anyone that wants to see Havana and Vinales through the eyes of local people. Cuba is a beautiful country full of beautiful and friendly people. Like the song says.....half of my heart is in Havana. read more

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I just got back from my trip to Cuba, and it was AMAZING! I would highly recommend Friendly Planet Travel tour to Cuba. Our tour guide, Valentina, was simply THE BEST! I loved her energy and the passion she exuded for her country and the historic education she provided. We stayed at the El Encanto de Perseverancia in Central Habana, La Habana. It was a dream! The owners and the staff were welcoming, accommodating, and charming. Special shout out to Jose, who worked at the casa, and took time walking us through the neighborhood and ensuring we were taken care of and had a good time. I am looking forward to booking more travel with Friendly Planet, especially if the tour guides are anything like Valentina, and the people are as welcoming and friendly as the people of Cuba. Amo Cuba! read more

The best tour company ever. I have traveled to many places, mostly designing my own tours. As I have gotten older, I have less energy to do the legwork. I had traveled with a different company 30 years ago but was looking for more basic accommodations and a lower price. I happened upon Friendly Planet and I liked both their itineraries and their reasonable prices. I was more than pleasantly surprised. The guides were excellent, extremely knowledgeable s and the hotels were top of the line. I have taken two tours with them, one to Vietnam and the other to Egypt. My only complaint was that we had to get up quite early in Egypt to avoid crowds and heat, however, in retrospect, I think it was worth it. I plan to travel with them as often as I can. Really the best. read more

We just returned from A Taste of India tour with Friendly Planet . (They use a local service in India) Overall a great value for the money. Hotels were nice and of a good standard and the hotel restaurants food was wonderful . Tour could be slowed down a bit ( see a few less places and spend more time in more interesting sights) But overall I highly recommend . We flew on Air India from JFK . read more

Friendly Planet Travel Inc - Our group in front of the aww inspiring Taj Mahal . - Tours Near Me - Jenkintown, Pennsylvania

This company is really bad. I Just returned from Finland trip w them. They were totally incompetent. Their rep left group luggage in hotel lobby unattended for eight hours. My daypack was stolen from the group luggage. Their attitude was that their negligence became my fault! Their tour guide was fired midway through the trip. I recommend running, not walking, away from anything associated w this firm. read more

The guide and driver were fantastic. Friendly Planet, however, has not been good to work with. There were flight delays, and FP told me I had to obtain any refund, despite the fact that they had booked the flights. I obtained a refund from the airline--which was sent to Friendly Planet. They have yet to refund it to me, despite promises to do so. I would not use again. read more

We traveled with Friendly Planet several years ago to Cuba and were very pleased, so we decided to book another trip through them to Spain the following year. We purchased their "cancel for any reason" travel insurance, as we always do. Much to our dismay, that was the year that Barcelona was fighting to cecede from Spain. We were supposed to land in Barcelona on the very day this was to take place. We read all sorts of warnings saying that all tourist sites in Barcelona would be closed down, and that the airport should be avoided at all costs, etc. We called Friendly Planet as soon as we found out, fully expecting to be told that the trip was postponed due to the dangerous conditions, but much to our chagrin, tha)t was not the case. They were proceeding with the trip despite the dangerous situation. We said that we wished to cancel and asked for our money back, but were told that that was not possible. After much arguing back and forth, we were finally able to recoup a small portion of what we had paid. A few years later in 2019, we booked a trip to Morocco through them for October of 2020. Once COVID-19 became an issue, we called and asked for our money back, but were coerced by them to let our deposit roll over to 2021. We heard nothing from them about the status of the trip since that time until a few weeks ago, when they emailed us to say that YES the trip was still on!! We were shocked. We called immediately to say that we wanted to roll our money over to next year and were told that would be fine. A week or so later we received yet another email asking for payment in full! When we called and told them about our request to roll the reservation over, they said ok and hung up. We received a callback a few minutes later saying they had made a mistake and it was NOT ok to roll it over after all, and we would lose all our money. We tried to appeal but were ultimately told that we would NOT be able to roll the reservation over and would NOT get our money back!! We should have learned our lesson the first time, when they put travelers in harms way by flying into Barcelona in the midst of major Civil unrest. We will NEVER AGAIN use Friendly Planet and would NEVER recommend them to anyone! It is very clear that their customers and their safety are the very lowest of their priorities, and that they will sacrifice safety for the sake of taking peoples money. I would give them zero stars if that were possible. read more

Disappointed with their customer service. I raved about Friendly Planet to my friend based upon my trip with them 20 years ago, so we booked them for an upcoming trip. Now they've shortened our extension trip with no compensation, and we won't be able to see Jerash. Oh well, I guess we'll just catch that next time in Jordan..... And to add insult to injury, I called and at first the customer service person tried to tell me we were leaving the same day as initially planned---when in fact it's 13 hours earlier and is the day before. I'm sure for a 3:00 pm flight we'll need to be at the airport by noon or so, making the opportunity for sightseeing that day virtually nil. Then she said a manager would call me, which did not happen. I finally called back and was told the manager couldn't call me today but would call tomorrow. Somehow the manager managed to email me, and she's trying to convince me we aren't really missing out on anything just because we have one less day in Jordan. Guess it's time to switch providers going forward. Update: Manager called after I sent her proof of our original itinerary---supposedly she'll run this up to the next level of management. Good companies don't make you fight for what's fair. read more

The trip itself was great. If you end up with Randa as your Egyptologist you will have a wonderful time! However, the trip is incredibly fast paced. Prepare to get home late at night and leave very early for flights and there are a lot of flights. The cruise was meh. We had the MS Tulip. I would not recommend that ship. We did the add on for Jordan which was great. However, we did not like our guide. I usually do Gate 1, but they did not have the Jordan extension. If they did, this is who I would have booked this trip with. read more

My wife and I just returned from our honeymoon! We did the "taste of Thailand" tour and it was better than we could've imagined. Our tour guide "Toom" was very Friendly, accommodating, punctual, and knowledgeable on all things Thailand! Without him we would've been lost on which areas to explore in our free time (which there was plenty of). The hotel accommodations were all 5 star and everyone was extremely friendly. All of our flights, buses, and hotel reservations went off without a hitch. Friendly Planet made sure everything was taken care of and it made the trip that much more amazing! We would strongly recommend Friendly Planet if you're looking for a stress free/enjoyable vacation to a destination you've never been. We are already looking into the African Safari package through Friendly Planet for our next trip! read more

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We went on a tour ("Best of Egypt and Nile Cruise") in January 2023 with a great tour guide, but we were disappointed with the size of the group. BE AWARE that Friendly Planet FALSELY ADVERTISES the size of their small group tours. There were 21 travelers on our tour instead of 16 or less, as advertised. We were not given any advance notice about the size of the group. When we complained to Friendly Planet upon our return, we were offered a $100 credit towards a future tour. Well, some of us won't take a future tour with Friendly Planet precisely because the size of a small group tour is not as promised. Can't trust them. read more

Had a wonderful time on a very well planned trip to India. I took the Taj Mahal Express and was very impressed with the hotels that they used, the local Tour Guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. The price of the tours include air fare and are very reasonable. The staff at Friendly Planet Travel, Inc. were all very helpful and friendly. I am already booked on my next trip with them to Egypt. I normally travel independently but the price was unbeatable and the hotels were great. I would highly recommend this tour company. read more

I recently returned from a Friendly Planet tour of Egypt and Jordan. The trip was misrepresented by Friendly Planet who advertises as small group travel with an average of 14 -16 travelers. Our October date was listed on the web site for over 6 months as sold out. Less than 2 weeks before departure date, we were informed that there would be 2 groups of 24 travelling on this date. I called immediately and was told the 2 groups would operate independently with 2 different guides. This never happened, we travelled to the same places at the same time. A HUGE group of 44 with 2 guides. This is false advertising. The worst was our return to Cairo from Aswan. We were to return early afternoon for a free half day in Cairo. We had to vacate our cabins at 9 A.M. We were picked up early afternoon and taken to a bad lunch and then to the airport for a evening flight. We arrived at our hotel in Cairo at 10 P.M. A complete waste of a day. To add injury to insult, part of the group did fly out on and afternoon flight and got the promised half day in Cairo. The people who were on that flight were all folks who had joined after the tour was closed. I contacted Friendly Planet and was told they did not know the tour was operated on the exact same schedule and they would look into the flight problems. Wings who actually operated the tour said that Friendly Planet had all control and they only did as instructed. I have been home a week and have had no contact. AQ read more

I came here in late November and early December for the "Authentic Havana" tour operated by Friendly Planet. I grew up in Tampa and lived in Miami for many years before coming to the D.C. area, so I am very familiar with Cuban culture. I have been meaning to go to Cuba and just got around to it recently for schedule and financial reasons. I have met many people from here, so I was very curious to see what Cuba was like. The tour was run by tour manager Rachel Story from Friendly Planet, guide Juan Carlos Peña Martinez from Cubatur, and bus driver Ernesto from Transtur. We were staying at the Hostal el Encanto de Perseverancia located on Avenida Perseverancia in Central Havana near the Malecon promenade. Friendly Planet, Cubatur, Transtur, and Hostal el Encanto de Perseverancia all worked together flawlessly on this trip. I have a saying based on personal experience that the more parties you add to a transaction, the more problems you have--that was definitely not the case here. Juan Carlos was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his job. You could not have asked for a better tour guide. He had been working with Ernesto for many years, so they had an excellent working relationship. This was originally scheduled as a "person to person" trip, but was rescheduled to a "support for the Cuban people" trip after the Trump administration tightened travel restrictions. I booked this trip in March or April thinking I need to go while I still can because I don't know what the future holds for U.S.-Cuban relations. Sure enough, shortly after I made the reservation, Trump blocked all U.S. cruise ships from visiting Cuban ports, and right before the trip, blocked all U.S. airlines from flying into anywhere except Havana. We were greeted at the airport by Juan Carlos and Ernesto who drove us back to the hostal. The hostal is a renovated residential buiilding with ten or twelve rooms on three floors. It has two open-air atriums and a bar area on the roof. It was late-19th to early-20th century in decor and was clean and well maintained. The staff was friendly and attentive. The hostal served a continental breakfast every morning. We had a welcome dinner on the first evening at Los Naranjos at which Rachel was present. To comply with the "support for the Cuban people" requirements, we patronized local palidars or private businesses by staying at the hostal, eating at private restaurants called palidars, and visiting several artists' collectives. The main artists' collective we visited was El Muraleando which was created by local residence who cleared trash out of an abandoned water storage tank and renovated the property using much reclaimed and donated material to create a community arts center. The water storage tank was cleaned out and turned into the first floor in which art is displayed and sold to raise money for the collective. On the roof of the tank is a stage and music venue, a bar, and some classrooms. El Muraleando offers music, painting, sculpture, drama, poetry, and other arts for the local community. People in the neighborhood participate and support it with no help from the government. The place doesn't look like much on the outside, but it is amazing on the inside. We also visited some artists' collectives in the Boulevard district of central Havana. These artists' collectives buy their materials through the Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales and sell their works through the same government agency. For our meals we ate lunch and dinner at palidars, private businesses in residential neighborhoods. We ate at some of the best restaurants in Havana. The food and service were excellent at all locations. We ate lunch at Ivan Chef Justo, Ajiaco Cafe, and Restauante La Casa. We had our welcome dinner at Los Naranjos and our farewell dinner at Restaurante La Habanera. I have reviewed these establishments on TripAdvisor since they are international (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/bedling2nterrier?fid=c0a8279d-05fa-46de-90dd-cc24c140779d). For cultural sites, we visited a booksellers' market, an art market at a former train station at the port, the dock in Cojimar where Ernest Hemingway sailed from, the Hemingway house and museum, the Plaza de la Revolucion, the Parque Central, the Plaza de Armas, the Colon Cemetery where Columbus was buried, the Greek Orthodox Church, a cigar factory, and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes had an excellent exhibit on the history of black art in Cuba and the struggle for equality. Glenda was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour guide. I will post pictures when I get around to it. The living conditions in Cuba are very austere unless you work in tourism or for the government. Friendly Planet organized an excellent tour in spite of the embargo and the economic conditions. This means they can organize a great tour anywhere. Highly recommended. read more

We had a fabulous time on our recent trip to Thailand and would gladly use Friendly Planet again. I was stressed out trying to figure out which tour company to use, but ended up going with FP due to their A+ rating on BBB. On our trip, FP arranged all the pre-trip details (flights, passports, itinerary, hotels) and contracted out to a different agency (exotissimo travel) for the tour guide and transportation services. Our tour was sold-out and ended up with 26 people. Our guide, Noi, was perfect. Group travel can be hard but she managed to keep everyone happy, entertained and well fed. International travel with strangers can be a little bumpy, but I think FP and it's contractor did everything they could to create a memorable vacation. read more

I went on the Highlights of Havana tour last November and I loved it. It was my first time doing a guided tour, even though I have traveled before, but mainly with friends. I also went on the tour solo as a young twenty-something open to new experiences and it was great. I was nervous the trip would be geared toward an older, more couple-ly, crowd since Friendly Planet readily admits that their average trip age is around 50 and people typically go in couples. But I went anyway and I was not disappointed at all. The companions on the trip were well traveled and great company! Friendly Planet was very organized, offered unique options for seeing the country as well as hitting the major sites and there was a perfect balance between things to do and free time. I was entirely satisfied with my trip and would recommend Friendly Planet to anyone! read more

We had the most wonderful time in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing with Friendly Planet so booked them for Greece during summer 2012 and now on to Christmas on the Danube, then Ireland in June 2013 and Japan in August, 2013........highly recommend as the hotels are fabulous (our balcony viewed the Acropolis in Athens) and the FP staff goes beyond expectations to help us get the best value for the money. Chad and Rosanne Morris Berwyn, PA read more

I used Friendly Planet Travel for a China tour where we visited Beijing and Shanghai. It was very convenient not to worry about transportation from the airport to the hotel. In addition, because we had a driver to take us to all our locations, we were able to do more than if I just traveled on my own. Both our tour guides, Sam and Nancy were informative and extremely helpful.For instance, the last day we had to get to the airport very early and we wouldn't have time for the free hotel breakfast. Because of this, Nancy had talked to the hotel to make us breakfast bags so we could eat on the way there. It was also nice that there were optional tours. It allowed us free time if we wanted to wander around (the metro system in both cities are fantastic). There was also no pressure to take on the optional tours which was very nice. We ended up participating in some of the optional tours because 1) we were able to accomplish a lot more than if we tried to travel by public transportation and 2) the reasonable prices (it seems that Friendly Planet had negotiated prices for some of the places we visited). For example, we went to a fantastic acrobatics show with dinner. The price we paid was way less than what I could have purchased on my own on the website. I would definitely recommend Friend Planet tours! The one negative aspect was the hotels. Both hotels reeked of cigarettes smoke. Smoking seems still culturally and socially acceptable in China, and this is probably the reason why everything smells like cigarettes. There were more floors and areas that were designated smoking areas than non smoking areas. Unfortunately, smoke can move from one part of the building to another, and so you can easily have non smoking areas smell like smoke (which happened to all of us). Folks in my group tried to move rooms with the help of our tour guide, but they could still smell the smoke. I think unfortunately most hotels are like that in China :( read more

My sister and I did A Taste of Thailand in May 2011 and had a FANTASTIC time. FP is very organized and handled all of the things that would have been a mess to try to do ourselves (flights, hotels, transportation to/from them, etc.). It's also nice that there are some optional activities that you can do with the tour or go out on your own. The guide was very helpful in telling us the local customs, what to say/what not to say, places to go to vs. avoid, and everything else we needed to know to make sure our experience was enjoyable and that there was no issue with the language and culture difference. We recently booked A Taste of Vietnam and are leaving next month. Couldn't be more excited! read more

Took second trip with friendly planet to Thailand. Amazing service, guide, and very good hotels !!! Highly recommend this company.

They canceled trips due to Covid-19 but don't even let you know. They continue to send emails selling future trips, but leave you hanging as to if the trip you paid a large deposit for is going forward. Very unprofessional. With a trip that is supposed to leave 2 months away, there is no information about whether we get our deposit back, or if they think they can just keep it. With so many trips canceled by them, you would think they have much time on their hands to at least communicate with those of us whose money they have. Beware! From now on, we will just travel on our own rather than relying on a tour company that cares too much about money and not enough about common courtesy and professionalism. read more

I took my daughter on a special trip to Greece and Turkey for her 25th birthday. Thanks to Friendly Planet and their outstanding employees, it will be a birthday to remember! Booking this trip was so easy my only regret was that I found them so late. I did miss out on some really good perks for booking less than 70 days of travel (my bad!) We were at a 5 yes 5 star hotel! I wasnt impressed with the ship but hey i still had a fabulous time i just ate off thi ship in each port! I will highly recommend Friendly Planet Travel for anyone ready to see the wordl! I will continue to use them!!! I hope you have a great trip with Friendly Planet...I know I will! read more

i just booked a trip to japan for 2021 in may . By looking at the reviews on the japan trip managnment they seem a mess.. the dates seem to be a bit old now. i hope they are better this time in year.*fingers crossed read more

I had a series of bad experiences on a Namibia trip with this company. When I relayed these experiences/mistakes to them, they said they were 'shocked and horrified'. I was offered a $400 refund and led to believe there would be more to come, but they had to talk to their partner in Africa. More than a week went by and instead of talking to the boss, someone with no authority called to tell me sorry but they couldn't get any more money out of their partner so I wasn't getting a bigger refund. When I said this was unacceptable, I finally got $400 more out of them and $300 off a future trip. I told them that this was still not enough of a refund and that at the least I wanted the $300 back in cash, not off a future trip that I probably would never take with them. I never heard back. So, they started out strong but then blew me off, and the awful way they handled the reimbursement part makes me very leery of using them again, even more-so than the bad experience on the trip itself. It would take too long to list the reams of problems I had on this trip, which caused me physical pain, emotional distress and stress, but suffice it to say getting less than 11% of the price I paid back does not cut it particularly when those problems were so serious they told me they were pausing the Namibia trip until they could find a new partner. read more

Planned this trip for eight months for me and my high school and college age children. We were so excited about this trip. When we arrived at the Narita Airport there was a friendly planet tour guide there to meet Travelers but we were not on the list. We had been traveling for 20 hours from Florida. The friendly Planet tour guide could do nothing to help us. We were stuck in the Narita Airport in Japan for 3 hours unable to communicate with anyone because we do not speak Japanese. I called the friendly Planet emergency hotline and Joanne answer the phone and try to help us numerous times but made us feel like we should not be concerned or upset or worried. After being in the airport for 3 hours I demanded to take a taxi which cost $250 and had to demand them to reimburse me. When I ask the owner to send me confirmation of the receipt she said I had offended her for asking for a receipt. My final documents that they sent me when I paid for my tour had been completely changed from the final documents they gave me upon my arrival at the hotel in Japan. It is then that I received new documents with all the changes that I was completely unaware of. Things that they had promised and documented were left out and changed with no notice to me or my family which made our trip extremely upsetting and unfamiliar. I was in contact with the owner Peggy and others who made three days in Tokyo more work then needed to be since I had to be in constant contact to assure the rest of the trip would go on without any more problems. Every email I sent requesting information was a run around and was never answered directly. Peggy the owner would not speak to me after asking to have her do so many times. When I finally got her on the phone she made me feel like it was horrible for us to be upset and made us feel ungrateful and small for being in a country where we felt stuck and did not speak the language AND we're not receiving the things that were promised. She stated we were wrong for being upset. All of my kids were so upset with the way we were treated they continually told me to call Friendly Planet again. But I told my kids it was obvious that Friendly Planet was not rational or considerate in rectifying their mistakes. I would NEVER REFER ANYONE TO FRIENDLY PLANET. Obviously when an owner PEGGY, follows, builds and grows a culture by placing the blame on others and not having empathy for their paying customers and leading by this horrible example, this is not a business model I would ever choose in a travel company. On the other hand Japan was absolutely amazing and we give it 10 Stars, Friendly Planet NEGATIVE 2 stars read more

I Have NEVER been so apprehensive during my Vacation ..Friendly Planet Said We Were Going To have a Tour Guide to welcome us into their country and have a bus straight to the hotel BUT that did not happen we waited at the airport for 3 hours trying to find our guide looking around trying to get some sort of transportation to have the foundation of our trip I will NEVER book our vacation through friendly planet it has been the worst experience ever... read more

We are just now at the end of our japan panorama tour. Japan is a beautiful country and its people are most gracious. Our hotels and accommodations were fantastic as well as our foods. Our Tokyo guide , Mo Was helpful and had great English. The other guides were , I would say, useless. No command of English, rushed through everything, no intellect or emotion, in particular at Hiroshima. We paid $ 500 per person to see Hiroshima and were rushed from place to lace only seeing a portion of the museum. Our guide walked way ahead of us for all tours, we had no guide really. Been on other tours that were all intellectual experience, this one, not so much read more

To the lady that left 1 star because of bad luck in your personal life - really? Do you think that review helps anyone else? How many of us are randomly going to lose our jobs and have a kid heading to college 3 weeks before our trip? Brokers and agencies are spending money on your behalf (plane tickets, hotels, etc.) and it's largely non-refundable. Suck it up and stop polluting the reviews for the rest of us. Why do you expect this company should just cut a check back to you for money you directed them to spend, and that they have no way of recovering? As for our experience with Friendly Planet - loved it. We booked the 13 day trip in China: LA - Beijing - Shanghai - Xi'an - Beijing - Hong Kong - Beijing - LA. Pros: MOST IMPORTANT: Our national guide Peter was amazing. He traveled from city to city with us, and quite literally, the trip would not have been the same without him. An example that highlights every second of our experience with him - the group had already split for the day - the evening was our own time. An hour-ish later, my wife and I were at the lobby concierge desk trying our best to communicate our interest in dinner at a local restaurant. We would have gotten it eventually, but sure enough, Peter was randomly in the lobby and went out of his way to come over to us, and ask if we needed help. So, he's off the clock, but his focus and concern was always making sure we were enjoying our time, and that we were able to successfully navigate the cities. He cautioned us against scams, steered us away from bad deals, etc. I can't say enough about his impact to the positive experience of this tour. Shanghai was great - take some time, break away from the group, explore the city. It's similar to New York and Chicago in many ways. Beijing was amazing if you like history - temples, walls, etc. Still looks very communist - lots of cold concrete dormitories. Xi'an is ok - clay soldiers, yay. Hong Kong is awesome - 70 degrees to Beijing's 25. British influence was a nice reminder of home. In every city, Hotels were great - you aren't paying to stay at the Peninsula, but the location of each hotel was prime time in every city. Included food was mostly family style, with a large selection for the group. We always had more than enough. It's fairly heavy / oily though, so don't ding friendly planet for that - that just seems to be typical of what we saw all over. Breaktfast buffet's were included at all hotels. Cons: Beijing air quality sucked. I had to wear a face mask much of the time. For 2 days a good wind blew through and cleared it up - actually saw blue skies! But then it died down, and within 12 hours visibility was back to 100 meters (and that's not fog rolling in off the lake). Not many bad things to say about Shanghai - some pollution, but not as bad as Beijing. Xi'an air quality even worse than Beijing. Hong Kong air was fine because it's on the water. It was a bit heavy on funneling the group to touristy stuff - some of which was great (great wall, forbidden city, etc). But some was just overkill, ways to get tourists to spend money. I'd recommend they ease up on that a bit - but then again, the cost of the trip is much lower than if you bought it all yourself, so in exchange I suppose it's only fair that you drop some cash on the local merchants. Overall: My wife and I are very experienced world travelers - have lived overseas. Generally we avoid tours, cruises, major tourist traps. We were skeptical going into this. We would use them again for sure. read more

I used Friendly Planet last year for the Kenya Safari Express (With Istanbul Extension) with the parents. The average base tour for just the Kenya Safari Express started at $2,000 based on double occupancy. If you take a search of other travel agencies for even short Kenya Safari's, you'll notice the starting price point begins at usually double that. I have also never done a full-escorted multiple-day tour before, but as another reviewer noted below, "You don't just pop into a game reserve". My own cost came with a single supplement, but it was not awful either. What I liked: 1) Great hotels in Istanbul and the Masai Mara Reserve; A pretty good business hotel in Nairobi (the Intercontinental); And a so-so Lodge at Lake Naivasha (but the setting made me forget that). 2) Everything was for the most part pretty clearly-defined: what is included, where you are going, where you are staying, the airlines and flight times. Compared to some other travel agency web sites I've been on, the information feels less vague. The driver-guide we had in Kenya did an amazing job; We saw cheetahs, leopards and lions, not to mention the usual slate of buffalo, elephants, zebra's, giraffe's and so forth. Even if this was a budget safari, he was a first-rate guide. Your satisfaction will match your expectations. If you expected to be taken around in a brand Land Rover and be housed in a private luxury safari tent, look elsewhere... 3) The tours seem pretty catered to flexibility. If you want to take the optional tours, you can add more money (i.e. Balloon Safari, Istanbul Palace visits, etc..), and if you choose not to, you can relax or do something else. What Could Improve 1) I know it is an "Express" safari, but maybe increasing the cost slightly and including an extra day would have done my body a world of good. While Turkish Airlines was a great airline, this will be a test on your stamina. The flight into Nairobi and the flight back to Istanbul arrive/depart at around 4-5am. Also, the roads between Lake Naivasha and the Masai Mara reserve are horrendous - it is an unnecessarily long and "free vibrating massage chair" ride. Of course, this isn't Friendly Planet's fault but the corrupt Kenyan government. I am a fairly active guy in his late 20's, but even I felt zoned out at times from the nature of this itinerary. You end up spending a lot of time in transit and at the airport. 2) The tour guide/greeter we had in Istanbul was obnoxious and loved the sound of his own voice. Istanbul is an incredibly easy city to circumnavigate by light rail and foot. I wanted to get away from that guy like the plague. We ditched him as soon as possible and did not even consider the optional tours in Istanbul. I may consider Friendly Planet again in another destination which would be less suited for Independent travel. i.e. Bhutan, Myanmar, etc...I would keep in mind that like most travel groups, they sub-contract and the quality of your tour will very much depend on the sub-contractor. My rating on FP is keeping in mind the relative cost of the tour. I did have a fantastic time at the end of the day - saw amazing wildlife, experienced my first trip to Africa, and managed to get in the cultural mecca of Istanbul for a few days without the expensive cost of making a separate trip. I'd recommend folks to do their research and ask questions before booking with FP. read more

So I booked the Dazzling Dubai and Thailand package for myself and my 14 year old son hoping to give him a taste of the world. I paid 90% of the package price up front and lost my job 2 months before departure time and my daughter's tuition was unceremoniously raised on me. Turns out none of my money was applied to the insurance, like I'd selected on the website when I made payments, and almost all of my money was forfeited! I am a single mom of five, one of who is in college and this was a HUGE and devastating blow to me. They agreed to credit me $650 for each of us providing I use it as a credit or I would have gotten nothing at all! I lost $1800. I will take the credit and NEVER TRAVEL WITH OR RECOMMEND THEM AGAIN. *As I stated, I was only given the option of recouping anything by way of a Friendly Planet credit. So yes, I booked again to get what was my only option. read more

So I am currently in the middle of a mediocre (at best) tour. I was just sitting here thinking how I should have just gone through Friendly Planet, who I have used four times in the past and LOVED each trip more than the last. Sure, it's a group tour, which is not everyone's cup of tea, but you do always get free time (sometimes entire days) to explore on your own, and the best part is that each time I did venture out on my own, our local guide was fantastic at suggesting local hangouts or otherwise interesting things to see or do that were NOT the big shiny tourist traps, which was so great because we otherwise would never have experienced some of the things we did. Some reviewers have complained about the fast pace. I don't know about you, but I have limited vacation time from work--I actually love feeling like I've seen so much in only a week or two! Others have complained about the local guides. I have LOVED each tour guide we used through Friendly Planet, and really do remember them as great new friends. Lastly, I really appreciate that exactly what is outlined on FP's website is exactly what you get. I am right now learning the hard way that not all touring companies are that transparent and have experienced confusion and frustration at having to pay extra for specific things I was assured were included in the price I paid at home. As I sit here in the airport, crossing my fingers that the rest of my current trip makes up for what I've experienced so far, I am already planning my next trip and I'm totally going to holler at FP. read more

We recently returned from a trip to Cuba with Friendly Planet and I do NOT recommend travelling with them!!!!! They are more interested in revenue than about the travelers. Tour was not people to people as billed, food was very poor (other groups were being served much more appetizing meals at the same restaurants we were at, the American leader with us was rude and unhelpful. We were responsible for all handling of our bags unlike all other tours we've experienced around the world. We have travelled many times with OAT and will travel with them or anybody besides Friendly Planet in the future. In spite of this company, we thoroughly enjoyed Cuba!!! Our Cuban guide, Osmin, was OUTSTANDING - knowledgeable, helpful, warm, and all around terrific (he is not only with Friendly Planet). Joan Gosliner San Rafael, CA read more

This was my first tour with friendly planet. I can say it is very organized and they tried to keep on scheduled. Unfortunately, there is so much to do, that everything is rushed giving little time to actually enjoy the sites. The food options are not the best in quality and, you wonder about the hygiene as you enter each rundown restaurant of choice while the tour guide apologizes for the façade. The hotels are well located but not the best. You should know better by the pricing of the actual tour. Mine was a 'Taste of China" in 9 days. You don't need the optional tours as you need to break from the group on certain days to explore on your own. It was a little disappointing to find ourselves, most of the time, trapped in some tourist stores where the guide had taken you to get commission out of a sale. As an example the pearl market, the jade store, the tea store and, the making of blankets to cure diabetes among other illnesses. A great sales pitch, but sad to realize how they manipulate tourists for their own self-interests. One thing I really disliked was how they hold our passports overnight in Shanghai to check us in early at the airport for our next flight to Xian. As per the guide, it was an efficient way for them to move everyone along. What I wonder was how come they didn't do the same for our flight from Xian to Beijing. It really felt very uncomfortable and, unsafe to give my documents to a bellboy overnight while I was in an unknown country. Overall, tours are not made for me, as I like to enjoy the country I'm visiting and, I don't want to have the feeling that my trip was about being on a bus all the time, not having a choice for good places to eat and, instead, learning about the sad side of a culture when a commission is all that matters. read more

I purchased a Living Social for a Kenya trip. I am an avid and experienced traveller who usually shuns group tours. However, one doesn't just pop into a game reserve. :0) So because of the need to have an organized way to get safaris, I booked. The price alone was well worth it as it covered airfare, safaris, hotels, transfers, etc. Our guides (from Vintage Africa) were amazing. So knowledgeable, so friendly, and we had a blast with them. The hotels we stayed at were excellent. The Sopa hotel at Lake Navaisha was absolutely gorgeous. The facilities in Maasai Mara were also beautiful. The food at this hotel was 'eh' and seemed to cater to the large Indian population. But that has nothing to do with Friendly Planet. I also altered my itinerary so that I could stay longer on my own and the assistance I received was prompt and helpful. I would highly recommend this company. read more

Just returned from F. Planet Tour to Borneo/Malaysia. Overall, not very impressed. Hotels were first rate. Itinerary was poorly planned. You will spend more time in hotels and airports going from place to place than you will actually experiencing Borneo. Several of the guides were mediocre (they contract with local agencies, of course, and on several occasions the local tour company did not know about the excursions that F Planet had promised. Sometimes they could pull it together, sometimes not.) F Planet needs to ensure that their contracted companies are providing the promised activities. Because even a short flight from point A to point B basically takes most of a day, we had so many days of the trip basically wasted. Ex: pick up from hotel at noon (so what can you do with a brief morning?) sit at airport for over 3 hours, fly, then arrive at new location around 5 pm (too late to do much that day). There were too many days like this. Would rather visit fewer spots and spend less time in airports and busses.This itinerary has you return to Kuala Lumpur (awful place) from Kota Kinabalu and then fly the next day to Penang Island, when one can fly directly from KK to Penang. So --two days of your trip are spent making one transfer. Bad planning. IF you want to experience more of the natural adventure side of Borneo (jungle treks, animal life,river excurions,hiking, etc, this is the wrong trip for you. We would do a brief trip out into "nature" then have the rest of the day at a 4 star hotel by the pool. I would suggest taking a trip that spends more time inland seeing the real Borneo rather than the "city" life --which is not all that pretty or pleasant. I don't like to travel half way around the world to sit by a pool or even a beach. read more

My wife and I booked "A Taste of South Africa," and it was a fantastic experience. The accommodations were amazing. Ourselves, and everyone in our group, kept asking the same question,"How does Friendly Planet make money?" Given the cost of the flight, the accommodations, the tour, and the safari, we couldn't fathom that they would see any profit from our bookings. We were impressed with Friendly Planet so much that we just booked the "Tokyo Express" for October 2015. Do yourself a favor and book with Friendly Planet, you wont regret it. read more

We just returned from a Colors of Cuba people-to-people tour by Friendly Planet Travel (FP). It was an excellent educational and informative trip, well organized, with a top flight, very experienced American manager (Great work Frank!) and an awesome Cuban guide (Thank you Rosie!). Tours to Cuba for Americans are by requirement not a 'sun-and-sand' type of trip, and it would be challenging for less 'hooked in' tour companies to make work well. FP definitely has this wired up so you have the best opportunities to meet and learn from a cross section of the warm and wonderful Cuban people, and learn about their culture and history. With the ever increasing pressure on limited tourist resources in Cuba, make sure you go with a firm like FP that has secured accommodations in the best ***** hotels in Havana and on this tour, Trinidad. FP has been doing tours in Cuba for years, and has established relationships with all the people and places you want to experience. We had compared itinerary and pricing with other tour operators for Americans traveling to Cuba, and the FP tour was a bargain, but this was not reflected in the quality of the tour, accommodations, the included airfares, etc... There were zero 'surprises' with extra fees, or shortcuts. A great value. If you are an American and want to experience the real Cuba before the onslaught of tourists overwhelm the island, go now, and go with Friendly Planet. read more