Cannot begin to thank Guido and the rest of the staff at Bethesda Travel for the Italy vacation of…read morea lifetime. Down to our airline seating preference, no detail of the trip was overlooked. We simply gave Guido an idea of what we wanted to see & do and he did the rest. Only an experienced agent of the highest caliber could have handled our late in the planning process schedule changes. A few weeks before departure a package arrived with everything from travel bags to luggage tags, detailed itinerary, maps, vouchers, and suggested restaurants at each city along the way. Guido then set up a meeting to go over every page to aaddress any questions or concerns we may have had. Once in Italy, Guido called the Venetian restaurant where we were dining to make sure everything was going well. In Rome, the hotel clerk had a message for us from Guido, whom she had worked with for years. In Italy, everyone knows Guido. Simply put; Bethesda Travel should be the first stop for anyone planning a vacation.

Another great family vacation planned by Guido and his staff--two weeks in Spain! (We did a similar…read moreItaly trip planned by them several years ago.) Hotels, transportation, tours, and tour guides--all planned to perfection and excellent. The hotels were in perfect locations, all the tours were private with priority entry into the busy attractions (no waiting in lines!), and most of the tour guides had 10-20+ years of guide experience with education in history and/or architecture matching the tour. Also, having them provide train and airline reservations and drivers eliminated all stress getting from one place to another on time and kept us from driving and getting lost in crazy city traffic. If you want a no-worry, low stress vacation while seeing many attractions in an European country, Bethesda Travel Center is the place to go. Worth every penny and highly recommended!

Truly distinctive location, so close to the C & O Canal towpath -- just roll out of bed and go…read more Excellent for bikers and hikers. The towpath has varying qualities; sometimes it's very hard packed with dirt, sometimes it's looser with pea gravel. Felt propelled back in time. Could imagine what it might have been like to be a lockkeeper and be ready to work the lock. Good job of furnishing this place in a 50's style. Nice photo albums of how the C & O Canal became a National Historical Park are found within. Kitchen is stocked with basics. Decent modern bathroom with hot bath/shower. AC works well. Box games from the 50's are thoughtful. The stairs are fairly steep. The traffic flow on the Clara Barton Parkway changes midday and affects access for a few hours; keep in mind for check-in. Enjoyed myself. Quite an experience.

I went here for a friend's party and it was a great experience. The inside of the lockhouse is…read morecirca 1950s. It's like you are transported back in time. If you are a nature enthusiast there's plenty to do from hiking to the fast-flowing Potomac or just chilling at the canal lock. My advice is to book early as in at least 10-12 months prior to event.

The travel consulting company Enlighten Excursions, owned by Deirdre Swinson, provided my husband…read moreand me with outstanding services in planning the five-week trip we made to Europe in May, 2022. This was a complex trip, and we were not familiar with most of the places we wanted to visit. It involved five countries (France, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) and 13 stops. Generally, we stayed at hotels, but sometimes with friends. Except for air travel to and from Europe, we traveled by train. Enlighten Excursions (EE) managed this complexity adroitly and provided us with a highly satisfactory trip experience. The company arranged our train travel, hotels, and tours, and suggested things we could do on our own. At the onset of planning, we decided together with EE on a budget. Except for an initial consultation fee, we did not pay anything extra to EE. The company's compensation was taken from bookings. We received regular updates regarding spending. Deirdre and her team seamlessly incorporated into the itinerary our desire to visit four different sets of friends in three countries, including transportation to these cities. Our trip itinerary was presented in a highly organized way in an app that was easy to read on our PCs and mobile phones. The walking tours they arranged--both private and group tours--were superb. Our guides were knowledgeable and lively, with a love of history. We enjoyed nearly all our hotels, which were conveniently situated close to train stations and the historic areas of the cities. Several of the hotels had "old world charm." Breakfasts, which most of the hotels bundled into their lodging services, were delicious. It was evident to us that Deirdre Swinson genuinely enjoys travel and wants for her clients to enjoy their travel. She is the consummate travel professional: highly collaborative and thorough, responsive to our needs and requests, and personable. She and her team actually arranged our trip twice: a 2020 trip which we had to cancel because of the pandemic, and the 2022 trip we just took. We cannot recommend Deirdre and EE more highly.

I found Deidre Swinson after deciding to visit Andalucia, Spain. She suggested ways to simplify our…read moretrip of two weeks by staying in 4 cities with day trips to see more rural areas of interest. We loved meeting locals who cooked us a meal and gave me a Flamenco lesson! She arranged personalized tours of each city (Seville, Carmona, the small white villages, Córdoba, Granada and Málaga) so that my husband and I could ask questions and learn. Each of our apartments/hotels were central to the best areas to explore on our own. Deidre is a pleasure to work with and I intend to use her again. Her rates are very reasonable. Instead of going on a huge tour, try calling her to hear her suggestions for a memorable vacation! Cathy

I booked my ticket from LAX to Santiago de Chile through Kayak and was rerouted to airfare.com. No…read morebiggie as that's what they do when you try to find a cheap ticket. I got a really good price and booked weeks in advance. The ticket was issued right away, I was charged and found my trip on the airlines website, where I picked seats for each flight. Two weeks prior to my departure, I received an email from airfare.com telling me that the airline had made changes to my flight, which resulted in an 8 hour layover and me arriving at my destination 5 hours later. I didn't agree to that change and within 24 hours airfare.com found a flight that got me to Santiago 5 minutes prior to my original flight time. They were super courteous on the phone and I was able to reach a representative each time I called within minutes. Sadly, canceled and changed flights are becoming more and more common, not only with airfare.com. My tip, don't accept the changes and have the airline (or the booking agency) work out a better option for you.

Scam, will charge for seats when already booked initially for free…read more Company is not legit.

My customers are saving thousands of dollars on their travel. I invite you to have a look…read more https://bit.ly/3TDS4pS

If you're seeking exceptional customer service with dependability, Next Destination is your final…read moredestination! From sending the inquiry to booking to pick up to returning back home, the experience was amazing. They stay in constant communication with you to ensure they are meeting your service expectations. I highly recommend Next Destination for your transportation needs - no matter how big or small.

In response to Marion's comment below, any claims of a partial refund are entirely unsubstantiated…read moreat this time. The credit was absolutely refused, given your lack of understanding and inability to resolve a simple issue within 20 minutes of phone time. Yikes! -- After 2 positive experiences, things unfortunately took a negative turn with Next Destination Transportation. The owner, admittedly, is underway in a busy season and sent zero text messages (as he has done in the past) to confirm a scheduled pick-up. Miscommunication on both ends perhaps and the terms and conditions are spelled out on the website but it seems he picks and chooses when he wants to follow them. In the spirit of fairness, the cars have been clean and the drivers have been professional...until now. What I won't do is stay on the phone for 20 minutes repeating myself. I simply encourage all of you to get confirmation by phone, email, AND text if you don't want your full payment to be a donation to the business. =)

Great service, extraordinary knowledge! Able to craft creative, personalized itineraries, and…read moreaccommodate short notice requests. Roy Goldman's the Man!

I was recommended to Asmina tours by a friend of mine. This was the best referral I've ever…read morereceived. My wife and I were planning a trip to Greece for our 30th Anniversary. I reached out to Asmina via their online questionnaire and shared our goals for the trip. Panos, our trip consultant, reached out after reviewing our goals. We further articulated what we wanted to do and didn't want to do and he put together the best trip my wife and I have ever been on, while staying within the budget we provided him. We had several private tours, beautiful hotels, and plenty of free time to explore and decompress during our 3 week adventure. There was nothing we had to do once we got there other than to meet our driver to take us to our next destination at the appointed time. All of the flights, ferries, trains and drivers were pre-booked. Panos - we sincerely appreciate everything you did for us and hope to use you again the future for the countries you and your team represent!

My wife and I went to Italy recently to celebrate both of us turning 50 and our 25th wedding…read moreanniversary. In planning the trip, which began about a year prior, we were recommended through a friend to use Asimina Tours; we were put in contact with Dimitri. Right away, Dimitri worked very closely with us to find out what we were interested in seeing, how long we were looking to stay in Italy, and what our budget was. From there, Dimitri, along with his partner Christina, put together an amazing package that allowed us to see all the sights. We went to Venice, Como, Milan, Florence, Rome, and Sorrento. Along the way, we had many day trips, the majority of which were fantastic. From Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Cinque Terre (a favorite), the Vatican, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and Capri, it was a once in a lifetime experience and we had the most amazing time. Other highlights of the trip were the wine tasting in Tuscany and the private cooking class in Sorrento. They were also very accommodating with some last minute trip ideas. About 2 months prior to leaving, I had learned that one of my favorite bands, Queens of the Stone Age, were going to be performing in Italy while we were there. We contacted Dimitri and he was able to rearrange our hotel and travel accommodations, including a last minute domestic flight, without any issues. Dimitri and Christina made the entire process run smoothly. All of our travel tickets and hotel reservations were all available through the app. Our hotels were centrally located and were within walking distance from the major attractions. We really appreciated the private transportation arrangements to take us from the hotels to the train stations/airports, as well as the private tours. If you are planning on going to the Mediterranean area of Europe, I would highly recommend using Asimina Tours, they were awesome.