Thank you Krystian for taking care of our 2025 Japan Trip we had a blast! Thank you for the…read morepatience with me from the time I booked my trip until the last minutes changes. I am looking forward working with you on my next trip.

Jacqueline from Going Places Travel is what I call a "travel magician"! She was able to solve the…read morechallenging mystery my travel buddy and I presented: find two business class seats to and from the Middle East from our selected departure city in the USA. She patiently, tirelessly persevered until she found a great solution. My friend and I are enormously grateful.

I would consider Vaya to be a premier travel and adventure provider... we have used them to travel…read moreto Easter island, Patagonia, Lisbon, Porto, and it all was amazing... from the specialized itineraries to the premier service you travel hassle free and see amazing sights you might otherwise miss without their hand picked local guides. They work with you to get exactly what you want for what you want to spend! Can't say enough great things about this company!

November 15, 2024…read more Last year, in November of 2023, we booked a trip to South America (Argentina, Amazon cruise, Quito and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador). It was a complicated itinerary, and we gave it to our travel agent, whom we had known and trusted for over thirty (30) years. She somehow looked to Vaya Adventures. We had never heard about them, but trusted her. Bad decision. Vaya Adventures is composed of charlatans. Their office is in Berkeley, CA, with no representatives in Argentina, only vendors. The CEO of Vaya Adventures is not stable, hysterical, unable to make rational decisions. He left us stranded in Argentina, at a time when we were already seventy-six (76, R. G.) and eighty-four (84, J. G) years old. We had to make our own arrangements to go back home. He cut us out of the Amazon, Quito, and Galapagos destinations, and refused for over an entire year to return the money for the unused portion of the trip. Please, please, if you plan a vacation in South America, do not do it with Vaya Adventures. It will save you a lot of heartache and also a lot of money. They are not even registered with the Better Business Bureau, so no one knows objectively about their financial status or their performance. They have a glowing web page, but do not trust it.

Nancy Smart was our travel agent for 25 years. She planned trips for us to Sourh Africa,…read moreAustralia, Great Britain, Portugal, Sicily, Croatia, Venice, Austria, Puglia... For each trip she deftly used our United miles to get us business class seats. No easy feat. She researched accommodations for us and as we aged, she booked us into places that she knew we'd love and feel comfortable in. When we asked her to make changes, over the phone you could feel her smile. Even when her health was failing, she worked with us to plan an exceptional trip to Puglia for my husband's 80th birthday. When I called her yesterday to ask her to help us plan a trip to Normandy; sadly, I learned she passed away a month ago. My heart is heavy, but I want everyone who reads this review to know she was good. She was the best. We will miss her. Ron and Helane Zeiger, Berkeley, CA

Northside Travel helped me book flights that I was unable to book online. They were speedy and…read moreprofessional and their fee was reasonable. Thank you!

Exceptional, knowledgeable, totally professional. Worked with the team for more than 30 years.read more

I rarely write yelp reviews- but have had such a good experience working with Ellen at Ocean View…read moretravel that I really want to recommend her services to everyone! I travel often for work and occasionally coordinate large international group visits to the US. Ellen has helped me overcome every possible challenging travel situation with patience and skill: "The 14 person group won't learn who is granted a visa to travel or not until 3 days before our trip" "These two passengers want to visit an uncle after the group agenda" "I need to visit these 4 remote places in 4 countries on a tight schedule" and the list goes on. I book all of my work travel arrangements through Ellen. Her expertise saves me countless hours and is truly a good value.

I've been using Boutique Travel for over 10 years, and I can't imagine planning a trip without…read morethem. What keeps me coming back is their ability to create truly bespoke experiences. Ellen has an incredible ability to tailor experiences, which makes each trip feel uniquely mine. She always finds the perfect balance by incorporating culinary, cultural, and art experiences that I love, along with athletic and outdoor activities that keep things active and engaging. It never feels one dimensional. I've used BT's services to book trips to Africa numerous times. Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Uganda are just a few examples.. Each destination has offered something completely unique, and Ellen has hit the itineraries right out of the park. Gorilla trekking in Uganda was a once in a lifetime experience, and visiting the Skeleton Coast in Namibia felt like stepping into another world. In Botswana, I was lucky enough to see leopards up close, which is so rare and exciting! I have also vacationed in Tahiti three times, and each time has been magical and different! Most recently, my husband and I just got back from an incredible trip to Rangiroa, and we are already talking about exploring more islands on our next visit. Looking ahead, I am starting to plan a trip to Japan, and I will definitely be working with Boutique Travel again to put together the itinerary. Their attention to detail, creativity, and ability to truly understand what we are looking for makes every trip seamless and unforgettable. Highly recommend!

Ellen/Boutique travel is fantastic. She helped us book our Honeymoon to Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora…read moreBora. She is a pleasure to work with, listens to our wants and needs, and gives you her honest opinion on what is/isnt worth it on the trip. He advice/expertise is unmatched.

I have rarely used a travel agent but when telling a friend ( who travels a lot) about taking a…read moreViking river cruise he urged me to talk to David Peltin at Flair Travel. I contacted David and he booked our trip and solved problems that arose. Our air flights were also done by Viking and David found much better connections than what Viking booked. Also , he fixed our seat assignments when my wife and I were put in different rows . I found him to be knowledgeable, professional and respectful. Will definitely use him again. Terry

I had a great experience with David and Flair Travel. They responded quickly, timely and was very…read moreforthcoming with suggestions. While I decided to not use them for my cruise, I will consider them for other travels. Thanks again!

The guides were wonderful on our Safari throughout Tanzania…read more Naiman Mungure Nathan Arnold We never needed anything more they were at our service 24/24 . Total luxury from beginning to end .!!! Andrea P

I have been on a couple of Wilderness Travel trips, and I have been more than happy with each…read moreexcursion. Highly recommend. I just got back from a couple of weeks away while Hiking the Spanish Pyrenees with Wilderness Travel. Awesome trip, bucket list for me.

Needed a visa and received in less than 10 days…read more Easy process and good communication

Entering J&V is a bit cluttered. Only a few waiting chairs available, but despite this service is…read moregreat. You pay for Min's thorough eye to catch minor things such as a missing DOB or asking for a marriage license because you changed your surname to your husband's. It took about 2 weeks to receive my VISA to China that will expire in 10 years at a $340 fee. Future travels to Asia will bring me back to J&V.

He helped us with a few bookings. Then he all of sudden ghosted me. I was cordial and polite with…read morehim. Maybe he is allergic to phone calls.

Super helpful and reliable service. I needed a last minute passport renewal; the owner helped me…read moreget a new one within 36 hours. Very nice, very professional.

My wife and I participated in a weeklong bike tour of Nova Scotia. The trip was well organized and…read moreour guides were friendly, supportive and made the experience so much better. Biking: flexible routes and there were both e-bikes and standard bike riders in our group. The GPS made it easy to navigate. Very scenic routes and mostly in low traffic areas. Accommodations: All three hotels were different but excellent. Convenient locations close to places of interest. Meals: group dinners were all amazing quality with options including vegetarian. The guides provided really good lunches and there was an endless supply of snacks. This trip exceeded my expectations and I look forward to riding with Backroads again.

I have had nothing but great experiences with Backroads throughout my past 5 experiences with them…read more This highly anticipated hike in Yosemite did not meet my expectations right from the start. Other trips included guest numbers of between 9-11 with 2 guides and one support guide. This trip had 19 with the same ratio of a team. Pretty forgivable until you factored in there were only 2 vans with 21 of us crammed during each of the long distances between each hotel and hike. The longest drive was, as expected, between our San Francisco meet-up for the 4 hour drive to the park. Two vans made for a very squished drive for many of us. The first hotel, a one-night stay, found us in a parking lot facing room. For the $$$ Backroads costs, I expect more than the cheapest view in the hotel. I expect a room with a view. I wouldn't book a room on my own without a view, and I expected more on our first night. Our first night Backroads reception, something that is a tradition and combines meeting our fellow hikers with an included cocktail and nice dinner, did not happen. We were led to a lonely back room of the hotel. Here, dressed in our finery, we waited to be greeted with an offering of a cocktail. Instead, set up in the corner of this dank room was a server with a few bottles of wine. Confused, a few of us went to the bar and purchased our own drinks. Those who wanted a second glass of wine you were out of luck because the server closed up shop before one had a chance to ask. Our guides arrived and began to stumble through an explanation as to why we weren't having our dinners inside of the hotel: something to do with the hotel confusing our Backroads trip with another Backroads trip that is also on property. The bottom line was that the hotel could not accommodate our dinner choices. We were cordially invited to join the barbecue that was taking place for the Backroads biker group. We traipsed around the chilly outside of the hotel in our finery, down to a picnic area set up with picnic tables, a buffet, and a lot of families with their children running around having a grand time. We were instructed to pick up a tin tray with a paper plate and begin our choosing from the tables of food. Basically, we were met with the leavings of the previous Backroads barbecue. No freshly stocked trays. The hamburger/hot dog tray held at least an inch of grease with a few sad looking hot dogs and hamburgers. The salads were picked over. The dessert tray held toppled over dregs of cakes. My husband, who typically goes with the flow, was even more shocked than me. We took ourselves to the hotel restaurant, with its very ample available seating, and bought our own drinks and dinner. It was great. My issue is this: this option of dining in the restaurant instead of the barbecue was not offered. It should have been. This isn't a low brow touring company. The extra cost of their guests dining independently should have been eaten by Backroads. Not on us. The next day, not a word was mentioned by the guides about the previous night's fiasco. I spoke to the support guide about it on my own. She was stunned to learn about the whole affair as she was not present for it. She must have spoken to the guides about it because, later on, the guides brought it up with apologies. Yet, no mention was made of reimbursement of our dinner. The remainder of the trip was Backroads great. The guides are always tip-top, the variety of snacks are set up with flare, the park hotels are always special. The Yosemite hikes are spectacular. I contacted Backroads via email two times about my issues. I have never had to complain about their trips, but I felt that there is a discernible slip in the quality of their product. I asked to be called via phone so that I could have a dialogue with someone. I never received a call. Instead, all of us on the group received an email apologizing for the terrible first night's confusion, and we are offered a $250. credit good for two years towards a future Backroads trip. I am not finding this an acceptable peace offering. Actually, I would have preferred my reimbursement of $200. that we spent on our first night's dinner and a phone call. We have paid in full for another Backroads trip coming up on September. This will be the make-or-break for us. I think that had we not paid for this trip, we would be looking for a different tour group. There were enough small signs that show a slip in service and a cut in costs. I spoke to many of us on this trip, some experienced Backroaders and some brand new. There was a noticeable disgruntled atmosphere regarding the tight vans. One guest told me she ate only a baked potato at the barbecue. Another told me she ate one sausage. Many keep their disappointments to themselves. I asked around. Backroads needs to step up to the plate to ensure a better product in the future.