I travelled to South America with Simone, it was the best trip! We visited Chili, Argentina and Uruguay, she was fluent in Spanish and helped navigate us through our trip, but always encouraged us to try to immerse ourselves in the language and culture. We had some incredible experiences from Zip lining and horseback riding in Maipo Canyon, to tango dancing and even participating as spectators in a soccer/football game in Buenos Aires! It was amazing and I would highly recommend it! read more

I Feel Cheated! I took a trip to Greece with Simone Kuzma of Wanderlust/Wanderlearn. What I "learned" was never to travel with this company again. WW required payment in full prior to the trip, so travelers had to trust the company to provide the amazing trip they advertised. On their website WW claims to specialize in a unique concept of "standard accommodation" with 5 star reviews. We stayed in low budget hotels for 7 nights. We spent 3 of those nights in a hotel that was more like a 60 year old hostel. The bathrooms were musty and had no shower curtain, the sheets had holes, the rooms were cold and the thermostats did not work properly. Breakfast was to be included at each hotel. What a joke! At the second hotel breakfast was cold bread, hard boiled eggs, a banana and yogurt. Nothing hot was offered. WW markets its services to clients by promising educational trips with a fully guided tour, yet a tour guide was not hired for the Acropolis, the most important archeological site in all of Greece. People were disappointed. We were told, by Simone, to google sites on our smart phones and then take turns guiding our fellow travelers through Athens. Most of our activities were freebies meant to fill our time. One day we drove to the top of a mountain and stood under a modern windmill. Simone said it would be thrilling - I was not thrilled. When I got home, I researched the cost of hotels, car rental, and the three meals WW provided. I discovered I could have booked this trip myself for $1,575 less than what Wanderlust/Wanderlearn charged. Simone provided the cheapest trip possible and greatly profited from her clients. I feel cheated. read more

Greece was on my travel list, and I wanted to learn to travel more independently post-divorce, and an all-women's trip to a country I was interested in seemed the perfect choice! Like others on the trip, I found Wanderlust Wanderlearn through UC 's Communiversity. As a solo female traveler, WW seemed like a really good fit, and after taking three of Simone's classes, I knew she'd provide a one-of-a-kind experience. WW is definitely not your typical travel company. Simone offers videos, checklists, and written guides about topics like passports and visas, money and tipping, local customs and things to avoid doing. Sure, I could have figured these things out on my own, but would I have? Probably not as thoroughly as she did. I signed up and was looking forward to an experience of a life-time. Simone had booked our travel through a reputable Greek travel company, and given them everyone's money. The company went bankrupt just weeks before we were supposed to depart, and our money and our trip were gone. I want to stress, this was not Simone's or WW's fault, and most people would have told us the bad news and suggested we either get reimbursed through our travel insurance (which Simone strongly encouraged us all to get) or through the bankrupt company's insurance. Instead, Simone as owner/operator of Wanderlust Wanderlearn offered us a trip to Greece but with a slightly different itinerary and at her expense. She had us all on a video-call in which she explained the situation, and gave us all the option of either not going on the second trip and getting our money back from insurance, or GOING on the trip and when the bankrupt company's insurance reimbursed, we might consider giving WW some of the money to help pay for the new trip. Let me say this again: at WW's expense, Simone and Darren put together an entirely different trip with an even better itinerary. EVERY ONE of us on the call understood the situation and agreed excitedly to go on the trip. Some of the experiences we had will stay with me forever. Our hotels were run by families, and though small, were charming. Our second hotel was operated by three generations of Greek women, and though the older two had no English, none was needed as YaYa blessed us each time we came or went. We snorkeled in the Aegean Sea! We cooked a traditional Greek lunch in a restaurant kitchen, taught by an award-winning chef and her husband! We ate in restaurants were only locals dine, and we ate fish fresh off the boat. One of the highlights for me was a visit to a traditional Greek sulfur spa, where we floated and relaxed in the warm water, and were treated to an exercise class led by the cutest little old man. He had about 5 words in English, but we all had a blast! We also saw all of the more traditional attractions in Athens, which were breathtaking. I feel I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience with Simone and WW. I saw and did things I wouldn't have otherwise, I met friends with whom I'd have never crossed paths, I ate goat (never again, but I tried it)! I can't wait for my next trip with Simone Kuzma and Wanderlust Wanderlearn. read more

I had been wanting to visit Greece for years (bucket list item) and found Wanderlust Wanderlearn thru our UC Communiversity class listing. As a single female traveler WW seemed to fit me for safety and guidance. The itinerary sounded great because I prefer to meet locals and learn instead of sitting on a tour bus looking out a window as someone talks at me. WW is definitely not your typical travel company. WW provides 'how to' guides that are invaluable. Could I have found these things on the internet? Sure, but Simone and her husband have created detailed videos with tips-n-tricks broken down in to manageable formats and information; learn-at-your-own-pace. I signed up and was looking forward to an experience of a life-time. Our trip (as Simone mentioned in another comment section) was unfortunately derailed due to a Greek tour company taking our money and going bankrupt (not WW's fault.) However, Simone as owner/operator of Wanderlust Wanderlearn offered us a trip to Greece but with a slightly different itinerary and at her expense. (This speaks VOLUMES to the CHARACTER and INTEGRITY of this company and to Simone and Darren.) I will say that our second schedule turned out to be better than the first! We got to snorkel in the Aegean Sea (how cool is that) and hike the Demasari trail with a guide. We got to eat in restaurants where the locals dine. We stayed in quaint hotels owned and operated by families. Our second hotel was owned by three generations of women and YaYa (Greek for grandma) blessed us each day as we came and went. YaYa spoke no English but no language was needed as our smiles said it all. We got to learn to cook a traditional Greek lunch in a professional chef's kitchen (and I'm still making taziki the way she taught us.) Greek wine and pastries hand-made were certainly in abundance. While some in our group chose to visit a more traditional spa for an expensive treat, others of us chose to visit the local government run $5 admission fee hot spring. There we experienced a water aerobics class. No English was needed for us to know what to do as we laughed and splashed with the locals. Simone and her assistant, Rindy, drove us over mountain passes where we got caught in a rush-hour traffic jam of goats meandering across the road. We visited a hill-side winery where Greek ruins were scattered everywhere. Yes, we still visited the more traditional tourist sites such as the Acropolis but we got to be with Greek families and experience their lives living everyday with tradition and ancient artifacts in their backyards. I had one personal situation arise with my first roommate and both Simone and Rindy facilitated other accommodations and were discrete. My next roomie was Sandy who turned out to be the sweetest/dearest/kindest soul on the planet. I now have life-long friends that I would not have met otherwise had it not been for the intimate travel experience you get with WW. I can't wait for my next trip with Simone Kuzma and Wanderlust Wanderlearn. read more