Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.
Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!
Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!
Haven’t posted your review yet? Here’s how to do it…
Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.
Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.
Select a trip specific review:
78 Reviews
4.4 out of
5
Reviews
James Watson
Reviewed March 2017
Alex and his penguins
This was a really good week of my two weeks. A good mixture of skiing and valuable instruction from Alex. He managed the mixed abilities of the group members really well using the penguins (don’t ask!) to assist him in doing this. The other participants were good fun and easy to get along with.
The hotel as usual was really good.
Most Inspirational Moment
The long ski at the end of the week where we were able to put what we had learnt into practice.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Extremely good at providing instruction that met the needs of the whole group. He was good company and in good humour the whole week. Was aware of health and safety but did not let this interfere with our enjoyment.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Challenge yourself. The leader will support you and know when to encourage you to extend yourself. Watch out for the penguins!
Suggestions
The day after the holiday finished I participated in a local race. I was given invaluable advice in doing this by Alex and Liz the other leader. They made it clear that this was not part of the holiday and that I needed to have my own adequate insurance.
Helen Gentles
Reviewed February 2017
Cross country skiing Dobbiaco
A fantastic week of beginners skiing around the Dolomites. We had excellent tuition from Alex, the hotel was very comfortable with the added bonus of pool, saunas and steam rooms at the end of the day. Food was delicious.
Most Inspirational Moment
Being able to come down hill in control! It was a great feeling when you got the technique right and were able to glide along in the beautiful scenery.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Alex was a first class leader and teacher. He had all sorts of tricks and tips to help us improve including the use of felt penguins and skiing down with chocolates on a tray - you got to eat them if they stayed on! Even had a quick game of one legged football. Snow on the mountains was limited but the tracks were fine as they bring in fresh snow. Alex took us to different areas according to the best skiing.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Have a small lunch in preparation for a 5 course evening meal.
Louise Sproule
Reviewed January 2017
Great tour leader
Alex our tour leader was brilliant. He was bright, cheerful, knowledgeable, creative and above all stretched us but looked after our safety too.
Most Inspirational Moment
Skiing 26 KM
Thoughts on Group Leader
Brilliant - he is exceptional - he is knowledgeable, experienced, creative in his teaching method, informative, fun but also made sure we were safe at all times.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you do level 3 make sure you are fit enough for it.
Carol Snipe
Reviewed January 2017
Brilliant time in Italy
We had a brilliant week, cross country skiing in Italy. Unfortunately there was not much snow, and it didn’t snow while we were there, but artificial snow had been laid for the tracks so we were still able to ski as planned, just not in as many different places.
The hotel was lovely and the food was really good.
We had good leaders who made every effort to find good tracks to ski, and who helped us all to improve our skills, and the company all week was excellent.
Most Inspirational Moment
There was a good mix of people in the group, and everyone gelled together really well.
It was great soon after we arrived to watch the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree by Nonna, with real candles!
Only a whole heap of snow would have made it better.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Andy was the leader of our group, and he helped everyone to improve their cross country skiing.
He went out of his way to find decent tracks, not helped by the weather!
Advice for Potential Travellers
These days Christmas time is too early to have anthing like a guarantee of snow in this part of the Alps.
Suggestions
This was our first Christmas away, and we really enjoyed it.
Stephen Smith
Reviewed January 2017
Mr
Great trip, excellent leader well organised
Most Inspirational Moment
all participants said that they felt that they were looked after and their needs were met
Thoughts on Group Leader
Liz was very patient with the individuals in the group and competent in teaching basic skiing skills
Anne Booth
Reviewed March 2016
Dobbiaco cross-country skiing
A really well organised week of cross-country skiing with excellent leaders, a great group of people and some fabulous scenery.
Most Inspirational Moment
Finally realising that I had mastered the half snow-plough.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Liz was excellent. Everything was extremely well-organised. She really looked out for her group when we were skiing, particularly on the days when it was pretty icy and her teaching was really good.
Suggestions
The bus rides each day were a great way of seeing more of the area, and the lunch stops were, without exception, really good value. The cafe across the road from the hotel does a mean hot chocolate.
Ann Branson
Reviewed February 2016
Ski ing with Super Woman!
Exodus employ some really great people to lead their trips , but those of us who booked a week in Dobbiaco this February were in for a real treat! For one week only Exodus had managed to get Superwoman….and we were the lucky ones! Karen Messenger is a young Canadian who spends her summers working in a National Park at home and her winters pursuing her ‘Tour de Fun’ competing in XC country long distance races around the world , known by the wonderful name of Loppets ! For the first two days Karen gave us great ski tips in the mornings and lovely skiing routes in the afternoon keeping her true identity secret, until all was revealed at an evening power point…..we were all very inspired and very impressed when she explained that the ‘Fun’ bit her Tour de Fun was that she dressed as Superwoman for her races….in some races everyone was whacky and she completely fitted in…in other more earnest gatherings there was some amazement , but , she said, the outfit worked wonders for her. So our holiday highlight came on the going home day when we we all went to cheer her as she entered the local Winter Olympics stadium , dressed in red and gold coming in as 26th out of 167 international women skiers , including professional teams , from all over the world, completing the 32 k classic style race in under two hours . And then she did it all again the next day this time with be the skating technique and achieving 7th out of the field of 29 other mad women who tackled both days! What an inspiration and what fun! We will be back ! Hopefully seeing Karen again !
Most Inspirational Moment
Watching our ski instructor flashing into the Dobbiaco Winter Olympics stadium dressed as Superwoman looking fresh as a daisy after a 32km race.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Skilled , enthusiastic and very supportive of those at the back.
Lovely moments when I was that person and we started discussing the Larch trees we were skiing past , those beautiful deciduous conifers that have such soft delicate branches in the spring and summer that I love to stroke...her favourite tree too!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't expect to be a XC country expert in one week! Or even after three years...but know the tours will be a delight from day one and the good Exodus leaders will always get you home!
Suggestions
See if you can get Karen Messenger again next year!
Michael Hoath
Reviewed January 2016
Another good week in Dobbiaco
Another good week in Dobbiaco. Worries about snow conditions were unnecessary. Most trails were open, although not all had cut tracks. This is one advantage of a major x-c skiing centre – they were busy making artificial snow to improve the tracks used in the marathon that was run shortly before this week, and the World Cup races that were due in a few weeks. Plenty of scope for a grade 3 group.
Most Inspirational Moment
A morning trying skate technique again. It sort of worked. Or at least we could see how it might work, if we had the balance, confidence, and thighs for it.
Thoughts on Group Leader
First rate. All admin and social aspects of the holiday were fine (even with a small group of just 5), and Ingrid is an extremely skilful skier and teacher of skiing.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The main advice is to seriously consider skiing in January rather than the peak time - February. Cafes and trails are far less busy, and it is, of course, much easier to get a single room. Then again, if too many people switch to January then I might find it difficult to get a single room.
Suggestions
I first went to Dobbiaco in 1988 and it is one of my automatic choices when looking at grades and dates for the next trip.
Sue Pemberton
Reviewed January 2016
Cross-country skiing January 2016
Yet another great week at Dobbiaco. Tracks were all based on artificial snow, but there was enough of the real stuff to top them up and make everything look pretty. The work done to create tracks was most impressive, and there were plenty to keep us occupied all week. As a regular, it’s great to recognised and welcomed back to the Tschurtschenthaler hotel, which fed us as well as ever.
Most Inspirational Moment
Skiing in Fischleintal in heavy snow, standing still and hearing absolutely nothing but snowflakes landing on my waterproof. Also doing some off-track skiing.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ingrid was a great leader, good company to be with, and we appreciated her reccies by bike to suss out the best ski areas for us. She helped us to improve our skiing whilst still having plenty of time to just enjoy being out on the tracks. She responded to the wishes of the group so that everyone was able to have the holiday they wanted.
Suggestions
January is a great time to go as the tracks are a bit quieter than in the main season, and we sometimes had places to ourselves. There's also quite a lot going on - the hot air balloon festival in Dobbiaco and ice sculptures up the road at Innichen.
Ralph Weaver
Reviewed March 2015
Dobbiaco 21/02/2015 x/c ski
Superb conditions and leadership by Anne, Alex, and Lorraine at what I think is your best southern European x/c ski base.
Exodus is the only UK Company which does properly-led daylong x/c ski – unlike your competitors such as Ramblers, which treat x/c as downhill skiing (which it definitely isn’t!)
It’s a great shame, therefore, that Exodus does not offer more southern European venues for x/c ski, having drastically reduced these following acquisition of Waymark
I hear this complaint again and again from fellow Exodus x/c skiers. And we all fear that exodus will allow this activity to wither on the vine if it is not careful.
X/c ski is superb outdoor activity which should be promoted as the ideal winter fitness activity – it also has some Royal patronage – Pippa Middleton did an x/c ski race last year!
One other thing – you specify that grade 1 and 2 are suitable for people with little or no experience. But you should make it clear that a level of fitness similar to regular hill walking or cycling is necessary. I have seen so many people have a ruined experience of x/c ski simply because they don’t do sufficient regular exercise, and that causes such difficulties for the Leaders, and, indeed, the other suitably fit participants who have to hang back or stop all the time so that these people can catch up!
