Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The people - the group I was cycling with and the locals were so supportive cheering everyone as we made it to the top of a tough climb. The views from the top of the hills and swimming in the lake a a few of the best bits - too many other good bits to list them all.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alan was great. always felt safe, knew where I was going, I felt fine at the back even if I couldn’t always see the person in front because I knew I wouldn’t be left behind . Alan would always keep track of where everyone was. He spent time with everyone in the group cycling at their pace not trying to get people to speed up or slow down. There were briefings often so we all knew what was happening.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I considered taking my own road bike - dont - the bikes were excellent and fitted perfectly even though I’m only 5’3 . Even a hybrid bike would not have coped with to few off road sections. They also provided a handle bar bag that was really useful. Take a cash card or cash - as well as credit card - we used cash for most meals and some places didn’t take cards at all.

Most Inspirational Moment

The seaside cliffs at Cala Luna really gave some perspective to sea level changes.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Easy going. Trustworthy. Accommodating. Great guy.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a lot of water , suntan lotion and a hat.

Most Inspirational Moment

I particularly enjoyed walking up Stromboli during the Exodus tour. We had a fantastic view over the crater and were able to watch the eruptions for the best part of an hour or two. Walking up the volcano at sunset and down the other side of the volcano at night was spectacular and something I don't think I will ever forget. Watching the eruptions from a couple of hundred metres away was also just brilliant.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Federica, our group leader, was fun, friendly and very knowledgable. She was very enthusiastic and passionate about the areas that we visited. It was very clear from when we first met her that she wanted all of us to have a great time in Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. Federica was brilliant at guiding us, showing us the local sites and recommending things for us to do during our free time. She even went to the effort of making us all a picnic with local cuisine! Needless to say, our time in Sicily would not have been as fun without her!

Most Inspirational Moment

It’s hard to pick just one!!! Picturesque villages? Passionate and knowledgeable tour guide? Food? All brilliant! But lunch in the vineyard on the penultimate day was truly wonderful!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Michele, was our tour guide in Puglia and we were delighted that he led this tour as well. As a local to the area, Michele knew so much about the area and shared some gems that we simply wouldn’t have seen if we didn’t have his local knowledge. From our secret view of the Rialto Bridge in Venice with all the students to our personal tour of Vincenzo, Michele made every effort to make our tor special. His professionalism and knowledge was impressive as was his care and attention to make our holiday so enjoyable. Thank you!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Diet before you go! The food is amazing!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing so much wildlife. Sloths, monkeys, raccoons , a huge variety of birdlife and a couple of snakes. Fabulous!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Katia's knowledge about the wildlife, geography and history of Costa Rica was astonishing. As a bird enthusiast, she was able to recognise everything from a tiny glimpse or a snatch of birdsong. In addition, she went out of her way to ensure everyone was enjoying their trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't forget a sense of humour. It helps enormously when you have a puncture in the middle of nowhere.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing so much wildlife. Sloths, monkeys, raccoons , a huge variety of birdlife and a couple of snakes. Fabulous!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Katia's knowledge about the wildlife, geography and history of Costa Rica was astonishing. As a bird enthusiast, she was able to recognise everything from a tiny glimpse or a snatch of birdsong. In addition, she went out of her way to ensure everyone was enjoying their trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't forget a sense of humour. It helps enormously when you have a puncture in the middle of nowhere.

Most Inspirational Moment

The walk through beautiful farm country and interesting old towns and cities.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was very good at communicating what to expect each day. He really kept the trek worry free for the group. On the trail he sped up or slowed down to keep us together enough to have all stops and meals together. All of the stops were at great places for coffee and food and we put tables together so we could visit. Jose made a point of interacting with all of us. He had excellent advice on how to avoid blisters and offered first aid if people developed them. Having Jose with us allowed us to enjoy the Camino concentrate on the trek.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do an honest self evaluation of your walking skills. Then take time to get to the point that you are able to walk for a few hours and go a long distance. This trek was not a marathon race, but you cover a lot of ground. The days are usually a pattern like : breakfast, walk about 2-3 hours, break, walk about 2-3 hours, lunch, walk about 2-3 hours, break, walk an hour or so, check into hotel with a group dinner scheduled for later. It is a full day that is so interesting and picturesque that is goes by quickly. If you read the blogs they tell you to bring certain kinds of gear. Take it with a grain of salt. Decide what you really need to trek miles per day. Dress for the weather. In May I wore merino wool longjohns, poly tee shirt, Gore Tex pants and jacket, Keen walking shoes. I bought a huge rain parka on the trail. I was warm and dry. I did not carry a pack or knapsack. I had a fanny pack with cash, ID, and small water bottle. I would not recommend bringing poles unless you usually need them to walk. Shoes are the most important thing. Make sure you have shoes you can walk in for hours. I walk 8-10 miles most days. So I know my shoes are broken in and they fit. When you train for the trip trip you will be able to break in new shoes. I only used one pair of walking shoes and never unpacked the second pair. So one good pair of hiking shoes was enough for me. Off the trail I used lightweight slip-ons. In May we had fairly cool weather with rain a few times and lots of sunshine. Walking was usually in the shaded countryside with some mud. It was nice because we did not have extreme weather.

Most Inspirational Moment

Completing all the walks with supportive encouragement from our guide Sara and my fellow group members.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic and an inspiration. Sara was great at getting to know everyone in the group and ensured we had a great holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book this holiday now! You won't regret it.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspirational moment for me was anything involving how their society functions. The quietness on the public transport ( no talking on cell phones), how orderly the cities are in what could be chaos, the esthetic of beauty in every detail, the cleanliness, the courteousness everywhere, the most amazing toilets, the taking off of shoes, the lack of crime, the precision of the trains or metros, and I can go on and on. I was just gobsmacked.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Well is there a word better than incredible to describe Tatsuya or Mitch? Tatsuya, besides being a really interesting person with a very subtle sense of humor, was really a wonderful guise. Very attentive to our needs and our safety and an amazing sense of organization. Not easy getting a group through crowded metro stations and onto the bullet trains or biking through a city but they made it easy. He has a great wealth of knowledge of all aspects of Japan and really explained things well. I immediately had confidence in him and therefore didn't really need to think about anything other than riding my bike and experiencing Japan. Mitch and Tatsuya were a great team and this being a first run trip makes it even more unbelievable at how well run it was. They both had a huge amount of patience with us and stayed calm at all times and I know that they are always thinking of the next part of the trip and that their work is never done but I never felt this. They took great care of us and I appreciate how attentive they were with me being a vegetarian. Highly recommend these guides and I thank them for the fabulous experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

One of the advantages of Japan is that on many of the nights in the inns you wear kimono like robes- so you don't need that many clothes other than cycling. As far as the Japanese baths the women and men bathe separately which wasn't very clear in the instructions and do follow the pre- bathing ritual if there are Japanese there at the same time. If you are vegetarian it can be difficult at times but do buy nuts at the convenience stores to compensate for some lack of protein. Being vegan here would be quite difficult.

Most Inspirational Moment

The view of the Sassi district of Matera from our hotel room. Watching the lights come one and people wandering about was fascinating. As very little traffic is allowed in the area, you get a real sense of what life would be before cars. The beauty of the flowers and herbs we saw and smelled as we walked. Poppies, orchids, scabious, valerian, wild fennel. The smell of oregano was wonderful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Guiseppe was a knowledgeable local man, with a real love of his home area that he was eager to impart to us. He was very friendly, helpful and fun to be with.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although the weather was warmer in England than Italy at the start of our trip, I'd recommend going early in the year. The flowers are very beautiful and the area is very green. Later in the year the Matera region gets very dry and also can be very hot. Seek out the ice-cream shops. There are a lot, selling an interesting mix of flavours, and we didn't come across a bad one.