Most Inspirational Moment
The ride along the coast was beautiful. The Adriatic Sea was absolutely gorgeous. Matera was fascinating and beautiful, especially at night.
Thoughts on Group Leader
In my past tours with Exodus, the leaders have been amazing, going above and beyond. At each town we stayed at, there would be a planned meeting time after the ride where the leader would take us into town, show us the sights and then do a group dinner at a lovely restaurant. The guide on this tour did not do that. Other than the first night and the last night, where all he did was offer to walk people to the chosen restaurant, we were left to our own devices and never saw our guide until the next morning. He made very little effort to mingle or be part of the group. When we ended in Lecce, we were told there was a train strike. Apparently this has been announced in the media a few days prior but never communicated to us. Everyone in the group had to travel away from Lecce and most had planned to take the train. Very little assistance was offered by our guide, and his advice to me was to go sit at the train station and see what happens. Not helpful. One woman had pre-booked a transfer through exodus but we were told by our guide that it was a small car and there was no room for us to join. We were later advised by the woman that it was in fact a 7 seater van and that her and the guide were the only occupants. We ended up having to pay €350 for a private transfer to insure we made our flight.
Advice for Potential Travellers
It was VERY windy during our rides which made them far more difficult than they should have been. Be prepared for that if you go in October as apparently this is normal. When you ride on the coast, bring your swim suit and swim at the beautiful spots on the breaks as the towns you stay in do not have nearly as beautiful swim spots, despite what you may be told.
![Cycling Puglia & Matera]()
Reply from Exodus
We’re sorry to hear that Tiffany’s fifth trip with Exodus didn’t meet the high standards she’s come to expect from travelling with us. We fully appreciate how disappointing that must have been, especially after such consistently positive experiences in the past.
While it’s great to hear she enjoyed the stunning coastal rides and the beauty of Matera by night, we regret that other aspects of the trip, such as the accommodation, meal stops, and afternoon downtime, fell short of expectations. We also understand how frustrating the situation in Lecce must have been, particularly given the lack of clear communication about the train strike and the missed opportunity for shared transport. This is not the level of support we aim to provide.
Tiffany’s feedback regarding the group leader has been shared with our local team, and we’ve followed up to ensure the leader receives further training before guiding with us again. We expect all our leaders to offer not only logistical support but also meaningful engagement and insight throughout the trip, and we’re sorry that this was lacking here.
We also appreciate the note on wind conditions in October and tips about the best swim spots—this is helpful advice for future travellers and something we’ll look to communicate more clearly in our trip materials.
We thank Tiffany for her honesty and for highlighting where we can do better; we hope to be able to welcome her back on another trip soon.
– The Exodus Travels Team
