Guide Raves: Great Guides Make a Big Difference

For 25 years, Rick led many of our tours while apprenticing hand-picked new tour guides. Before long, those Rick-trained guides would apprentice another "generation," and now that second generation is training a third. We carry on Rick's personal passion for teaching to this day — and that's one big reason why more than 40 percent of our tour members are repeat customers.

We also pay our guides full salaries; kickbacks (and tips) aren't allowed. This means your guide is motivated to give you the most enriching travel experience possible, rather than steer you toward shopping or pressure you into paying extra at the tour's end.

We know our guides are great — but you don't have to take our word for it. Here are some raves from past tour members about just a few of the fine guides who'll be leading our tours in 2022.

Peter

"I truly don't know how it could have been better. Peter went above and beyond to teach, mentor, and guide all of us. His knowledge of so many places was mind boggling. He wasn't asked a question he couldn't answer. But mostly he made the trip fun!"

— Tana in Baker, NV

Lynn

"We loved Lynn! She made us feel right at home in Ireland. We know how hard she worked to make our trip experience the best ever. We loved her stories, passion, humor, politics, cultural insights, history, and local knowledge. We truly felt cared for."

— Bryan in Vancouver, WA

Torben

"If I had been told to design my ideal guide, I wouldn't have thought to ask for all that Torben brought to this tour. He helped us better understand and appreciate everything we saw and did. Add in his personality and leadership skills, and Torben is in a class of his own."

— Carissa in Savoy, IL

Jana

"Jana made our tour extraordinary! Her calm, confident demeanor dealing with logistics and genuine concern for people was evident in all that she did. Plus, the little celebrations, treats, and surprises were so well orchestrated. Jana is simply the best! "

— Debra in Carrboro, NC

Tommaso

"Tommaso was absolutely fantastic! He went out of his way to make sure we had a great time. He gave us lots of good tips for our free time and always showed us good places to eat, which wasn't always needed because he organized fantastic meals!"

— Roberto in Houston, TX

Andrea

"I can't say enough about how having a guide like Andrea made our trip so much more fun and interesting than if we had planned on our own. She was extremely knowledgeable, super conscientious, attentive to individual needs, and a lot of fun."

— Carolyn in Torrance, CA