Audley Travel - USA Avis 

Eric Carnes of Audlye provided amazing memories for us in our trip throughout Spain, whilst also reducing any stress associated with our travels - a priceless ancillary benefit to seeing the most amazing sites and places. Arriving in a foreign country where one doesn't speak the native language can be stressful in and of itself, but seeing someone with our names on a placard, waiting for us at the airport, brought with it a sense of relief and comfort. Similarly for all of our inter-country transfers via luxury vehicles between cities or to/from train stations and airports, gave us a sense of calm in what might otherwise be calamitous.

Most importantly are the hotels and excursions Eric carefully chose for us, after first understanding where our interest lie in culture, art, entertainment, etc. Our private tour guides were invaluable in bypassing long lines at Cathedrals, museums and other important sites. His selections of hotels were always in the heart of what differentiated our destinations from where we currently live - e.g. the older sections of Barcelona, great neighborhoods in Madrid, in the heart of Sitges and Seville, enabling us to immerse ourselves in those respective cultures more so than if we stayed in an Americanized hotel away from the soul of those cities. The hotels themselves were all gorgeous with sumpuous breakfast provided daily so we didn't have to worry about finding a place to eat, reducing that stressful aspect of our trip and giving us a headstart on long sightseeing or shopping days.

Our private tour guides provided invaluable background stories to the places we visited and enabled us to learn so much history in a short amount of time, something I gladly transcribed in every photo I took so as not to forget each pic's sisgnificance months or years from now. Many of our tour guides were with us for 1/2 days and sometimes for the full day - one guide in Barcelona we had for three days and were happy to share our memories with her.

We received the recommendation to ask Eric to help from very good friends and would be more than comfortable and happy to play it forward and recommnend him and Audley for any trip one may be planning.

Portugal was our destination in October. Our Audley travel specialist, Eric Carnes, planned a flawless nine days in that beautiful, friendly, interesting country. I had tried to organize the trip for my brother and friends but found myself frustrated and stymied until I discovered Audley and Eric. He shared his love of this country with us and planned a trip that provided wonderful insights. And, he worked with us to accommodate each person’s needs and wishes. No detail was too small. Our guides and drivers were cordial, knowledgeable, helpful and warm. Our accommodations were comfortable and first class. Our experiences gave us a fun introduction to Portugal. We loved sailing the Tagus in Lisbon, our seafood lunch at the beach in Sinatra, and our night of Fado. So special! And, Eric helped us organize the next phase of our trip to Vienna. We created many amazing memories. The “binder” they prepared was comprehensive and anticipated every question we had. We are already planning our next adventure with Audley.

I worked with Adam Falk at Audley Travel to set up a private tour of Uzbekistan. Adam proved to be a reliable and trustworthy travel arranger, responsive to our specific travel requests, always willing to revise our itinerary according to our changing needs and doing it promptly. He provided great recommendations for sightseeing and hotels based on his personal experience traveling in Uzbekistan. He and his company are true professionals.

Eric Carnes was fantastic. The itinerary was well organized and allowed us to experience so much of Portugal. We loved the tours, boat trips, restaurants and lodging accommodations. I would recommend using Eric as the expert in planning anyone's Portugal vacation.

Tesia was amazing! What a great trip that we organized with her heavy influence. Went to Dubai, UAE - Tesia helped organize the meet and greet at the airport to scheduling events each day. Everything went well - no issues - which allowed me to have a wonderful time. For sure, will use Tesia and Audley again!

We had never used a service such as Audley, but it made all the difference. We were able to get free time wanderings and helpful guided experiences. The logistics were seamless. We cannot praise them enough!

During each phase of our trip to Italy, from planning our itinerary to the trip itself, our Specialist and Audley Travel demonstrated true professionalism. Our accommodations on Ischia and in Sorrento were first rate. The hotel staff was warm and welcoming. Our drivers and guides were extremely knowledgeable and friendly, which helped make each excursion more enjoyable and memorable.
Now let us tell why Audley Travel will always be our travel company, and why we have recommended our Italy Specialist to anyone traveling to Italy . On September 26 during a boat tour of the Amalfi coast, we stopped outside Positano for a swim. I jumped in and because of the difference in my body temperature and the temperature of the water, I suffered Vasoconstriction and began to drown. My wife and another passenger on the boat were able to get me back on board. It was there, that I began to suffer from Secondary drowning . Fortunately, a fellow passenger was knowledgeable about First Aid and placed me in the recovery position and instructed the Captain to request medical attention. I was transported from Positano to the Hospital in Sorrento, I was admitted and placed in ICU. Almost immediately our Specialist called my Wife to find out my condition and inquire of how she could be of assistance to us. She contacted a representative of Audley’s partner in Italy and they reported to the hospital to help my wife. If this wasn’t enough, Audley Travel flew a Representative from Boston to Sorrento to assist my wife with navigating through the obstacles of my seven day hospital stay, hotel accommodations, and changes in flights. Audley Travel and our Italy Specialist ensured we were being taken care of. Constant communication with our Specialist at Audley provided a much needed level of comfort.
Even after release from the hospital and our return home, our Specialist has continued to check on us. Audley Travel is the type of company that their customers can count on.

Erika did a great job finding out what it was we wanted in our Portugal vacation and then building a fantastic itinerary for us. Even proposing activities we had not thought to consider. All of the hotels were comfortable, the guides top notch, and the transportation went smoothly.

I was referred to Audley Travel by a friend who used the firm for a trip to Italy. He raved about his experience, so when we began planning a trip to Ireland for our youngest daughter’s 40th birthday, we reached out to Audley and were connected with Lily Cohen.

Working with Lily was absolutely wonderful. She handled every question, request, and change with ease and professionalism, making the entire planning process enjoyable and stress-free. In fact, our experience was so positive that we are now working with Lily again to plan another trip to Ireland with two other couples.

I have already recommended Lily and Audley Travel to friends and will continue to do so without hesitation.

We just returned from a magical trip to Bhutan, arranged by the country specialist, Jason Toms at Audley Travel. The trip was custom-designed around our interests and based on Jason’s intimate knowledge of the region. Audley was there for us from the moment we arrived to our return to the airport (except for planned down time to soak up the ambiance for ourselves) hosted by the same knowledgeable local guide and driver throughout. The lodges selected for our stays were unique and outstanding in terms of comfort, beauty, service and meal quality. Adjustments to our schedule, if needed or requested, were made with ease. We hiked through beautiful territory, and differences in our abilities were supported so that we each could enjoy the trails. My travel partner was suffering from a bad back and they watched over her like two mother hens. There were many things to enjoy, from surprise picnics, shared cultural events, lucky encounters with lopen monks, visits to beautiful stupas and monasteries and the ever-present breathtaking scenery. Best of all was the people of Bhutan, dressed in their colorful traditional clothing who seemed truly content, gentle, and welcoming. Life in Bhutan is an amazing mixture of old and new worlds. It was a very long way away, but definitely worth the journey.

We have used Audley Travel twice now to plan vacations in Japan. Both times have resulted in amazing experiences! Our travel specialist (Adam) takes great pains to be sure all of our needs are included in the wonderful itineraries that he puts together. We have some allergies that require special attention and Audley makes sure they are taken into account for all the accommodations and meals that are included. I frankly cannot imagine trying to plan a trip in Japan or any other far-away destination without using Audley. Do yourself a favor and enjoy a completely stress-free vacation by using the people at Audley to make all the preparations for you! You won't regret it.

My wife and I wanted to originally make a trip to Japan back in 2012 for our honeymoon. Due to finances, timing, and other factors (such as not finding a travel agent that fit our needs) we just ended up never going. Now, I am not one to travel often domestically let alone have I ever put something together to travel overseas as an adult. So, this was going to be extremely challenging.

From day one, Audley has been absolutely amazing to work with!! My wife and I can not thank them enough for helping us make this trip possible! They saved us so much time, stress, and anxiety. For the pricing and what they have to offer, it is absolutely 100% WORTH EVERY SINGLE PENNY SPENT.

Specifically, I want to thank our planner - Mackenzie McNeill. You were an absolute pleasure to work with! Very professional and on top of every excursion detail. She accommodated pretty much everything my wife and I wanted to see or do while in Japan.

Again, as someone who doesn't travel often and finds planning daunting/challenging, Audley made everything simple and easy. I would HIGHLY recommend using their services to anyone looking to travel (especially, abroad).

Looking forward to planning our next future trip!!

Best,

Ross and Anamarie

We just returned from our 3rd terrific adventure with Audley, this time to Japan. Our specialist, Tamatha Frederick, worked closely with us to plan a trip that aligned with our interests, giving us exactly the kinds of experiences we were looking for. Start to finish all travel and accommodations worked perfectly. Great guides, wonderful dining recommendations, and in the few instances when needed, super responsive in-country support. Couldn’t be happier with our Audley trips.

We were so pleased with the trip to Scotland that Audley (and their travel specialist, Mareesa Ahmed) planned for us. This trip was everything we had wanted and nothing was overlooked. From the pre- trip planning meetings, to the actual book they provided which included our itinerary, contact phone #'s and suggestions for dining/shopping, etc), Audley and Mareesa didn't miss a thing. We can not wait to plan our next adventure with Audley!

All of the arrangements were what we hoped for. We needed some special accommodations and they were all handled perfectly.

Used Audley to create a bespoke experience for my best friend and I going to Iceland. Worked with Mareesa and she was fantastic, especially in considering my friend and I's interests and some special travel considerations. Went above and beyond when snow forced us to stay 2 extra days, made what would have been a stressful end to a trip a mere setback! Would absolutely use them again.

After a review of places to visit for my upcoming 70th, we decided to check out Audley. We were put in touch with Scotland specialist Sarah. In only a few days Sarah put together a tour that is going to be awesome. From the time we land until the time we leave, there are no worries. Everything from hotels, excursions, drivers, Sarah has it all covered. Now we just have to wait until the time for travel gets here.

Everything with our recent trip to Japan was wonderfully planned and organized, and we would do the trip again the same way, except for one excursion, a nighttime Tokyo harbor cruise. The cruise was fine, not a bad experience by any means, just one of those activities that sounded much better than it turned out.
Mackenzie McNeill of Audley was fantastic to work with. She was pleasant, charming, helpful and is VERY knowledgeable about Japan. She listened to our suggestions and choices and "put them into effect" perfectly, for example, with picking the lodging in the various places we stayed.

All the arrangements were well done and the organization and communication were terrific. Our primary contact, Alix M. handled the communication exceptionally well and was tenacious in seeking feedback following the trip. The guides on the ground (and drivers) were very knowledgeable, engaging and flexible. We had a great experience.

We actually had never heard of Audley Travel. So, it was just by chance I checked it out. We are so thankful I did. Erika Jolie was our trip advisor. We knew we wanted to go to Portugal, but had no idea what we wanted to see and do.
Erica was spot on perfect in setting up a trip of 16 days to give us a variety of landscapes and activities that kept us entertained and happy for our trip. This includes all the perfect guides, hotels, excursions and hints on places to eat and places we might want to stray a little off course because we might enjoy seeing them.
We remained in contact with her as she made our plan. She went so far as to set up all of our routes on Google Map so we never got lost or wondered where we were.
We have never driven ourselves on a vacation in Europe before so we were a little leary; however, this was such a fantastic experience we are ready to go again. If only we could have Erika for all our trips!!
You have a real gem in her. Don't lose her.