The Quest team has been planning my family trips for years now. Everything from wine tasting in…read moreFrance to deep sea fishing in the Caribbean. Saves time and effort and the end result is impossible to beat.

From the owner: Quest is the first to know about new offers and deals when they become available. We orchestrate…read morepersonal travel adventures for families, small groups, or business team building. We can partner with travel agents as well to ensure the most complete experience for you Our locations include: * The Azores * Iceland * Croatia * Spain * Belgium and the Netherlands * Czech Republic * France * Germany & Australia * Hungary and Romania * Ireland and the UK * Norway * Switzerland * Fiji * Tahiti and Bora Bora * Vietnam and Indonesia * Madeira * Canary Islands * Cabo Verde * Portugal and Lisbon * The Algarve * Tenerife * Douro River Valley * Madrid

I just read an article in the New York Times called Technology In a Self-Serve World, Start-Ups…read moreFind Value in Human Helpers. Afterwards, I felt called to update my review write about a local business whose services I use, enjoy, and feel are valuable. I think in our world of high tech, we all need services that have a personal touch. Look at the trends--companies like Stitchfix are thriving because people want to feel someone cares about them, knows them, and takes their interests, concerns, and personalities into account. (Stitchfix has stylists that learn about you and send you clothes, going after a niche market of busy women that don't want to spend time in stores. I haven't used Stitchfix so I can't recommend them personally, though I know people who have. What this points to is the trending of #Convenience. I ordered cardigans for my mom and I and it came with a beautiful handwritten note, heck even my new mattress from Casper came with a handwritten note "sleep deep." It is very nice but easy to do, but that is not building a relationship, it is a one time gesture from a cutesy marketing team. The difference behind Active Travels is the genuine caring and service tailored to you. They don't eschew technology, they blend it with their own knowledge and scores of travel writers and agents. When I went to Asheville last year, I got 10 pages from Steve about things to do and where to eat, and even to definitely order the squid ink pasta at Curate, and brunch at Biscuit Head and Sunny Point Cafe in West Asheville.This is part of why I use and recommend Active Travels, run by travel writer Steve Jermanok and his wife Lisa Leavitt who is an agent. Both are well traveled and have friends and contacts all over the globe, and better yet, they are locally based in Newton, but can be contacted from anywhere. Beyond convenience, I really feel people need more handholding than ever in these troubled times. We need to be cared for. A search engine may be efficient, but it doesn't care about you. Lisa & Steve will. Steve once joked to me that someone said to him "Why open a travel agency? You might as well become a cobbler." Well, I actually use my cobbler a lot--another local place to recommend--The Soleman in Waban, Ma. Read about them all on Yelp!

first of all i want to say that i am not a big travel guy and i spent hours online trying to make…read moremy first international trip work.All i did was get frustrated. I went to a well known agency and gave them my general wishes and i never heard back, even after two phone calls. i asked around and folks told me to go see Terry at Dedham Travel, thank God. lol Terry asked me lots of questions and started the process while i drank my coffee. She is a true professional and at the same time caring for what i was trying to accomplish. Every suggestion Terry made always had options to fit my budget and time.I left her office feeling that all would be well, and it was. Within a day i had my flight and hotel confirmations. She also suggested an agency she has dealt with that picked me up at airport and dropped me at my hotel, OMG i am so happy with the service, but mostly after the flight and a walk in Heathrow that had to be a MILE to get to baggage claim, i was in no shape to navigate the tube to get to hotel. i will say that my flights on Virgin Atlantic were outstanding and that EVERYONE i met were truly helpful and pleasant. And the hotel she booked me into was exactly like she told me so there were no surprises. And the hotel Terry suggested had a complimentary English breakfast, great convenience and great cost savings. LONDON is EXPENSIVE. I would have never been able to make my vacation work on my own. Terry is my newest special angel. thank you Terry and Dedham Travel for the best vacation EVER.

I work for a third party company that works in conjunction with this travel agency and the rudeness…read morefrom Terry was shocking. There was no need for her attitude with me when all I was trying to do was help her. She then hung up out of frustration and said she would find someone else to work with. Then she called back immediately and got another agent proceeding to tell them I was 'Useless'. Not a great attitude to have. Terry may appear super friendly and ever so nice to you customers but if you want to book with someone who is kind to the people that actually book the tours for you I would highly suggest going elsewhere.

I cold called Vivienne Stanley at Crystal Travel for help in securing flights to SE Asia. She was…read morevery prompt with a response to me and had two excellent choices for this somewhat difficult flight from Montana. I would recommend her wholeheartedly.

I had a great experience working with Vivienne, she planned all the flights and hotel…read moreaccommodations, everything was great and anytime I had questions she was very prompt to answer. Also our flight was cancelled and without even giving her a call she jumped in and rebooked our flights. I will definitely be working with her again!

We have travelled twice with Odyssey Unlimited and have had no problems. Our last tour was of…read moreThailand and Cambodia as an add on. Our tour guide Kong did an excellent job guiding us. Our hotels were great, and whenever anyone had a concern, Kong more then went out of his way to a commodate them. Some of our group had a problem in Cambodia and Odyssey gave all of us a small refund for future travel. We went on the Japan tour and Thailand as mentioned. And we first learned of them through the Smithsonian tour to South Africa. Odyssey handled all the reservations for them and also provided the guide, whose knowledge was outstanding. I had to cancel another trip to Spain and Portugal because of an illness, but was compensated partly by Odyssey and he rest by Travel Mate, so I can't complain.

Odyssey's Unlimited tour of Southern Italy & Sicily…read more As far as we are concerned it was not a pleasant experience at all! Starting from the flights which were the worst due to the economy seats, times, missed connection because we were not allowed enough time to get through the airport, customs, gates, etc. Discovery Airlines was the lowest of the low as far as service, accommodations and comfort. Missing 2 days of our tour really put a damper on our trip. The food on the trip was not at all what we expected from Odyssey after hearing "5 star - everything included " - 5 star? 2 at best! We spent more time on a bus than we expected. At least 3 days we were on for 5-6 hours. The day trips 2 hours each way. Then stopping at gas stations or truck stops to use the restrooms was disgusting. When we had time to ourselves we were left in tourist traps to "shop". How many magnets and aprons do we need to buy? The food as I mentioned was disappointing. One night we were served a bowl of beans, half a boiled potato and a boiled piece of chicken. When we mentioned it to our tour director she said "It's the food of the region." We had two nice dinners with the group. The rest of the time we had meager portions and basic food. We enjoyed our dinners on our own better. I hate to say that this experience has squashed my desire to travel with Odysseys ever again. We have traveled with Trafalger to Rome and Tuscany and the experience was far better. Motor coach w/bathrooms, better restaurants and a more lively and exciting tour. I am disappointed with the value and experience of this trip for the money we paid. When you are counting the days until you get home, that tells you it wasn't a good fit for us.

Rima has always been amazing over the years. We only realized how good she is at her job and how…read morededicated she is to her clients over the last few months when we had a lot of unexpected travel that required constant changing due to family health issues. Rima was always, and I mean always there to help us, she was super quick to respond and was able to find us options and solutions. She provides such a valuble service with true professionalism and compassion and knowing she is our person to turn to gives us such peace of mind, especially in these uncertain times of air travel. We will probably never book any flight or trip without her!! Thanks you Rima!!

I found Bler Travel on a Google search, after trying AAA and not getting my emails returned. I…read moreemailed Bler out of the blue asking for flights to Italy. I knew exactly what I wanted for flights, times, airports, airplanes, etc. I'm only giving them 2 stars because they responded to me immediately. They just returned my email with flights, no introduction, no "hi, my name is", nothing. They just kept emailing one flight after another with zero attempt at any pleasantries or interaction. Each flight was crazy expensive or not what I asked for. I asked twice that they call me and provided my number, yet they continued to just email flights. Then, they just stopped all together. Lazy, cold, unprofessional, and ignorant. I found them on Google, that's how businesses are found by new potential customers. Let them cater to their regulars, obviously they don't care to earn new customers.

Whew, where do I start? First off, if you are looking to get a call back from these folks, you'll…read morehave to wait for a few days. The agent we worked with was pretty gruff and didn't seem to be interested in answering our questions, etc. We weren't upset, until we realized that she'd booked our flight to return the day before our trip ended. Once we caught it, she changed the flights, but never sent us the new flight details. Three un-returned calls later and we finally called the supervisor. He was able to finally send us our flight info. Look, customer service is not their thing, at least in my experience. Take your hard earned money and spend it elsewhere. I think you'll just be bothering these folks if you try to have them book any trips for you. UPDATE: In the end, the folks at CC Travel did fix the issues and our trip went off without a hitch. While that doesn't erase the bad experience we had with them, it did end with a good trip.

If you want your family to walk on the wild side internationally, hire Thomson Family Adventures…read more Our trip to the Galapagos and then the Ecuador Highlands was a life changer. Seriously, it was a fantastic family adventure and Thomson made it exponentially easier and better. Before we left, they sent us information and checklists to make sure that we had everything we needed. They also arranged for our guide. He was astonishingly well informed; more like a university professor than a tour guide. Not only did he get us from point A to point B with less stress because he was handling the logistics, but we learned a TON along the way...South American history, anthropology, geology, botany and ornithology. MUCH more than we'd ever have gotten on our own. For us, everything went right but it was comforting to know that Thomson was watching our back, too. For example, if we needed a medical evacuation, they already had the insurance in place to get us back home. So if you want a fantastic adventure in a remote part of the world, our family highly recommends Thomson as your travel partner. You may wonder about the money before the trip but you'll be writing a review like this when you get home because you'll know that Thomson was worth every single penny and a whole lot more. Call them. You'll be glad you did.

We went to the Galápagos and had an amazing time. Our guide was Patricia, she was fantastic and…read moreproblem solved without ever looking stressed. Claudia, the Rafiki, was amazing. The kids loved her and she kept them entertained and engaged. It was also great to travel with other families so there were other kids to play with and it takes the pressure off being the entertainment for the kid all the time. All of our travel was arranged once we arrived in Ecuador. We never had to worry about where to eat, where to go, we just showed up when we were told to and the activities were set. Adults traveling alone may find a set itinerary somewhat confining, but with kids it is fantastic because they know what to expect and can be prepared. We really had a lovely time and would use Thomson again to plan another adventure. Shout out to Madeline and Renee who answered all our questions and kept us informed before we left.

Abraham was fantastic to work with. My EV had a flat that wasn't tracking on air when I tried to…read morefill it myself. He was able to get out to my car with a flatbed in a very timely manner. Getting the car on the flatbed was a breeze and the ride to the repair shop was great. Price was incredibly reasonable given the urgency of the situation for me. Definitely recommend his services when you're in a pinch and need a tow!

From the owner: Welcome to South Winch Towing and Services, your trusted local towing and roadside assistance…read morecompany serving Framingham and surrounding areas within a 20-mile radius. Whether you need a tow for a broken-down vehicle, a jump start for a dead battery, or assistance with another roadside emergency, our experienced team is ready to help. We use professional equipment and proven techniques to complete every service safely and efficiently, while treating your vehicle with the care it deserves. When you need dependable towing or roadside assistance in Framingham, South Winch Towing and Services is here to get you back on the road.