Just returned from Caravan's Grand Canyon Tour. What a terrific experience and value! There's virtually nothing we would have changed. Accommodations were very comfortable, meals provided were okay, with excellent meals at Zion. All the parks - Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bryce & Zion were stunningly beautiful. The itinerary was well planned and paced. But the trip was exceptionally fun, inspirational and informative because of our guide - Mike D! His enthusiasm, insights and humor made the trip an adventure to remember. This was our first bus tour, and we will definitely be doing more with Caravan. read more

I just returned from Caravans Costa Rica tour. All I can say is ask for Paul Valverde to be your tour guide. He was Fantastic!!! This tour is the best and the price is very reasonable. All activities and all meals are included. I had a very memorable vacation read more

Recently went on a Caravan Tour for Costa Rica. My wife and I enjoyed our 9 days. There were a few hotels and related that perhaps were not up to par, but for the most part, things were good. Aaron Salazar Guido was a good guide read more

This is the best way to see the canal and Panama No need to get a cruise ship through the canal This is the best way Constant variety, huge quantities of great food, great hotels in the best locations. Comfortable, educational, safe, fun trip Our tour director Pedro had to be their best as was our driver Hansel Take this tour, it was better than described read more

We took a Caravan tour to Costa Rica early March 2018. The Caravan Tour was very disappointing. We sat in the bus for almost 900 miles. The scenery while in the bus was generally dreary. We drove many miles past homes protecte with bars and barbed wire, dried shrubs and trees and skinny cows It was not long before we realized that the "dry season" in Costa Rica meant that the foliage and rainforests were dead looking and most of the birds and animals were not to be seen. . The Poas Volcano (one of the major sights) was cancelled due to some volcanic activity. Although there are many other volcanos that could have been included Caravan did not replace the Poas cancellation with another Volcano or anything else significant . There were several boat rides and an aerial tour but since the wildlife was sparse they were uneventful with the guides pointing out ordinary birds in the trees. When we took the crocodile boat tour and saw no crocks for the entire ride. The guide suddenly spotted what looked to be a giant fake crocodile in the water. Generally the hotels were decent but meals were pretty repetitious including a lot of beans and rice. A bit of variation would have been nice. Also because of other Caravan tours following our same route we had to take turns getting served dinner at convenient times. The one high points to the tour was the time spent at the JW Marriott resort. It was high class on a beautiful beach. There was good food and entertainment. Sadly that was short lived and we were back on road in the bus again. In Summary I would recommended that if you decide to go to Costa Rica do not go in the "dry season". You will be disappointed. One of the tour guides suggested to me that the best time to visit to Costa Rica is between the dry and wet seasons. May or November is optimal when things are moist and animals return. I would not recommend Caravan. It was an uneventful dreary 9 days and 900 miles in the bus with a minimum of good activities. read more

This Caravan Tours, "Costa Rica Natural Paradise" tour, was booked through AAA (Lori Olbrich) in Greece, New York. Tour Dates 1/19/18 - 1/27/18 Hotels: We loved all of the hotels: Our favorites were the, Arenal Springs, in La Fortuna for its wonderful secluded rooms, and thermal fed hot spring pools, with swim up bars, and the J.W. Marriott Guanacaste for its Pacific ocean beach views, and beautiful infinity pool. The quest rooms were all top quality and nicely appointed. They were much nicer than we were expecting. Meals: All of the meals served buffet style, provided a wonderful selection of different types of cuisine, including local Costa Rican favorites. Fresh local fruits, and vegetables were always available. and the service provided was very good. Sightseeing & Activities: We originally chose Caravan for our vacation tour based on the itinerary, and all of the included daily activities. My favorites were the Wildlife Jungle Cruise, and traversing the rainforest Hanging Bridges. Even with the torrential rain, it was an amazing experience to spend time in the dense jungle, surrounded by lush tropical plants. trees and wildlife. Rest & Photo Stops: I thought Caravan did a great job in balancing the time spent on the bus with restroom, eating and photo stops. We were never on the bus for more than about two hours at a time without stopping for a relaxing break. We usually had between 50-60 minutes to eat, and use the facilities, which seemed to be about right. I almost never felt hurried to return to the bus. Tour Director: Caravan simply could not have done better when it selected Cinthia Cuadra as a tour director. Of all of our tours, she is by far the Best! Cinthia always exhibited a delightful, upbeat personality, and we always started out each day with a positive saying (PURA VIDA), which was read by one of us, and the Tico fact of the day. The long travel times always passed quickly as Cinthia spoke to us about Costa Rican facts, history and stories. It was always quite evident how proud she is of her heritage, and she always spoke very highly of her country, its people and Caravan Tours. She was continually making us all laugh while reciting one of her stories. If someone asked a question she didn't know the answer to, she would research it and get back to the person with the correct answer the following day. She also could be quite firm when necessary, in explaining the rules, and expectations that were expected of us all. She was the perfect representative for Costa Rica, and Caravan Tours. Local Guides: All of the local guides which guided us on our excursions seemed very knowledgeable, and had a good sense of humor. They all went out of their way to provide us with an enjoyable experience and to help us better understand the sights, and ways of life of Costa Rica. Drivers: Our bus driver Mario was also wonderful. He always exhibited safety first, and would help everyone When exiting or boarding the bus. He was very polite and had a good sense of humor. Mario would always slow down to give us an opportunity for us to see something of interest on the side of the road. Motorcoaches, Ships & Trains: Our motor coach was very spacious and comfortable. There was an onboard bathroom provided for us to use, however we were cautioned, it was only to be used for in an extreme emergency, and only for liquid waste. This policy needs to change! It is important especially for older travelers to feel that they have a bathroom to use if they are uncomfortable, or suffering. And, this means for both liquid and solid waste. Many seniors may have medical issues which may make waiting up to two hours or more between rest stops impossible for them, and no one wishes for others to know of their discomfort. Additional Comments: This was our first experience with Caravan Tours, and it won't be our last. You went above and beyond, in making this vacation a wonderful experience. From the top notch hotels, educational and exciting daily excursions, and to Cinthia the best tour director ever. The traditional Costa Rican dancers were also a nice surprise, on our last night after dinner. We will definitely recommend Caravan Tours, to all of our friends and family. read more

I just returned from the 9 day Costa Rica tour with Jose Castillo-Tour Guide and Pipe aka Alex and it was the most educating and interactive trip I´ve ever been on. Jose spent all 9 days feeding us information about the country and the animals. He always showed up with a wonderful attitude and smile on his face ready for the day adventure. We always knew what we were doing each day and could easily get in a hold of him if we needed. It also helped that he had a great sense of humor and could keep us laughing throughout the long drives. Pipe was not just a driver. He was constantly interacting with the group making sure we were all ¨HAPPY¨, keeping us hydrated, getting us to each location safely and keeping the bus so clean. He is an outstanding driver, able to maneuver the bus in some of the smallest roads and sharp turns. As Pipe says ¨this was definitely the HAPPY BUS¨. I´m so happy we got both of these gentlemen to escort us on this tour. They have great chemistry together and really know how to show off their native country of Costa Rica. read more

We just returned from the 3/8/16 Panama City trip. Summation: FAB-ulous, with a great tour guide, Carlos Rivera!! We've done a lot of tours, and this was a great one. We all don't know how Caravan can do it for the money!! We had meals every day, and stayed in excellent hotels, Marriott, the Intercontinental, Westin H. We also stayed in a quaint hotel in the Gamboa resort, a hotel in keeping with the locale. We also had pre-paid entry fees for varied museum and the canal location itself. We are long-standing tourers, both guided and on our own. This one was truly AMAZING!! We want to tell others, and more importantly look for other Caravan offerings to do. Dave Sullivan read more

Took caravan tours to mt Rushmore, crazy horse, grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and salt lake city. Jeffrey King was our tour guide and was excellent even with his corny jokes. Learned so much and had a wonderful time! read more

Caravan Tours - Travel Services Near Me

Caravan is a great tour company, the places and number of tours are limited but they are as great as the larger ones. Staff in there head office are extremely helpful, Great things are no hidden expenses, hotels are top of the line. Prices reasonable. We have taken the New England tour with Caravan are taking the Panama Canal tour because you are not required have to take a large cruise ship to other places to get there. Larger tour companies require cruise with higher prices. read more

I can't tell you enough about this company! We did the South Dakota, Yellowstone etc. The tour guide was AMAZING, the driver was AMAZING and food included was AMAZING. My husband and I had a blast. We will be using Caravan in the future for sure. A+++++ read more

Caravan Tours - Panama Canal, Rainforests & Beaches Tour (5/20 - 5/27/17) This was my first Caravan Tour; however, it won't be my last. Caravan provided an all-inclusive with excellent service, a large variety of experiences, local ethnic entertainment, extensive educational information, great accommodations, bountiful amounts of food, and a seamless vacation trip for my recent extended family event. Our tour guide Raquel was at our ever-beckoning call and provided empathy along with promptness for our group over the seven days. Her knowledge and mannerism far surpassed my expectations. Likewise, the tour driver Padilla, was a master at handling our transportation with great craft and a high-level of hospitality at every stop. Caravan rates at the high end of the spectrum for guided tours I have been involved with. My only areas of suggestion for improvement are: an update of the day by day itinerary guide travel tips related to the airport exit tax, flashlights, etc. and modified luggage tags with full name information to assure that bags make it to the correct room when duplicate names exist. J & A Bates & Family read more

I recently took a Caravan Tour to Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. It was absolutely wonderful and the price was very reasonable especially for a single traveler. Caravan has been in business a long time. The hotels were very nice, in good locations, and of good quality. The tour director and bus driver were experienced, pleasant, organized and knowledgeable. I can't wait to travel again with Caravan. read more

Took a 9 days Costa Rica Caravan tour lead by Ruth Gonzalez, 3/3-3/11/2018. The tour was perfectly organized, beautiful hotels, very good meals and above all an outstanding guide who did her utmost to make us feel great and welcome within the group and wherever we went. Great tour and great job by Ruth!! Highly recommend . read more

Costa Rica Tour: I have been on organized tours before, and this FAR exceeded my expectations. - First, Alejandra Guevara, our tour guide, was an absolute delight. She was extremely knowledgeable and kept the bus engaged just the right amount! - The accommodations were superb and a caliber much higher than expected for the price of the tour - With the price including hotels, meals, transportation and tours, you cannot beat the value for the price paid. If you are looking to squeeze as much as possible into a short period, a tour is usually your best option. For me, a guided tour that provides some context, tidbits, and tips is preferable to driving around myself. We saw many sites that we would not have stopped for and learned far more about the country that only reading several books would have gained me. The only drawback I will note is that the mornings were early. I will be looking at other Caravan Tour destinations for future trips. If you are worried about not being a 'crowd' person, and being on a bus with a lot of other people, I will put out there that you can engage or keep to yourself as much or as little as you want. Given the information provided by Alejandra that I would not have gotten if on my own, I am fine on the bus. Fortunately, we had some amazing people on the tour with us and will continue to keep in touch. read more

Great tour operator. Experience shows. Took Caravan to Costa Rica. Best hotels. Good food. Tour leaders did their best but they certainly were not scholars. Highly recommended. read more

We just got back from a 10 day tour of Guatemala and it was wonderful. We had 2 families and 6 kids from the ages of 18-10 and everyone had an amazing time. Our guide really made our trip and was so knowledgable about the country. He was so well organized and made everything so easy for our families. The food at each hotel was delicious and there was such a variety. All of the hotels were different and had such character and charm. We learned so much about the Mayan culture and history. Thank you Caravan and G! We will be back! read more

My trip to Costa Rica with Caravan Tours was great. I went solo and met the nicest people, had great food, great tours, great weather, excellent driver and tour guide (Anna). It's very structured and well organized but a lot of time spent on the bus. They should extent the trip to 12 nights instead of 8 so you can spend more time in every place. read more

We are very upset with Caravan Tours. My husband is disabled and uses a motorized scooter for mobility. Caravan Tours will not allow him on any of their tours with his scooter. The scooter will easily fit in the belly of the bus as it breaks down. My husband can transfer on and off the bus without assistance. It seems like this is an issue that should be looked into by the company and by the American Disability. In this day and age Caravan Tours should be ashamed at their policies that effect the disabled. Kathy and Scott Buckenmeyer read more

Tour to Grand Cayon, Bryce and Zion National run BADLY. Tour Director Mary was like the police. Not enough time for rest stops. Put up at Yavapai Lodge in Grand Canyon with no transportation back to the Canyon and restaurants (many infirm passengers). TOLD TO BUY OUR LUNCH AT WALMART 24 HRS. BEFORE EATING IT at Bryce Canyon Lodge. Had to eat in Lobby like second class citizens. read more

I just returned from an amazing tour of Costa Rica. Alejandra was our tour guide. I want to speak about how amazing she is. Ali has a wonderful personality. She was able to connect with my 9 year old son and my 84 year old Pop. She was so knowledgeable, enthusiastic and fun. By far the best tour guide I have ever met. read more

My wife and i just finished the Grand Canyon tour with Caravan Tours with Kelly Thomas as our tour director. Without Kelly the trip would have been only 1/2 as good. He's a teacher of geology, history, and current events, an entertainer with wit and good timing, and a very caring person. Overall the tour is planned very well with enough time at all the sites and is very good value. Jeff & Katy from Boston read more

We were unable to go on our trip to Nova Scotia because my elderly mother became ill. The staff was so considerate. We had taken out travel insurance and received a prompt return of our funds. I look forward to touring with Caravan. read more

This trip to Panama is highly recommended. If you want to know about Panama, people and the Canal this is the trip. Hotels and boats of various sizes made this unexpectedly fun and informative. We even introduced to indigenous Indians, monkeys,and least we forget THE SKYLINE OF Panama. read more

Six of us just completed their tour of Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell and Zion...simply unbelievable beauty and Caravan was beyond first rate. We stayed in the National Parks, in the middle of everything. The tour guide and bus driver were part of the adventure. Wife and I are looking at using Caravan again for a Canadian trip next year. Would recommend highly...to duplicate this trip on my own would cost so much more... read more

I prefer Insight or Premier World Discovery. The hotels are nicer and the itinerary much better.

A little disappointed that my tour guide didn't end the tour by blasting confetti, might now come back again, overall very knowledgeable though and I feel smarter after this. I can finally check this off my bucket list read more

The best vacation of my life! Costa Rica was so much fun. 5 star resorts , food excellent , tour director the very best. When my son is a little older, will take him too. read more

Excellent! Gerardo was so thorough! We got a lot of surprises along the way! We didn't need to add anything , including money! Everything and more was provided and I saw everything I wanted to see! What a fabulous value!!! read more

Just got home from the most amazing trip to Costa Rica with an even more amazing tour guide, Anita Monge. Would totally do it again. Only wish would be to have Anita as our guide for all trips and Mongo as our driver! read more

We have toured with Caravan to Costa Rica and to Mt Rushmore. Both trips were wonderful, very well organized, good hotel stops, great tour guides who were very knowledgeable. If we have one complaint, it would be that we would like to see some expansion of choices. You have such a nice product, and very affordable. We are just surprised you have never offered more choices. Thanks, Marilyn Vrana, Davie, Florida read more

Last year at this time, I stood in silly costume and got to pick a curtain on 'Let's Make a Deal'. I won the grand prize. A trip to New England for me and a guest. I haven't taken the tour yet, but I wanted to say what a great experience I've had so far in planning the trip with Caravan Tours. (I will revise this when the trip is done). They have been so incredibly helpful, professional and get an A+ for being so accommodating as I try to line up the dates to take the trip. Nothing but a joy (even the receptionist celebrated my win with a big congratulations). Thank you Caravan, I have all the confidence in the world that this will be a trip of a lifetime (I can see why game shows use your services). I can't wait. read more

We went on the "Costa Rica Natural Paradise" tour in Jan 2018. This is our first tour with Caravan and we were very impressed. Tour Directors and Driver Cinthia Cuadra was our Tour Director and she is by far the best Tour Director that we ever had. We had multiple tours with Globus and Insight Vacations and none of their Tour Directors can compare to Cinithia. We can tell she was well prepared as evidenced by the wealth of information she shared about Costa Rica and she makes it interesting too and not put us to sleep. She is well organized and provide such a high level of professional services that goes beyond our expectations. She also injects a high level of positive energy that greatly enhanced the tour. We would definitely ask for her as a Tour Director the next time we tour with Caravan. Mario is our driver and he is an exceptional driver. The road conditions in parts of Costa Rica is not in very good condition and he is able to not only provide a smooth ride by steering away from potholes but also manage to spot wildlife sightings. Hotels The tour started at Barceló San Jose hotel which is nice hotel but is out of the way from the city center. I used Uber to get to the city center which is very reasonable. Then we spend two nights at Arenal Springs Hotel and JW Marriott Hotel and they both are exceptional hotels. The only hotel that is average is the San Bada hotel which is right next to the entrance of the Manuel Antonio Provincial Park. The room furnishing needs to be updated and the A/C unit replaced as it was very noisy. But the convenience factor to the park cannot be beat with this hotel. The last night of stay was at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Jose which is another exceptional hotel. Food All breakfast, lunch and dinner are included and served buffet style. Food quality is good except the buffet at the JW Marriott which is better. I would suggest skipping one evening buffet in San Jose in Day 1 or 2 and sample some local cruise either at the San José Central Market (Mercado central) or a local restaurant because it will be harder to do once you leave San Jose. Itineraries All the places we visited are very good with the following exceptions: 1. We knew before departure that the Poás Volcano (Day 2) is closed to visitors due to active volcanic activity. Caravan replaced this with an Ox Cart factory tour which is just ok. I wish they would substitute a San Jose City Center walking tour or a food tour that introduce local cuisine instead. If you do not care about the coffee plantation visit, then you may want to skip the included activity for Day 2 and spend some time in San Jose. 2. Visiting Leatherback Turtles National Park (day 5) is not very interesting as the chance of sighting is extremely rare. Once we learned from our Tour Director that the visit is mainly to support the local conservation effort to protect the Leatherback Turtles, we did not mind spending the 30 mins to visit this place. I would suggest watching the film at the Visitor Center and then chill out near the Visitor Center with a cold coconut water because the walk to the beach is not very interesting. Summary Overall we are very impressed with Caravan with the great value provided in this tour. What made this tour particularly memorable and exceptional is our Tour Director Cinthia. We are looking forward for vacationing again with Caravan Tours. read more

We don't complain. We just don't do business again, or we keep quiet. We need people to post online, all the problems....... People who complain, are helping others with much needed information. TRUTH is essential in acquiring ALL the facts. I am the 4th person to complain within a very short time.......... Better Business Bureau lists October, November, December, and now January... And... those complaints are just what we know about. How many others were there, or should there have been? Caravan Tours, Inc.... is MISMANAGED, rude, non caring, ruthless, unfair. Though they have already accepted your money... they feel entitled to cancel you, and you are out all the plane fares and other expenses. How can this even be legal? I suggest that anyone and everyone, with the slightest little complaint or problem, should post online. As people have stated... mostly older persons travel on such tours... and, are either not sufficiently proficient with modern Internet, or, are too polite to say anything negative... So.. problems exist, but, remain unreported. Customer is always right. When customers have problems, complaints, questions, a good company will attempt to resolve any and all issues to satisfaction... and, not just hang up on them... as this can only escalate the problems...... and, lead to nonsensical insanity, hurt feelings, and costly losses, rather than joy. Caravan Tours, Inc........ has forgotten the Golden Rule. Positive, elaborate comments... tend to usually be from the Companies........ and, intended as an advertisement... pretending to be from satisfied clients... Negative comments, such as Better Business Bureau Complaints are not written with all the specific details for us to read... So, we are kept in the dark, rather than informed. All we know for sure, is that, problems have happened repeatedly , monthly, and, keep happening continually, and obviously, from my complaint, the Company keeps erring as if customers are inconsequential. We only know of the few posted complaints, and not ALL the problems... read more

Just returned from a 9 day Costa Rica Natural Paradise Tour. It was very well planned out to give us a taste of Costa Rica--we would never have been able to do what we did on our own for the same amount of money. #Fiorella Matarrita was our very well informed and competent tour guide which definitely enhanced our trip. #Jamie was our very competent bus driver who made us feel safe on those narrow roads. Two of the hotels were great, 2 fine and 1 (in the rain forest) great location but ok. All meals were plentiful buffets with lots of fresh fruit and delicious fish and coffee con leche! Came away very impressed by the country (90% renewable energy, more than 40% conservation land, national health insurance, literacy rate greater than96%) and its people. Will go back and would take another Caravan Tour should the opportunity arise. read more

Hotels - Best part of the trip Meals - All three meals each day were the same or similar. I started to skip some of them. Little or no taste. Sightseeing - too much bus riding and not enough out and about Rest and Photo Stops - not enough. I can only sit on a bus 3 or 4 hours per day Tour Director - OK but she could have talked more about the culture and history Local Guides - Good but not enough of them Driver - Very good Bus - OK Additional Comments - Too many people on the tour and too old. It might be good if it is your first tour outside the US, but we have had tours with other companies that were much better and with much better guides and directors. read more

We just got back from their tour of Panama and were very impressed. This group is a fairly well practiced outfit that has all the boxes checked and a continual eye on customer experience. The accommodations were well above my expectations for a package tour at every stop. They had good buffets lined up at each location as well - making this one of the few truly "complete" packages I've encountered in my travels. The guide - Carlos - was well versed in the details of the various stops and did a good job of balancing out the time needed to fill everyone in on the details while letting you have time to experience the sights. Whether it was the stops to see the canal, the ride through the canal, the view of the rainforest and wildlife, and more - we got a week full of sights and even a day to stop at the beach built in. There were multiple "surprises" including the addition of the new sloth preservation project in Gamboa. I can't recommend this one enough. I wish more tour companies were like this. read more

We just returned from a Caravan tour of Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, and Grand Tetons. Although there were just a couple of things we did not like, overall it was a very enjoyable seven days. The tour director was superb, very helpful, always available, friendly, and a pleasant person. The driver was very good at his job, extremely experienced and knowledgable. The trip was well planned, most of the hotels were above average in quality, the bus was comfortable, the included meals were good. Financially, it was a good buy overall. However, it did cost somewhat more than expected based on the advertisements. Although Caravan advertises that "most or all" meals are included, in this particular tour only nine of the twenty meals were included, and of these, only one of the seven dinners. In addition, there was heavy emphasis on gratuities, with too-frequent reminders. Suggested amounts were given, and even the minimum suggested amounts seemed rather high to me. We were given to feel obligated, rather than left to decide on our own based on the quality of the service. Caravan stated that the only gratuities not included in the price were those to the tour director and driver. However, gratuities to hotel maids and local guides, and shuttle drivers were also not included, and suggested amounts for these were given by the tour director. Over all we spent about $150 on gratuities, even though staying in the lower range of the suggested amounts. But we are glad we went, and will consider Caravan again when planning another trip. read more

Look, touring with Caravan is a great idea if you're looking to take the hassle out of all of the planning and logistics of traveling (hotel booking, transportation, reservations for restaurants, tickets for events, etc...) but I have to say, there seems to be things that are far too touristy on these trips. I've taken two Caravan trips so I have yet to get the full experience of touring with them. With that being said my personal experience with this makes me feel obligated to warn anyone who is a youth like me (Age 27): EXPECT YOUR FELLOW TOUR GUESTS TO BE ON THE OLDER SIDE. On both trips the average age of a traveler was about 65, and they were almost all couples. There's nothing wrong with that, I just feel like I connect better with people my age. Perhaps Caravan could put together something that would cater to people in their 20s and 30s (night life bars and clubs, as well as hands on active fun that maybe older people can't handle like white water rafting and mountain hiking). I had nothing really to talk to them about so I tried to focus heavily on absorbing the beautiful scenery and historical relevance. I'll start with where I was pretty disappointed: California Coast and Yosemite- We spent more time stopping at gift shops and places to spend spend spend then we did learning new things and seeing anything historically relevant. I understand that some people like souvenirs but come on, we all had plenty of time to do that on our own in the evening. We took a boat ride along the San Francisco Bay area and sailed PAST Alcatraz. We didn't actually get to go there, we just sailed past it. Ridiculous. We also stopped at a lot of place that sold food, which I think could have been skipped because 1: the more you buy the harder it is to pack, and some things can't go on a plane (Like liquid or larger jars of jelly, soap and similar things) and 2: It can go bad. Some hotels don't have fridges so that's something to keep in mind if you're considering buying perishable food. The meals included were breakfasts at fancy hotels. Now I don't know if those would have been included if we were just staying there and not using Caravan, but some were good some weren't. As someone who is health conscious, I felt like it was hard to eat healthy and stay in shape with so much greasy food and few opportunities to exercise, but that's just me. I think they could have included a few more meals as well considering that we really couldn't do much grocery shopping and cooking, and had to spend so much eating out (food gets especially pricey at places like Yosemite and other national parks). Sight seeing was nice and we got to go to the very first Saloon in California (though they didn't give us much time to spend there), so that was pretty cool. Yosemite was a huge disappointment because we felt so rushed and didn't get to see more. I had this same problem at one of the museums we visited during the Yellowstone trip. The Hollywood stuff is something not really up my ally but if you like movies and actors, you will enjoy standing on the stage where the actors accept academy awards and seeing the real live set of jeopardy at Sony Pictures Studios. Overall, I would say that the California trip is pretty skipable. I have a high opinion of Caravan, but this tour seems to be their weakest. Again this is the opinion of a young 27 year old who likes history and hands on activities so research it thoroughly to decide for yourself. Yellowstone- I have fond memories of this trip. If you're from the east coast or midwest and you don't get out much, you're going to be blown away by some new things (especially if you like histoy). It's got everything from beautiful mountains of Montana, to the sight seeing of wild buffalo and bison, as well as lots of green space and spacious sight seeing in general and on a particularly grand scale. Standing in the area where Custer and his men fell was a blast and hearing the Native American tell the story was absolutely captivating. You also get to stop at Jacksonhole in Wyoming I believe, which is a cool little place to spend an evening. The hotels are a mix. Some are a bit more rustic than others, but if you think about it, who wants to spend so much time in their hotel when they can see Old Faithful or some of the other sights available. I will warn people considering this trip that the Old Faithful Inn has some of the worst and most overpriced food I've ever eaten on a vacation. If you can, opt for their little food court or get something on the way before you arrive to eat because their restaurants are a real rip off. You do a lot of driving on this trip but they show movies (the one about Wild Bill Hickok was especially cool) to keep you entertained. Overall, it's going to take a pretty darn good Caravan tour elsewhere to top this experience, so if you are more into historical relevance and nature than you are spending money and doing touristy stuff, opt for this one. read more

Recently took the 10 day Caravan tour of Costa Rica. Tour was good and our guide Diego was very informative. Had fun, met many very nice people and learned a lot. However about day 8, Diego began being very short with people when they asked a question. On one occasion, I watched him face timing with someone and ignoring a question that he had promised to answer days before. On the last day, we arrived at our hotel and checked in only to find out that we had been given a room in tower #2 quite some distance away from everyone else. We had been in some of the more distant rooms during the entire trip and because we were leaving at 4am, we did not want to be that far away. We asked at the desk to be moved into tower #1 and were originally told no rooms were available. A second person told us she would try to find us a room. At that point, Diego asked what the problem was. We told him and he said the room selection was up to the hotel, which we knew, and he began to get irritated because we were asking the question. As the second clerk was trying to accommodate us, Diego took his room key and slammed it on the counter, said something in Spanish and walked away. The clerk apologized and said "I don't know what his problem is" then gave us what was Diego's room in tower #1. On two occasions that night he had opportunities to apologize but didn't. The next morning in the lobby, I saw him reading a paper. I asked him if we gave our room key to him as had been the case through the tour, or the hotel? He didn't even look up and never said a word, just pointed to the front desk. It wasn't until I started to give him a tip that he looked up and smiled and said thank you but again never apologized. Found out later, Diego told one in our group that he was "burned out". That being the case, he should not be conducting a tour in that condition and Caravan needs to know that so it doesn't happen again. We were ready to give him a 5 star rating until he developed an attitude that should not be allowed from a tour guide. read more