"Who uses travel agents these days?" YOU SHOULD. I do, when I want a vacation that is professionally planned down the smallest detail and I just want to have fun with no headaches. It's possible to do all the legwork yourself through the internet and through word of mouth, but I'm convinced you can't get a relaxing, quality vacation without professionals like Jack at Clement Travel.
My family has used Jack for decades to plan our family vacations. Last year we used him to plan a LARGE family vacation, one that I call "OUR OWN TOUR GROUP." Ten of us decided to take a 3 week vacation to China. The whole trip was planned for us according to our wishes, along with Jack's recommendations. Can you imagine the logistics of keeping 10 people together, on time, happy, amused, well fed, not too tired, on the go, and seeing as much as we could in the short time that we had? No mean feat! This vacation exceeded my wildest dreams.
First, Jack had everything organized and planned out for the ten of us from day one. As soon as our large group landed in China, there was a knowledgable English speaking local guide and two drivers who met us as soon as we got through Customs. The guide led us to a comfortable air-conditioned van with a driver, while the other driver whisked away all our luggage (a lot!) in another van and brought it to the hotel. We and the guide went straight to a restaurant where they were expecting us (which meant no waiting for seating, and no waiting for the food to arrive!) and sat down for one of many amazing multi-course local meals. The guide slipped away and allowed us to enjoy the meal on our own and bask in the environment. The guide kept us on a strict time line, and got us back on the van, which of course was waiting outside, and delivered us to our 5 star hotel. Then began our sightseeing, which was as seamless and organized as everything else had been.
About the hotels: If money is an object Jack can work around your budget. But he convinced us to go for nice hotels and it was well worth it. Walking around China at a breakneck speed trying to capture as much as you can of the enormous country in a relatively short period time is exhausting. You need to relax when you get back. The hotels were so nice that most of the time I forgot I was in China.
When it was time to move on to another city, all our transfers were handled perfectly again. We were told exactly what time to meet in the lobby with our luggage. The guide collected our passports, took us to the airport, got our boarding passes, and whisked us through security without a hitch. We were all a little teary to say goodbye to each of our local guides! When we landed in the next city, the same thing played out again: Local guide and drivers there to meet us and make our transition simple and easy.
The entire trip went like this. All of the guides were local experts in their cities. We got to love them all. All of the cultural events and sights were planned out for us. No bickering or debating about what we should do next.
It was awesome.
After that trip, my cousin and I decided we wanted to see Italy. (You can read her review.) Again, the trip was well planned to the smallest detail. We saw all the highlights of Venice, Florence, and Rome, the hotels were outstanding and centrally located, and we had ample free time to make our own funny memories veering off the beaten paths. (Let's not forget the "sightseeing" on Murano Island! Good times. Great memories.)
Thanks Jack and Clement Travel!!!! read more