Knowmad gets my highest recommendation from our initial phone conversation to having a Knowmad…read morespecialist see us off at the airport for our return trip home. We spent an unforgettable 10 days hiking the (express!) Inca trail to Machu Picchu and visiting Lima, The Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes and Cusco. I could write 10 pages about how much we loved traveling with Knowmad so I'll try to stick to the highlights. My husband and I usually handle all of our own travel planning, but when we came across Knowmad while researching how to visit Machu Picchu we realized we would probably get a lot more out of a trip to Peru traveling with specialists from the country. This was 1000% true and working with Knowmad made planning our trip so easy and fun. Our travel specialists Renee and Shannon found a way for us to do everything we wanted to do (and so much more!) while staying within our budget. They were remarkably thorough with answering my countless questions and we could not have been more prepared for our visit, with very minimal effort on our end. Once we met up with our Knowmad guide, Fernando, in Cusco every day of our trip was amazing and we learned so much about the Inca culture and the Andes while having a ton of fun and going at our own pace. By the time we made it to Machu Picchu it was so much more meaningful because we had an understanding of what makes it such a special and mystical site. The Inca trail was absolutely breathtaking (and I'm not talking about the altitude ) and we couldn't have done it without Fernando as our fearless guide. He looked out for us every step of the way and made us feel like family throughout our time with him. Our trip wouldn't have been nearly so memorable without him. Another highlight was our e-bike ride through the Sacred Valley with our awesome guide Kirvi, who was so kind and on top of making sure we were safe and even getting some awesome photos and videos along the way. Our driver Abraham made us feel so welcome and kept us moving along and safe throughout our trip. The restaurants and hotels Knowmad arranged for us were excellent, and our picnic in the Sacred Valley and Pachamanca experience were unbelievable. Thank you Knowmad for making our trip such an incredible experience we will never forget!

Knowmad planned our trip to Argentina in March. They listened to what we wanted and then arranged…read morea flawless trip. They were also very responsive whenever I had questions. I highly recommend them if you wish to have a special excursion to a South American country.

Jessica planned our second trip using Gokotta Travel and I will continue using her! We had a…read morewonderful time in Spain!

We spent the most incredible week in Costa Rica, arranged by Jessica at Gökotta Travel. Started in…read morethe Arenal Volcano Region at Tabacón Resort and finished with the beach at Tamarindo. The gorgeous scenery and wildlife sightings made us all fall in love with the Arenal area and La Fortuna. Best sightings were the monkeys, toucan, owls, colorful birds and reptiles that we saw hiking, zip-lining and floating through the rainforest. The guides were all so amazing at spotting the hidden wildlife and they were such a joy be around and learn from. You could tell they loved their jobs and were proud to share their extraordinary country with us visitors. And the hot springs... so beautiful and relaxing!! Tamarindo was a fun surfer beach town. So many great restaurants to explore and we enjoyed lounging by the beautiful pools. The catamaran/snorkeling trip was an excellent way to end the vacation. This trip wouldn't have happened without Jessica at Gökotta Travel. She arranged all the important details (airport transfers, resorts, travel between cities, tours) so that we could relax and enjoy it all. We had a perfect balance of free time and planned activities. Definitely reach out to Jessica to plan your next adventure!

Jamie customized a weeklong Alaskan adventure for my husband, my 82 year old travel-wary mother and…read moremyself, built around what my mother could tolerate. The trip was fantastic for both my mother (afraid to travel) and my husband and I (seasoned travelers). We rode trains, saw Denali in the sunshine, took a glacier tour and kept active without the days becoming overwhelming. We will use The Wandering Puffin again. Highly recommend!!

We found Jamie while trying to find a travel agent to plan our first trip to Europe. He took the…read moretime to meet with us, listen to our wish list, then made some great suggestions based on time and location to get the most out of our trip. We spent 18 day in Europe going from London to Paris, Bruges, Munich and Rome. We had a great mix of planned activities and free time. Every detail of our trip was accounted for and planned perfectly by Jamie. We will definitely be using the Wandering Puffin for our next European adventure!!!

If you are looking for a trip with people that you can connect with while you also connect more…read morewith yourself, this is the company to do it with. Tracy and Kim are great at making their trips all inclusive so people from all walks of life can join in. I went on the Hawaii trip. We went to the big island. It was a group of 10 of us. Amazing women from all walks of life. We went to amazing waterfalls, walked across an old lava field, watched live lava spurt from a caldera at night, and even toured a small organic kona coffee plantation and got to get down and dirty with the coffee making process. I walked into a trip with 10 strangers and walked away with 10 lifetime friends from all over the U.S. a trip to never be forgotten for sure!

From the owner: Women on the GrOw specializes in trips for women focusing on personal growth, adventure,…read moreexperiencing local foods and activities, enjoying the outdoors, and learning the basics of travel. We personalize and take care of the details while sharing our knowledge. We make it a growing experience of a lifetime for you.

Andre Leavitt is to be commended for her attention to detail and ability to translate our travel…read moredesires into a well-organized excursion that combined all the elements that both my husband and I requested. Our goal was to travel overseas for 3 weeks with a minimum of packing and unpacking. The Queen Mary II transatlantic crossing was on our bucket list and we had not been to France. The itinerary was perfect - a combination of Ocean Liner, Trains, Chunnel and River Boat. We were able to have a long weekend in Bath in between the crossing and river cruise and to enjoy a few days in Paris. We loved the boutique hotels, time spent in the villages of Normandy, visiting the D-Day sites and spending time in Paris. Logistics were smooth and Andre made sure we had all our ducks in a row. Her recommendations and planning were invaluable.

I've wanted to go to Hawaii for many, many years - this trip met and exceeded my hopes and…read moreexpectations! André works quickly, efficiently - knows her stuff and makes excellent suggestions. Thanks to her, we got great rates, all our connections were smooth and our accommodations were wonderful. (I was surprised to read the previous review and see that it is from 2016. Our experience was completely opposite and I feel completely comfortable recommending André to my friends.)