We started with a plan to go to Costa Rica and quickly found that, despite years of travel…read moreexperience, we didn't want to do the usual research and planning. A friend recommended Michelle at Just Escape after her family trip to Fiji. We told Michelle our interests and budget and she tailored a fantastic, and affordable, experience for us. Everything from flights, accommodation, adventure activities, and private transportation between each area we visited. Everything was easy and seamless. Best holiday in years. We highly recommend Michelle and plan to seek her help for future trips.

I won a $500 travel voucher as the grand prize at a Navy Khaki Ball, which was a huge deal! While…read moreothers were winning smaller prizes like PS5s, chairs, and mugs, I was thrilled to have won the grand prize. However, that excitement quickly faded. When the travel agency finally contacted me, they informed me that I would have to spend $3,000 before I could use the $500 voucher. How is that considered a 'grand prize'? These restrictions and guidelines were not disclosed when the command purchased this as a grand prize gift. I've even attached a picture of the hidden stipulations that were never mentioned. This agency used the voucher as a scam to squeeze more money out of people. I would never recommend them--avoid at all costs!

My 5 stars with Cindy was a result of just one (1) phone call. But after getting the run around…read morefor a bit from various travel agents, airlines etc. etc., I called Cindy . . .and she listened to me for about 40 seconds and then stopped me while I was in mid-ramble and she kindly said, "If I may interject, I don't issue flight tickets anymore but I can direct you to who you need to talk to." And that she did!! . . and so far I'm loving my new agent. But Cindy is straight and to the point; can listen to your sitch and quickly determine if she can get you what you need and if not, where to send you! Thank you Cindy!

I'm beyond grateful for reading a review on yelp about travel agent Cindy Newman and giving her a…read morecall. She made my life so incredibly easy planning our first trip to Italy. She did not over look one single detail. I expressed to her what we wanted to do and she helped me find the perfect tour and planned a dream trip for our family. Everything was planned so well. Every little detail was well covered and taken care of. Not one single complaint. The trip, the tours and all the accommodations exceeded all our expectations. I will forever be grateful to her for the attention to detail, the experience her knowledge and above all the genuine care Cindy Newman gave us. She definitely knows her craft and she's amazing at it. She was an absolute pleasure to work with. Looking forward to our next trip and planning it with the help of Cindy.

The at-a-glance overviews were the best part. I liked having the highlights for my community right…read morenext to the highlights for every traveler.

what a great experience! I wanted to take a trip but was overwhelmed with all the booking options…read moreand searching online and then decided to contact PLV, I gave them a list of some of the places I wanted to visit and then the planning and options we received made it so easy to make a decision and get our trip booked! I highly recommend them if you love to travel but feel overwhelmed when trying to book! We had a fabulous trip! hotels, transportation and tours were all fantastic! My family loved our trip to Spain!

If I could give 10 stars I would!! Tracy is amazing and the best travel agent. She booked our…read morehoneymoon to Bora Bora and everything was planned to perfection, anywhere we went transportation was already set up and ready. It was an effortless trip since Tracy had everything planned out. We used her again for a cruise and something went wrong with the booking and she got the cruise line to fix it and actually give us additional credits. I had never used a travel agent before her and always did everything myself and I can tell you it feels so nice to have someone like her to take of everything for you!!! 10 Stars !!!

To celebrate our 45th anniversary, my husband and I went to Europe for the first time. We used…read moreTracy and had the most wonderful adventure of a lifetime! We started in Lake Como, Venice and Rome. She booked the most beautiful, quaint hotels, every place we stayed. She booked the flights, tour guides, drivers, and the train tickets. Next was 9 days on Celebrity Cruise, which she booked and recommended the best suite on our budget. She also booked some of the excursions, along with giving us the hints on traveling to Europe. All we had to do was follow the itinerary she sent us, She made it so easy, could not or would not want to do that trip without her! Until next time, Tracy and Emily, thank you!

I can't say enough about Joe. He was attentive, prompt, and went above and beyond at all hours in…read moreall time zones. I know what I asked of him was very difficult and last minute and he came through with flying colors. Long story short, I had to book 2 different vacations in 2 different countries (China and Japan). With 2 different parties that meet together afterwards. Additionally, I needed 3 last minute Visas, and I needed it done in 3 weeks. Not only did Joe coordinate everything in San Diego, but when I was already in Japan, he was there to help me as well. He coordinated a private custom tour for my family of 3 in Shanghai in which my tour guide Jesse was amazing. If I she ever reads this from China I want to give her a special shout out from Brandon and my family. And then a tour for my mom which from Tokyo to Osaka. I just finished my vacation and everything smooth as can be. My days of trying to books airbnbs and hotel shopping are over. Thanks Joe and phoenix vacations!

This is a really helpful travel agency that offers to submit your Chinese visa application for you…read moreat a great price. I wasn't sure what to expect because the last travel agency I worked with charged a lot of money and wasn't as clear or as helpful. The agents here really work with you every step of the way. They also provide rush processing at a higher fee; however, it was still WAY cheaper than the standard fee with the first travel agency I tried to work with. I would definitely go here again if I need a new visa and/or if I would like to get a travel package to China!

My family and I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Italy. Early in the planning process I…read morereached out to Erin. After discussing what we wanted out of our trip, she put together recommendations and options for us to choose from for a successful trip. Erin does all the research for you. Flights, hotels, trains and small guided tours, all arranged by Erin. We visited Venice, Florence and Rome. All beautiful! Erin works with your wants and needs and then puts together a flawless trip. She is professional ( Erin never disappointed me), kind and most importantly patient. I highly recommend Erin for all of your travel needs!

Grand Journeys doesn't just book cruises!!! We have recently retired and have used Erin to assist…read moreus with flights and hotel reservations. She is knowledgeable and professional and her designation as a Virtuoso agency affords us great rates and "add ons" not readily available via online agencies. We recently spent some time in Washington DC and Williamsburg and her hotel suggestions were spot on. She provides great service and has assisted us when we could not print boarding passes overseas. I wouldn't think of going anywhere else!

Five full stars. We love love love our travel agent Aimee! Aimee has helped us plan multiple trips…read morenow that range from full-service where every last detail is thought of and planned to less managed trips where you just need hotels and a few tours and book everything else on your own and she shines in every way. On our full-service trips to Scandinavia and Japan, she took care of every detail from when we got off the plane with a private driver taking you to our first hotel, dinner reservations, private sushi classes, food tours, cultural heritage site tours, transfers between cities and hotels, to when we left our last hotel and go home (in style of course!). We have been privileged to have unique experiences such as riding a bike through Copenhagen with a private chef with a kitchen-bike, to learning how to make sushi with a sushi chef, to private city tours of Stockholm, Kayaking in the Lulea River in Sweden, taking a rigid inflatable speedboat to a Fjord in the Norwegian arctic circle, and touring the most beautiful temples and shrines of Japan with a private guide who can share details and educate you on the history and the culture that you could not find on your own. Travel agents make money when they book you things, but Aimee is never pushy with booking something every single day, and gives you time to decompress and discover on your own if you so choose. (If you want to do something planned every day you definitely can!) While our experiences are not the cheapest (The Four Seasons is always so expensive!) , our vacation time is limited, and we appreciate how we get a full experience of a city / country / culture and make the best use of that one resource that none of us have unlimited amounts of -- time. We also feel like even though the expense is high that we are getting decent value for our hard-earned money. We were with a different travel agency previously who we felt like did not provide as much value for our money and are happy we switched to Avant Garde. When a snag happens on a trip, like the plane delay that got us to Copenhagen 3.5 hours late last summer, Aimee or someone on her team from SD or Denmark jump into action and make sure that we reconnect with the trip and get back on track as soon as possible. We have declined some of her choices for hotels and had her book a hotel that we heard about or read about, and she has never given us any trouble or made us feel like she was pushing us to have to stay at any property that was more advantageous for her business. Her focus is to design a trip that YOU want to take, and we really, really feel like she is in our best interest all of the time. We've also booked less-managed trips with Aimee, where she helps us with hotels and maybe a couple of things in cities we understand and know. A memorable trip we took last year was when we went to Paris and Madrid to see Taylor Swift. We didn't want or need (or necessarily have the budget for) a full-service trip with action-packed private tours but she was happy to book our hotels, provide recommendations on what to do, and let us book other things on our own. From what I understand, Aimee has a team of professionals that work with her who help coordinate and plan and cater to many price points, but she specifically specializes in high-end travel with unique experiences. I love the fact that she always does a post-trip call (our previous high-end travel agent didn't do this) and wants to know what we loved (almost everything) and what can be improved (a few things) and feel like she really cares about your experience and uses the feedback to help us plan our next fabulous vacation and to avoid pitfalls that prior clients maybe have experienced. We are already dreaming of our next trip (with Aimee's help, of course!) and would highly recommend her for anybody who wants a customized, high-end experience (with prices to match!) that provide a good value for money spent.

Jennifer at Avant-Garde Travel was so helpful in planning my trip to Paris. My sister and I had a…read moregreat time. We had so many "bucket List" things to see and do and she was able to fit all of them into the time we had. Jennifer found us 2 great boutique hotels to stay in in Paris before and after the Disneyland part of our trip. She also arranged the day tours to see the sites of Paris. I was so happy to discover she was also in my home town and I was able to meet her in person. She set me up with their Travel App and the What's App that made following the itinerary and communicating in Paris so easy. I will definitely ask her to help me with my next vacation. Jennifer P

Where do I even begin? I needed a visa to China in less than five business days, and Karina Davis…read moreand Express Travel Services made it happen -- with a day to spare!! I was simply amazed and left only to believe in magic (and yes, she's handled similar asks for business traveler friends of mine, too!). But what really stood out wasn't just the unbelievable result, it was the way the team at Express Travel Services handled everything along the way. Karina brought such professionalism, organization, and genuine care to what was honestly a very stressful situation for me. She and her network worked tirelessly to make what felt almost impossible seem seamless. Every detail was handled thoughtfully, and I always felt like I was in good hands with constant, personalized updates along the way. If they could deliver on a request this difficult, I have no doubt they can handle just about any travel or visa need you may have. Truly above and beyond service. Six out of five stars. Thank you again, Karina!

Outstanding experience working with Express Travel Services to obtain a China Tourist Visa…read more Renu and Brian made the application process simple and efficient, they are extremely thorough in preparing the information, and they work closely with the consulate in Los Angeles. Updates on the status of my visa while it was in progress were made available to me through a link they provided. My visa was completed and ready for pick up in just under four weeks, and that is at a time when the consulate had a backlog. Fees are very reasonable, response time to questions is very fast, and Renu is a valuable resource for any passport, visa, or general travel questions. Overall, Renu and her staff made the entire process easy for me. I highly recommend them.

We used Going Places Travel for a recent two-week trip to Europe from California, and let me assure…read moreyou that their 5-star rating is much-deserved. Our travel specialist was Laura--based out of northern California, I believe, which nonetheless didn't present any logistical difficulties for us down here in San Diego. Via a series of emails and phone calls over several days, Laura set up every facet of our trip to two countries and three cities after presenting us with multiple choices and price points: flights (outbound from LAX, inbound to San Diego), hotels, private car transport, etc. Because the trip was a last-minute getaway, our plans were somewhat fluid and dependent upon availability--and Laura didn't bat an eye when we suddenly switched our destination from Barcelona to London for the first week of the trip. Overall, Laura's work ethic in nailing down our logistics was Herculean, to say the least. We're looking forward to our next trip abroad in 2025, and will certainly use Going Places and Laura when we do.

We were so worried about doing a vacation in Cancun Mexico. We discussed this with Ken Darren and…read morehe explained where the issues are. He was very knowlegable and took our concerns seriously. The problems weren't where we were going. He suggested an excellent hotel, the Excarate Arte. We then got upgraded to the Hotel de Playa! The service was amazing and we had the best week ever! Thanks!

Diana Shirey has always handled our travels and this trip was wonderful. River boat on the Douro…read more Best flight arrangements, Birthday Party on the trip. Terrific, loved the adult river trip with my daughters and son in law. We had absolutely no blips!

We used Debra Westbrook to plan a vacation to New York and were completely satisfied. Debra was…read morepersonable and paid attention to details. She provided us with everything we wanted and made our trip memorable. Everything from the planning, to travel, to the stay, to excursions and departure was great! We had one hiccup with an excursion and it was not the fault of Debra at all but she was available and checked in to make sure everything worked out...which it did! I will definitely use Debra again for our travel needs!