This vacation was so awesome!! Thank you Dawn! All inclusive Puerto Vallarta! Beautiful! The pools,…read morebeing right on the beach, wonderful food, and the special dining restaurants, just make reservations and go no extra money! Thank you again Dawn! Silver Star and you are the best!

What a bunch of literal criminals! The people here are the most psychologically constipated group…read moreof boomer curmudgeons I've ever met. Silver Star Travel, while I'm sure they'll send you on a great vacation, (who doesn't like going on vacation?) will absolutely refuse to share any detail about your experience before hand. I had a terrible experience with one Dawn Brandon. I thrive on details. I want to know what I'm spending my money on. When I receive an itinerary with nothing more than a grand total, I'm inclined to ask questions. I imagine most people would. Ask about a place? They'll send you an itinerary. When you ask about the itinerary, they send you another itinerary. When you ask very specific questions about what it is you're looking at in the itinerary, surprise! They'll send you another itinerary. I was fortunate enough to be paying enough attention, as we almost got sent to the wrong resort, for no other reason than the agent having poor reading comprehension and I suspect a bit of a problem reading and speaking in full sentences. Once we got the right resort in the itinerary, and then after four more attempts, the right room type in the itinerary (she didn't know what rooms the resort had, nor did she know anything about them, nor what the resort included, or the variation in price between the different rooms, something she could have researched in 15 minutes to help us find the right one - I had thought that's what travel agents do), we compared her exact trip to places like Expedia, Costco Travel, Hotwire, Tripadvisor, even just booking myself through the airline and through the resort itself. Every one of these places beat their price, and every one of them knew that the resort was actually going through construction at the moment, and that the room we had chosen would be within earshot of some construction noises. Something a trained travel agent shouldn't have had a problem with, unless they're just more interested in you biting onto the carrot they're dangling. They'll trick you into thinking that they've price checked. They haven't. They'll trick you by telling you things about the resort that are incorrect, or that don't exist. I probably shouldn't have compared her to a fast food worker unceremoniously shoveling french fries into a cardboard container. Sorry about that. I would have spent twice as much money if I'd have known what I was getting. The details are all I wanted. If you're a boomer, or moderately wealthy, or perhaps just only slightly ignorant, and willing to hand over a chunk of your money without actually knowing what you're spending it on, I'm sure you'll enjoy handing your money over to Silver Star. I'm sure they'll enjoy taking it too. After all, who doesn't like going on vacation? Who wants to wonder about what you could have actually had once the money trades hands? Happy to share the contents of my discourse with Dawn if anyone is interested. The story will speak for itself.

I contacted an agent to help with my families three week trip to Europe. The agent was kind,…read morefriendly and knowledgeable so I was really excited to have her plan our trip. I followed up 1 week after the call and she let me know she would have something to me in a week. This was February 10th and the last I have heard since. Since February 10th, I have been unable to get a response from her or the company about the travel plan. I sent multiple kind emails asking for a timeline, left voicemails and spoke to the person who answered the main phone pleading for someone to call me back. Against my better judgement, I still stuck with it thinking they were helping me. A full month later, I have still not received an ounce of communication and we are having to move onto a different company. It is putting our family in a bad situation and now is a month of time wasted. I have no idea why this agent "ghosted me" and is refusing the event reply to an email or call me back. A simple, "I am still working on it" or "it turns out I don't have the bandwidth to handle your request" email would have sufficed, however I can't event get that from her or the company. It is really disappointing and very unprofessional. This is my first experience with a travel agent in over 20 years and it was disappointing to say the least. I'd caution you on using Willamette International Travel if this is the way they feel the need to treat their customers. I can't imagine this happening if a problem with a flight or hotel reservation would come up, you would be on your own to figure it out.

I rarely use travel agents, but decided to when planning a multi-stop trip to Central and South…read moreAmerica. Jenne at Willamette Int'l Travel helped me research an array of options and was able to use some creativity to save me money. She was very helpful and responsive. I would certainly consider using them again if I am traveling internationally, or if you are looking at a flight/hotel combo.

Had a great experience on a tour with Ron Davies back in July. He was very knowledgeable and…read moreaccommodating with his tour. My family enjoyed his company very much!

Jerri has been so wonderful! I took a trip this spring to California with my three kids, and she…read morehelped me plan and answered all my many questions. She knew the ins and outs of where to stay and where to avoid, got us a killer deal on a rental car, and had so many helpful tips for our trip. Also, when my 15 year old daughter recently got stuck in South Dakota, I called Jerri in a panic and she got her a flight home the next day! Again she knew so much about the time of day she needed to fly out and the easiest connecting flight. Thanks, Jerri! Your a lifesaver:-)

From the owner: Professional Travel Planning ...from the ordinary to the extraordinary since 1976…read more Hawaii Destination Specialist; Mexico; Caribbean; Honeymoons; River Boar Cruises: Worldwide Cruises: Disney; Europe; Australia & New Zealand; Asia;...Anywhere ...use my years of experience and personal relationships with suppliers help you.

Stumbled upon Soltura when reading a blog post about traveling in Cuba and decided to give it a…read moretry. SO glad that I did. My boyfriend and I traveled to Cuba last June and it was an amazing experience that we could not have done on our own without Soltura. We truly felt it was an immersive experience and got to learn so much about the culture, people, and history. We stayed in a casa particular with generous and welcoming hosts, went to various art-related community projects, music/dance venues, and got to travel in tons of vintage cars. We met musicians, students, doctors, a small business owner, and more people in Cuba who truly make it what it is. Ian and Assol were amazing guides - gracious, friendly, knowledgable, and very perceptive about what we would both enjoy. I would consider them friends after the trip. If you're looking for a very comfortable, luxurious tour company this isn't for you. If you want to travel and truly see a place, then it is. Loved Soltura.

I don't have adequate words to describe the special experience of seeing "The Real Cuba" through…read moreIan's and Soltura Travel's eyes. The entire trip was wonderful from start to finish and Ian ("Yon" as pronounced by the Cuban people) left no details to chance. This experience was profound and life changing. Ian made so many special experiences possible for us. I loved learning about the art and culture of Havana through the expertise of the young and knowledgeable guides and docents. We were able to immerse ourselves in the lives and experiences of such a wide variety of people through the relationships Ian has built over the years. I especially loved learning about the Community Projects that enrich the lives of so many Cuban people. One of my favorite experiences was learning about and hearing the young talent in Mailan's Children's Choir and befriending Mailan and her lovely daughter, Alicia. I had so much fun traveling to Playa Zapata and Trinidad with the group. The snorkeling was the best I have ever done and we had so many hilarious and fun adventures with the group. Ian leads these tours with so much heart and dedication. There is not a question asked or subject mentioned that goes unnoticed. I really believe Ian is magic: whenever I asked about anything, somehow without any fuss, that thing would appear in front of me. Some favorite memories include drinking Canchacharas (yes....I can pronounce that correctly now) in Trinidad, our adventure to get the local honey (miel), doing the "Becca" dance at The Tropicana, and buying expensive aged rum at the gas station. The accomodations and restaurants are arranged with so much thought and detail. The casas were spotless and accommodating. Our experiences were too varied to detail here, but were all so terrific. I felt safe and comfortable for the entire trip. The small groups are really nice (max 10 people) and allow for a flexibility that I really enjoyed. I feel like I gained many special friends from this trip. Ian and Soltura Travel provide an incredible, fun, varied, and immersive Cuba experience. I recommend without reservation.