I have just returned from Beth's inaugural trip to Cuba. The tours were well paced, informative and relaxed. Our hotel was stunning and the food was excellent as was our exposure to the friendly staff. Our travel companions were well-traveled which added to the experience. This was my second tour with Beth. During our trip I became ill from what we think was heat exhaustion. I lost several days of our tour to Trinidad while I recovered. Beth put a plan together in seconds and had her local guide stay with me at the hospital and beyond. I got to see the country from a different perspective than my travel companions. I met kind and caring medical staff, got to tour a daycare center, private taxis around the city and fantastic local shops. I fell in love with the people and witnessed how they care and share with each other even with poverty and difficult lives. Beth's tour is why small groups are preferred. Individual attention, fast to resolve unexpected situations and compassion for everyone. read more

I completed a group tour with Beth of WanderTours to Papua New Guinea, and couldn't be happier with this once-in-a-lifetime trip. PNG is not a country that you should travel to solo or on a whim without planning. Beth has been to PNG 11 times: She loves the country, knows -- and is respected by -- the local guides and leaders, and is expert in organizing a group tour -- especially for those of us who don't normally travel with groups. For those interested, WanderTours posts a detailed itinerary online. It is an excellent guide for what to expect. . . . Highest recommendation. read more

A PHENOMENAL experience with WanderTours and Beth. The trip was exceptional because we experienced the local life, food, hospitality and culture, as we were immersed in a well planned itinerary, with some extra surprises too! We enjoyed the colorful public and private SingSings, an extensive 50 mile journey on the Sepik River in motorized canoe, as we visited local villages along the way, then stayed at a local guesthouse for 2 days. Beth's local connections were invaluable, as well as, her extensive knowledge of PNG after going for over 10 years. She is loved by many after so many trips to this beautiful country and has such passion for PNG. I HIGHLY recommend a trip with WanderTours to PNG. Be Bold and go read more

Just got back from the New Orleans culinary tour (my second with WanderTours - the first was India!), and it was so much fun. Perfectly paced - not too hectic, not too much down-time, and just enough time for solo exploration that I found an amazing hat shop (Fleur de Paris), a custom perfumery (Bourbon French Parfums), and several expertly crafted classic cocktails (try the Vieux Carre at the historic Carousel Bar). I'm so jazzed - pun not intended - from this trip! I can't wait to go back. Trying to talk my husband into a Fall or Winter trip. But that's the great thing about Wander Tours. When you can't talk your husband into coming with you, that doesn't stop you from going. Oh right - the food. Grits, gumbo, etouffee, jambalaya, blackened catfish, sooo many oysters. All delicious. And beignets! But the highlight for me was the Langlois cooking class. I've taken a lot of cooking classes, and this was, by far, the best I've ever taken in terms of learning real pro-techniques (don't worry, they're not complicated). Also, Beth. She's just inspiring to be around. I've come away from both WanderTours trips feeling like I've learned how to be a better traveler, and a better woman. It's hard to explain unless you've gone on one yourself. DO IT. read more

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First off I want to say that PNG is an incredible place and I hope everyone gets to visit this amazing country. I have traveled significantly around the globe and the people of PNG are some of the friendliest in the world. Yes there is extreme poverty and yes if you don't use common sense you can find yourself in dangerous situations but as a whole it was much more safe and welcoming than its reputation. Its unfortunate but my primary regret of the trip was not the experience of the country or the group we traveled with but Beth and how she handled many parts of the tour. I think its important to frame this review with my expectations of a guide when I visit a country, especially one that can be difficult to travel. Here are some of my issues: Beth has been to PNG over half a dozen times but had surprisingly limited knowledge of the country. I found she had to ask locals for answers to the most basic questions about cultural practices, politics and history. I learned more from the guidebook than from her. She had never even been to the national museum! There was not a single occurrence where Beth asked me "hey how's the trip going for you? Is there anything I can do for you to make you more comfortable?" I didn't have high expectations for the food in PNG but what she provided was simply unacceptable. We were fed packaged foods, white bread with Nutella, canned fish, crackers with cheese and freeze dried coffee even though fresh vegetables were available at every market. She blamed it on the chef's not knowing how to cook for westerners but thats not what I was expecting at all. I did expect to at least try local dishes. For example the national food is sweet potatoes which we didn't get to eat till close to the end of the trip and only because I arranged and paid for a traditional preparation. I understand in a country like PNG you need to roll with the punches when it comes to logistics. Nothing ever goes as planned but that doesn't mean you can't plan in a way that maximizes exploration and minimizes transit. The way our trip was organized we had several long days on buses and planes with layovers when more direct flights were available. During one of those layovers we did have a flight delay which despite being out of Beth's control she made no effort to soften the blow by covering lunch which was supposed to be included. When you are already paying around $1500/per day per couple little gestures like that go a long way. We Some of the best parts of the trip I had to arrange myself and pay for out of pocket. I went to PNG to experience real culture, not a get on and off the bus tour and just go to places where there are many other groups. There are about half dozen little things that if she tweaked would have made a big difference. For me this includes a daily briefing, making sure there is always water available (I had to buy it from another group at Hagen), carrying a satellite phone in case of emergency, being more helpful if we wanted to try things outside of the itinerary, etc. I expect more for the price, I expect more professionalism, this should have been a premium tour. Overall I have no issue with Beth as a person, she has a big heart for adventure and is a fellow traveler. I have serious issues with the level of service provided and her lack of action in correcting issues when they were brought to her attention. Her solution rather than correcting things to expel the people in the group who were bringing them to her attention. This fractured the group, put us in the extremely awkward position of having to choose who to go with each day since the activities were different. Her solution was what was in her best interest not the groups or individual clients. That alone is why I would never recommend her as a guide. read more

I recently traveled to Morocco with Beth and WanderTours. What an amazing trip! The trip itself was well organized, and packed with experiences that you simply can't find on the average tour such as a trek to a Berber village and lunch with a local family; a visit to a woman's co-operative, a Moroccan cooking class and tea with a nomadic woman who told us her life story. I feel anyone can ride a camel in the Sahara but these types of cultural experiences are the hidden gem. Not to overlook the incredible women on the tour as well - each a fascinating and unique person who was a delight to get to know over two weeks. I plan on coming back for another trip! read more

This trip to Ireland was the most impressive and comprehensive vacation I have ever experienced. I can only say that Best Whitman's attention to detail and planning made it thoroughly enjoyable. In 14 days she was able to expose us to the culture the food and the great people of Ireland. This trip is a must do for those who want to experience Ireland at its best. read more

Well-done!!! The Irish October 2019 Tour was extremely well planned, managed and executed. The group of women were fun and caring. It was just fine to be a solo traveller with this small group. Ireland was a true gem of an experience and the Irish were so friendly, helpful and thoughtful. This was my maiden voyage with Beth's WanderTours and I look forward to another adventure with her and sister travelers. Thank you Beth for helping our dreams comes true! read more

Some guy named Akash has written a review of the Wandertour's Papa New Guinea trip on this site. I think he may have had the wrong expectations when he bought the trip. The trip was never intended to be a tour of New Guinea, it was designed around the Mt Hagen singsing, so larger questions about PNG culture and history weren't really pertinent. I took the trip in 2016 and, frankly, don't remember the food, which probably means it wasn't anything special. But it wasn't supposed to be. This wasn't some kind of gourmet tour. It was a trip to see the dancers . . . which we saw, and got to mingle with, in great and colorful profusion. It was also, and very specifically, not a "premier tour." There are at least two other tours that go to the singsing but they cost two-and-a-half times as much as the Wandertour and don't see any more dancing than Beth's groups see. They do probably have better food so you pays your money and you takes your choices. What you don't get to do is pay your money and then get to grumble about the choice you didn't take because eating white bread is beneath you. Akash's complaint, that he couldn't get Beth to redesign the trip on the fly to accommodate his desires is probably valid but, then, he wasn't the only person on the tour. That's the problem with tours, other people have paid to take the trip in the brochure and they expect to get that trip, not something else. So, unless every single other person in the group wanted to change the trip in exactly the same way, this complaint goes more to Akash's own sense of entitlement than to anything Beth could or could not solve at the time. And that nonsense about long bus rides and plane rides is just nonsense. Regardless of whether Akash thinks he could have organized the itinerary better, he got what was set out in the brochure. Again, if he didn't want that trip, he shouldn't have taken it. A little due diligence here, Pal, would have gone a long way. read more

I am not one to write reviews, good or bad, but after my recent trip to Papua New Guinea with WanderTours (August 2017) I felt it was important to share my experience. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best tour of my life, I would rate my tour with Beth as a 1 and I would not suggest taking a tour with WanderTours. Before my trip to PNG, Beth Whitman, the founder of Wander Tours, as well as her assistant were very helpful and communicative about my upcoming trip to PNG. WanderTours provided me with a packing list, suggested itinerary (you do not receive your hotels and final itinerary until 1-2 weeks before the tour begins) and answered any questions I had, so I felt like I was in good hands. However, while in PNG, the tour could not have gone more different. Beth has been to PNG countless times and claims that PNG is one of her most favorite countries in the world, however, when I would ask questions about PNG, as well as the group, she did not know the answer to 90% of our questions.vvThe questions we were all asking were questions, such as, can you tell me about the tribe we are visiting today, what is the history of this place, how long as this tribe lived in this area, where did the people of PNG migrate from, and so on. I feel as though I learned more from my Lonely Planet Guide Book than from Beth. Beth provided no briefings each morning until it was requested by a person in my group. Therefore, each day we had no idea where we were going, what we were going to see, the culture of the place we were visiting, how long it would take, etc. While I am one of the few people on in my group who printed out my itinerary, it did change along the way so it would be helpful to get some more in-depth knowledge about what each day may bring. I have had the good fortune to have extensively traveled around the world, so I have learned how important it is to be in the flow. Throughout our trip in PNG several things did not go as planned (i.e. activities that were on the itinerary did not happen, we were not provided meals that were listed, and laundry turned up stained and ruined) and not once did Beth do her best to fix the situation, offer to pay for the meal she was responsible for, or even apologize for the situation. Again, I understand things do not always go as planned, but Beth never acknowledge any of the mishaps, nor did she try to fix them. For the heaping amount of money I was paying for this tour, an apology would have went a long way. The WanderTour to PNG had more travel time (i.e. sitting in an airport to catch a flight, traveling from one village to another) then it did actual activities. Other tour groups charter planes, allowing more time to enjoy each place, but Beth's tour does not. If you go on a tour to PNG with Beth, expect to spend hours and days of your holiday sitting around waiting to catch a plane or driving to get to another destination. For the cost of the WanderTours trip and in comparison to other tour companies, such as Trans Niugini Tours, you get far more experience with other tour companies than you do with Beth! The icing on the cake was that Beth did not come to the airport with our group to make sure that we were taken care of. She said she would meet us at the airport, saying she was taking a different bus. At the Port Moresby airport, she never came to say goodbye to myself or the others from our group traveling back home, nor did she check in on us to make sure everything was okay. Since you receive the hotel list 1-2 weeks before departure, you do not know where you are staying when you pay for your trip with Beth. Due to the cost of the trip, I had assumed that we would be staying in higher end hotels. This was a huge mistake of mine, as the hotels were horrible! And the beautiful bungalows in the mountains of Mt. Hagen Beth described on the itinerary were not so picturesque and had no electricity, most of the time, or hot water until the group complained. The food was equally as bad. Expect to eat more snacks than you ever have in your life, and peanut butter, Nutella and white bread for breakfast. Thankfully, my group to PNG with WanderTours was amazing, but Beth was not!! I would highly advise not traveling with her, but in choosing another group such as Trans Niugini Tours, Mountain Travel Sobek, Jim Cline Photo Tours, or Abercrombie Kent Tours. read more

I went on the New Orleans Culinary Trip with Wander Tours. It was a very organized and cultural trip. I enjoyed the cooking classes and the food was wonderful! I would recommend this trip to see a side of New Orleans full of cooking and history! read more

Our recent first trip to Thailand and Laos with WanderTours went beyond anything we could have imagined. The places we visited, the guides, accommodations and drivers were interesting and different - we didn't have to worry about anything! Beth and Pat made sure all details were thought of and ready to go. That said, there was still room to free form and be spontaneous throughout the 2 week trip. The trip itinerary contained a balanced combination of customary attractions and "off the beaten path" sites, including local social justice/human interest causes - the heart and soul of the places we were visiting. I can't wait to take another trip through WanderTours! read more

Have gone on two co-ed trips --one to Papua New Guinea with Beth as leader and one to Bhutan that she organized but was not present. Both were very well organized with opportunities to meet local people. Both emphasized cultural activities/ceremonies which make each place unique. Good people in the groups. We usually don't travel with groups, but in these two countries you really need to. Beth does her research and you see the most interesting aspects of a place, safely, staying in local, nice accommodations. read more

I recently returned from a trip to Papua New Guinea with Beth. What an amazing experience! We had a great group of people, so interesting and well traveled. You can tell that Beth and her staff know their stuff. Pat, in the office, is great to work with and Beth has developed good relationships with key local contacts at her destinations. I am in the tourism industry and I know how important great ground support is to a successful trip. Beth is organized, professional, and fun too! I highly recommend WanderTours! read more

I traveled to Bhutan in March 2013 with Beth and her company WanderTours. When first inquiring with the tour I spoke with Beth herself. I was surprised to speak with her as I assumed like most travel companies, I would be speaking with a representative and not the founder herself. From that personable experience to the tour itself, I was greeted with professionalism and kindness. I had so much fun with Beth, our Bhutanese tour guide, bus driver and the other women on the tour in Bhutan. Each day was organized and filled with activities. I learned a lot about the Bhutanese culture, country and way of life. I would not hesitate to recommend WanderTours to family and/or friends in the future. read more

In response to your response, on the contrary, as of today, the credit card company has NOT sided with you and has reopened the case because they realized you did not provide them with sufficient documentation. Please call them. To be clear, the main point here is that your nonnegotiable third party indemnity insurance clause should be easily available to click on and reviewed by the customer as a condition BEFORE the customer pays your large deposit. If first accepted by the customer, then the customer can pay you the large deposit amount and your cancellation policy would be fair. This is informed consent and fair to the customer. read more