Travel Department

"Just back from having the most wonderful time in South Africa. The holiday was amazing from start to finish. It was a busy holiday but made enjoyable by our tour guide Gertie - she was incredible! She looked after us from start to finish. She was incredibly well organised, knowledgeable, friendly, kind and had a great sense of humour! Our driver Louwrens was the perfect man for the trip. He is such a skilled driver and a very friendly and kind man. The highlight has to be the Safari, it was amazing! Lots of surprises and treats along the way! You must find out for yourself!!"

"Just home from South Africa. Had a brilliant time in a beautiful country. Had a wonderful guide, Gertie and a brilliant bus driver Laurence. Gertie was so friendly, knowledgeable and organised. Safari was definitely the highlight of the trip. Very well organised trip by the Travel Department. Would highly recommend."

"I recently returned from the four-day Iceland tour. The country itself is fabulous, with some of the most remarkable and pristine scenery you will ever see, accompanied by gorgeous food. Reykjavik itself is an elegant and walkable city loaded with expensive high-end designer shops and restaurants, which adds to the authenticity of the experience, I suppose. However, despite my enjoyment of the trip, there were minor niggling issues with how the guide conducted the tour. Fortunately, it did not detract from the experience. We spent day two on the bus visiting landmarks like the Icelandic president's residence and the pearl Observatory. Both sights are on the city's outskirts, so I understand why transport was necessary. When the guide proceeded to show us around the city centre on the bus, though, it felt unnecessary. Reykjavik is a small place, so it would have been better to have done a walking tour of the city centre. As spectacular as the Northern Lights was, the handling of it by the guide was chaotic. After being dropped off in a large viewing area, many fellow passengers walked down a path using their phones as torches since it was pitch dark. The guide gave us no assistance; I found and left us to fend for ourselves. What if someone fell and broke something? Where was the best viewing point to see them? Those were the types of questions he was not interested in assisting passengers with. Speaking of lack of direct communication, on arrival at Reykjavik airport for our flight home, there was no advance warning given over the abundance of self-check-in machines. Considering the number of older people on tour, it would have been helpful if the guide had been more forthcoming about it and offered help to anyone who needed it. I had to help other older women check-in; such was the lack of support given! There were positives. Skuggi Hotel's central location and generous breakfasts were ideal, making it a valuable base for exploring Reykjavik. During the Golden Circle tour, Andy, the guide, gave lots of helpful information about the Icelandic landscape and culture. Unfortunately, he did not provide the same kind of crystal clear practical communication to passengers who may have needed it most."

"We are just home from Italy with the travel Department. They were absolutely excellent. Everything was taken care of from start to finish. We had a wonderful tour guide Ilona who was excellent. All was fantastic. Our first time booking with them and it won't be our last."