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What travelers are saying

"My Mother and I planned this trip for 11 months, we were celebrating our 40th & 60th birthday together. We arrived to Paris on Monday the 26th. I had requested 2 extra nights so we would have some time to adjust after traveling. The company decided to book a tour for us the second day after being asked not too. We arrived to our hotel in a disgusting part of Paris and quite a ways from the sights. Even our taxi driver (the one the company hired) told us this part of Paris was unsafe, especially for women and at night. It took 35mins to get from out hotel to the eiffel tower by car. Our room was so not great, it faced inside looking at a wall. That's considered 4 stars? The staff however was amazing and helpful. They even warned us to not be out at night as the area wasn't the most safe. I let the company know and they said that guarantee the area is safe and central to the sites. 80% of our hotels were not as advertised but the "or similar" ones. Had we gotten the one as shown on the advert, we would have been in a beautiful area, with lovely shops and restaurants. (We went by the hotels we should of had, and all had availability) Fun fact, we had been put right across from the train station, yet none of the transfers were out of this train station, but another 30min Uber ride to a different train station. I contacted customer service over 15 times on this trip about various issues and each time they ignored what was happening and used some lame excuse as why they couldn't help. For example; One tour in Beaune required that we make our way to a winery on a friday morning. We asked the front desk to help us when we couldn't get uber/bolt to work( heads up, they don't have that service there, except sometimes on sat/sun) they also do not have a taxi service available during the week. All 5 of the front desk staff, looked at us like we were crazy. They all tried so hard to find us a way out there besides walking 5miles to get there in 90° weather. They kept saying we're not sure why the tour company keeps saying there is a way out there by public transit, but there isn't. I called customer service.. they argued with me several times over the matter. They sent me info on taxi services that didn't exist there, bus schedules that were for children's bus routes for school and told us that walking was an option. Sadly, we missed the tour. I was shocked. I asked for a phone call from a manager.. I still have yet to receive one even after asking repeatedly. Another fun fact, Discovery Nomads books tours for you that have to paid when the tour is over, as with the walking tour of Paris they arranged for us. The guide himself was amazing, but the only way the guide makes money is by us giving him money at the end. Weird that a company who charges me for tours, made me pay for a tour on site. Not to mention, buyer beware, when it says you get to see the Louve, they mean look at it. You'll have to buy a ticket to go inside. As well as Versallies, where it says a day at Versallies, they mean a couple hours at best. We got there at 2, the tour was 2hrs. and it closes at 6pm. O no time to see the home and gardens. That's not even half a day. I let customer service know that too. They ignored me. We missed a train due to it being delayed and then cancelled. I tried to call customer service again for help, this time no answer. Unfamiliar with what to do, we rebooked a train and paid over 250 euros for it. I let the company know and their reply, it says the train wasn't cancelled so we can't help you. Yet here we were with about 12 other people who also had to rebook a train. Had we had help from the company at the time, we could have just switched our tickets to the next train. But alas, no help from them just excuses. Overall I spent more time trying to figure out how to get transport from A to B, emailing and calling them, spending over 800 euros in transport just to get to train stations and tours, and not to mention the awful train schedules they had us on. This trip was a complete nightmare. I wanted this trip to be amazing for my mother and I, and all we wanted to do was come home. I will never use this company again, and I will share this horror story with others as much as possible to warn them of using Discover Nomads."

What travelers are saying

"We were very happy with the trip and how we worked together with you to plan everything. All of the places we went were amazing. Rome had amazing ancient history, art, and architecture as did Pompeii, and Florence had amazing Renaissance history, art, and architecture, while Milan had a little of both but also with the feel of a modern city. The Amalfi Coast and Lake Como were beautiful. We loved Positano (where we stayed) and Ravello best of the places of the places we visited in The Amalfi Coast because they had the most charm and beauty and the least people. In Lake Como, we stayed in Bellagio, but everyplace we visited in Lake Como was beautiful and charming. However, Bellagio, drinking wine and watching the sunset in Varenna, and the boat tour of the lake stood out as our favorite activities. The food was also amazing everywhere, from local places to fine dining the food was fantastic and memorable. We loved Italy. It’s beautiful, and we’ll definitely come back. All of the travel arrangements were excellent and everything was easy. The drivers were friendly and spoke good to excellent English as well as Italian. And having the extra phone was a nice convenience. We didn’t have any stress or difficulties during the trip about the details as they were all taken care of with excellent results. Our favorite drivers: Naples to Positano and back (and Pompeii) Salvatore was excellent. Driving with him was like being with a friend or family member. He was very concerned with our comfort and always suggested places to stop for pictures or a view and had great knowledge of the Naples and The Amalfi Coast. He was also a gentle driver and never made us uncomfortable. Florence Day Trip – I apologize but his name escapes me (maybe Giorgio?), but he was excellent for all the same reasons we liked Salvatore. He even took us to his favorite Gelato shop near his home town and it was so much better than most of what we tried, and since he grew up there he had lots of really interesting local history Milan to Bellagio – I apologize I also forgot this gentleman’s name, but he was a good driver especially around all the curves to and from Bellagio. Not as talkative as the other two, but very friendly and a gentle driver Our favorite guides: Vatican / Franchesca – Interesting personality and very different that the usual guide experience, but we enjoyed her character. She did what we were interested in doing and never let anyone forget that we (and she) were VIP! Pompeii – I apologize I forget her name, but she was very nice and attentive and very interested in what we wanted to know and see and learn more about. It felt tailored to us and what we wanted, which is why you hire a private guide! All of the other guides and drivers were good but the ones above were the best and most memorable. Thanks again for the great trip! We would definitely recommend you to friends, and in fact we already did recommend our friends Derrick and Lorena to you."

What travelers are saying

"Great tours and top notch customer service!"

What travelers are saying

"I've traveled to Europe several times before but not like this. Thanks to Kelley and her amazing knowledge and patience with all my queries, my famiy and I enjoyed a customized itinerary filled with a food tour in Paris and a cooking lesson in Naples, history and art lessons at the British Museum and Musee D'Orsay, with enough time to travel independently and make new discoveries with less hassle than before. I absolutely recommend the Relaxed Explorer to anyone looking to make memorable trips with their families that will be cherished by all. Thank you so much Kelley!! Would love to make more good travel memories with your help!!"

What travelers are saying

"Great tours and top notch customer service!"

What travelers are saying

"I've traveled to Europe several times before but not like this. Thanks to Kelley and her amazing knowledge and patience with all my queries, my famiy and I enjoyed a customized itinerary filled with a food tour in Paris and a cooking lesson in Naples, history and art lessons at the British Museum and Musee D'Orsay, with enough time to travel independently and make new discoveries with less hassle than before. I absolutely recommend the Relaxed Explorer to anyone looking to make memorable trips with their families that will be cherished by all. Thank you so much Kelley!! Would love to make more good travel memories with your help!!"