I just want to add that although your highest rating is "excellent", there are two aspects of the tour that I would rate as exceptional. First, our tour manager, Paul Aguilar was more than excellent and more than exceptional. I cannot describe how he made this trip one of the epic adventures of my lifetime. Waking me up at 4:30 for an Amazon activity was so easy for me to accept because of how he handled the early rising and how he facilitated the experience. That's just one of the examples of how Paul made the trip an exceptional one. Second, the staff at Sacha Lodge, especially Lili, our naturalist, Wilson, the local naturalist, and management, Pablo and Anna, were wonderful. I cannot praise the staff enough. Finally, our tent city on Isabell Island was perfect for the location. I'm sorry that I cannot remember the manager's name (isn't that terrible), but he was exceptional at making our stay a great one. Kudos to Gate 1 for finding these two great accommodations. this was my 7th Gate 1 adventure and it rivaled my experience in Peru. Well done!

The Mayan Illumination Tour was our 14th with Gate 1. We've enjoyed them ALL but need to say this one rates near the top. Carlos couldn't have been better in any aspect; he's a natural leader and teacher, makes guiding look easy when we know it is not. His easy-going nature was no doubt part of the reason our very diverse group was in great harmony all day every day. An example to me was how our group would rearrange tables to sit together even if that was not the configuration of the space. :) An especially helpful element from Carlos was his repeating important info, i.e., he would have said we need to leave at 12:20, but he would repeat that important fact to be sure all heard. Our driver was a true professional and very nice man. At one point I asked him if I could retrieve shoes from my carryon stored in the luggage compartment, and he was happy to help. I was so pleased, as I could then walk easily on the beach, an unexpected and delightful stop. The staff of the Mexico City hotel were Exceptional in every way, especially friendliness to each of us. Thank you so much, Gate 1.

Last month my boyfriend and I traveled to Sri Lanka. It was a fabulous experience overall. The itinerary was a perfect blend of culture, temples, nature, mountains and beaches. The food was excellent! The majority of the accommodations exceeded our expectations. What made the trip even better was the EXCELLENT service of Mr. Richard. His enthusiasm and smile never faded, despite how long a travel day may have been. I have been fortunate to usually have good guides, but Richard is hands down the best guide we have ever had. He went above and beyond to make the trip memorable and went out of his way to ensure we all had our needs met. He was understanding with all guests, patiently repeated instructions, got to know everyone and did small things to show personalized interest and meet individual needs throughout the trip. Beyond his role of hospitality, managing the itinerary, multiple personalities and general travel details, the information he shared during our journey was incredible. Richard's passion for and knowledge of Sri Lanka is apparent. It was like having a university professor accompany us--he had comprehensive knowledge of history, culture, religion, etc. that he shared in a well-paced manner throughout the trip in context and in a relatable, meaningful way. Additionally he was knowledgeable about current events, literature, art and even knew a great deal about science, wildlife and a wide variety of topics. He is personable, politely assertive when necessary and kept our diverse group focused and happy. I wish all guides were like him. He made our trip spectacular! Finally, kudos to our driver, Mr. Sudeepa who was safe, skillful and also so courteous and friendly. At one point in Kandy, there was a traffic jam on a narrow road on the way to the hotel...it took us nearly an hour to travel a quarter mile as cars were trying to travel in both directions on a road designed for one way. I wouldn't have been able to do that in my compact car--I am amazed he did it in a bus full of passengers. He was safe, cautious and would go out of his way to find places to stop for pictures. Even with some guests unjustifiably critiquing and being "back seat drivers" he never lost his cool or focus on safety as he drove, even on windy, mountainous roads. His assistant was also helpful and courteous. This is my third trip with Gate 1 and I am overall pleased with the quality, service and trip details.

Another great tour of Gate 1 again. We were very lucky to have a great tour manager, Hicham, in our tour. Hicham is very professional, knowledgeable, well organized, courteous, caring, and surprisingly humorous too. He delivered his commentary in a simple and interesting way but full of details. I felt I learned the whole history of Morocco in these 15 days. Great tour itinerary is important but without a great tour manager to guide us through it will be just an average tour. Morocco has changed a lot since the last time I was there. I now have a better understanding of Morocco in every aspect from Hicham's commentary. Hope I will get another good tour manager my next Gate 1 tour.

Our Israel tour was the journey of a lifetime - on so many levels. And our brilliant guide, Gai, made all the difference. As always, the Gate 1 Discovery Tour itinerary was outstanding, as were all the hotels and restaurants. But this trip exceeded all our expectations. My husband and I learned more in 12 days about Biblical history and Israeli history, religion, heritage, and culture than we could have if we'd taken a masters course. Not a single day went by that I didn't find myself in tears - be it for sadness, joy, hope, enlightenment, or inspiration. Israel moved us in ways we never could have imagined and that was, in large part, a credit to Gai and his expert knowledge, engaging wit, and heartwarming passion for his country. THANK YOU, Gate 1 and Gai for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

This was one of the best Gate 1 Discovery tours we've taken. Our tour guide was wonderful! One of the best we've had! His knowledge of the country visited and his ability to communicate and mesh with the group was excellent! The food was universally excellent and the accommodations and special stops and meals were just fantastic! Well done!!!

Our Discovery trip to Jordan was fabulous, exceeding all expectations. We have never had a bad guide with Gate 1, but I have to say we had the best guide ever, Hazim, on this trip. He was absolutely superlative in communication, group management, and creating an atmosphere of trust, excitement, and learning among a cohesive group of travelers. Of course, the sites we visited were incredible and memorable. Each day was paced in a way that worked for everyone and accomplished a lot. The culinary highlight was a home-cooked meal at his mother's house. Yum!

In case no one has yet sung the praises for our tour manager, Redouone, please be aware that we could not have asked for a better tour manager / leader. He was the best tour guide that we have had from all of the different trips that we have been on whether it be Gate 1, Trafalgar, Insight Tours. He was the best. His injection of information along the trip was appreciated & very informative but more than that, he is just a very warm & kind person. The trip was what was promised but not threatening in any way. Since our past travels have been in North America & Western Europe, Morocco might be considered out of our comfort zone, but it was not. The food & accommodations, although somewhat different from our regular experience, were always appreciated. The variety of accommodations enhanced the experience of our Morocco trip. The camel ride, of course, was a major highlight of the experience to Morocco.

My husband, Rick and I had a wonderful time on our Jordan Discovery Tour. Our outstanding guide, Hazim, was the best travel guide we have had anywhere in the world! He was knowledgeable, interesting, kind and thoughtful, and gave attention to everyone on our tour. Hazim wanted us to immerse ourselves in the culture, history, and archaeological beauty of Jordan. When I first met Hazim, I told him that this tour was a Biblical Pilgrimage for me, and he discussed the spiritual importance of many of the sites with me, and our group in great detail throughout our tour. A special visit: meeting his family, son, and mom during a delicious lunch, and aunt and uncle during tea. And we met many relatives on our tour throughout the country. All of the sites: Biblical Baptismal site of Jesus at Bethany, Mt. Nebo, Madaba, Jerash, Petra, Little Petra, Wadi Rum, Amman, the Red and Dead Sea were captivating, beautiful and amazing. We enjoyed the spectacular 5+ hotels, breakfast buffets, and various meals, teas, and coffee. We love Gate 1 tours, highly recommend them to friends, and look forward to booking another tour soon.

I want to express my sincere gratitude for the perfectly organized trip, for the professional choice of comfortable hotels, historical places to visit, and for the excellent selection of the curator and local guides. They shared knowledge and love for their native places. I especially want to mention Miroslava. An amazingly charming, highly educated, friendly, caring woman guide, assistant, adviser, and just a friend. The smile did not leave her face from the first to the last day of our arrival, which caused great sympathy. With her help, crossing many borders was painlessly fast, the food, in the small roadside coffees she chose, was exceptionally tasty and the service was prompt. This is a great merit and experience of the guide. The information she shared with us was competent, accessible, and highly professional. The solution to the problems of tourists was instant, competent for 24/7 hours, and all this in a great mood. The bus driver was just an ace and showed his skills on high mountain roads, as well as in cities crowded with vehicles and crazy drivers A trip to the Balkans will be remembered for a lifetime thanks to your excellent work and constant care for us

We had a wonderful time. We came home proud of our climbing accomplishments, full of information about Peru and in wonder of this marvelous place. Peru is a magical. Our tour Guide, Rolly, was a fabulous guide who enriched our trip with his knowledge, experience, kindness, patience and passion for Peru. We couldn't have asked for anyone better.

We recently returned from your 12-day Israel, Ancient and Modern Culture tour. It truly was the trip of a lifetime! Every bit of it was enjoyable and educational. Our guide, Gai, was exceptional. His friendly personality and wealth of knowledge were much appreciated. He paid attention to detail and was always prepared for the itinerary of the day. Our accommodations were great, and the food was outstanding! We appreciated the variety of sites and the information and historical details from Gai regarding each site. We also appreciate the size of the group for this type of trip. We will cherish our memories of this trip forever, and we have already recommended it and passed along information for booking to several friends. Thanks, Gate 1, for this wonderful experience!

This Sicily/Malta tour from Oct 12-Oct 24, 2022 was our first with Gate 1 and was led by Francesco. Our driver was Giovanni. Giovanni was amazingly skilled and experienced at driving and navigating our 40 passenger bus through narrow streets, winding turns, and hairpin curves. Giovanni scheduled a few ideal scenic photo ops including Modica and identified Mt. Etna in the distance. The tour group felt extremely comfortable through the entire tour duration from stop to stop. Our tour director, Francesco Fedeli was experienced, dedicated, knowledgeable, well organized, friendly, accommodating, gracious, helpful, informative, engaging, superb sense of humor, adept at cultural information exchange, and inquisitive about the American culture. He diligently worked and was thoroughly prepared for each day, anticipating any risks along the way. All work he completed behind the scenes was transparent to tourists. He freely shared his knowledge of reputable restaurants, ATM's, and pharmacy's in each locale we stayed at which enhanced our comfort and travel experience. Francesco informed us of myths, legends, and history preparing the way for an immersive experience in each area visited. Throughout the tour, Francesco demonstrated his caring, compassionate, and intuitiveness predicting the needs of his customers (now friends). Of particular note, Francesco averted what would have been a major negative impact to our tour as he identified an air travel risk, a possible airline strike going to Malta, and collaborated with Gate1 management to mitigate the impending risk. It did happen and there was zero effect on the tour experience. Gate1 was extremely supportive in rescheduling an earlier flight, prior to the strike window, and modified associated hotel accommodations in both Sicily and Malta. A heroic effort benefitting Gate 1 and virtually transparent to the customer! We thoroughly enjoyed his leadership, his companionship, and his guidance throughout the tour. Thank you Francesco!

We had a wonderful trip! It was our first Gate 1 trip. It was actually our first group tour, so we were somewhat hesitant, but we are now sold on small group Discovery tours! Our guide, Chaouqi, was outstanding! He was friendly, professional, attentive, very interesting and entertaining, and so kind and considerate of all his "family", as he referred to us travel companions. The hotels were very nice and very "Moroccan" with beautiful décor and gardens and pools. The food was delicious. The coach was very comfortable, with just the right amount of stops for refreshments and facilities. We saw so much of the beautiful landscapes from mountains to plains to desert to oasis to seaside. It was a great overview of the country, filled with historic sights, colorful old cities, varieties of villages we passed through, and crowded medinas. We would highly recommend this tour of Morocco. We are already thinking about our next Discovery tour!

Fabulous. The only downside is the flight to and from our vacation and you had nothing to do with that. We had a small group. Only 14 of us. Everyone was just as invested as we were in our vacation. Everyone got along and our tour manager was the best. Robby was so good. Can't think of any negative. I liked his humor. I like that we had individual tour guides for some of the venues we went to. They seemed to be experts in their field. I got so much more out of the Louvre and Versailles with our tour guide. We feel like we really got our money's worth for this trip. It was a trip we had wanted to do for a long time. It was well worth it. France exceeded our expectations.

Fabulous. A truly memorable trip, full of wonderful sights, new friends whom we hope to travel with again, interesting historical information. All in all, GREAT. Surmounted by Pieter our manager, who was so informative, educational, friendly and humorous. Then there was our driver Zlecko, who safely took us on our journey, through some seemingly perilous curvy roads. If we could travel with them again we would. Looking forward to our next rip with Gate 1.

We had a fantastic trip and our tour guide Waleed is excellent. We recommend this tour to everyone who wants to check out Jordan!

I just wanted to let you know that I am not sure that we could have had a better tour guide than Mohammed. He was amazing, so knowledgeable and acommodating. I am positive that he is the absolute best and am recommending him to my friends that are interested in travelling to Morocco. Also the coach driver and assistant always had a smile on their face and were always willing to help. Great trip, great tour guide. I highly recommend Gate 1, and this was my first tour.

Our trip was amazing. And Switzerland was beautiful. We appreciated the stays at Wengen and Zermatt areas. Loved small group of 18. Marija was an excellent tour manager with her local knowledge, her caring attitude, and her quick-to-resolve skill that brought happy results to a few of our adventurous "mission impossible" occasions. Along with our driver, Peter, they both went above and beyond expectations, to ensure we had wonderful experiences. Thank you.

Although I have had a number of amazing guides, I can say that Waleed is absolutely the best that I have ever encountered. Gate 1 needs to give this guy a raise or promotion or something super special because Waleed is without a doubt representing Gate 1 in stellar fashion. The Jordan itinerary is already worth whatever it takes to get there, 100%- such an amazing country! But with Waleed as tour director, travelers can expect to have a truly top-notch experience. Waleed ensures the added value where it is possible to achieve more than an enjoyable vacation in an interesting location; seriously, after being on tour with Waleed I felt I had touched the authentic heart of Jordan. I have so much respect for the people of Jordan as a whole. Their bravery in the face of economic hardship and personal tragedy both breaks my heart and fills me with so much admiration; yes, and gratefulness for the hope they give me for a better world. Jordanians are some of the kindest, most open-hearted, jolly, goofy, people I have ever met. I see grief in their eyes, but they treat each other and foreigners with gentleness and respect. Go to Jordan! You will love it! You will be blown away by the people's incredible level of hospitality. And if you're especially lucky, you will have Waleed as your Gate 1 representative. I'd also like to say that I had some shocking and major disappointments with the US-side of Gate 1 and hope anyone reading this never receives the inexplicably reluctant and rude "help" from Gate1's customer service (please consider not booking your flights through Gate1). The Jordanian side of the whole Gate 1 operation was unceasingly impressive and wonderful. I especially appreciate the driver Muhammed who provided airport transport as well as Mohanned and Abu Ali, Gate1 airport representatives. The country of Jordan is now forever in my heart.

Excellent in every respect. Our favorite Gate 1 trip, and this is about our 10th. Tour guide was out of this world excellent. Our best tour guide ever! Can't say enough good about the trip. Far exceeded every expectation we could have wanted.

Our Uzbekistan Trip was great. All credit goes to MS Hellen, our tour director from Uzbekistan. She took care of every need of ours .The best tour Director we ever had for long time.

Our trip to Paris and Provence was amazing. You go to Paris to fall in love, and we did. Craig was amazing, he opened our eyes and hearts to the love and joy that is France. His knowledge of the art and history was so informative. I could recommend this trip to anyone and hope they get Craig.

This was my first Gate one experience and I can't say enough wonderful things about our Tour Guide Maureen she went above and beyond to see that every one of us (21) in all were happy and are days were fulfilled with the knowledge and the tastes and sites of Ireland! Thank you again Maureen for what you do! Bless you and your family!

Of all my Gate 1 trips, this was the best, mainly due to the guidance of the incomparable Mira. Her cheer, knowledge, interest, compassion, and professionalism go far beyond merely "doing a job". I felt like a valued and beloved member of her family. Our driver, Voy, is also the best I have ever seen. I can't maneuver my Mazda the way he controlled that immaculate 40-foot coach. I wish I could give them both ratings higher than "Excellent". I have scheduled a trip to Croatia in the spring. Also, as a huge fan of Bulgaria, I would ask that you include Varna and Nessebar on this itinerary, perhaps replacing Veliko Turnovo. The Black Sea coast is gorgeous, and these 2 cities offer venues (sea garden, archaeology museum with lots of GOLD, excellent restaurants, many churches and historic buildings, terrific shopping for local arts and crafts in Nessebar) that would add tremendous interest and value to the trip. I have been to both places several times and would happily go back as there is so much to see and experience.

I want you to know that our trip was wonderful and the reason it was wonderful was because of our tour manager whose name was Pero. Not who you said in this evaluation. He made the tour wonderful. He was on top of everything and always considerate of us. Please give him the credit that is due because the 11 of us had a fantastic, cohesive, tour because of him. he made this is the best of the five tours we have taken with Gate 1 so far. Plus we do have one scheduled for next September thank you.

Our tour guide in Sicily and Malta was wonderful Antoinette (Tony) was very accommodating. Tony helped us understand some Italian phrases, worried about our safety, picked up on conversations on things our group liked to do like sing and listen to special songs while on the bus. Tony was very good about explaining everything we were going to do, when we would need to dress differently for our tours and paid attention to details that made us more comfortable and ready to tackle each day. Can't say enough about Tony, she makes Gate 1 look great!

I am usually an independent traveler and going on a tour is never my first choice. This GATE 1 tour in Morocco changed my opinion on that. This was a wonderful trip. And I think that our Tour Manager, Hicham, made all the difference in the world. I arrived two days earlier to Morocco. I arranged our transfer through Gate 1. When I met with the person in charge of the transfers, he put Hicham on the phone. Hicham introduced himself, and gave me his phone number, just in case anything was needed. He was following up even before our official start of the tour. I felt at ease, and very safe, knowing that in a country with a different culture than mine where I didn't even speak the language, there is someone that I could call, and that was making sure that I was fine. He was always just a WhatsApp message away! That set the bar very high from the start. The tour was great, I learned a lot from Hicham's explanations. I asked many questions, and all where answered. The local guides - In Volubilis, Fez, Erfoud and Essaouira - were wonderful and so knowledgeable. I felt as if the information provided was coming from a history teacher instead a tour guide. Even the days where we spent lots of time in the bus, included good information, enough stops and even we watched the movie Casablanca on our way to Casablanca! The two weeks of the tour went by very fast. Hicham was always available to support us with any question, or even help with any reservation. He made sure that we all were fine. He treated us like family. I need to also mention that the bus driver and the helper, were so nice, always smiling and very helpful. I hope all other destinations that are offered by Gate 1 have the same level of quality and dedication that I had in Morocco. The Bar is certainly set very high.

Our trip to Israel was magnificent! Everything was wonderful, our guide Dan was the best, so very interesting and knowledgeable. Dan kept us well informed on the history, facts and traditions of every place we visited throughout our ten day journey. Our bus driver Zahi was very conscientious with expert driving skills. Everyone felt safe with him behind the wheel transporting us from one town to another. This tour was so amazing, we visited so many amazing sites and covered so much territory in just ten days. The hotels, the food and the people were the best. Our group of twenty one people became friends on our first day and had a fabulous time together. Just love our group and will remain in touch. The flights to and from Israel with United Airlines flew seamlessly, on time with no delays. Great job Gate1, I couldn't be more pleased with this fantastic trip! Looking forward to my next trip with Gate1.

Kevin is unique. We would classify him as one of the best tour managers we've ever had over many years of travel. He did lots of things to ensure us a great experience. For example, when a restaurant failed to serve the dessert on the menu, the famous Pavlova; he discretely arranged the next hotel to make and serve it to us. He was unfailingly upbeat, greeting us all the time with a broad smile and a cheerful "Kira ora." And he was funny and kept us laughing with his many jokes which he cracked with perfect delivery. Definitely a natural comedian. Because of his wit and humor, it was easy to overlook something else: his command of facts and figures about the culture, people, and history of NZ. He told us wonderful Maori stories about the "long cloud" and the "silver fern" and the doomed love between the maiden and the man in Rotorua. I even took notes so I can remember them long after this trip. If I had one wish, it would be that he had given us more details about what to do in our spare time. Perhaps cite his favorite local spots and even occasionally walk with us or take us to them . Without a doubt, Kevin was first-rate thoughtful, knowledgeable, and hugely entertaining.

We had a wonderful tour with Robby our tour director. The weather couldn't have been better and the itinerary was top notch. We especially were entertained and educated by Nicolas on our Versailles tour. Robby was a lot of fun and ran a tight ship. He would give us a lot of information before we got to our next stop and was very clear in his directions. I would highly recommend him. He really knew his stuff.

Our trip to Sicily and Malta was fantastic in all regards - itinerary, venues, fellow travelers, but most of all tour director Silvia. Her temperament, attention to detail, proactiveness and so many other aspects are without parallel in our experience. She really made a great trip- fabulous.

We had a wonderful trip to Peru with Gate 1! This was our first Gate 1 experience but definitely not our last! Every little detail was taken care of - the transfers, the hotels, the meals! The hotels were first rate and meals superb! Our tour guide Odon was an absolute gem! He introduced us to his country, culture and customs and we have a much better understanding of Peru and its people. Thank you so much for an amazing trip - it was magical!

Finally got settled after an amazing Gate 1 tour. Our tour manager Safi is well informed & detailed oriented. He showed he cares for the participants of the tour, from wake up calls to daily schedules, he is very organized. It shows he cares for the participants. He answered questions accurately to the best of his ability. He is very knowledgeable of the history, tour insights of the areas we visited. We are giving a grade of Excellent. Gate 1 needs more Tour managers like Safi.

As always did not disappoint! G1 trip #44 for me and had already visited Romania, Bulgaria and Albania before, but on Majestic Balkans welcomed the chance to revisit them again, experience some new cities and also get to go to North Macedonia which I was very excited about as was my 100th country! Loved the trip - it was very active but we saw so much, some great cities and incredible sights, experienced good food and some excellent hotels - the Grand Hotel in Sofia and the Marriott in Skopje especially wonderful! Our tour manager Patty from Croatia took great care of us and was funny, engaging and very kind with some lovely gifts for the whole group to remember each country. The driver was doing this tour for the first time, but he kept us safe and grew into the role as we progressed on the journey. North Macedonia was fabulous - loved Skopje and Ohrid - absolutely beautiful and completely surprising in a great way! These countries have come a long way since the last time I visited - they are all vibrant, affordable and offer a great travel experience. Our group of 20 was fun and cohesive. Love seeing more of the world for less with G1! Thank you as always!

My trip was amazing! In India our tour guide was Kapil and in Nepal our tour guide was Avash. Both were incredible fun. Very professional and knowledgeable about history and current events of the cities. I truly enjoyed the experience and by talking with other tour participants they did as well. Thank you very much, I will recommend Gate1 to anybody interested in traveling the world!

I appreciate the opportunity to provide you with feedback regarding our trip with Gate 1. Previously my award/tourism trips were coordinated thru event managers and tourism companies contracted through the various companies with which I was employed. We were referred to your company by a family friend who has frequently traveled with Gate 1. Our recently completed Small Group Discovery Tour with Gate 1 was our first tour with your company. We WERE NOT disappointed, and the Small Group Discovery Tour format perfectly matched our desires and expectations. We were very impressed upon our arrival in Ecuador to be greeted by our smiling and waiting Tour Manager Antonio. I truly hope that you appreciate how instrumental Antonio was in making this such a memorable, remarkable and positive experience for both my wife and I regarding: Ecuador, The Galapagos, The Amazon, The Andes and Gate 1. Antonio's passion for his country and his company (Gate 1) were self evident and Antonio exhibited a rare ability to easily relate and interface with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures leading to the "cohesion" of our small group team members. The Hotel, culinary, activity and lodging choices selected were exquisite. Antonio took away the trepidation of traveling in an unfamiliar country by providing great counsel and a can do attitude regarding the few meals we were responsible for and the shopping and cultural experiences we were exposed to. Upon departing, I told Antonio that we left a small piece of our hearts in Ecuador!

We recently returned from Alaska's Natural Beauty Discovery Tour. We just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our vacation. From the time they picked us up at the airport until we finished our tour everyone was professional and courteous. Our tour guide, Liz, was wonderful. Her knowledge of the area was superb. She was always concerned about the safety of the group and went out of her way to ensure everyone had a wonderful time. She even organized optional hikes on our free time and went with us to ensure our safety. When our plane ride was canceled due to inclement weather, she organized a glacier walk to fill the void. We really enjoyed that part of the trip the most. I hope you will let her know how much we appreciate all she did for us. We would also like to complement our driver, Steve. Not only did he keep us safe on some pretty difficult roads but he always helped us on and off the bus to ensure our safety. He also lives in Alaska and had a lot of incite to all the areas we visited. He and Liz work so well as a team that they really enhanced our trip. We have been on 10 Gate 1 trips but this combination of tour guide and driver were the best we have ever had. We would really appreciate it if you could let them know how much they were appreciated. They did an awesome Job!!!

This was our first Gate 1 trip and we were very impressed. The itinerary was great. A good variety of big cities, small towns and beautiful scenery. Daniel our tour director was wonderful as was our bus driver Werner. We will definitely do another Gate 1 trip.

Returned home from Switzerland on July 20. The trip was fabulous owing primarily to the tour director Dennis. He was extremely organized. Have over 2000 pictures of a beautiful country. Hats off to Gate 1!

Our travel manager and coach driver were excellent! Edo could not have been more knowledgeable, patient, kind, funny and enjoyable to be around. We always felt safe on the roads with our driver and the bus was very comfortable and clean. We are looking forward to our next opportunity to travel with Gate One.

Although I never received a request from you for a personal review for a recent trip ( 16 Day Deluxe Israel and Jordan), I feel compelled to write regarding the superb guides and bus drivers in both countries as well as the outstanding Gate 1 service and planning, beginning with pick up at the Tel Aviv airport and ending with Gate 1 support at the Amman airport. The hotels were superb, the meals delicious, and the travel arrangements between hotels, between tourist sites and between countries, were seamless. Kudos to the Gate 1 planning team, from initial reservation in 2019 and due to Covid, rescheduled twice! In Israel, Gabriella (Gabi) , our tour manager and guide, was a font of information regarding history- both historical/archaeological and the history of the state of Israel. She is extremely knowledgeable regarding the culture, religion and food ways of her country. Gabi is a master planner and facilitator, shepherding us daily through a rich itinerary, coordinating departures, entry times, lunch and dinner reservations, leaving us each day with rich memories of Roman cities, natural wonders, Christian holy sites and Jewish religious/cultural experiences. Gabi's ability to communicate her love and passion for Israel coupled with her empathy, understanding, concern, and care for the 20 tourists under her care made for wonderful traveling. Our Israeli bus driver, Aman, was outstanding, maneuvering a large bus in crowded cities with skill and humor. And across the border we were met by our Jordanian driver Mohammed, equally skillful and engaging. In Jordan, we were welcomed at the Israeli border by Ali , our charming and exceptional tour manager and guide. Ali's extensive knowledge of history, archaeology, Islam, and Jordanian culture, coupled with his engaging manner, ability to communicate and involve his audience, made our experience especially memorable and enjoyable. Our itinerary was was filled from sunrise until nighttime. Ali delivered wonderful lectures on the tour bus as we traveled from site to site and seamlessly planned and timed our visits and meals. Ali's concern for us, his wealth of information, ability to engage his audience, and the spectacular sites in Jordan all contributed to an exciting week of travel.

Our discovery tour to foods and wine of northern Italy was fabulous. This was our first discovery tour. Our small group of 15 jelled into a family while participating in food, wine, and spirits sampling. Our guide, Carmine , was ultra professional and looked after our safety and health at all times. He arranged for transportation alternatives when Mother Nature denied us water passage to Portofino because of high winds. He hired a van when he deemed the sidewalk-less road too dangerous to walk to get the post trip Covid tests. He treated us to evening drinks on sunny piazzas in Torino and Bologna. He took care of all the worries of getting us from point A to point B while supplying us with geographic historical and cultural aspects of northern Italy. Invaluable experiences and knowledge were shared by all in the beauty and wonder of northern Italy.

We completed the Food and Wines of Piedmont, Liguria and Veneto with Cinque Terra last week and there are two things I'd like to share. First, what a fabulous itinerary - start to finish! The trip to the rice plantation and balsamic vinegar winery were fascinating. And each of the wineries we visited offered beautiful wines and food. Second, I have nothing but "High Praise" for our tour manager, Vanessa. She is the perfect, caring host. Her knowledge and friendliness added so much more to the trip. And she certainly seems to be in her element as a tour manager. She was terrific! This was our first small group trip with Gate 1 and we loved every minute of it. We are already looking for other small group trips we could take with Gate 1.

Abdou is the best tour guide. He is everything any tourist could hope for in a guide. His linguistic ability is second to none, his diction in English & his tone of voice is pleasant on the ear. His knowledge of his country & the world, & his easy manner of filling your head with every important fact was just the best. He knows how to get the best out of his clients & he gives them his all. He is so attentive to each client without being invasive or overbearing. All the Gate1 guides I've had are excellent, but, Abdou is certainly a cut above the rest. Any tour company would be very lucky to have him as a guide.