Customer Testimonials

We just returned from your Best of Turkey trip. It was our first tour trip and we were not disappointed. Our tour guide, Isa, was extremely knowledgeable, funny, and absolutely made the trip. The landscape was stunning, especially Cappadocia. I can't stop talking about it!

— Angela Gholson, New York, NY

Just returned today. Oue national guide, David, was knowledgeable, friendly, warm and dedicated to teaching our group about the culture and politics of his fascinating country. Local guides for Shanghai and Xi'An were superb. Hotels and meals were excellent. Fast paced, but this is how my husband and I like to travel. Yes, we did have some rest periods and free time. Have traveled with Friendly Planet before. Much bang for your buck.

— Rita Schlansky, Carlisle PA

We booked this trip instead of going to Hawaii for our honeymoon. It was less expensive to fly half way around the world and stay for 3 extra days than what it would have cost to go to Hawaii. As for the trip, it was by far the best trip of my life. Lek, our guide, is a wonderful person; very accommodating, friendly and seemed to genuinely care about making our experience enjoyable. Thailand is an amazing country that combines beautiful scenery, a unique culture, friendly people, a good nightlife, and is very inexpensive. What more could you ask for? We are looking to book our next trip (Africa) and are definitely looking at Friendly Planet.

— Wade Honeyfield, Denver, CO

This was the best trip ever. The guides were all wonderful, especially Patricia in Patagonia who made sure that we saw all of the flora and fauna in the region. Iguazu Falls, the glaciers, scenery, and boat rides were spectacular. The food was also very special. All told, another great tour with Friendly Planet!

— Joy Wellington, New York, NY

I had a wonderful time, and think Friendly Planet did a fantastic job with coordination of flights, bus transfers, and our hotel in Athens. I was also pleasantly surprised by the included housekeeping aboard easyCruise Life. The literature provided by both easyCruise and Friendly Planet gave an exceptionally accurate description of the ship, its amenities (which were actually nicer than we anticipated), the islands, and the amount of time spent on each island. This cruise line is designed to allow maximum enjoyment of the islands at a budget price—and it delivered on that promise. I could not have been happier with the ship, its staff, or the excursions. Thank you for providing such a comprehensive package. I will definitely be recommending both easyCruise and Friendly Planet to my friends!

— Dr. Karen Thomas, Baltimore, MD

Just about everything you need to know is out on the web before you make a decision. I believe I called the Friendly Planet office only once with only one question during the entire booking process. I really appreciate all of the full disclosure of just about everything on the web site. It helped me make my decision to do the safari with Friendly Planet as opposed to Vantage or other companies.

— John Schwab

My husband and I went on the easyCruise Greek Isles and Turkey cruise in October. We had a wonderful time! We arrived each day in port around 10AM and stayed in port until morning. We had plenty of time to tour the islands, come back to the ship, relax and then set out again for dinner and nightlife ashore. The hotel in Athens had a rooftop restaurant with a beautiful view of the Parthenon. Many of the travelers on the boat had already done several trips with Friendly Planet and spoke highly of them. We can't wait until our next Friendly Planet trip. The only hard part was deciding which one to do next!

— Leesa Haslam, Atkinson, NH

Have been on 3 trips with Friendly Planet and would highly recommend them to anyone. We especially enjoyed Kenya and have been there 3 times. It is magical and once you have been that is the only vacation for you. Excellent food, first class lodgings , fantastic scenery like no where else on earth, and a sense of adventure that I have never felt on any of our travels. It beat China, Thailand and all the other countries that we have visited. You won't regret the trip.

— Carolyn Hofacket, Napa, CA

Best trip we have ever taken. Our guides (Gary White and Ari) were so friendly and professional. We saw things we could never have found ourselves. I can't say enough good things about the experience. It all went like clockwork (to the extent anything in Cuba can do so). If you ever want to see Cuba, see it now, and see it with Friendly Planet!

— Valerie Fisher, Portland, OR

WOW!! We cannot begin to convey how amazing our trip was. David Bai, our tour guide, was fantastic, accommodating and overall phenomenal. The food, hotels, and all arrangements were wonderfully trouble-free. We will highly recommend China and already planning our next Friendly Planet tour. Thank you for a most memorable holiday!

— Wendy & Bruce Longman, New Port Richey, FL

Just got back from your Thailand trip. The four of us had a marvelous time, and your arrangements were wonderful. I was impressed by the organization throughout. We all learned a lot and really enjoyed the experience.

— Andy Tsoi, Tacoma, WA

I loved that I wasn't just a number and my questions were answered by personal e-mail not a standard electronic response...I was extremely surprised that I could afford this kind of vacation for my family. I still glow when I think about it.

— Karen

This is the second trip I've been on with Friendly Planet. I always feel I get my money's worth on the trip. Each day is packed with things to see & experience and the guides are knowledgeable, friendly and take care of everything to make sure the trip runs smoothly.

— Cathleen Madge

At the price, I thought we would fly on the outside of the airplane, and get around Thailand by goat cart. Instead, China Air was a new plane, we got around by a new bus, in the best hotels in town, and had a guide who was an absolute joy. I could not recommend the trip more highly. We took the extension to Angkor Wat, which was marvelous. Only problem was the 23 hour ride getting home, but short of having one's own jet, that is life for the traveler

— John Wright, Granada Hills, CA

Traveling to East Africa has been a long awaited dream for me. Last November, I was finally able to realize my dream by going on Friendly Planet's 2 week jeep safari to Kenya and Tanzania. The trip was organized locally by Vintage Africa. I cannot sing enough praises for Vintage Africa, and especially our driver guide in Kenya, James Mungai. James was an extremely knowledgeable and attentive guide. His ability to intelligently answer all of our sometimes unusual questions and spot wildlife from miles away never ceased to amaze us. James went out of his way to accommodate our needs and was always patient with all our requests, from stopping to photograph every sunset and tree cluster to positioning his vehicle for the perfect photo opportunity. As a seasoned traveler, I can truly say that this trip has been one of my favorites and having James as our guide contributed to making it so memorable. I can only hope that my next group excursion will be as enjoyable and well organized.

— Magda Laska

The "Colors of Cuba" is my fourth adventure with Friendly Planet! I have NEVER been dissapointed in the wonders of each country and the travel packages that Friendly Planet arranges, nor the cost of each travel adventure. This trip was especially wonderful thanks to our FP guide Gary! Gary met us in the Miami airport and remained with us the entire trip. He provided information important to our visit in Cuba, explained the money exchange requirements and was always available to answer any question. Not only is Gary professional, but it was obvious to me that he enjoys his work and wanted to provide each traveler with the best experiences in Cuba that Friendly Planet could offer. Our national guide, Arianna, was a joy! She was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, professional, open to all questions, and had a great sense of humor! The people of Cuba are very gracious. I enjoyed the happiness and laughter from the children we visited in schools, the warm and welcoming smiles from the seniors while visiting a senior center, the beautiful voices of the youth choir, laughing at young, talented circus performers and watching the grace of the students at Prodanza, and dancing Salsa! This was a wonderful and incredible opportunity that I will never forget! My THANKS to Friendly Planet Travel!!! AND....see you in a few months on my next trip!

— Nikky Chahon, Sacramento, CA

When we saw the price of this trip I booked it as a joke. My wife and I had never done an organized trip like this. Well, we were blown away by the whole experience. The guide Panu was wonderful and the trip was the best value I have ever had in my many travel experiences. We have two more trips booked with you and are really looking forward to them. Your company is the best kept secret around and we are glad that we tried you.

— Brian & Marilyn Goldman, Toronto, Canada

Unreal trip! This is my 3rd tour with Friendly Planet and I have enjoyed every one of them. It was so organized and the guides so friendly! I don't know how you all make any money because the accommodations are always top-notch! Amazing trip from start to finish. I can't wait to pick my next trip! Thanks for everything!

— Holly Pecarek

I have traveled with many tour companies, but never enjoyed myself as much as with Friendly Planet. Every detail was taken care of at a price that was so affordable!

— Andrew Arcello

I returned last night from my first trip with Friendly Planet. What a glorious adventure this was. Our guide, Dennis, is a remarkable, knowledgeable, and patient man with a great sense of humor. (He humored me when—after our first stop—I saw the need to feed stray dogs along the way.) Food and hotels were all magnificent. I learned so much. Ecuador and the beautiful people will be forever in my heart. Thank you very much, Friendly Planet.

— Liesel Appel, Asheville, NC

India was not high on my list of places to travel to but I thought this was such a good deal that I just had to do it. The package itself was the cost of the airfare alone. It was great traveling with fans of Friendly Planet. They kept saying how happy they were with the expertise and professionalism that you guys had throughout the whole process. Everyone on the group was very well travelled and all the travelers resided in different parts of the country from Chicago to Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. My favorite parts of the tour include: the Taj Mahal (of course), the elephant ride up Amber Fort – so much fun, and the rickshaw taxis – a number of folks said this should be a part of the package as it was like a scary Disneyland ride. Thank you for putting such a great package together - what an amazing experience. I hope to book another Friendly Planet package soon!

— Jeannie Shu

Wonderful tour. Absolutely first class all the way. Great food and incredible guide. Thanks 'Friendly Planet'. One of my best trips ever and I'm not new at this.

— Sudie Sudendorf

Friendly Planet, We just returned from your Taste of Thailand tour. It was wonderful, and we are already talking about another trip with you! I can't say enough about our whole experience with Friendly Planet. From the very beginning you were helpful and prompt in communicating information to us so we could better plan our trip. Everything went so well. Our tour guide Lek was amazing! She shared Thailand's customs, people and treasures with us in such a way that we will never forget. She is truly one of Thailand's Treasures, and one of Friendly Planets Treasures as well! Our hotels were amazing.. we are still trying to figure out how you can put together such a remarkable trip for the money?? Thank you so much for a trip of a lifetime. We are looking forward to traveling with you again! Sincerely, Debra and Robert Woods

— Debra Woods

My mother and I had an AMAZING time! The people on the tour were awesome and our tour guide Ekachai was fantastic! This was our first tour trip and we could not have been more pleased with our choice to use Friendly Planet! This was a trip that we will never forget!

— Kendra and Glenda Walker, Brentwood, MD

Before Jay-Z & Beyonce', I and my wife Kathy celebrated our ninth Anniversary with "Friendly Planet Travel Tour" on December 29, 2012 in Havana, Cuba. Our Tour Guide "Nancy" along with Our Tour Host "Lori" & Driver "Santos" and the entire Tour Group provided an evening that we will always cherish. My "85 year old Madre was on this tour and it was amazing to watch her Dance the night away in Cuba! The wonderful service was much more than we expected, THANKS

— Raymond Abdullah, Jacksonville, FL

[Our tour guide] Ms. Zhu made it the best! She was the door to China. She put her group of tourists first and did what she could for us to see the best of China! Kudos to your prices and your quality! You are the best! Other online agencies will have a very very hard time selling me a trip without us (17 friends who travel together) checking with you first!

— Marta Velazquez Loescher & Nancy Velazquez, West Chester, PA

We were totally satisfied with our tour; flawless organization, great tour director and guide (Patricio Placencia), excellent accommodations, good service, very safe ride, well-chosen itinerary that exposed us to a great variety of places and local people.

— Yves Q.

We just returned from Friendly Planet's "Taste of China" tour and we are two incredibly satisfied travelers-it was fabulous. Although we've been fortunate enough to travel pretty extensively in our lives, this was our first experience with Friendly Planet and our first trip to Asia. We've barely been back in the states for 48 hours and we've already converted our families into Friendly Planet fans via our "Taste of China" travel tales. We must tell you that National Guide, David Bai, runs an absolutely excellent tour. David is personable, exceptionably knowledgeable and is careful to keep things lighthearted and fun, all of the essential ingredients for magnificent group travel. He went above and beyond to ensure that we enjoyed a unique and memorable experience and for that, we are grateful. We're already thinking about returning for the "Best of China" tour and hope that David can be our guide. Local guides, Alan (Shanghai) and Susan (Xi'an) were wonderful as well, taking extra care to answer all of our questions and it was obvious that all three of our guides took extreme pride in introducing their country to us. The hotels were fantastic (particularly the Grand Mercure in Xi'an) and the food was delicious and plentiful - no one ever left hungry. Every restaurant that our guides took us to was great and almost all were filled with locals, so we really felt like we were experiencing the "inside scoop" as far as cuisine was concerned. We feel as though we received amazing value for our money and returned home with a deeper appreciation for travel, a greater understanding of another culture and new friends halfway around the world. What more could you ask for?

— Nicole Zuchelli and Zack Graham, Los Angeles, CA

“We really enjoyed the tour. The guide was informative and helpful. The daily tours diversified and well planned. The hotels and food were great. The value for the dollar was exceptional. Overall we were extremely pleased and it exceeded our expectations.”

— Linda Sheive/Jerry Hjelle

We returned from our South African tour on the 25th of May. Accommodations, food, transportation and tour guides were wonderful and extremely knowledgeable. We have traveled with Friendly Planet before on the Pyramids and Nile Cruise. This trip was completely up to the same standards as the trip to Egypt. Will definitely travel with Friendly Planet again.

— Jack & Deanna Warren, Beavercreek, OR