Honestly, this is one of the most difficult emails to write. You have ruined us forever. How can I choose a favorite highlight? Will there ever be a guide as intelligent, informative, peaceful, patient and with such a dry sense of humor? Will there ever be a hotel as accommodating, luxurious and comfortable as an Oberoi? I think not! Every aspect and detail of this trip was executed perfectly. There was not one moment where we were at a loss for our schedule or where we thought something was going awry. At every turn we felt like royalty. Every site we saw was amazing and the history and significance of the sites were so eloquently explained to us, giving us such a connection to India. My birthday lasted the entire trip with each new place celebrating me! I couldn’t believe it! Gifts and surprises kept coming… thank you for that!! Your local DAI Team checked in with is us every day. Every driver, representative and hotel staff were warm, friendly and helpful. I will never forget and shall return to Ranthambhore to track the Tigers. You must have even somehow created our good fortune in that each game drive, we actually saw a Tiger! Having our own private Aarti ceremony was very special to me and fulfilled my spiritual hopes for the trip. There are not enough appropriate words with which to thank you.

T.R. - India 2023

I’m sitting at Delhi airport after having been whisked from my gate by the arrivals staff and placed along with my luggage in an arrivals lounge until the United counter opens.

Thank you for an amazing trip! I’ve felt like royalty throughout and loved every minute of the trip. You really outdid yourself. Thank you so much for the detail and care you gave to me and Katy. The guides were great, the drivers uniformly safe and thoughtful. I saw some pretty off the beaten path places - some at the suggestion of my driver BG on my trip from jaisalmer to jodhpur. But each spot was a learning experience and I so appreciate that. Everything was perfect - a home run! So grateful to have your expertise and knowledge of India in charge of this. I’ve seen it through a different set of eyes this time with your guidance. Very much appreciated!?

Not sure what else to say other than I’m sad to see this trip end and look forward to booking something again with you.

Deb (To Seema) - India 2023

We had the best time in Dubai! It is truly a beautiful city with lovely people. Your guidance helped make our trip seamless and for that I am very grateful and happy!

C. Rosen

We had a wonderful time in Egypt — a grand tour of the monuments. And we felt safe and thoroughly taken care of throughout. The tour was flawlessly executed. Flowers and fruit delivered to our room at every stop. Even the COVID PCR test was made easy. The tour hit all the high points. And the personality, expertise and patience of the guides made all the difference. We had one particularly wonderful guide in Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel. He was professional, knowledgeable, amenable — and a delight to be with.

B & G Rodney - 2021

Our trip was beyond magical. The Egyptologists, our DAI reps, the hotels, the drivers, the food…and of course Egypt and the beautiful and kind people of that country. Every last detail was more than we ever imagined. In particular, our DAI rep in Cairo was INCREDIBLE. We loved him. We all had tears in our eyes when we said our final goodbye. Our Cairo Egyptologist was another home run! I feel like I have a sister in Egypt. She is so smart, so nice and knew exactly how to tour all the sites in the most efficient way and she did it all with ease. The Dahabiya was amazing (!!!). The crew and our Egyptologist... Wow…I’m not even sure I can put into words how incredible they all were. At the end (we were the only guests) it was another bunch of big hugs and tears..

S Howard - 2021

Thank you again for organizing our trip to Egypt. It was a bucket-list trip that we began discussing almost three years ago. It far exceeded our expectations and hopes. In some ways, the trip was a bit problematic in that you made it so easy and pleasant that we are spoiled and it has set a standard for future international travel. I recall our initial conversations with Jim in 2019. He listened carefully to what we wanted, and took into account the research we’d done about Egypt. He was calm and confident in his recommendations for our itinerary. Everything that we needed came exactly as promised and all of our many questions were answered by Arlene, Glenda and the rest of the DAI staff.

Regarding the itinerary - Jim said from the beginning “trust me” when it came to picking where to go. He was right on. We got to see all of the highlights that we wanted and feel that every day was well spent. I suppose it would have been possible to cram in one or two more sights, but we would have left totally exhausted. As it was there was time to relax and wind down every day, and that gave us the ability to recharge for the next day’s adventures. Some of the highlights for us were: Giza, Valley of the Kings (and the extra tombs we got to see), Nefretari’s tomb, Abu Simbel, Ramses III mortuary temple, the balloon ride, and Karnak temple; basically everything.

We were truly taken care of every step of the way with all of the attention directed at making sure that we had a good time and got to see as many of the wonderful sites as possible. In addition, the travel was absolutely first class, private cars, private tours, Five Star accommodations, etc. Every penny spent was well worth it and we both feel that we got more than our money’s worth.

D Dubow - 2021

Apparently all you have to do in the Middle East is whisper the name 'Jim Berkeley'....a hush will come over all guides & tour personnel... and the gates of Heaven shall be opened. Honestly, EVERY time your name was mentioned people snapped to attention and raved about YOU. What other countries do you cover so I can put them on my list for future planning?

JR

Everything arranged with DAI was perfectly executed. Everywhere we went the names Jim Berkeley and DAI were THE BEST calling cards. We felt like royalty sweeping through Egypt.

We now have had one of the greatest experiences of our lives thanks to you: Going down between the Sphinx paws and walking around the Sphinx and having it to ourselves was mind blowing. Seriously. One of the greatest thrills of our lives.

C Smith

It's been 10 years since you planned a trip for my parents, and they're still talking about it! From the itinerary you planned to the guides you found, everything was top-class, and it delights me that we were able to give my parents such a wonderful experience. DAI easily deserves all its accolades, and I wanted to extend some extraordinary thanks, even a decade later.

T Olson

From landing in Cairo January 7th to leaving January 17th 2013 all arrangements were attentive and seamless. Jim & Arlene’s proficient arrangement skills were displayed as they professionally scheduled tours & eating plans perfectly. In addition, tipping charts was provided to avoid any confusion or missteps with our tour guides and or local Egyptian workers.

Their proficient preparation resulted in making my experience a breathtaking and an extraordinary one. Scheduling tours for well over ten site viewings in over six cities including checking in and out of four hotels (plus a cruise) and two flights within Egypt in a matter of ten days should not go without mentioning. Jim & Arlene provided a worry free trip to a country I was foreign to. A major factor that plays a frightening role in peoples “traveling lives” is communication and relationship with locals.

In addition, Egypt’s current political and governmental structure is currently fragile and vulnerable to a people’s rebellion at any given moment according to Western Media. This can result and create a dangerous atmosphere and environment for tourist. This being broadcasted at home does not give anyone a lift or buzz to visit Egypt. Weeks and days before departing to Egypt, Jim & Arlene did an excellent job reporting to us and endorsing our protection because of the safety measures taken into consideration. Therefore, providing a worry free trip is not only impressive but exhibits their excellence in their professional field.

I would not only travel again through Jim & Arlene’s advice and guidance, but I will love to revisit Egypt.

Abraham, Trip to Egypt, 2013

There will never be enough words to express our thanks, love and appreciation to all of you. Thank you for making this Big World our Beautiful Adventure. All our love.

Sue, Mckenna, Becca, Josh and Emma (Texas) after their 365 day around the world trip.

Destinations & Adventures pays a lot of attention to detail and picks excellent guides. They have very good connections.

Ruth Pennycook Chairman, Santa Fe Council on International Relations

What Destinations & Adventures brings to the industry is something that really is missing in many large companies today – a hands-on creative approach.

David Morris President, David Morris International

The team at Destinations & Adventures is the greatest I’ve ever met. They are so bright and creative, their knowledge is extraordinary.

Sue Turner President, Vacation Boutique

Destinations & Adventures opened doors for us that would be closed to others, giving us a very special tour.

Butch Philipsborn President, International House of Travel

Unrivaled expertise and local knowledge. 5-star agency hands down.

Scott Dalton

I think destinations and adventures is a phenomenal company and the people who work there are passionate, intelligent, and have amazing contacts all over the world. They have helped me go through south east Asia, Croatia, and a Mediterranean culinary cruise. All were life changing experiences.

Amy Johnson

Destinations and Adventures International provides excellent service. I have gone through them for my trips to Egypt in 2013, Abu Dhabi & Dubai in 2014 and Bali this past October 2016. From the beginning to the end, planning a trip with DAI is so simple and stress-free, makes my experience much more enjoyable. The guides and drivers provided are true professionals and definitely know their history and culture, adding so much value to the overall experience.

Michelle Angulo

We had an extraordinary adventure! Thank you for organizing such a wonderful voyage; it was pure magic, even with the heat. However the hot weather afforded us such unique and rare scenes, such as literally being the only people in the Valley of the Queens to see Nefatari’s tombs.

T. Black

All the details in Cairo were perfect...we got met at the airport, transferred here and there without a hitch. Eman, our guide, was an encyclopedia of knowledge. And even better, she presented her facts in an orderly and thoughtful fashion to bring the history to life for us. The Solar Boat was incredibly impressive and unexpected for us! And her excitement about all the reliefs especially with Mereruka's Mastaba that told of life in the day was great. Really incredibly all the way around. The hotels were perfect as well even though we were only in them a short time.

Thanks so much for all your help in organizing and helping us with all our questions for travelling there. We felt quite safe as he stated even with the presidential election on the day we left! I bought a small rug/wall hanging from his friend outside of Sakkara! He looked good in the ad the owner showed me in the magazine from years ago!

C. Stuhr

This is my second trip planned by your company, (my first one was planned by Gail Berkeley to Peru), and it was equally amazing and spectacular. Each and everyday was delightful. Each of the 4 guides were very knowledgeable, extremely welcoming and a pleasure to be with. The domestic flights and airport transfers were seamless (and good departure times chosen so as not to wake up too early etc.), with the hotel selections and recommended activities absolutely perfect. We were very lucky to have good weather, so the Estancia Cristina to the Upsala glacier was extra special. If we had to pick only one favorite activity, it was the Gaucho "horses training show" in San Antonio de Areco (outside of Buenos Aires). It was incredibly interesting and very moving to see such control over the beautiful horses. Again, our guide had explained the history and details so well beforehand that we were well prepared to understand what the gauchos were actually showing us. Again, all the activities were special, but that one stuck out as extra special and very "Argentinian".

The three hotels were well chosen, but our favorite was in Bariloche; the "Aldebaran" hotel; which was very romantic with a great restaurant and excellent staff. The views were spectacular just sitting in our room. Again, the horseback riding in Bariloche was fun and again with very well trained horses. I must sound like I am not very discriminating, but with all honesty, each and every activity planned by your company was truly a delight. My husband and I have travelled extensively throughout our careers, and quite frankly he was skeptical about a big travel trip "for fun"; but we both had an incredible time- truly relaxing, fun, interesting and "can't wait to go back" and discover more of such a beautiful interesting country. Its such a pleasure to wake up in the morning and not have to worry or figure anything out; just meet our guide and enjoy the day. What a luxury!

M. Neill

I am writing to express my gratitude to you and all of your team for the wonderful trips you have arranged for Nan and me thorough the years and for the bright future we have thanks to DAI.

I don't know if you keep track, but Costa Rica was the 12th trip I've taken with DAI and everyone of them has been excellent. I know that most of them have been relatively short, and I appreciate DAI's interest in helping me on these as well as the longer ones (e.g. Eastern Europe/Turkey, Egypt et. al.).

We have quite a list of trip remaining and if we can keep our health I'm sure we'll get them all taken.

I know it is a long ways off, but the Balkans in 2020 is going to be fantastic. I'm excited the Sea Cloud has come together and Colombe's land "extension" is something we I have wanted to do forever.

M. Johnson

Letting you know how fantastic our trip was. Egypt exceeded our expectations. We can't wait to go back again! Fouwad was an excellent guide for us. We would highly recommend him to others.

You all did a great job planning out our trip. And Jim, I have to thank you for insisting we do the cruise, which we enjoyed, but most of all that stay a bit in Aswan because the Old Cateract was by far our favorite hotel.

M. Stout

Dear Colombe and all at DAI who helped put our trip to the Balkans together:
You’ve done it again! Thank you all for helping us travel in a way that helps us learn about, see, and experience another part of the world. We love working with you and seeing you make magic. Special thanks to Colombe for being so responsive all along the way, for helping us solve problems in planning from the beginning to the end, and for helping design a trip that made best use of our time and treasure. The guides and drivers were truly outstanding. DAI has assembled a wonderful team that helps implement our vision, and yet you also add in surprises and still allow for the serendipity of travel to happen. We thank you all. Again, thanks so much for all your talent and insight and hard work. Best wishes always.

R & J