Frequently Asked Questions

Our clients made us do it! They were searching for specific kinds of journeys and couldn’t find them anywhere, so they asked us to create them with all the required elements. They wanted the following: a high-value itinerary that included all major sites visited in the optimum order with no backtracking; unique, interesting accommodation with character having above-average comfort levels and situated in excellent locations; no camping; many diverse types of local transport including aircraft, mini-buses, boats and in some countries camels, elephants and others; colourful local markets; hand-picked guides and drivers; a high level of safety and security; delicious and safe food; a knowledgeable tour leader who has recently visited the area, hotels, sites and restaurants; and, some free time to explore on their own.
It is with these objectives in mind that we created our Private Journeys.

We generally design our Private Journeys for those who are travelling to the designated area for the first or second time. Our journeys are carefully designed to ensure that we encounter new sites, sounds and experiences every few days. The itineraries provide a comprehensive selection of the diversities of the area in a short time and consequently we do not dwell in any one place for lengthy periods. We do however stay in each place long enough to get the ‘feel’ of it and we move on before we can tire of it.
If this philosophy appeals to you, our journey may be just what you’re looking for.

No, although they are excellent value. We generally design our small-group journeys with a high degree of comfort built in. We aim for accommodation around the 4-star to 4 1/2-star category on average throughout most of our trips with the exception of countries such as Mali, North Korea and some parts of Myanmar where we use the best available hotels en-route. We try to select unique hotels with local character whenever possible.
The food is always wonderful and safe.
We don’t cut corners in order to save a dollar and potentially jeopardize an otherwise enjoyable experience. Having said this, you will find that the journey delivers high value for each dollar spent. Guests on our previous trips have consistently told us that they were very satisfied with the cost of the trip and the value they received. A few of our clients have been on every one of our Private Journeys. Many clients have been on several of them and our repeat client ratio is extremely high. We even have clients who have come with us on the same journey two or three times!

The philosophy of our Private Journeys does not support the use of a lower comfort level in the locations where we travel. There are very few products available from any supplier that can match the comfort, safety and 'feel' of our Private Journeys.
However, for those who prefer to travel at the mid-range or even budget level, we have many other products available from our regular suppliers that make use of simpler hotels and even guesthouses.

Our longer journeys sometimes have opportunities for guests to join us for part of the itinerary and pay a fractional part of the overall cost. If you really want to do this, please call or email us.

Yes. We can work with you to custom-design a similar journey on the dates of your choice. Please call or email us.

No. Since we include most of the major tour items in the price, additional costs en-route are kept to a minimum. You will need some money for personal expenses including, but not limited to items such as laundry, drinks, extra meals and shopping.
In order to help you plan for this, we have prepared an estimate of all extra costs associated with each of our Private Journey itineraries. This summary can easily be accessed from the pricing pages for each journey on our website.

No. The price of our Private Journey includes all hotels, transportation, guides, drivers, admission fees, sightseeing and many meals from the time the trip starts in the joining location until the final day, but the cost of the international flights from Canada is not generally included.
We do this so our guests are free to choose whichever airline, seating class, routing and schedule they wish and to choose to purchase tickets or use points from their frequent flyer accounts.
For those planning to purchase airline tickets we would be pleased to provide suggested schedules, options and prices for your consideration. We are experts in international airfares and most of our clients ask us to arrange their international air for them.

Our journeys have a cultural and historical focus and are not endurance races. They are not about white-water rafting, bungee jumping and long-distance trekking. They are generally moderately-paced, however you should be prepared for a reasonable amount of walking, standing, stair-climbing, some uphill walks and the occasional stroll across uneven ground. We suggest that prior to departure you should be comfortable walking one or two kilometres at a stretch, some of it uphill.
In general, if you are relatively healthy and reasonably active you will do just fine on one of our journeys. We have had guests with some mobility problems with us on many of our departures. If you are in doubt, please discuss this with us and we can help you decide if a specific journey is right for you.
We would like to point out that some countries may have relatively poor safety standards and consequently our guests will not necessarily find the same degree of support that they may be used to at home. For example, very few hotels in Asia will offer safety bars in bathrooms or showers. As well, street conditions may present challenges including open holes, uneven pavement and other hazards. Marble floors may be slippery and stairs may be poorly illuminated.

We usually have quite a diverse group and yet everyone fits in well. Our guests often tend to be retired or close to retirement. Ages tend to range from 50 to mid-80's. About 80% of our guests are travelling with their spouse, about 15% with a friend or relative and we sometimes have single travellers with us as well. Our guests bring with them an interesting variety of backgrounds and interests.

We highly recommend it.
Single accommodation is very expensive. While we try our best to keep the single's cost as low as possible, the reality is that accommodation is a significant part of the trip cost and the single traveller who occupies a room on his/her own will have to pay the entire cost of the other half of the room as a supplemental charge. As well, tour companies and ground handlers often add supplemental surcharges due to costs associated with single occupancy.
In Galapagos, for example, the yachts generally have eight double cabins. Consequently the occupants of each cabin would pay roughly one-eighth of the total cost of the yacht or about one-sixteenth per person in a twin-share. A single guest who occupies one cabin would be required to pay one-eighth of the cost of the yacht or about twice as much as those who are sharing. This makes similar trips expensive for the single traveller. We have no control over these costs and we must pass them on to the single guest.
In order to keep costs reasonable for single guests we have experimented with the concept of matching up those who wish to share, but this has not been a successful undertaking and we no longer offer this. Instead, we prefer that singles who wish to travel on our Private Journeys attempt to encourage a friend or relative to come along with them. This not only lowers their cost but generally results in a much more enjoyable experience.
Finally, on some of our journeys we are not able to obtain single accommodation at all due to the limited number of rooms available in some of the smaller hotels and lodges.

Certainly. We encourage feedback from every guest during and after every journey.
Here are a few comments sent to us…
As we progressed through the journey and afterwards in retrospect, we realized how much research, planning, management, coordination and sheer hard work had gone into delivering such an informative, enjoyable and interesting multi-country tour and so, once again, thanks to both of you for being our Tour Directors and making the whole trip an unforgettable experience.
R. B. Ottawa
I count my experience with you one of my great travel experiences ( and you may quote me) and shall be watching future ads with great interest.
D.M. Port Carling ON
Robi and I want to thank you very much for providing us with such a terrific historic trip through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Thanks to your great leadership and care this was the most enjoyable trip – you took care of everything. We want you to know how much we appreciated it.
D.F. Ottawa
Murray and I had a sensational trip. It was all we expected and more! Your ground handlers were efficient, knowledgeable and lovely people to deal with. Everything went off without a hitch. Your choice of hotels was flawless. Our only regret was that we had too little time to enjoy the beautiful Legend Hotel in Chiang Rai. You advised us correctly when you thought that we would or would not need a guide. We loved Luang Prabang and the Three Nagas; the trip on the Mekong and Angkor.
E.B. Toronto
I've never been on a trip where daily I learned so much about current affairs, history, cultural diversity, flora and fauna... I'm still on a high from this trip!
L.V. Victoria
Thank-you so much for all your concern and assistance in helping us. Receiving the cheque from you to cover the additional expenses we incurred is a benefit over and above and is much appreciated. You are an exceptional agency in every way. This compensation is further evidence of your first-rate service. Thank-you again.
G.G. Ottawa
For service above and beyond the call of duty! Thanks.
L.B. Ottawa
With respect to planning, integrating and implementing itinerary items on our Private Journey… “It was this that made the whole tour worthwhile – I could not have come anywhere near achieving such a trip myself.”
C.O. Ottawa
Just wanted to say that our experiences in Hanoi and Sapa, and the support we had in Beijing, were all excellent. Your arrangements were perfect, the guides were wonderful, everything ran on time. It all greatly enhanced our visits.
J. K. Ottawa
Your execution was excellent. Having planned a number of holidays on our own in the past, we realize the difficulty in planning and executing a trip with this number of different connections. We were pleased with how smooth it was delivered, given all the things that could go wrong.
P.H. Ottawa
We've already talked to a number of people about our trip and about your organization. It was a wonderful experience with a wonderful group of people.
J.B. Toronto
All in all, it was a great trip, Rick. I keep re-living it through my photos. The planning you did for our safety, comfort and enjoyment was very much appreciated. Thank you.
A.B. Ottawa

Yes. Many of our former guests volunteer to make themselves available to discuss their experiences with prospective travellers. Just ask and we'll put you in touch.

We provide a significant amount of written information both prior to departure and en-route in order to prepare our guests for their journey.
A few months before departure we issue a comprehensive Trip Planning Guide containing information such as geographical, cultural and site data, packing recommendations, discussions on money, customs, air and land travel and much more.
Just prior to departure we issue a package containing the final trip itinerary, an update on money, final packing recommendations, in-transit instructions, arrival instructions and trip documents including air tickets, insurance policies, and so on.
During the trip we often have a series of simple handouts and maps related to the sites being visited.

Our journeys are designed with the “avid amateur photographer” in mind. Every day we will introduce you to a steady stream of enticing and photogenic human, historical, architectural and scenic subjects. Based on the experience of previous groups we would estimate that you are likely to take twice as many pictures as you would on a normal vacation. In foreign lands, there is a new photographic subject around every corner.

Absolutely! In fact we highly encourage everyone who is considering booking one of our Private Journeys to spend an hour or two with us and if possible, to attend one of our planned informative slide shows. We want to make sure you know what you are booking.
If you aren’t located in Ottawa we can certainly spend lots of time with you on the phone. We have a toll-free number so our prospective guests can call us anytime they need information or advice.