Clients Letters, Testimonials and Photos - 2004
Phone: 1-888-682-6449/1-303-670-5640
Fax: (425) 984-7676

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Jan & John Hilton - Egypt - Nov 2004

We had a wonderful trip and will have no hesitation in recommending your company to our friends. The two main Egyptology guides, were excellent and answered all our questions with patience . Overall the hotels  were magnificent, the Sofitel Sphinx is getting a bit run down and shabby now. Thank you again for the trip

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Catherine Webster & George Glennie - Egypt - Nov 2004

Holiday was good overall and we appreciate the fact that you were able to accommodate us at the last minute. Our guide in Cairo and the desert was very good and knowledgeable and a pleasure to be with.  Went beyond the call of duty in helping me to retrieve my camera. The guide for the morning in Edfu and Kom Ombo. Truly excellent guide.  Others weren't quite as good. Overall the holiday was enjoyable - how could it not be with such amazing sights to see - but it could have been improved.

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Bob Yates and John Jacobs - Egypt - Nov 2004

I just wanted to let both of you know that Egypt and all the people I associate with our visit there are now a permanent part of me and that I will treasure them always. Thank you again for all the planning that you and your staff and your associates in Egypt put into our trip.

Now, I wrote this little mummy story at an Internet cafe near the Mexican hotel in Sharm el Sheik. http:/www.egypttoursandtravel.com/mummystory.htm

I am also working on a list of those unexpected but memorable experiences that add immeasurably to a trip. One of many of those was the break-down of our van at St. Catherine's and our subsequent ad-hoc trip back to Cairo with a busload of Coptic's who had just visited the monastery. What could have been a nightmare experience turned into a memorable one which I shall be writing about. 
 
At this time I would like to point out the efforts of our guide.  He worked tirelessly to make safe and fitting arrangements for us and seemed to be quite distressed by all that was happening outside the control of a-z travel.  All's well that ends well, and hats off to him for his efforts on our behalf.  We will both keep in touch with the two of you.
 
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John Watson – Egypt/Meditation Group – November 2004

I have no complaints about your arrangements. All went well for me. The trip was most enjoyable - mainly thanks to my fellow travelers. The two specialist Egyptologist guides were very good.

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Meryl Port – Egypt/Meditation Group – Nov 2004

Our guide, was a very pleasant honest accommodating young man, although i am sure it was a challenge for him with a large group of mainly women, but he managed politely to get us (not a easy job i would imagine) to where we were going with the minimum of fuss.  He was cheerful and adaptable when things (as they do) didn't go to plan exactly.  I would be happy to recommend him and your company......Egypt was absolutely awesome......

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Barry Howard - Dixieland & Rythyms - November 2004

Sorry I haven’t replied sooner but I was straight back to work and working away from home (gosh I needed that break).
 
Anyway, the trip was truly wonderful and met all our expectations – In particular the Guide we had (Eileen Kendle) was superb and the amount of effort she put into the tour was above and beyond that required of her role.  For that I highly commend her.
 
Thank you too for all your good work – I will have no hesitation coming back to you.  We want to do the west coast some time and Hawaii – so if you have any good info on that we would be interested. Once again – thank you all very much for you efforts.
 
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Jennifer Wells - Egypt - November 2004

Thanks. Had a great time, & your tour was excellent. I loved my tour guide!

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Peter Weston - Jordan - November 2004

We had a great time. The driver was very good. Punctual, polite - even though it was Ramadan and we were eating and drinking during they day. He also on occasion acted as an unofficial guide. He also kept us very well informed about what we were doing and when and with whom.

The hotels were good. We did however have to request a room change on our final night's stay in Amman. Our requested however was dealt with swiftly. No big problem. Overall we had a great time.

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Kristin Janus & Scott Klender - Egypt - November 2004

Thank you so much for all your company has done to make this trip a once in a lifetime trip for us. Please pass our appreciation on to your company members and guides. We will be recommending you to anyone we know that is planning a trip to areas where you provide tours.

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Hans Chr. & Tove Magnus - Egypt - November 2004

Thank you. Everything went smoothly. The guides were excellent and fun to get to know. We felt we learnt not just about old Egypt but also modern Egypt through them. We will recommend you to others.

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Bob & Joan Dillion - Egypt - November 2004

Please know that we feel A-Z did a good job for us in a difficult time.  Thanks for the good work of the A-Z team.
 
First, we rank our trips either “Bad”, “OK”, “Good” or  “Great”. Our Egypt trip was a Good trip.  

Great Accommodations:  The hotels and Nile River Cruiser were great accommodations.  We were most surprised with the quality, spaciousness and cleanliness of the Nile River Cruiser.

Nice Shopping:  The ladies found some nice shopping.  Joan bought a gold cartouche with her name in hieroglyphics and a mother-of-pearl inlaid jewelry box.
 
Good Guide:  Our personal guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable.   

Joan and I are glad we took the trip and consider it one of our travel highlights.  We got to see the Ancient Egyptian sites and were thrilled to have had that opportunity. 
 
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Bob Yates - Egypt - November 2004

Both John and I very much enjoyed our trip to Egypt and we would like to thank you and Khaled for all the planning and arrangements you performed on our behalf. It was a joy meeting Khaled and touring with him and we will be staying in touch with him in the future.

We have individual copies of your company survey and will be completing them for you right away.  You can be sure that they will contain many positive and complimentary comments on your staff, agents, guides and facilities in Egypt. They all worked hard to ensure that our visit was a memorable one. Thank you once again.  We will stay in touch. 

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Vivian & Chuck Leigh -  Egypt - November 2004

Egypt was very interesting and the trip was very nice.  Your people in Egypt took care of us.  My husband was sick a couple of days and Khaled took him to the Emergency Room and was kind to stop and purchase the prescribed medications.  He was feeling much better on Wednesday, but we did miss Alexandria on Tuesday.

Since we had an extra day on returning to Cairo before we departed Egypt on the 28th, your people were able to get us to Alexandria on the 27th.  So we really only missed the Light and Sound show in Luxor - which we were told we could stay over until the show then go across the desert to Hurghada later that night, but considering the long drive we of course wanted to get to Hurghada before it got too late.
 
But all in all we did enjoy our trip. We thank A-Z tours and all your people in Egypt for the service and friendly, helping attitude. The cruise ship was more like a 3 Star even though when it was new several years ago it could have been a 5 Star. We're glad we got to Egypt and knowing things can't always be the way we want them to be -- we truly did enjoy our trip and appreciate your guides and services.
 
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Jolene O’Sullivan – Egypt – Meditation Group - November 2004

The trip was excellent. I had an absolute blast (not including my sick days, but we all had them), I am definitely considering doing it again in a few years with the family. The group was good, there were a few hiccups but Momen (the tour guide) handled them perfectly, he was great! I think the only down side was the sick days and the convoys :) if i ever see a convoy again it is too soon :) Thanks for a great trip

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Gael McNally – Egypt/Greece - October 2004

We had a wonderful holiday, and everything went incredibly smoothly – many thanks to you and your team for making sure that our entire itinerary ran like clockwork.
 
One comment we would make as a suggestion for any future itineraries you put together.  We would suggest you seek alternative accommodation in Hurghada. While the accommodation itself was okay, the meals were awful. All the other accommodation provided was great – the Oberoi on the Nile was superb and Santorini simply stunning!
 
Thank you and all your team at A-Z once again, we have had a wonderful holiday and I have already passed on your details to a friend who is planning to visit Egypt next year.  We hope to also utilize your services again in the future!. Kindest regards
 
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Susan Rand – Egypt - October 2004

Yes, I am back safe and sound and recovering nicely, thank you!  I have been anticipating writing this letter for some time. I'll give you the pros first.
 
1. The hotels are wonderful. I loved the Safir, the Isis and the Belle...whatever it was, in Hurghada. At my request, the Belle gave me a ground floor room. The pool, the beach and the restaurant were just steps away, the Red Sea an incredible sight. USE THE BELLE MORE OFTEN! Really appreciated your efforts to switch me to this hotel, too.
 
 2. Everywhere you go, the service is just great, couldn't ask for better. The natives, instead of insisting I learn their language, as we do here, struggled to make themselves understood and to understand me. Everyone seemed intent on learning English just as fast as possible. I had to laugh when 6 guys came running to handle my luggage - all expecting baksheesh, of course!
 
 3. The attractions are indescribable. I think Cairo is the most interesting city I have ever visited. I loved the pyramids, couldn't take my eyes off the Sphinx. The light show at the pyramids was so spectacular I went twice. I loved Aswan and Luxor and most especially, Hurghada. On this trip, you look forward keenly to Hurghada and three days of leisure.
 
  4. I really hated to leave the boat. That was the second best experience of the whole trip. Hurghada was the best!

  5. I cannot do justice to the Egyptian people in words. They are so polite, so friendly, so willing to go out of their way (not only for tourists, but for each other, too!) Their cheerfulness, warmth, constantly joking around (at the Safir, every time I went to the bank they asked me for a loan - "Big Money!" they called me!)  Of course I saw mostly men, but that was a bonus! I did meet a few women, and they are sweet, too. The men treat each other like they are all brothers. Their activities in Cairo continually fascinated me. The Egyptian sense of humor is constant and constantly lifting your spirits. They're just great people all around. It is not true that Egyptian men "harass" women. That is a big lie and I will do my best to quash it through the internet.
 
6. To tell you the truth, I was a bit wary of the food, but indeed, it was all delicious. The Egyptians make the best custard I have ever eaten. They also make a dish with milk, sugar, and tiny noodles - wonderful!  I loved the food, the drinks, brushed my teeth with the tap water and suffered no.well, almost no, ill effects.
 
 7. The guides. Except for a couple of misunderstandings due to language, I got along extremely well with the guides and drivers. Three of them made proposals, which, unfortunately, I had to turn down, but they were very courteous and polite about it so I was flattered. I swear, two of them cried when leaving me.. One fellow in Luxor, said, "Oh, you are Susan? I have heard of you!" So apparently my reputation preceded me, or perhaps caught up with me!  Just for a few minutes, I got to talk politics in Hurghada, and that was most interesting.
 
 8. A-Z Tours. You guys did just a fantastic job. I appreciate the heavy-duty logistics of all those arrangements and the trouble you went to, to make our trip a memorable one. You are just a great company and I will tell everyone, "If possible, use A-Z Tours for your trip to Egypt." Thanks so much - everything came off perfectly, or nearly so.
 
That's mostly it. I had a grand time and would go again if I could.Thanks again, you guys, for a most memorable trip. Y'all take care, now.
 
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Jacqueline & Eduardo Gonzales - Egypt - October 2004

We have been home for 2 weeks now and have been meaning to write to you with our sincere thanks for a WONDERFUL and UNFORGETTABLE honeymoon. It was all we had expected and a lot more, we loved Egypt and all its wonders. We just had a great time.

The trip was a trip of a lifetime...the services of A-Z Tours and its personnel were first rate from our tour guides to our driver. They were all great (knowledgeable, well informed, helpful at all times and very accommodating).

Originally we were not happy about being moved from Hurghada to El Gouna but after we arrived at the Sheraton Miramar we fell in love with the place. We have been telling our friend what a great experience it was traveling with A-Z Tours and hope to plan future trips with your company once again. Thank you so much for this unforgettable memory.

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Trudi & Tad Olson - Italy - October 2004

The Italy tour with Cosmos was great.  Our guide, Morris, was the best and really helped with the history and any problems we had.  He even helped us find a hotel in Rome for our return after our side trip to Switzerland.  It was a wonderful time and our first bus tour.  We would do it again, maybe upgrade a bit and go with Globus, but we loved it. Thanks for your help,

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Pam Regan - Nova Scotia - October 2004

Yes all went well with the Globus trip. A bit more time at the cultural places and less at gift shops would have suited us better but it was obvious that the tour was geared to the American Market, however we enjoyed it but needed a rest in Halifax afterwards! Thanks, Pam Regan

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John Monaghan - Egypt/Harper Party - October 2004

We had a wonderful time and thought your trip was great. i must tell you that our tour guide ,was just wonderful. He made our trip extra special with his great amount of knowledge and fine English and we always felt totally safe because of him.

We will send a detailed letter in addition to the AZ form we filled out. Please know your very best employee was our Guide and is a great employee of yours and very loyal to AZ tours. look for our detailed letter for your use and knowledge in a few days when we get settled into work etc.

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Elizabeth & Richard Suggit - Egypt/Harper Party - October 2004

I wanted to thank you for the wonderful tour arranged through your company.  We learnt so much about the country - both the past and the present.
 
Our guide, who was with us throughout, was excellent. We were greatly impressed with his knowledge and his organizational skills, imparted with enthusiasm and good humor. We also were impressed with the way he efficiently and diplomatically dealt with the occasional problem.

We appreciated these qualities particularly in the context of mass tourism, realizing how difficult it would have been for us to arrange the holiday ourselves. By the end of the tour the Guide was an integral part of our group and a valued friend. 
 
Finally I’d like to say that we would not hesitate to recommend your company - and our ‘guide extraordinaire’  to family or friends contemplating a visit to Egypt. With many thanks,
 
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Professor Clive Harper - Egypt/Harpers Party - October 2004

Congratulations on running such a good service – Our Guide was fantastic and made the trip such a success. Kindest regards and send on our heartfelt thanks to our Guide.

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Marcia McGee - Egypt - October 2004

I have to tell you it was fabulous.  I don't know how you and Khaled manage to find such wonderful, knowledgeable people. More to Come. We will definitely use A-Z when we plan our trip to Viet Nam, etc.

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Hank Benedict - Quebec/Ontario - October 2004

We enjoyed the Canada trip,  The Concord Hotel is Quebec was outstanding.  The river cruise was enjoyable - the food and staff were excellent.  Had some problems with the airline scheduling.  Only black mark was the St John Hotel in St John - hard to get to our room  and it seemed very old and tired. The last nite we stayed at the  Plaza Hotel in St. John. Thanks for all your effort and patience.

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Ursula Von St. Ange - Atlantic Canada - October 2004

The trip was most enjoyable, and everything went off without a hitch, thanks.

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Susan Lauber - Egypt - October 2004

Thank you, thank you, thank you - we had a wonderful trip - the best one yet! The guides were the best! Soooo much history to learn, my head hurts. I would recommend your agency to any and everyone - in fact I posted a message on Fodors site, under travel talk and gave A-Z Tours two thumbs up! All the best to you - you have a good thing going. Keep it up! Hope to travel with you again - maybe to Asia. All my best.

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Delia Kang - Italy - October 2004

I am still in Paris – staying here a month after finishing my trip here. I loved the tour. Which was a form of boot camp (6 am calls!!) but which was precisely what I needed. I lost 5 lbs and saw so much of Italy which was lovely Thank you again. I may go somewhere else next year too!!

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Norma & Rick Evans - British Isles - September 2004

Just wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful vacation and would like to thank you for arranging the Globus Tour.  It far exceeded our expectations. The tour guide, Roger, was an amazing wealth of information. Hotels were wonderful and the food exceptional. We would recommend both Globus and yourself to anyone who might ask.

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Tad  & Terry Olson - Italy - September 2004

We just got back today and everything was great. COSMOS bus tour was very good. COSMOS has great people as well as good hotels and bus. We were very busy for the full tour. The additional tours were also a good value for what you got. Tour was full so COMOS booked an additional bus for our tour. Was great because our tour got upgraded hotels since the first coach filled up the normal hotels.
 
Our additional week stay was good. We learned how to read train schedules and made our way to Switzerland and back to Rome again in time to catch our flight. Flight was full but both Delta and Air France did a good job with our flights. Had a small problem with seats with flight out of Paris but Air France got on it and fixed us up. Good job Air France!!
 
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Mansoor - Egypt - September 2004

I'd like to commend your services and all your tour guides for giving me a truly memorable experience in Egypt.

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Scott Spear – September 2004

I had a great time.  The A-Z people on the ground in Egypt were fantastic, and they also adjusted well when I missed my connection on the way over and arrived in Egypt a day late.  Thanks to you again, and please don't hesitate to give my name or E-mail as a reference.
  
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Malcolm & Rosalba McDonald – September 2004

First of all we want to thank you for giving has the chance to meet such lovely people in the Guides and Drivers,,,,we would have liked  to have them as our souvenir...take them back with us...but ...we could not fit all of them in our luggage !!!!!!

The trip was fantastic...just being there, near the pyramids, walking through the temples, going inside the tombs, the museum...it was almost unreal , spectacular and fantastic....we loved it and we are making our friends very jealous .The hotels, the food , everything was fine.
Again thank you for everything....we should have really stayed there a little longer...but there is always a next time . We will try to keep in touch with the people we met.

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Bharat Gajjar - Canada - September 2004

I would like to thank you for all your help in organizing my trip to Canada (Canadian Train Odyssey) I had the most wonderful time in Canada, esp. the rail journey. The whole experience was truly superb, and the Rockies were awesome, esp. Jasper and Banff. Of the cities, enjoyed Vancouver the most.Thanks once more.

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Paula & Debbie Fitzpatrick - Egypt - September 2004

The trip went great. The guide was great. We both got sick however when we left Cairo which was not surprising as everyone I spoke to about Egypt told me about the sickness. The thing that overwhelmed us both was everyone wanted a piece of you when it came to tipping, some people deserving the tips but some not and very rude about it when we did not tip enough! But all in all really enjoyed the trip loved the Red Sea just to chill out after all the touring.

Loved all the sights in Cairo. All in all glad I went to enjoy the experience. Best hotel was the Sofitel in Cairo. We enjoyed it very much so and thanking you again.

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Padraig & Teresa Barrett - Egypt - September 2004

Thanks for getting in touch. Our trip to Egypt was so much more than we expected! It was organized excellently, for which we owe a big thank you to yourself. It was a trip of a lifetime and the constant attention to detail of our guides made the holiday so special. Our Guide was terrific; he really did go beyond the call of duty to make our trip all the more enjoyable. Yours, is a tour operator we would certainly recommend to friends and one we would definitely choose for future holidays. Well done A-Z Tours! And thanks again for a wonderful holiday.

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Matius Sugiaman - Canada - August 2004

Tour with Cosmos going well and we can enjoy all places that we went, especially we got a pretty tour director Mis Serena Campbell. Thank's a lot for your attention, please inform me when you have a plan visit to Jakarta,Indonesia.

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David Siegel M.D. - Asia - September 2004

All went well with the exception of the issues we had with the flight home.The tour was fabulous. I cannot praise the quality of the hotels and planned meals enough. The tour director and all the local guides were unbelievably informative. I would definitely use Globus again in the future. Thanks for your help.
 
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Chuck Pines -  Nova Scotia - August 2004

We had a wonderful time in Nova Scotia. All of the hotels were fine. The only problem we had was the weather. The first week was simply gorgeous; the second week was mostly cloudy with some rain; but we were able to get around, take pictures, and enjoy ourselves.

Again thank you for all your efforts on our behalf. Send my regards and thanks to Avril, as well. It's been a pleasure,

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David Callahan - Egypt - August 2004

I'm continuing around the world and won't be home for several months. However, I would like to say how much I enjoyed Egypt, the tour, the architecture, the guides and all. Each guide was unique in what they brought to my experience. In each case they were helpful and solicitous of my particular needs.

If I had to make a complaint, it is that the nature of the business requires the shopping, the demonstrations, the pressure to buy and the reliance for their reputation for bringing tourists to the shops. I don't know the answer. Of course if my wife had been with me she would have enjoyed all of these excursions. Apart from these I would say you have put together a good program, very professional and efficient. I appreciate your help in fulfilling some of my oldest dreams.

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Vilene Rodgers - Egypt - July 2004

We all had a wonderful time.  It was definitely one of the best trips I have ever taken.  The hotels were all very good. Our guide was excellent! Thank you for a great trip.

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Ken & Mingledorff - Egypt - July 2004

We loved our trip. You did an excellent job planning and coordinating and our Guide was incredible! He is very gifted. We feel like he is a member of our family now. We hope he can visit us in America in the future. I am glad I chose you from the hundreds of responses I received last March. Again, thanks and our best to the Guide

Will always miss Egypt. Will get our Guide to US for visit. Plan to ship him in dry ice along with his beloved pigeons. Nice job Avril. Put some escalators in these pyramids before I come back

Judy - We really did have a wonderful trip.  Thank you for making it so seamlessly entertaining.

(Ken’s wife wrote a journal of their trip and gave us permission to post it here – please click on the following link – http://www.egypttoursandtravel.com/travelarticlemingledorff.htm
 
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Jane Harvey - Egypt - July 2004

The trip was alright, the crew in Cairo were very good and looked after us very well. the accommodation in Luxor was good, and the hotel the first night in Aswan was also good,  but the boat was unreal. The Cairo office tried to make amends by putting us into a five star hotel in Cairo. As I said at the beginning the Cairo section was wonderful , we couldn’t have had better guides, they were well informed, well mannered, and courteous, and for this I thank you. Since this holiday my husband has been twice more in Egypt, and men at his Work (Canadian) have asked him about the tour and holiday.

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Carla Daugherty - Egypt - July 2004

I was very pleased with the trip and our guide.
 
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George and Mary Dressler - Canadian Rockies - July 2004

We really enjoyed our Canadian Rockies Tour. Everything went quite smoothly. Thank You Very Much,

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Roger Cloutier - Quebec - July 2004

We had a great trip and did not encounter any real problems. Each B&B was different, so the differences made each visit special.  All of the hosts were very accommodating and we really enjoyed meeting them and their other guests. Thanks for your help in arranging the B&B part of our trip.

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Jim Childress Group - Nova Scotia - July 2004

Everything went very well.  The ladies followed your suggestions for things to do and see and had a great time.  All the golf arrangements went as planned, and the weather was very nice while we were there--understand it was the first good week all summer.  Unfortunately, it was foggy and misting the day we were at Highlands Links/Ingonish, but otherwise we had sunshine.

Whalewatching was successful at Cheticamp, and the ladies wished we had planned more time in Mahone Bay/Lunenburg.  It was very enjoyable, and we appreciate all your help. Thanks for everything.

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Zoe Emmanuel - Spain/Portugal/Morocco - July 2004

Had a marvelous time overall!!! The Globus tour director for Portugal