Frequently I receive accolades from my clients which I like to share with you.  I work very hard to insure your trip goes exactly as planned and that the experience is more than you expected.  I can tell you that all day long, but comments from clients who have actually experieced it are much better.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be your personal consierge. 

We just finished [our long excursion] with Viking Cruises starting in Berlin...and ending in Warsaw [almost two weeks later.}  You could call it the RIVER CRUISE WITHOUT WATER!  As an explanation, the Elbe River was about 6 feet too low for the riverboats to cruise the river, so they became floating hotels and busses took us from two docking locations to the various sites.  It turned out to be a wonderful trip, visiting Berlin, Wittenburg, Meissen, Dresden, Prague, Krakow and Warsaw with numberous terriffic shore excursions.  From Prague, it was all by bus in Poland.  It was simply amazing how the cities devistated in WWII in the former East Germany had been rebuilt to thier former glory.  Dresden, for example, fire bombed 3 days in a row, first by the Brits then the USA and finally by both.  It has been beautifully restored.  Of course, Berlin has been prospering for quite some time.  Krakow, the home of Pope John Paul II, was very interesting and Warsaw was simply amazing.  All (of our mates) were taken back by the construction of modern buildings and the beauty of a city devestated in WWII by the Germans and then the Russians.  (The trip was arranged y Lois Bradfield, LB Tours and as usual, all proceeded without flaw.) MM

Dear Lois & Bill,

Thank you so much for planning and leading this African adventure we just went on!  It truly was and eye opening + jaw dropping exxperience I will always remember!  The trip had amazing sights, majestic animals, tasty food and great company!! What more could you ask for?!:-)) Thank you so much again.  L

Greetings from Firenze!  You are amazing!  We have never met but just talking to us you understand.  Everything has been amazing.  British Airways was so nice.  The seats were roomy.  The food was good.  Then Venice.  All our people were exactly where they needed to be and we arrived at the hotel in record time.  We loved Venice.  Our tour guide had personality and we are still trying to absorb all the informtion.......Train ride was beautiful, so different from NY.  Today we just walked on Ponte Vecchio, went to Uffizi Square and Douomo Square to explore.......Good morning oh fabulous travel agent.  Florence was fabulous despite downpours.  We learned so much from our guide.......this guide was even smarter and took us to Piazza de Annunziata.  It was my favorite.......We are at Villa Bordoni.  OMG, so cozy warm and such old world charm.  The cooking class was not only a cooking lesson, but a history lesson as well.  David the owner was charming.  He is now our friend.  The room was breathtaking.......we were relaxed here.......Good morning Lois.  We are home now and settling in but each day we have a story or reflection of our amazing trip.  Abruzzo was an experience and the drive to Palena was harrowing.  The village was quaint and quiet and we spent time exploring the streets.......Rome was so exciting.  From the Galleria Borghese to the Vatican we absorbed so much.  Each night we had to come back and read the guide book to try to remember all we say.  I posted on instagram and hashtagged you so check it out.......Once again you gave us a dream fulfilled.  We keep pinching ourselves to see if we were really there.  Thank you so much.  M & G

Lois,

I want to thank you for arranging such a wonderful trip for the USMA Class of "61" and for allowing "extras" like Jon & I to tag along.  The cruise on the Douro, plus before and after time in Madrid and Lisbon, were wonderful venues for spending quality time with our longtime friends and for meeting their friends and classmates.  Plus, we met other interesting people from other countries and states, all while being catered to by friendly, professional staff and good cooks!

Jon and I have cruised with Viking many times, but we may be converts to Uniworld.  There were so many nice "extras" provided and I am sure you were responsible for many of them.  We loved the "no tipping" policy; the attentive and friendly staff; the contact in Lisbon was a great help to us among others; Miguel and the fun group in the lounge; the quality and choice of tours, especially to Quinto Pacheko; the surprise stop in Lisbon for custard tarts and coffee; the arrangements you made so we could go to the Bougie Jazz Club in Madrid; having a personal escort to the Lisbon airport to help us through the maze there; and so many other unique and exciting adventures (some of those bus rides through narrow streets and up mountainsides had our hearts racing - go Bruno!)

There certainly were not many downsides to the trip overall.  Of course there is never enough time for shopping and I was disappointed that the cork factory tour had to be cancelled (national holiday) and I would have preferred one less day in Madrid and one more in Lisbon, but those things are really minor complaints.  I want you to know that your attention to the details of such a big undertaking did not go unnoticed and were much appreciated by everyone we talked to and especially by us.  Thank you so much for our latest batch of good memories.

Sincerely

Judy & Jon

Lois,

My twelve year old son and I enjoyed two different safaris.  We spent three days at the Hide in Hwange, Zimbabwe and three days at Ngoma in Chobe, Botswana.  They were both wonderful.

I didn't realize that the safari experience could be so varied, in terms os accomodations and the experience.  At the Hide, we stayed in luxurious tents, with lovely inside and outside bathrooms, welcoming furnishings and a comforable central hall, where guests socialized, ate their meals at a community table and watched the animals from a safe distance.  The staff was warm and attentive and made us feel at home.  The meals were delicious and abundant.

We enjoyed getting to know our Ranger, Ian, who personalized our experience in the best way.  He was extremely well informed about animals, their patterns, the land, weather and anything else we asked him!  I was quite impressed with his breadth of knowledge.  At the Hide, I think the terrain would be classified as grasslands and we saw a abundance of unique birds, elephants, giraffes, impala and many other animals.

Our experience in Botswana was also amazing.  The climate was warmer and the land more forest-like.  The staff at Ngoma were humble and caring and we enjoyed meeting the family members of some of them.  This area would be classified as forest.

The accomodations were elegant and more formal.  My son and I loved the plunge pool that was on our patio and from there we watched elephants walk past to the watering hole.  That was an awesome experience to see them so close!  We saw many of the same animals and finally, a lion pride as well.  Our Ranger, Bevan, worked hard to provide us with that opportunity as admittedly, until then, the lions were hard to find.  It was fascinating to watch Bevan look and seemingly listen for the clues that told im where the lions were ulitmately found.  I told him it was as interesting to watch him discern the clues as it was to see the animals!  Again, he was supremely informed and we enjoyed his quiet, proud manner of sharing his country.

In Ngoma, we also enjoyed a river cruise where we were able to see water animals, such as hippos, up close.  The river forms a dividing line between Namibia and Botswana and Bevan shared his knowledge of a dispute between the two countries over an island in the middle and how it was ultimately deemed to belong to Botswana.  The Botswana flag was prominently displayed on this island.

One early morning, we watched hundreds of zebras migrate to and across this river.  It was as if they were on a mission, coming fromall different directions in Namibia towards Botswana. 

The meals were a bit more fomal here in Ngoma but equally delicious.  We shared the table with our respective group and enjoyed a lovely view of the valley from where we dined at the top of the hill. We watched a chase and a kill by a cheetah of an impala on night and the staff was as excited as we were!

My words to not do our safari experience justice.  It was an awesome and life-changing experience.  I loved seeing the animals to close, in their own habitats and interacting with their families.

Lois was a pleasure to work with as she certainly took into account my wishes, financial considerations and understood the desires of a child on safari.  She had many useful suggestions regarding packing, luggage, preparing for the heat and border crossings, among other topics.  My son was thrilled with this experience as well.  He is quite impressed with his mother at this point but admittedly, it was Lois who put this wonderful trip together.  

Dear Lois,

​     Thank you so much for the great information and books you gave us.  So enjoyed all your recommendatons.  You do such a great job and I wouldn't go anywhere without your help.  Looking forward to New Zealand and Australia.  

​Don & Elaine

Dear Lois,

​     I have no idea how you do it - but you have seen to every little detail to insure we have amazing trip!!!!  The _____ are happily astonished.  They really did not know wht to expect.  Rwanda was a country that surprised us.  We are so grateful for the stop at the Genocide Museum to learn about the people and gain perspective.  The gorillas were a "once in a lifetime" event and I have no words...I cry.  I was carried up by porters and enjoyed every second.  

     The Serengeti was unbelievable - we saw so many animals from airport to camp - it was incredible.  Everyone loved the food & their service was impeccable.  We say all but the leopard of the big 5 on te first day, plas a wildebeest crossing!

​     Loved the Kicheche Valley Lodge - accomodations were beautiful and agian, everything was awesome.  We saw something spectacular every single game drive - a cheetah kill, lion cubs, elephants surrounding us...a very rich and rewarding experience.  I could have stayed there longer.  

​     Now we are back at beautiful Hemmingways in the lap of luxury.  Leaving tomorrow for Capetown and more fun.

Love

Karen

Dear Lois,

     We have had a wonderful time in Capetown (also)!  We all enjoyed our terrific guide, wine country and all around Tabel Rock.  I don't think I appreciated what a great place this is to visit.  We had dinner at Baia on our anniversary - Wow - awesome!  The Queen Victoria is fabulous of course, and we have loved every minute here.

     The ______ left earlier today for more adventures and we are packing for home.  I believe they have been happily overwhelmed at all the things you took care of for us on this trip.  Are your ears burning?  We have all been raving about you and the entire trip.  It has been perfect in every single way!  Even having us guided through the Joberg airport to change planes was billiant.  You the very best at all you do and we always feel we are safe and taken care of everywhere we go.  We can't possibly thank you enough - but thank you!

Karen

Lois,

Karen and I are about to go to the airport for our trip home.  Had a wonderful time on our safari and a great time in Cape Town.  Thanks for planning such an awesome trip!!!

Frank 

     I just returned from Portugal, Spain and France. This was the first trip that Lois booked for me. She came highly recommended by a close friend who has used her several times.  From the get go (a few months at that) Lois send me valuable information, initially just to help me to decide which countries I wanted to visit. Once I determined where I wanted to go, and when we chose Uniworld  as the company with whom I would travel, she then handled all details surrounding those trips.  In addition she then assisted me in deciding  on accommodations,  air travel, activities and things to do for my two excursions in between the two river boat cruises which we booked.
Making decisions at times was very difficult for me, and she was very patient and understanding.  She took into consideration that I was traveling by myself. There were times in between all the e mails, phone calls, and my decision making, that I wondered how she managed to handle all of this.

     When I received my large travel packet from her along with my itineraries, I knew there would be smooth sailing as soon as I was on my way to the airport.  I never had any concern about details as she had handled all of them. I would highly recommend Lois at LBTours and Uniworld as well.

Gayle W., Seattle, WA