Beautifully Balanced Holiday My wife and I were apprehensive about booking a guided group tour that was center-based as all our previous hiking trips were both self-guided/planned and a bit more aggressive. However, we found the center-based, guided and group aspects made for a truly delightful holiday. The chalet was extremely comfortable and clean, located perfectly at the edge of town with magnificent views right out the front door. The hikes were challenging enough to satisfy most athletic people yet not so demanding that they could not be enjoyed by moderately active people. And the views - WOW! Every view seemed better than the next. Every day ended with tea (or cocktails) and home made treats in the common area followed by a 3-course, gourmet meal, paired with wine prepared by our private chefs extrordinaire, Sarah and Richard. Our guide's (Peter) knowledge of the history, geology and botany of the area made each hike interesting and enjoyable and meeting new people who share enthusiasm for the outdoors was the icing on the cake. All-in-all, we were thrilled with our Exodus experience and can't wait to start researching our next Exodus trip.
The trip was exactly what I hoped for. A good, yet relaxed trek around a substantial proportion of the Mont Blanc massif. The guide, Fred, was great and whilst the food and accommodation at the huts was, as is to be expected, variable in quality, all were perfectly sufficient. Some good uphill walking with excellent views as your reward. The administration beforehand and the supporting documentation provided smoothed the way for an enjoyable week’s walking.
This was the best way for someone who has never traveled to Europe before to experience the beauty and wonders to be found on this continent. Having everything planned out and taken care of for you made everything so easy and stress free! You just show up and enjoy everything there is to offer. Our tour leader, Steve, was in a word, magnificent! Extremely knowledgeable about the histories and cultures of all the places we visited as well as patient, kind and very helpful! Our coach driver, Ivo, did an amazing job navigating us all across Europe. That guy can really drive!! He did an excellent job and got us everywhere we needed to go quickly and safely. He was always very pleasant and greeted you with a smile and asked how your day was going. The itinerary, while extremely packed and sometimes exhausting, it was amazing to be able to fit in as much as we did on this trip! It felt like we managed to do as much as you would do in a whole month in a matter of 14 days. The hotels were all nice, especially the Alpenrose in Switzerland. That hotel was so charming and gorgeous and you could not beat the views of the Swiss Alps just outside your window. The optional excursions were all really fun and engaging and added an immense amount of value to the tour. We went on just about every optional that was offered on this tour and we loved them all! Especially Jungfraujoch, which was an absolutely amazing once in a lifetime experience. We will definitely recommend Expat to others and will definitely be using them again sometime in the future.