It was a very eventful itinerary that allowed us to see 8 countries in two weeks. The tour was very fast paced in order to accomplish the advertised program and it felt rushed. In order to travel to 8 different European countries, you have to expect that there will be a lot of coach seat/drive time. Our tour guide Jemma and coach driver Gabriel were very professional and focused on meeting Expat Explore's tour destination requirements. Jemma always provided interesting information and tips about the cities and sites that we were visiting. Our driver Gabriel always got us to our destinations on time and safely. The included and optional excursions were conducted at a moderate to swift walking speed, at some places there was no time to take pictures. Some of us found it difficult to keep up with the group, and once caught up to the group, who were at a stopping/rest point, it was time to resume the walking tour which did not allow some of us to catch our breath. You have to keep in mind that this tour is a ""budget"" tour. With that in mind, some hotels were sub-standard. The Paris hotel had mold in the shower. As expected, some hotels did not have air-conditioning, and other hotels which did have air conditioning were not adequately able to cool the room. The included tour dinners and lunches were very average. We had better dining experiences when we were left on our own when we used our free time. Overall, we were pleased to see all European countries/cities/sites included in the tour.
I was not sure about the tour but I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. My fellow travelers were really great and easy to get on with. My tour leader was Luke Watson and I cannot fault him at all for the tour as he was quite knowledgeable with his narrations about the upcoming destinations. Also, I have back issues and he was great with making sure that I was comfortable with the walking and would encourage me to take it further. Paulo, our bus driver was the best with his driving skill and his kindness.
Fantastic, wonderful, amazing and truly a delightful experience we will never forget! Luke Watson is absolutely incredible as a tour director/ guide. He made the 26 day tour fun filled, exciting and bearable. He's very knowledgeable, approachable, sociable, helpful, caring and a fun guy. He's perfect for the job and definitely an asset to the company! If we decide to book another tour with Expat, we hope we get Luke again for our tour director / guide. Paulo made sure we get to our destination safely. He's kind, friendly and took time to say hello to everyone. He demonstrated great skills in navigating tight and narrow streets. We are so happy we got this tour. Lots of memorable and fantastic experiences! Definitely great value for the money!