This was my first Exodus trip in many years - and what a trip. So much more than I expected - walking, swimming, history, culture, food, wine and super company. We packed a great deal into seven days - some high intensity days of climbing/walking up and down the mountains - but also rest days at the beach with pristine clear water and visiting historical monuments of which there are many. Sardinia has a rich history and a proud culture - I came away with a deeper understanding of the people and the country - and a greater appreciation of Sardinian landscape, beaches, wine and food. This trip is such good value - almost everything is included such as flights, accommodation, most meals including packed lunches for our walking days. We had two excellent meals out in Dorgali where our family run hotel was based; these were self funded but great value - mountains of food! The hotel was run by three sisters who worked their socks off to give us a good time. It's an authentic three star family run affair - I loved that so many local families came to dinner with their children and filled the restaurant with chatter and laughter.
Rome, Assisi & Magical Umbria - Premium Adventure Our group had 10 people in it - a really great size. Our guide was great-super knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. Our accommodations in Umbria were wonderful.
THE GUIDE: Count yourselves among blessed if you have Noddy. She was energetic, fun, competent, so very organized, friendly, and went out of her way to get to know each of us personally. Her knowledge of each region we traveled through and monument we visited blew my mind. She was an absolutely bottomless font of knowledge and was only too happy to share whatever she could that would help us along the way. She quickly became a friend, and we were genuinely sad to say goodbye. THE FOOD: It's Italy! We did not have a bad experience at any meal; my goodness can these people cook. Hotels provide breakfast each morning ranging from a full, hot meal to croissants and coffee depending on the hotel. Included meals were also delish and a great way to get to know your tour fam. Do yourself a favor and book the dinner experience in Tuscany; it was the best meal/experience of the trip! THE TOUR: There is a LOT of walking (we put in about 6-8 miles a day). It's intense and so is the itinerary. We are 23 and 41 years old and were absolutely beat by the end of each day. You can skip whatever you wish, but you'll miss what you came here for! If you approach with thementality that this vacation is about packing as much as you can into a short timeframe and being able to sleep when it's over, you'll do just fine and be better for the experience. THE EXCURSIONS: We signed up for everything and every last activity was worth the money. Expat is also very particular about with whom it partners with for these optional tours and holds them to a high standard. This was our first tour with them, and I will go out of my way to make sure they are in charge of everything I book going forward. THE HOTELS: !). We booked knowing this was a value tour, which means you're not staying in a five-star resort or going to be right in the middle of the downtown areas but the public transportation was extremely well explained even though we found ourselves not needing it. Zero complaints!