Asia Travel Agents & Reviews

From our arrival to our departure, everything was fantastic! When we travel within the States, we do our own research and planning. However, we knew nothing about Japan (our daughter pushed for this trip). We decided to go “old school”, with a travel agent. We found ours through Zicasso.

The travel agents were great to work with and very responsive to emails. The itinerary was great and having guides for most of our excursions made everything so much more enriching. Especially when it came time for lunch. They know the best places!

We were a little worried about being there over the holidays, but we had no issues, with the exception of the crowds around Hakone for the Ekiden relay race.

Our guide created a slightly modified plan for our day trip in Hakone National Park to avoid road closures so we didn’t miss a thing. It was also a little stressful making sure we could make it back to Tokyo for our return flight with road closures and taxi/bus availability, but everything worked out perfectly with Japan’s wonderful train system.

We would definitely work with Zicasso's travel partner again.

Zicasso’s travel agency crafted a 12-day tour of Japan for my rising college sophomore nephew and me. It was his first trip and his choice to go to Japan, and my fourth visit. The agency was incredibly attentive to our interests, including getting tickets to the Osaka soccer team. We enjoyed each of the guides we had in many cities and all of the great transportation they found to satisfy my nephew's interest in urban planning and urban transportation. I highly recommend their services.

They were knowledgeable and full of suggestions, including a bookstore that focused on architecture in Japan. We were fortunate to have chosen this company to plan our trip. All of the train tickets, plane tickets, hotel, and dinner reservations were absolutely in order and we never had to call the home base while we were there to check on anything.

Four fellow travelers and I recently completed a customized fall tour in Japan. While there, we traveled from Tokyo to the Fuji, Kyoto, and Kanazawa areas. This was one of several tours organized for me by Zicasso agents. Although they have all been excellent, our agent was the most accommodating in terms of service and special requests. 

The Ryokan accommodation she booked for us on Lake Kawaguchiko was out-of-this-world, with a magnificent view of Mount Fuji from our balcony. 

She allowed us to leave her tour temporarily to pursue a special interest. She provided us with excellent guides in each region and arranged for them to deliver our group, which was somewhat overwhelmed by the Japanese train system, right to the door of the railway cars and have someone meet us when stepping off at the next location. She organized short-notice requests in terms of ground transport without missing a beat.

Her efficiency and response time while planning the trip were incredible, especially since I was on Canadian time and she on British. I would highly recommend her for her great skill in customizing Zicasso tours to meet your wishes and special needs.

Zicasso’s travel agent and his team were outstanding. Thank you for being so patient and accommodating with our requests. It was a pleasure working with someone who was so knowledgeable and professional. The accommodations you chose were perfect and exactly what we were looking for. The detail given to us in the itinerary was impeccable.

I communicated with Zicasso’s travel agent pre-pandemic as we originally planned the Japan trip for summer 2020. After a long time, I reached out to Zicasso again and the local travel agents were booked. The only one available was none other than the agent I had contacted initially. I knew it would be easier as we had a sample travel itinerary from 2020. I just had to notify him that we were now traveling with my dad and stepmom. He easily accepted the challenge and I am happy I chose him again. He was attentive and conscientious about our needs and wants. He was flexible and did not mind my multiple questions throughout the process, even up to the last minute. He promised we would be taken care of each step of the way and, yes, he did deliver. The payment process was very easy. Everything regarding what to expect was laid out in the plan.

Our guide from NRT airport to Tokyo Shibuya waited for us despite the long immigration queue. It took over an hour to clear customs and immigration. I was nervous as the train departure time was approaching. The guide didn’t leave. She patiently waited for us and got us on the train, with resting time to spare. The taxi ride to the hotel and the stay were excellent and efficient.

On the way to the Shibuya station and the Kyoto bullet train, our guide waited for us to cross the Shibuya crossing for the very first time. She showed us where to buy snacks and food for the trip, and let us choose ekiben.

Our travel agent met us at Kyoto station. It was great to meet him. We did not even have to look, he was right outside the train door and even recognized us. He gave us an excellent history of the places we visited.

Our guide for the Arashiyama area gave us enough time to go to each spot. She even climbed with us to the monkey park and generously bought the peanuts for my daughter to feed the monkeys.

Our guide for Osaka and Nara saved us money on train rides. He was efficient and fun. He gave excellent recommendations for food and sake, and where to buy tea and a calligraphy paintbrush handcrafted in Japan. He took us to experience traditional sushi. My dad liked it very much!

The guide who picked us up from Tokyo station showed us the Meiji shrine, Harajuku, Ginza, and where to have ramen close to the hotel. She was flexible, showed us plenty of food options, accommodated what we wanted to do, and moved around the tour schedule. She was also our guide for the Tsukiji market, sushi making, Asakusa, and the Tokyo Skytree. She was always offering to help.

Another guide took us from the hotel to the airport and helped us to check in. I had trouble with my check-in luggage, but since she was there, it was fixed without a hassle. She did not leave us until all were cleared and ready to get to the security line.

All the guides were excellent, patient, flexible, and accommodating. Throughout the tours, they all asked if there was anything else we would like to do, see, eat, or buy. They were all very attentive to our needs, always offering to help my dad and stepmom, especially with the transfers from hotels to stations and back. They are both over 65. The great thing is that they are both active and kept up with us with ease.

We had a very interesting 18-day trip to Laos and Vietnam in February. We worked closely with our Zicasso tour operator to plan a customized trip that included a number of stops and different experiences.

We started in Laos, with the monasteries, waterfall/hiking, cooking classes in Luang Prabang, and outdoor activities in beautiful Vang Vieng (hiking, caving, and kayaking).

We spent the next 13 days in Vietnam – chaotic Hanoi; beautiful Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh, with the fantastic limestone karsts; historic Hue, the Imperial City; picturesque Hoi An, with the serene and spectacular resort; ending up in Saigon for a day.

We had three knowledgeable guides with different personalities and backgrounds – Laos, northern Vietnam, and central Vietnam. We had interesting and detailed discussions which enhanced our understanding of the history of the region, as well as the US impact on Laos and Vietnam. Although we liked our guides, we realized they were independent contractors and did not really have any input in our day-to-day itinerary (which did have changes from the original). Although most of the changes were fine, we would have liked better communication – letting us know about the changes and options. As a result, we spent more time managing each day's itinerary with our guides to ensure we liked the next day's itinerary.

In summary, we truly liked and enjoyed our well-planned trip.

We had excellent communications with Zicasso’s travel companies before and during the tour. I'm happy that I didn't have to plan this trip. 

Every hotel, train travel, tour, and experience they chose for us was excellent. We appreciated having Japanese and American tour guides. We really appreciated the daily summary page and the detailed instructions in the Info pack about each excursion, including which exit to use when leaving the subway. It was handy to have the PDF version of the info pack to avoid carrying more paper on excursions and to share with my travel companions. The travel app wasn't as helpful because it didn't contain the detailed info the info pack did. 

I contacted the travel company once during the tour, on January 1, and they responded within a day. I was surprised and happy about that because it was a holiday. 

There was only one situation where the info in the info pack didn't agree with what happened. That was a change in tour guide in Kyoto, but it was okay, since we really enjoyed our guide. Well done overall!

After returning home from a month-long trip to Asia, I am still wowed by the service provided by the travel agency and our guides in Vietnam. Since this was our first visit to the country, I reached out to the agency for itinerary recommendations, and thankfully, I was connected with Albee. She was incredibly responsive before and during our trip, and she paired us with such knowledgeable and hospitable guides.

Our first guide during the trip hosted us in Hanoi and SaPa. We opted to stay a bit more off the beaten path at an ecolodge which we can highly recommend, which is about 30 minutes away from the SaPa village center. We let our guide know we were interested in learning more about the local culture and exploring the countryside, and wow, he delivered! 

We went on the most memorable hike through the rice terraces and stopped to chat with several villagers along the way. He knew everyone. On top of that, he taught us about local flora and customs while on the hike and then the bike ride. We are already looking forward to returning to the North and further exploring the Vietnam/China border, but only if we can do it with him! The mountains were truly the highlight of our trip, and it wouldn't have been possible without him as our guide. If you are lucky enough to add SaPa to your itinerary, do yourself a favor and request him.

Our guide in Saigon, which was the last leg of our Vietnam trip, was so accommodating to our changing needs. After a couple of weeks of travel, we arrived in Saigon wanting a more relaxing pace. She seamlessly made alternate arrangements for us that were a perfect end to the trip. The most hospitable moment from our entire trip to Asia came when we expressed an interest in visiting a local family. She immediately suggested that she and her family host us for lunch at their home in the Mekong Delta the next afternoon. This was such an unexpected yet memorable end to our time in Vietnam. Our guide’s and her family's hospitality were unmatched, and we were so fortunate to have her as our guide.