England, Ireland, and Scotland Travel Agents & Reviews

Our 21 day trip to Scotland was one of the most exceptional international journeys that my wife and I have had. We saw as much of Scotland as possible for the time we spent in that beautiful country.The planning for our 2021 trip began in 2019 with a reach out to Zicasso, who we used on a previous trip a few years back with great results. At first, we only received interest from one tour company, stateside, to help us plan our trip. However, I went back out to Zicasso to try and get an agent in Scotland, and Jeff called me from Edinburgh and the planning began in August of 2019.My wife was intent on me not driving while in Scotland, so, that meant that we would need a driver for most of the time. I'm glad we did, as it would not have been safe for me to drive on the roads we were on. I found driving in New Zealand to be a challenge, but I'm convinced that driving in Scotland would have been worse, at least 3X with all of the narrow one-way roads with no shoulders, limited turnouts, rock walls and hedges. The initial timing for our trip was supposed to go off in April 2020. However, due to Covid lock-downs, we had to postpone our trip twice. First to April 2021 and then to September 2021. So, Jeff essentially had to book, cancel, rebook all of our lodgings, ferries, trains and other excursions three times! We indeed got to know each other, albeit long distance, in the 2 years that he and I had in planning.It's not as easy for anyone to do foreign travel these days as it once was with all of the different Covid protocols depending on where you start and where you are going. For our September 2021 trip to Scotland, we had to show we had the Covid vaccinations, a Covid test 72 hours prior to our flight, complete a locator form for the UK that covered our complete trip, and then another test in Edinburgh on day 2. While we were in Scotland, we were on a barge in the Caledonian Canal for a week, and we had to do a quick test mid-way through that excursion.  Then, before returning home, we had to do another Covid test within 72 hours of departing which meant that Jeff had to tweak our itinerary that allowed a day to go to a pharmacy in Aberdeen to take the tests. Had just one of our tests come back positive for Covid which does happen, and I'm not sure what we would have done. But, luck was on our side and it all went well, and really there wasn't much stress regarding test results, because we did have Jeff there to help us in the case we were positive.Jeff and Linda did a great job with all of the logistics, and once we finally arrived in Scotland, our trip was stress free! I didn't have to pour through maps and travel brochures, or make phone calls to B&Bs or anything. Jeff did all of that, plus the driving and tour guiding! It was about as turn-key of a trip as I've had. Jeff also made most of our lunch and dinner reservations for us, picking restaurants that were very exceptional!Jeff is a very seasoned tour guide who has worked all through Europe, but he is an expert on all things Scotland. Growing up in Edinburgh, he knows the history and significance of places of interest, etc., and he is very proud of his beautiful country which we really enjoyed!

My wife and I were looking forward to this trip soo much, specially with all the COVID issues going on in the world, AND everything turned out just perfectly! Even with all the COVID restrictions, testing requirements and overall precautions in place with travel, it was an amazing trip that I wish we could relive. We really wished we could have stayed another month plus. Big thanks to our travel company & specifically Marie-Lys for helping us create and live out the perfect trip to France!! I highly recommend working with this team and hope that we can one day work with Marie-Lys once again! 

Trip of a lifetime thanks to the travel company.  The travel planner was wonderful to work with and fulfilled my wish list with everything my 13 year old grandson would love to see and do in Ireland. Every guide/driver was like being with a friend who happened to know all the best spots. Our driver even pulled over so we could witness a baby lamb being born. I guess I can’t give them credit for the rainbow that completed out trip, but we sure are grateful for everything else. Kathy

Paula was marvelous. We started planning a trip before covid hit. Naturally, we had to cancel. Paula was wonderful and made the process seamless.  When covid started to lift (and we needed to use our airline tickets) we contacted Paula again like an old friend.Paula was thorough, efficient, responsive, and flexible. She was always making herself available and easy to contact. There were absolutely no "glitches" in our trip. Every connection and reservation was prompt and we were greeted like family everywhere. Paula and the individuals that she recommended were extremely knowledgeable about everything Ireland can offer and they displayed a sixth sense about what we might enjoy, thereby guiding us along the perfect routes.In addition to the normal travel connections and accommodations, Paula made sure we received up-to-date information about covid testing and the means to get tested before our return to the USA. 

We are so happy with our trip.  Amy was so great at communicating with us.  She listened to all our "wish fors" as well as our specific needs (we traveled with 3 kiddos).  She helped us get an itinerary and worked with us while we were on a trip to flex/ add to the plan as needed.  I would definitely plan another trip with them.

We wanted to go on a family trip to Italy this Summer to celebrate our 20th Anniversary, and had budgeted a significant amount of money to have a great trip ($35k-$40k). It was very important to us that we get our money's worth.  Hilary specializes in trips to Italy, and after speaking with her about our rough travel plans, we felt that she would help us make the most of the time and money we were spending.  She built us a fantastic itinerary that enabled us to see 4 major cities (Venice, Florence, Rome and Positano) in a way that we never felt rushed or bored.  We are a family with three teenagers who definitely didn't want to just browse museums.  Hilary supplied plenty of interactive fun activities (i.e. cooking class in Florence, large full day boat trip off the Amalfi coast, glass bottom kayaking with cave exploration, motor boat tour of Venice canals, food tour in Rome, etc.)  The accommodations she chose were fantastic as well -- all of the hotels were right in the middle of the places we wanted to explore.  The staff at the hotels Hilary picked were extremely hospitable and helpful with finding any transportation we needed.  Hilary was also able to find us private transport between cities in Italy -- the drivers were all friendly, punctual, and spoke English.  We really have no complaints -- the itinerary was very well thought through and flowed extremely well.  

Elisabeth and George C.Trip through Scotland and England from October 17 to October 8th, 2019.We had a wonderful time and fell in love with Scotland. All the hotels we stayed at were unique, beautifully located and comfortable. The only exception might be the accommodations on the Isle of Skye which lacked the charm and standing to the other hotels. The only criticism I have is that directions to various places of interest were often too general without clear addresses or distances and expected driving time which we had requested beforehand. For example we did not immediately realize that Dumfries House is not in the town in Dumfries which cost us an hour of driving to the wrong destination. I would suggest in the future that distances and driving time are important when planing a trip.Your agents were all very helpful and easy to work with and we were very happy with the itinerary they designed. We would certainly consider using your services again.Best regards,Elisabeth C. 

We are several weeks past the return from our trip, but we are not out of raves for the entire experience. We asked for a highly customized trip to visit the great old libraries of the world across several mid-European countries and were richly rewarded by the excellent transportation, drivers, and guides provided by the travel company. This was a fabulous and life-affirming experience.It would not have been possible without the careful planning and research done by our travel planner and his colleagues at this travel company. The hotels that were arranged were central and convenient in the cities in which we stayed and their personnel were friendly and incredibly helpful, adding to the enjoyment of our trip. Food recommendations, especially a food tour that was booked for us in Prague, were spectacular. Given our focal interest in centuries-old libraries and literature, the planner and his crew found top-notch experts in each location who deepened our understanding of the incredible edifices we toured and their histories.Then, especially in route from Prague to Vienna, we must exclaim about the beautiful alpine scenery and small towns. Noting that we were also very interested in nature, our driver-guide detoured to take us to mountain locations that were personal favorites of his. Spectacular!It’s simply difficult to say how much we enjoyed this trip in every detail.