2022 Testimonials | Joe

Joe crafted unforgettable vacations in 2022, leaving clients raving about their experiences. See what they had to say!

Josh L. | Iceland | May 2022

Josh traveled to Iceland in May of 2022, where his daughter celebrated her birthday with a cake organized by Crystal Travel making the experience unforgettable.

How would you rate your trip? 5/5

Who was your travel expert? Joe

How were your accommodations? Great

What did you love? They all were very welcoming and had options that made the stay with our daughter easier.

Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes

What did you love? Everything just ran smoothly. Even when return flight was delayed it was still easy once it was ready.

What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? The freedom we had to choose between hotels.

What was your favorite part of the trip? So much and the fact your staff had a cake for daughter on her birthday waiting in the room.

Would you travel with us again? Yes

How can we improve for next time? Not sure

Mary M. | Iceland | October, 2022

Mary traveled with us at Crystal Travel & Tours to Iceland in October of 2022, a trip that had been 3 years in the making.

 How would you rate your trip? 5/5

Who was your travel expert? Joe

How were your accommodations? Okay

What did you love? We did not dislike any of the properties, but realized that amenities are not the same as what we are used to in the US, and that is understandable. One property had a broken shower that could not be fixed, other bathrooms had no shower curtains so water covered the floors no matter how careful we were. The room temperatures could not be controlled independently, and maintenance was not available in the evenings when we arrived, and did not start their work day until after we left the room for our daily excursions. It’s simply different expectations that were learning curves for us. Every accommodation had very friendly staff members and overall we felt safe, which was most important.

Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? No

What did you love? Our first rental car stopped in the middle of a roundabout approximately 3 hours after we picked it up. Hertz brought a replacement to us about 2 hours later. When we returned the second car at the end of our reservation we were asked if we switched cars, and were surprised they did not have record of what happened. We were questioned repeatedly if we put the wrong gas in the car or hit something, waited while the situation was being investigated, then told we were “good to go.” I asked for a receipt and was told it would be emailed, but we never received the emailed receipt. We were left feeling unsettled with the situation. We spoke with Joe and he is checking in with Hertz for us.

What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? We loved the many waterfalls, hiking volcanoes, visiting Heimaey Island via the ferry, the glaciers, trekking to the crashed DC Navy plane, visiting Thingsvellir National Park, Snaefellsnes National Park, Skaftafell National Park, seeing the Atlantic Tectonic Plates, climbing down lava tubes, seeing the basalt rock formations, visiting the Blue Lagoon, touring Perlan Museum, and seeing the many geothermal areas in Reykholt – we loved everything we experienced even though we did not actually see the Northern Lights. Iceland is a must-see for everyone!

What was your favorite part of the trip? Nothing comes to mind. No trip is ever perfect, things happen, and you just have to go with the flow. Knowing that assistance from Crystal Tour and Travel is a mere phone call away is very reassuring, and making all the accommodations, car rental, insurances, and excursion bookings in advance takes the stress out of planning, and we appreciate it very much. This trip was 3 years in the making due to Covid, and Joe did a wonderful job juggling all the changes, meeting with us over Zoom to review things with us, and helping us discover what we could do and experience in Iceland.

Would you travel with us again? Yes

How can we improve for next time? Thank you for guiding us through a wonderful Iceland vacation!

Bryan R. | Scotland | December, 2022

Bryan traveled with his partner to Scotland in December 2022.

How would you rate your trip? 5/5

Who was your travel expert? Joe

How were your accommodations? Great

What did you love? Location and ease of checking in.

Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes

What did you love? The process was very quick. The only negative is having to pick up the vehicle. The proper location was not indicated so we went to one only to be directed to another. And no set up for transport to and from the place to pick up the vehicle.

What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? Eilean Donan, Holyrood Palace, Whiskey Tour in Glasgow, William Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle, Isle of Skye was amazing

What was your favorite part of the trip? Isle of Skye

Would you travel with us again? Yes

How can we improve for next time?  The only negative was the proper location where to pick up the vehicle and if transport isn’t provided to and from then indicate that as well.