Europe Travel Planning

Past Client Testimonies

If you are considering our European Travel Consultation, please read the following past client comments.

"Bottom line is I felt your selections were exactly what I expected. Steven your service is terrific and I have recommended it to several friends. We are planning more trips to Europe and will call on you again either as a private plan or one of your group tours."

Rick F., Tampa, FL (traveled May 2006)

"We had a wonderful time and once again we can't thank-you enough for all your hard work and planning for us....we couldn't have done it with-out you. You really did help to make our experience more successful and enjoyable. I hope that sometime in the future ours paths will cross in person and we can meet you."

The Firestone Family, Canfield, OH (traveled April 2006)

"We found Steven quite by accident by looking around on the internet for a company to help with our trip to Munich during Oktoberfest. Steven started out by asking many questions to get a feel for the type of experience we were looking to have. He suggested 3 hotels for our stay, giving us an in depth insight into each and it's strengths and weaknesses. We choose his favorite - and the hotel was absolutely perfect, quaint with superb service and a short walk to downtown. We then told him we would like to do some individual tours of both Munich and Dachau. Steven found us an American guide who had lived in Munich for 7 years to give us a 4 hour walking tour of Munich. The tour was informative and filled with many insights only another American could give. Our tour of Dachau, though very somber, was again something not to be missed and even my husband, a history major, learned new insights from our guide. Our last day in Munich was spent on a bus tour to Neuschwanstein...it was the perfect way to get out into the Bavarian countryside and see the mountains and picturesque towns...and of course the castles were amazing. Steven suggested we take the train first class from Munich to Vienna where we were boarding our river cruise. It was the perfect end to our Munich adventure, watching the crowds get off the trains and head to the Oktoberfest grounds arm in arm, singing ...then relaxing and watching the beautiful countryside on the trip to Vienna.

Our days went off smoothly, every detail perfectly tuned. We will be headed to Paris in the next year and will be asking for Steven's help in planning another memorable vacation. We found Travels with Friends to be professional, knowledgeable and informative with the desire to listen and provide their client with the perfect custom tailored experience. I would recommend them without hesitation."

Don and Marianne Laupp Cave Creek, AZ (traveled October 2005)

"I can't recommend Steven more highly. I found him online last year when I was planning a three week honeymoon trip throughout Europe, including France, Switzerland and Italy. He did a wonderful job -- finding great little hotels in beautiful small towns, finding me hotels with broadband when I needed it for biz, and setting up all of the rail, car etc.. He also provides great tips on things to see and directions for driving et al. Also he set up my wife with a local shopping partner (who spoke English) while we were in Paris. I used Steven again in August to plan a trip on short notice to Alsace, and he setup a great trip - again, great little hotels that I never would have found, tips on wine tasting, et al. I can't speak highly enough of Steven, and frankly I think he charges too little for what he does."

Bill Martin, Princeton, NJ (traveled 2004 and 2005)

"Steven Hurley did a wonderful job of helping a friend and I plan our trip to Southern Germany and Switzerland. We had done some research, but Steven, who has been to Europe many times, was able to advise us on the best sites and experiences in each location. Steve's suggestions were excellent and we might have missed many of them without his advise.

He asked our preferences about lodging and price range. Steve contacted each hotel and made reservations. We were thrilled with the lodging. Steve chose quaint hotels in perfect locations with friendly staff, nice rooms and great food. We would never have found these hotels on our own.

We wanted to drive, so Steve helped with planning our schedule, based on distances and what activities we planned for each day. Steve purchased a Michelin map and highlighted our route, marked the pages and gave us a "key" to find the next page. It was incredibly helpful.

Finally, Steve assembled everything into a neat packet for us to utilize. We had confirmation numbers and contact information for all hotels, airline tickets, our maps and more. Steve answered all our novice traveler questions about currency and customs of the countries.

I met Steve when we worked together at Giselle's Travel in Sacramento. I was Director of Human Resources for the large travel agency and Steve was a leisure travel agent and instructor in Giselle's Travel School. We did not keep in contact after I left for another HR position with a mortgage company. But, last year I took a community education class in preparation for the trip ... and was pleased to find Steve teaching the class. He is an excellent instructor with great materials. I took a class on the UK (my next trip, I hope) and another on Europe in general. I discovered Steve had his own business by this time, planning European travel. I immediately "signed" Steve to plan our trip. I am a seasoned and comfortable American traveler ... but, I had only been to Europe once with my husband about 20 years earlier.

My friend and I remarked repeatedly on how valuable Steve's service was for us. The cost was absolutely nominal in exchange for the value added ... and in comparison to the total trip cost. I cannot imagine planning another trip to Europe without Steve. He's a very nice guy to work with and very responsive to the needs and desires of his clients. "

Margie B., Fair Oaks, CA (traveled 2004)

"We were delighted with every detail you arranged for us on our recent trip. The trains came off perfectly, hotels were excellent, and we had a far better trip than we ever could have imagined. By Rothenburg, with the hotel, we had switched our vibes from "let's hope this hotel is okay" to "Steve Hurley reserved this hotel so we'll love it." What a great trip we had! Vange and the two girls were as happy as this email shows you I was. You could use us as testimonial with future clients for sure, we're recommending you to our married daughters and sons in law and everybody around the office now. The money we spent with you was by far the best spending on the whole trip."

Tim B. Eugene, OR, (traveled 2003 and 2004)

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