Travelling is an addiction - once you start, it's hard to stop which is why I've been doing it for over 20 years. It's hard to say which place is my favorite; the smell from the food stalls in the Jemmaa el Fna square in Marrakech, Petra at sunset, Machu Picchu at sunrise, rafting down the Zambezi, the Backwaters in Kerala - all spectacular in their own right. I could go on, but I wish to extend this invitation to all those adventure seekers who want to see the world and create their own memories.
Here is a video of my recent Botswana adventure!
Testimonials
I want to say how much I enjoyed the above trip in September 2022. The variety of wildlife we saw (over 70 different species!); the fascinating people and cultures we encountered in the countries we visited; it was an experience I will always remember with fond memories.
As a representative of PTM (Personal Travel Management), the way you organised the logistics of what was a very complicated tour involving a change of hotel almost every day for 26 days, and three local tour operators, was very impressive. And in advance of the trip, you regularly provided us with updates on the progress you were making with organising the tour and its costs. I encountered a problem in obtaining visas and the help you offered in resolving the issue was above and beyond anything I could have expected. In fact, without your help I may have had to withdraw from the tour. I told friends about the level of service you provided and they were amazed. PTM are very lucky to have you working for them!
During the tour itself everything went according to plan; the transport vehicles were exactly right for the job of exploring the more inaccessible parts of the places we visited; the local guides were friendly and enthusiastic, and the hotels were in great locations and with excellent amenities. The comprehensive background information provided by PTM in advance of the trip was also much appreciated. Every day brought new and memorable experiences of encountering local people whose cultures were so different from our own, and the excitement of seeing such a variety of animals and birds in such abundance. I could never risk being far from my camera!
I can’t recommend Robyn Bentley highly enough and if I get another opportunity to join a PTM tour I know I wouldn’t hesitate.
Patrick Davies
The Intrepid Premium Egypt & Jordan tour along with the private Alexandria itinerary were outstanding experiences that far exceeded our expectations. Our guides were exceptional and our tour groups were small and, as result, we were steeped in the history and culture of Egypt and Jordan. Exploring the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, viewing the Abu Simbel Temple of Ramses II, sharing traditional meals with Egyptian families in their homes and hiking throughout the Petra UNESCO World Heritage site were only a few of the many experiences that have provided memories that will last a lifetime. Special thanks to our travel agent, Robyn Bentley with Personal Travel Management for making us aware of this opportunity and for arranging all of the aspects of the trip. With Robyn working for us we didn’t have to worry about a thing.
David Dairon
First of all a huge thank you to Robyn and the andbeyond team, the level of service and attention was absolutely first class – we are looking forward to many more travel experiences with andbeyond!
This trip was 2 years in the making – we were meant to go in 2020 to celebrate 20 year anniversary but Covid had other plans. Rather than cancel the trip altogether we postponed to 2021 and I am so glad we did.
In all honesty, even with the additional Covid protocols, this was probably the most stress free trip we have taken. We flew from Canada to Amsterdam, upon arrival we were met by a representative who escorted us to the departure area and made sure all of our documentation was in order. When we landed in Johannesburg, we were met by another representative who got us to our airport hotel – we arrived at 9 pm, in time for our PCR tests that andbeyond had arranged for us.
Our departure to Botswana was very smooth – the transfer guide met us at the hotel and took us through departures. When we arrived at the Muan airport, we had to take a smaller plane to get to our lodge – it all went off without a hitch.
The guide met us at landing strip and that is when the real fun began! On our way back to Sandibe our guide took us on mini game drive and before we even got to the lodge we saw a pride of lions including cubs, a leopard and many other animals. It was surreal!
The lodge itself is beautiful and we were so taken care of – everything was absolutely perfect, everyone really goes out of their way to ensure the guests are having an amazing time.
As far as Covid goes, it was really a non issue. The same measures are in place around masking and hand sanitizing as they are at home and the lodge is the perfect place to social distance. On our game drives, we were usually the only guests so we didn’t wear our masks but it’s really personal preference.
Our time in Capetown and Tengile River was equally spectacular – I could go on and on talking about this experience, it was absolutely the best trip we have ever been on.
The PCR test requirements were really the only additional steps we had to take and hopefully that requirement will be eliminated for vaccinated travellers at some point.
To anyone that is hesitant about travelling now to Africa, I would say that this is a perfect time to consider going. Things are just opening up so it’s not overly busy. Not once did we ever feel unsafe with COVID – everyone is taking the proper measures and taking it seriously.
Andbeyond and Robyn were a dream to work with😊
Jen Bean