Roman-Tuscan Adventure
We've worked with Jamie for years (it's really a joy) and most definitely will continue to do so. Wow! Jamie has done it again. We saw a "Foodie Tour" of Italy online and asked Jamie to book it for us. He replied and asked if he could look into putting together a custom tour for us instead of the advertised online one. He delivered! We had 6 days in Florence as a "base" with a private driver that drove us to the various cities, food, wineries, etc. The driver then took us for 2 days in the Pienza area where we had a cooking class and eventually to Rome for 6 days with a private guide! The entire trip was wonderful! Highlights were the Cooking Class, Truffle Hunt which included a full truffle lunch, Scooteroma Foodie Tour of Rome, and all the sightseeing adventures along the way. Can't wait for our next adventure to Antarctica!
England, France & Denmark
We heard about Jamie and his services from a friend as we were planning a multi city trip on our way to see our daughter who was studying abroad. We had never been to Europe before and contacted Jamie to help us plan an itinerary. Four of us contacted Jamie and had an initial phone conversation and then a Zoom meeting. We had ample opportunity to ask questions and hear options for our trip. We presented our loose plan and Jamie helped us to plan specifics. He is very knowledgable regarding cities in Europe and his recommendations were spot on including budgeting time for relaxation and people watching. He helped obtain our flights and tickets. We used him to also help our daughter with her flights to and from Europe. He presented a few choices for hotels in each city. They were well located and close to various sites and attractions and very walkable. They were all close to public transportation for longer trips. He arranged transportation from airports to the hotels and back. We took his recommendation to obtain the various city cards which included museum and site access (priority at times) as well as covering train and bus fare. He also helped plan access to sites on the days we planned to see them. One of the nice features of his planning is his living web app which can contain the vouchers to sites and attractions as well as helping keep a schedule. The app is also loaded with sites, restaurants and suggestions if you have time to fill. The trip went well without any hiccups but we were reassured that we had 24 hour access via Whatapp if we needed help. We would use him again for our travel needs.
Scotland, Sweden, Belgium and France
My trip was part of a much needed pastoral sabbatical and included separate trips with my adult kids. It was also a complicated trip with multiple flights, trains, transfers, rental cars, etc. Four countries, moving around a lot from lodging to lodging. (Kid 1 and I flew to Scotland for two weeks, met Kid 2 at the airport in Stockholm, spent the weekend there, then Kid 1 flew home and Kid 2 and I continued to Belgium and France. Phew!) It was a fantastic trip. Jamie listened carefully and adapted as we asked. All of the accommodations were clean, comfortable, hospital, and conveniently located. The app and paper documents were well laid out and easy to use. When we had mid-travel questions (and we had very few), Jamie was quick to respond and advise. The train travel was hiccup-free (Except for one rail line being closed due to a crash!). Transfers and guides showed up as promised an on time. Our Paris guide was a surprise and delight. We would use Jamie again. He is fun to talk with, knowledgeable, experienced, upbeat, and accommodating. We felt confident that everything was lined up and were thrilled with how well everything went. He also gave good advice about things to see and we were not disappointed. Travel was stress free. (Although driving on the left side of the road was something else. Thanks, Jamie, for making sure we had an automatic transmission!) We recommend Jamie without reservation. And thanks, Jamie, for a terrific experience from the first planning meeting until our plane landed back at MSP. Chris, Eliot, and Sam
Croatia & Italy
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Three weeks after my first trip to Europe, I can't stop thinking about everything I was exposed to. My wife and I originally planned a trip 4 years ago but a near death in our family caused us to cancel the trip. We let the business of life get in the way of making the trek over to Europe for the next 4 years. I reached out to Jamie because he had put together a handful of incredible trips for us in the past to other destinations. I expressed to Jamie all of the things we love doing when going on vacation (adventure, being outdoors, lots and lots of exercise, etc). He put together one of our favorite trips we have ever had the privilege to go on. Three days in the breathtaking town of Dubrovnik, Croatia walking on the walls of old town. This town was so easy to explore on foot and we fell in love with it the moment we were dropped off at our hotel. Our next trip was north to Split, Croatia. We hired a private auto transfer and the gentlemen would stop off at road side fruit stands so we could purchase these goodies to take with us on the rest of our vacation. Split was a home base for us to do excursions like Krka National Park. It was a lush green park filled full of waterfalls.
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It was incredibly relaxing hearing the roar of the water in conjunction with the peaceful look of all the bright green. We then took an overnight ferry from Split to Italy. Our first stop was Florence. Holy cow, Florence was everything we imagined and more. This was our favorite leg of the trip. Picture a cooking lesson followed by going down to a several hundred year old wine cellar while enjoying the fruits of your cooking labor. Eggplant with potato and zucchini, spinach and ricotta filled ravioli, followed by chicken cacciatore, and chocolate ganache for dessert. This was all brought together with amazing Italian red wine. Our next excursion was a full day trip to Cinque Terra. Cinque is five and terra is villages.
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You have the opportunity to travel to these cliffside towns via train, boat, or you can do what we did and hike through vineyards and olive groves to travel to each village. The tour was comprised of taking a boat so you can get incredible views of these quaint seaside towns painted different shades of the sun. We ditched the boat and put on our hiking shoes and it was a full day of the most beautiful hiking I have ever done. I kept pinching myself wondering if this was real of a dream. It was real! Our next excursion was the breathtaking town called Tuscany. We were encompassed by vast seas of green, cypress trees, vineyards, olive groves, wineries, and beautiful stone homes and/or bed and breakfasts. We traveled through this area via vespa/scooter and had the chance to visit wineries and cute picturesque towns. Our guides took us into local cheese shops, butchers, olive oil stores, etc and we talked with the owners to learn more about their craft. We wrapped up this amazing day with a delicious dinner at a winery. Our next trek was to Rome and we were not ready to leave Florence. It captured our heart. Our favorite excursion in Rome was the Vatican. Such rich history and being able to step foot inside the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica was surreal. We used our last day in Rome to visit a spa so our muscles could recoup from all the exploring.
Thanks,
Bryan
Thanks,
Bryan
Hawaii, USA
Our trip to Hawaii was fantastic. All of our accommodations were excellent. We spent time snorkeling, whale watching and a traditional luau which was fantastic! We explored 2 islands and will need to explore two more the next time we go! We will certainly put our next trip plans in The hands of the Wandering Puffin! Jamie is fantastic to work with!
Salzburg & Munich
I wanted to take a moment to share some wonderful moments with you. Jamie with Wandering Puffin was our trip advisor. I discovered his "company" from a Good Morning America episode. Researched the many advisors and chose Jamie. So glad we did!
Jamie was incredible to work with. His communication was immediate ALL times of the day. He was very organized and was consistently fair in presenting financial options that met our requirements. We traveled to Salzburg and Munich! Here are some photos from our trip:
Jamie was incredible to work with. His communication was immediate ALL times of the day. He was very organized and was consistently fair in presenting financial options that met our requirements. We traveled to Salzburg and Munich! Here are some photos from our trip:
France
Jamie did a wonderful job of planning our 20th anniversary trip to France, and we had an amazing time! We had great accommodations, and the experiences were incredible. We had a couple of little hiccups during our trip, and he dealt with them well so that our trip was still all it could be. Jamie answered a lot of questions, put our minds at ease, and took the pressure off of planning a special trip in an unfamiliar country and culture. He included everything we were looking for, and it was a trip we will always remember.
Alaska, USA
Jamie was a wonderful travel agent to work with and he went above and beyond to help us take the trip of our dreams. My husband and I wanted to go to Norway for our honeymoon and Jamie planned an amazing trip for us!! Then, unfortunately, Covid happened and we had to postpone TWICE hoping for the possibility that Norway might open. Jamie walked with us every step of the way, communicating with people on the ground in Norway to help us make the best decision in the situation. After waiting a year and a half of postponing, we decided to pivot and go to Alaska instead. Jamie not only helped us completely change our honeymoon to a different location, he also helped us through some tricky refunding for our travel insurance too! We had an amazing trip to Alaska! It was everything we had hoped for and more. We let Jamie know all the "must sees and dos" that we wanted and he made everything happen. Specifically, we had dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights for a very long time and Jamie helped schedule several viewings and it was an unforgettable memory. We saw and experienced so many amazing things...it was the trip of a lifetime. Thank you Jamie!
Portugal, Spain & The Canary Islands
We just returned from a 12 day cruise to Portugal, Spain and the Canary Islands. Once again Jamie went over and beyond to provide us with a stress-free vacation. All the annoying details were taken care of such as air, transfers, room selection, itinerary, paperwork, etc. Jamie found us a spacious, beautiful room and balcony. Our excursions and activities on the ship were amazing! He is also very willing to book and organize personalized excursions by request. About 1-2 weeks before our trip, we were mailed an organized folder with all needed tickets, itinerary and info regarding the vacation. And importantly, he returns emails and calls the same or next day. Very easy to work with and friendly. Definitely recommend his services and are looking forward to working with him in the future!
Germany & Austria
We just got back from a two week European vacation to Germany and Austria. Jamie helped us plan the perfect trip and worked with us to get our itinerary just how we wanted it. I would recommend Jamie for anyone looking for a stress free travel experience - he worked with us to find airfare that fit our budget, booked all of our hotels and excursions and was very responsive while we were away (even though he was on his own vacation!). As a person who loves to plan, I appreciated the portfolio of documents that was sent to us just before our trip. It was thorough and organized by day for easy reference. Thank you Jamie!
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England & Scotland
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We recently worked with the Wandering Puffin for a 21 day trip to England and Scotland. Jamie Bachrach is great to work with. He is truly enthusiastic about what he does. Using his services made our travel lives sooo much easier and relaxing for us. He arranged all of the fine details that make a trip come together perfectly! No worries or hassles for us! These included our flights, our ground transportation such as rail transportation & transfers, accommodations and excursions. We had a wonderful memorable time! One particular excursion was for a private sunrise tour of Stonehenge.
Jamie’s pre-trip tips, guidance and sightseeing adventures were a blessing. It had us fully prepared on what to bring with us, where to go and what other fun things were locally to be found. He puts together a booklet, which he also sends you in an App form for your phone/tablet, that contains your itinerary, vouchers for flights, accommodations, transfers, rail, etc. We found this extremely helpful as we would refer to it often. Jamie has already planned our next trip this September to Italy! And we can’t wait |
Greece
Jamie helped arrange a 10 day trip to Greece (Santorini and Athens) for my husband and I, plus our three teenagers. He was thorough, responsive and helpful with all questions. Our original flight was canceled and normally that would have been quite stressful, but with Jamie’s expertise we got as new flight that worked out well. The hotels he choose were awesome, so happy with his recommendations. The folder that he sent, as well as the “trip plans” app was so organized and helpful. He messaged throughout our trip and kept us updated on any delays, etc. It was very reassuring to have his help and have him behind the scenes supporting us in case anything went wrong (which did not happen thankfully). He took care of the details that I would not have thought about and included details about Greece which helped. I would definitely recommended using his services to plan your next trip!
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Spain
I have been working with Jamie for about 8 years planning my trips. My recent trip to Spain didn't go as well as planned. I developed a blood clot in my leg and lungs. I wound up spending a week in the hospital . I reached out to him and told him what was going on. He immediatly contacted the travel insurance company and got a claim started for me. He also contacted the hotel I was staying at and advised them i was in the hospital and would need to extend my stay. Jamie kept in constant contact with me and rebooked my new flight back to the states. I have always enjoyed working with Jamie in arranging my trips. His knowledge and professionalism is outstanding. As always, I look forward to work with him on my next trip.
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Ireland, Greece & Croatia
When I was ready to plan a long-awaited trip to Ireland with my sister and daughter, and combine it with an anniversary trip to Croatia and Greece with my husband, I immediately turned to Jamie for help. He planned an absolutely amazing European trip for my family several years ago so I knew we could count on him to plan something wonderful.
Jamie listened to what we wanted to see, how we like to travel and took care of all the details for transportation, hotels and excursions based on our needs. He made suggestions for sites to see, the best way to get to them, and he easily shifted plans when we added a place or an event to our itinerary.
The hotels he chose were perfectly located and very comfortable. We loved the rooftop bar with an amazing view of the Acropolis while in Athens and we were particularly thrilled with the resort right on the coast in Dubrovnik. Jamie was always very accessible for questions and was so helpful in getting a refund for a bus tour we had to cancel mid-trip. He also arranged a rental car for that excursion instead. Knowing we had him to handle these details removed all stress from the changes.
We saw so many amazing sites full of beauty and history including the Cliffs of Moher, Krka National Park, Diocletians Palace, the Parthenon and several Greek islands. We were able to enjoy them all and experience another memorable trip thanks to Jamie. We definitely recommend him to our friends!
Beth Anne & John
Jamie listened to what we wanted to see, how we like to travel and took care of all the details for transportation, hotels and excursions based on our needs. He made suggestions for sites to see, the best way to get to them, and he easily shifted plans when we added a place or an event to our itinerary.
The hotels he chose were perfectly located and very comfortable. We loved the rooftop bar with an amazing view of the Acropolis while in Athens and we were particularly thrilled with the resort right on the coast in Dubrovnik. Jamie was always very accessible for questions and was so helpful in getting a refund for a bus tour we had to cancel mid-trip. He also arranged a rental car for that excursion instead. Knowing we had him to handle these details removed all stress from the changes.
We saw so many amazing sites full of beauty and history including the Cliffs of Moher, Krka National Park, Diocletians Palace, the Parthenon and several Greek islands. We were able to enjoy them all and experience another memorable trip thanks to Jamie. We definitely recommend him to our friends!
Beth Anne & John
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England, Wales, Scotland & Iceland
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Jamie is a phenomenal travel agent!! He helped plan our trip to England, Wales, Scotland, and Iceland this past summer and definitely exceeded our expectations! I have been on a few group tours to Europe and so has my friend from college, so this time we wanted to work with a travel agent and have a more active role in the planning process.
Jamie’s attention to detail and expertise was apparent from the initial consultation to his follow up. He was able to incorporate everything that we wanted to see and do during this trip while staying within our budgets. Jamie even made some wonderful recommendations that made this trip even more memorable! He was easy to get a hold of to discuss ideas, answered our questions promptly and the organized itineraries were very much appreciated. Everything was thoughtfully planned out so we were able to relax and enjoy our trip. |
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I look forward to working with him again for future travel adventures and would recommend Wondering Puffin to anyone looking for a resourceful travel agent!
Thanks
Denise
Thanks
Denise
African Safari
Jamie, the trip was awesome, the people at Horizon and the staff are great. Was truly a trip of a lifetime.
Thanks
Ann
Ann
Iceland - Allan Floyd and Margaret Miller
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Blenheim Palace and Magdalen College, Oxford - Allan Floyd and Margaret Miller
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Norway
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We used the Wandering Puffin to help us plan and book our vacation to Norway, and we couldn’t have done it without him! Jamie listened to our travel desires, budget, and what we hoped to experience during our time in Norway. He provided us with a comprehensive itinerary including all our necessary documents for hotels, city passes, and transportation. His organization and attention to detail allowed us to focus on the experience rather than be stressed about how to get from city to city. Our Norway adventure was filled with culture, nature, relaxation and once in a lifetime experiences. We are extremely thankful that we were referred to Jamie and highly recommend you use him to book your next travel experience! |
--Jaclyn and Glen
UK
Jamie has set up 4 trips for me. I have been very satisfied with all 4. Jamie is very professional, knowledgeable and honest. I trust his suggestions on where to go and stay. He really knows his stuff, in fact he is setting up a fifth trip for me to the UK. I highly recommend the services Jamie provides.
Jack S - Minnesota
Switzerland
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I used the Wandering Puffin to book a trip to Germany and Switzerland for me, my mom, and my sister. We had never traveled abroad before and Jamie’s knowledge, patience, and helpfulness were amazing. He booked absolutely everything for us on the trip and provided us with a trip packet full of every detail we could need. He can help you stay within a budget and has great ideas for things to do.
Due to weather issues on the way home, we had to file an insurance claim and he was extremely helpful with that as well. Jamie was recommended to me by a friend and I will recommend him to anyone else. -- Katie, Missouri |
Italy & Croatia
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When I first decided I wanted to go to Italy, Croatia and Greece I knew I was going to need help planning this trip. I picked Wandering Puffin because I like the name. Well it was a great choice.
When Jamie and I first started our conversations I knew he was going to be someone I will like to work with. His first advice was 3 countries in 3 weeks was too much and he was right, so I decided on Italy and Croatia. Italy because of the history, art and architecture. Croatia because of the beauty and islands.
I truly had a trip that will be hard to beat. I told Jamie what my son and I were interested in and he hit all the requirements. Every place was safe and clean. The tours we went on we all interesting had well informed guides and beautiful. In Italy we did boat, history, wine tours and other personal recommendations from Jamie. The guides were all very approachable, informed and very passionate about their jobs.
In Croatia we had a personal guide for 5 days with boat tours of the coast, history and places off the beat and track.
Our Croatian guide grew up in the country and we could tell how much he loved his country. He was able to bring us to place that we would never have found on our own. All the cities we visited were full of fun, history and things I would have never seen without Jamie’s help.
The reason we had such a great trip was because Jamie. Jamie was available to help us any time of day or night if we had questions or concerns, has a very great network of colleagues, was honest, and listened to what I wanted. Also, Jamie has been to many countries and goes on seminars to better serve and provide the best information to his clients.
I will definitely use Wandering Puffin again.
When Jamie and I first started our conversations I knew he was going to be someone I will like to work with. His first advice was 3 countries in 3 weeks was too much and he was right, so I decided on Italy and Croatia. Italy because of the history, art and architecture. Croatia because of the beauty and islands.
I truly had a trip that will be hard to beat. I told Jamie what my son and I were interested in and he hit all the requirements. Every place was safe and clean. The tours we went on we all interesting had well informed guides and beautiful. In Italy we did boat, history, wine tours and other personal recommendations from Jamie. The guides were all very approachable, informed and very passionate about their jobs.
In Croatia we had a personal guide for 5 days with boat tours of the coast, history and places off the beat and track.
Our Croatian guide grew up in the country and we could tell how much he loved his country. He was able to bring us to place that we would never have found on our own. All the cities we visited were full of fun, history and things I would have never seen without Jamie’s help.
The reason we had such a great trip was because Jamie. Jamie was available to help us any time of day or night if we had questions or concerns, has a very great network of colleagues, was honest, and listened to what I wanted. Also, Jamie has been to many countries and goes on seminars to better serve and provide the best information to his clients.
I will definitely use Wandering Puffin again.
Europe
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I was checking out a couple of travel agents at the time when I was looking to book my first trip to Europe. I was going to go to Poland by myself and had no idea what I might be getting myself into. I had reached out to a couple of agencies and had gotten pretty much a e mail with pretty much prices. Jamie reached out to me and we spoke on the phone for at least 45 minutes to get an idea of what I wanted to do and where in Poland I wanted to go. During that conversation he had informed me that he had been there a few times and made suggestions as where to go. After the conversation I felt comfortable in going forward with my plans with Jamie.
I was a little nervous on the day of my trip. I had 3 flights and was worried about making the connections. Jamie had planned it perfect. Plenty of time between the flights that I wasn’t racing from terminal to terminal. By the time I reached Warsaw I was ecstatic. It was all I had hoped it would be and more. The hotels I stayed at were great close to the attractions. His itinerary was perfect to follow as well as tips and places to see. I'm now in discussions for my next European trek with Jamie and am looking forward to this new adventure. - Brent K. |
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