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Guides and activities
Many destinations can be explored very well on one’s own, but I’ve come to appreciate the expertise and company of a great guide – especially when language or access is an issue.
Buenos Aires
Marcelo Mansilla – energetic, knowledgeable, and fun; speaks perfect English
Bordeaux
Bordeaux Wine Travel (Henri Challeau) – a trained sommelier and winemaker, he is an expert in the region and a delight to spend time with (also really good value, compared to many other tours I found!)
Western Ireland
Dingle Slea Head Tours – we’ve toured with them on several trips, lots of options and great either for couples or a family group with kids
Japan
Tiny Tours (Nagano) – lovely and fun couple who run bespoke private tours around Nagano, Matsumoto, etc – including outdoors/hiking adventures
WAK (Kyoto) – a great series of cultural activities in Kyoto run primarily by women, including home cooking, origami, and kimono dressing
Wabunka – high end cultural experiences, very well organized with translators provided – lots of options!
Vienna / Wachau Valley
Discover Vienna – we had a customized, private tour with our own driver and guide
All over
Tours by Locals – I’ve had success booking private guides through this site all over, from Costa Rica to Dublin to the Czech Republic!
Airbnb Experiences – some good and interesting ideas can be found here! Related – I also check TripAdvisor and even google for activities (but always book with the operator directly possible)
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Travel agents
I’m so happy to have found Izumi Ogawa – booking through her provides lots of perks at hotels (free breakfast, upgrades, etc). She is particularly knowledgeable about Japan, where she booked our ryokans (all in Japanese, and by fax no less!) and several cool experiences.
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Research
Some of my go-to sites…
- Flyertalk is my first stop not only for airline stuff, but for general discussion on various destinations (logistics, hotels, attractions, restaurants)
- AeroLOPA is worth checking to make sure you don’t end up in a seat without a window (note: Seatguru is no longer supported)
- Chowhound forums aren’t as busy as they once were, but some of the older discussions have useful info on restaurants
- TripAdvisor forums can be helpful for specific locations (the Anguilla forum is especially active), and I sometimes look at top restaurants and tours – but always cross-check, and never book tours through the site (look for the original providers’ sites)
- Custom Google maps to plot out sights and restaurants and plan logical day-by-day itineraries
- Handy cheat sheet on tipping by country