Our travelers’ most extraordinary journeys across the Americas

We love hearing all about our travelers’ trips around the world, and the tailor-made itineraries they plan that open doors to authentic travel experiences. Here, we’ve rounded up a selection of reviews from travelers who have embarked on great journeys across the American continents, each one diving into what it was about booking with TravelLocal that made their vacation even more special. Are you looking to spend more time exploring the Americas on life-altering adventures of your own? Read on for all the travel inspiration you could need…

Exploring the Americas: extraordinary trips our travelers have taken

Richard Harris’s trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos, Peru and Bolivia

What a fantastic adventure. Ecuador, Quito, Galapagos, Amazon, Peru, Arequipa, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, the high Red Desert and the Uyuni Salt Flats were all amazing. Lovely people, great food and fantastic guides. Brilliantly organised by Jeremy and Tania and Angie so that we got the most out of our trip and looked after us all the way through both beforehand and during our trip.

Their advice is definitely worth listening to. We had noticeably better hotels, better travel arrangements and better guides, vehicles, flights and drivers in comparison to everyone else. Their local know-how and willingness and ability to fix things when things began to go wrong, even when it wasn’t their problem, whatever time of day or night, shone through. They were absolutely excellent throughout, including re-routing us by air to Bolivia when the land border closed, and then liaising with our airline and arranging local fixers in La Paz Bolivia when internal flights in Bolivia were delayed, so we could catch our flight home in time (which wasn’t even their responsibility).

You definitely need someone with their local know-how to sort out the things which go wrong, which they did with exemplary skill and knowledge, and I could not recommend them more highly. They made our trip and were our guardian angels throughout.

Marco Madella’s trip to Chile and Argentina

We are a family of four with two grown-up kids, aged 21 and 17, and this trip was incredibly special—it was the last opportunity we had to take time off together as a family. To celebrate my 60th birthday in a meaningful way, I asked [my local expert] Lorena to design a customized 30-day itinerary through Chile and parts of Argentina. My goal was simple: create a once-in-a-lifetime holiday that we would cherish forever.

Lorena worked her magic with only a few general inputs from me. We wanted an active holiday that catered to a variety of interests, and I trusted her expertise to craft an itinerary that showcased the very best of this stunning corner of the world. The result? Absolutely extraordinary. From start to finish, the trip was organized to perfection. Everything ran like clockwork, eliminating the stress and countless hours we would have spent trying to plan this ourselves.

That seamless organization allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the experience and enjoy an incredible mix of activities—hiking through breathtaking landscapes, kayaking in pristine waters, exploring vibrant cities, savoring wine tastings, and taking unforgettable boat tours. Every day brought something new and exciting, and every moment was memorable. This is the true value of working with a knowledgeable travel professional. Lorena’s deep understanding of the region and her strong connections with local tour operators made all the difference.

We felt supported every step of the way. Whenever we had a question, Lorena and Vale were just a message away, responding promptly and checking in regularly to ensure everything was perfect. Thanks to their dedication and expertise, we now have a treasure trove of family memories from this extraordinary journey—a celebration of life, love, and adventure that we will never forget. If you’re dreaming of a flawless, personalized travel experience, look no further than Lorena. She turned our vision into reality and gave us the gift of an unforgettable holiday.

Read more: Our travelers’ favorite multi-country trips around the world

Victoria Prowle’s trip to Costa Rica

What an amazing trip. Roberto was fantastic from the word go in terms of helping us put the perfect itinerary together to match our budget. Always available to answer questions and give advice from queries around currency, adjusting the number of nights in different locations and even recommending, then booking a fab restaurant in San Jose for us to celebrate my husband’s birthday, he made the whole process feel personalised. It was great to finally meet him in the capital before we headed off to explore the country.

All of the transfers were seamless and, when we ran into delays, it was no problem to rearrange pick-up or drop-off times which was very reassuring when we were so reliant on these to get around. Every driver we met was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, stopping to allow us to take in and photograph beautiful views or wildlife. Likewise, all of our accommodation was superb. Off the beaten track, low capacity lodges with fantastic service, menus and stunning locations – we were truly spoiled! Thank you again for organising such a wonderful trip.

Costa Rica is so beautiful and we have many happy memories of the scenery and wildlife that we saw. Dolphins, turtles, humpback whales, iguanas, sloths, agouti, coati, countless beautiful birds (including the Resplendent Quetzal, Toucans and Hummingbirds) and insects, Spider, Howler and Capuchin monkeys, a tapir, snakes, introducing our son to the joy of horse riding in San Gerardo de Dota, snorkelling and rafting all combined to make our two weeks an epic adventure that we will never forget.

Sarah Glidden’s trip to Mexico

This trip to Mexico will be remembered as one of our favorite trips! It was our first time here. We experienced so much, saw so much, and learned so much in a short amount of time.

The tours were thoughtfully put together to maximize our experiences each day. The cenotes were a highlight, but especially Zazil Tunich. What a place to spend our first night! It was truly magnificent.

All the ruins we visited were timed to beat the crowds, especially at Chichen Itza. Ek Balam was amazing. I loved being able to climb the steps to the top of the Acropolis! Our 2 ecotours were equally exceptional, but our favorite was in Rio Lagartos. Our guide, Jose was perfect, and we saw 2 enormous crocodiles up close! The ruins in Tulum were marvelous and right on the Caribbean Sea.

I can’t rave enough about this trip and this company. It was perfect in every way, even down to our personal concierge, Elizabeth, who kept in contact with me everyday, and even helped us find our guide after we’d forgotten our meeting point. This was an incredible, 10/10, absolutely fantastic trip. We were sad to leave, but renewed with the hope that we’ll be back again to visit beautiful, vibrant Mexico!

Read more: Our travelers’ favorite coastal trips around the world

Neeta Balsaver’s trip to Ecuador and Colombia

We truly enjoyed our trip to Ecuador and Colombia thanks to the excellent arrangements made by TravelLocal. From the start, their representatives Alvaro and Sebastian were attentive, engaged and helpful with every question or request we had. We were met at every airport by a driver or guide, making us feel comfortable. All the drivers were very helpful and courteous, and the guides were very knowledgeable and considerate about history as well as current affairs of the place.

There were 2 things that absolutely charmed us. The company arranged for us to plant a protected species plant- a wax palm that grows only in the cloud forest of the Cocora valley, thus compensating for our carbon footprint in a small way. The other surprise they had for us was when they arranged a couple of meals for us at very charming restaurants in both Ecuador and Colombia. This is our second trip with TravelLocal and are currently considering a third in 2027. We would certainly recommend it to our friends and family.

Sally Chaplin’s trip to Cuba

The country is so beautiful with such welcoming people. We were able to make the most of this because of the way this trip was organised, coordinated and supported while we were in Cuba. It was based on our individual interests.

We were in Cuba for 4 weeks and stayed in about 12 different places, mainly Casas, enabling us to meet the local people. These Casas are locally owned and therefore give a personal touch. Frequently we were able to enjoy a home cooked evening meal as well as breakfast each day in the Casa. Each Casa was very individual, thus enabling our insight into Cuba.

By staying in such well selected accommodations we could ask advice about where to visit and what life is like for them. We travelled extensively, from West to East of the island, (3000k?) and to have achieved this feels quite remarkable, certainly for us it was amazing. [Our local experts] put together an interesting number of guided tours, both towns and countryside. This all worked like clockwork, which gave us insights into how life is for Cubans.

Despite the challenges currently facing Cuba, taxis arrived on time and our journeys all happened as planned. Quite amazing planning! […] It was reassuring to have the WhatsApp group linking us to our local experts, giving support whenever and if we needed it, and they also checked in with us a couple of times. The pre-departure information provided by the company, regarding phone, tipping, likely amount of day to day spending etc, was very helpful as credit cards are not generally accepted.

Our view on reflection is that this holiday company did its job well in enabling us to experience Cuba and meet many interesting people. Our last few days, staying in a resort based hotel, to relax and enjoy the beach, was very different and removed from the ‘real Cuba’. We are pleased to have ‘travelled local’.

Read more: Our travelers’ favorite cultural journeys around the world

Make it happen

To start planning your own extraordinary adventures, browse our destinations by region and reach out to our locally-based travel experts today. If exploring the Americas in all their depth and diversity is on your bucket list, they can help turn your dreams into reality, no matter your travel style and budget.