testimonials

Excellent guide - Katya. The whole tour was very well organised, relaxed, fun and BRILLIANT!!!

Anton Langford, New Zealand, Vodka Shot, February 09

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Katya was the best tour guide I have experienced. Extremely well informed + answered everything asked.

Kristy Russell, Australian, Vodka Shot, February 09

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Hi Ryan,
 
Just wanted to say thanks for all of your help in booking my Russia tour. I had a great time and enjoyed the sights and vodka!
 
Hope you have a lovely New Year.
 
Thanks again,
Amber, Christmas Kremlins and Tsars, December 08

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The tour was an excellent value for money. The tour leader was a great source of information, a very helpful person and very friendly, as I found all the Russian people to be so. Moscow and St.Petersburg are beautiful cities and very hospitable. Will I go back? Definitely yes and hopefully soon!

Massimo Bellisai - Italian, Vodka Shot, - 16th September

Just to let you know I have returned from my trip and it was fantastic.
The Russian tour was well organized and fun. I was a little concerned at first as I was so much older than the other travelers, but I need not worry.I was well looked after and more than kept up with them all!

Our guide Kartier was amazing so much information and commitment to making sure we were all safe and had fun.

My Birthday was very memorable and well celebrated.

So it’s back to slave away to save for the next trip.

Cheers Julie

Julie - Vodka Shot - 16th September

Katya was fantastic, making sure everything ran smoothly and everyone enjoyed the tour. And definitely made sure things were perfect! This is the best tour I have done and the best tour guide I have had.

Grethen Strid - New Zealand, Russia Unplugged - 5th September

Our tour leader Vera was wonderful, very knowledgeable and patient with all our questions. The optional activities were great and very reasonable priced. We could be as busy or relaxed as we wanted. A true taste of Russia.

Janna Kuhn-Melder - Australian, Vodka Shot - 5th August

Hi Liz,

I just got back from Russia.

I thought I should let you know that the tour was fantastic!!

The guide Artem, who lead us for the entire tour was so devoted it was almost like being taken around by an old friend. He organised everything, answered all questions no matter how obscure, and even helped Sandy and I to see a very well regarded Russian rock band which was just spectacular.

The hotels were all very nice with good access to metro stations, so no complaints there either.

There were no real 'bad experiences', though customs at arrival took 1 1/2 hours, and the overnight train is difficult to sleep on, however, I was fortunate to spend my sleepless night sharing vodka with a bunch of young Russians. Oh and Russia is extremely expensive if you want to go to plush bars and restaurants (£7 for a pint of beer at some places), however, they have plenty of really nice Russian cafes and pubs where you will pay about £20 - £30 for a good dinner, and about £2 for good Russian beer. You can get much cheaper for lunch etc. We even had dinner one night at a nice cafe for £10, now that is almost Czech prices!

So the tour is highly recommended, indeed were I to go to Egypt or India next year I would use On the Go again (despite hating the idea of being on a 'tour'). The expense of the tour is quite small compared to the personalised service received, the extra sights you get taken too, and having things like a bus waiting for you after a vodka infused night on the train to Moscow!

Cheers,

Kris

Kristian Lasslett & Sandy Miscik, Vodka Shot- 2nd August

There was a fantastic range of activities – everything I wanted to do. There was a great atmosphere within the tour group created. The program was clearly set out and allowed you to plan your week/day/afternoon.

Tracy O’Brien - English, Russian Revolution - 2nd August

I am a 55 yr female who usually travels alone but often with a group tour, so I have some experience with tour companies. This time I travelled with a friend of the same age.

We recently completed 3 OTG tours, Russia Unplugged; Totally Jordan and Turkey Discovered, back to back. We both completed the feedback sheets at the end of each tour however this are really 'happy sheets' and don't provide detailed feedback, hence this email. The 3 tours also gave me the opportunity to compare and identify patterns which obviously characterise OTG.

At the outset the most outstanding feature of each of the tours was the tour guide. In Russia, Natasha Smirnova; in Jordan, Ogla Nawfleh and in Turkey, Gorkan Mevlevi. I really cannot state strongly enough how professional, helpful, knowledgeable etc these people were. My judgement is that the key to OTG success is this use of local guides. Too many tour companies use ex-pat Australians, Canadians etc. etc and while this type of person is helpful there is no way they can bring to a group the detailed knowledge and understanding of a country. I can't emphasise enough how important this was in our enjoyment of each of the 3 tours.

What was most impressive was the breadth of knowledge displayed in each case. Questions on any topic from the political system, history geography, flora and fauna . etc were all answered with a depth of knowledge across a range of areas. This has never been the case when I have previously travelled with tour companies. It was outstanding (I can't think of another word). Each person had an in depth knowledge across so many areas of information. It didn't matter what the location was or the period of history, our tour leaders knew it all. FANTASTIC.

The guides were available, I think, 24/7 (I didn't test this out but my guess is that none of the three would have baulked had I called them at 2am) Certainly this was balanced delicately with the fact and I'm not sure how to describe it, but a fine sense of when not be there . to let the group or individuals alone yet they always seemed to be there, or available when needed . I guess the best way of saying this is that they didn't get in the way!

Most obviously, from each of the guides, was the tremendous love they had for their countries - not in a nauseating way but in a manner that underpinned their communication with the group.

Another aspect I noticed (ex-school teacher and management consultant) was the quiet and effective manner in which they managed the group. The groups were diverse in terms of age and background, yet in each case the group leader included and involved everyone, spoke to them individually about their particular interests etc. The last group, Turkey, consisted of an initial 24 people of whom only 4 of us were over 50. On the first night I looked at my travelling companions and thought that there was no way the next 15 days would be bearable . too many young people having a good time and not interested in what we were to experience. Whether it was because of the nature of the people - or more likely, Gorkan's group management skills, the group worked well together and at no point did we feel we were holding the group up or were too old to enjoy.

The structure of the tours means that we didn't pay entry fees etc as part of the deal which meant we always had a choice of what to see and do. While we mostly did an activity, there were times we didn't and that was our choice. I think this is an excellent way to conduct a group tour and commend OTG, I've not experienced it before and thought it worked well. From the outset each tour leader made it very clear what we were up for in additional costs - this was always done in a straight forward, open manner so we were always very clear on the fees and costs. Then it was up to us to determine what we'd do. In one case a tipping kitty was organised and my recommendation would be that this is extended, as an Australian I'm not comfortable with tipping and having the tour guide take care of it made life less complicated.

Another aspect of the OTG experience that we were particularly impressed with was the transfers. I was aware that if we arrived or departed a few days either side of a tour, it was our responsibility ,and I have no problem with that. What amazed me was being picked up at the airport in Amman at 3am and transferred to the hotel! And having the person responsible for picking us up in Istanbul putting out PA messages when we failed to appear in what he considered to be good time - he was genuinely pleased when we turned up after a long queue at passport control (just a note: we heard the message but being in a queue with no airport officials around meant that we didn't know where the information desk was until we emerged from the inner part of the airport to the public area, we also had no way of letting him know that we there, just in a queue) nonetheless his persistence and relief in seeing us was great.

We also noted the immense trouble that OTG went to, particularly in Jordan and Turkey to make one-off arrangements for travellers. People were picked up and dropped off at their convenience, not the company's, people left the tour early or started a little late, did part of a tour, all sorts of variations were catered for, I was most impressed at this individual service on a group tour - I've never experienced it before.

Natrisha, this is a great selling point I think for OTG .they really will go the extra mile as far as I noticed. And to be honest given the low price of the tours I was surprised.

There was a lot of physical activity on the tour (and I didn't really get fit before I left as I meant to) however as I said earlier, the guides always supported us and encouraged us so it really wasn't a problem. It was incredibly hot in Jordan and Turkey (also humid on the coast) and I really wouldn't recommend travelling there in July and August although I know that my work circumstances mean I have no choice.

Capadoccia was incredible (seen from a hot air balloon) as was the Jordanian desert at Wadi Rum, while I anticipated that Petra would be a highlight - and it was ( especially the donkey ride to the monastery as I avoided the 800 steps!)- the afternoon and night at Wadi Rum were magic.

I have no problem recommending OTG, though for people my age, the website and literature tend to be a little aimed at the younger generation. There is a degree of activity that I hadn't really anticipated and perhaps the odd extra free day or afternoon would help. Though I can't say what I would have missed.

Happy to expand on any of this for you or for OTG and will send you some photos shortly. There'll probably be another chapter when I can .. hope this gives you enough to go on.

My thanks and congratulations to OTG for their professionalism, efficiency, tremendous selection of staff, the consistency of their product and their organisation. Hopefully this will find its way to OTG, if so I would be most grateful if my thanks, and those of my friend, Margaret, could once again be passed onto Natasha, Ogla and Gorkan - the wonderful impression they made on us has left us with a wonderful perception and understanding of their countries.

Regards

Deborah May (55 yrs) - Australian, Russia Unplugged - 26 July 2008

Deborah also did the following tours
Totally Jordan, 02 August 2008
Turkey Discovered - 09 August 2008

Janet,

I wanted to send you a very heart felt thank you for having Katya Mourer as our tour guide. She went out of her way to make sure we saw everything and did everything in a timely manner without feeling rushed through each museum or major attraction we went to. 

She is personable and made us feel very much a part of a 'new family'.  She is a great asset to your company and made my trip unforgetable. The trip was everything I dreamed of any so much more. The hotels seemed modern and comfortable, plus the overnite train rides were a first for me. 

I am sure that I will book another tour with you sometime in the future.

What a wonderful trip.

Kathy La Frentz, Russia All the Way, 12 July 2008

Hello Ryan,

First of all, let me say thank you for everything. The "Route of the Romanovs" tour turned out to be a fantastic experience. All of our guides were top-notch and very fun. I will definitely consider On the Go the next time I get the itch to travel. I do very much want to go to Turkey...

Cheers,

Benjamin Prentice, Route of the Romanovs, 10 June 2008

Hello Danniell,
 
I just wanted to drop you an email and let you know how brilliant the Russia trip was! I had an amazing time, it is probably one of the best trips I have done so far.
 
I had a great group, which probably helped to make it such a good time.  It was pretty small, only 15 people, which was actually good because we got to know everyone, and we had a great mix of people. The oldest couple we had were in their 70s and they had a great time too!
 
I ended up in a single room even though I had paid for a double, as I ended up being the odd one out. I was disappointed not to have a roomie at first, but having my own space ended up being quite good.
 
The tour itself was really good, we had the four days in St Petersburg and then got the night train to Vladimir. The night train was... an experience. I'll try and attach a photo so you can get an idea. I wasn't expecting much but I was hoping for doors or curtains or something to separate the compartments! Plus we had two very loudly snoring Russian men sharing part of our compartment. Luckily we brought a large supply of alcohol and sugar!
 
The day after the train was pretty relaxing (luckily, as we didn't get much, if any, sleep!). We did a tour around Suzdal which was beautiful, and went to a banya (russian sauna) in the afternoon which was exactly what we needed!
 
The next day we took a mini-bus to Moscow and spent the next couple of days in Moscow going to Red Square, Lenin's mausoleum, Kremlin, the markets etc.
 
For options we did the Pukka Pass, and the ballet and folk show in St Petersburg , both of which were good. 
 
I can't compare this to the other Russia  tours, but I would definitely recommend it. Our tour guide, Anastacia, was great and really well organized. The hotels in St Petersburg and Vladimir were great, the one in Moscow was.... well, pretty ordinary I guess. It is however next to the amazing markets. The included meals were all really good as well.
 
Comparing this with a Russia tour I did previously with a different tour operator, On The Go is so much better - a lot more free time too which is great!
 
Thanks again for all your help with organizing everything, and I'll be in touch shortly to look at On The Go tours to Turkey/Croatia.
 
And book yourself on that Russia trip!!  :-)
 
Thanks,

Kylie Hayes, Russian Revolution, 2008

Hello Craig,
Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed my trip to Russia.  We had a good group and got to see a lot.  The Christmas party was great and ended with snow and fireworks - truly a special touch. The people at the hotel really made a great effort to make our Christmas eve celebration special and we all appreciated it since we were far away from home.  It was really well done.

Happy New Year!!!

Best Regards,

Cinthya Orrala, Christmas Kremlins and Tsars, 20 December 2007

Hi Natalie
Just to let you know that everything went really well with everything that you organised, thank you.

The Moscow tour guide good - Irina, her English and knowledge were very good. However I must make a special mention of Katarina in St Petersburg who was all of the above but also went to a lot of extra trouble for us, therefore really adding to our St Petersburg experience.

The village Fedotovo (30 residents) was an amazing experience it was like stepping back a century (or two) rustic might be a good descriptor. We went mushrooming and berry picking in the forest and bogs, had an authentic banya in someone's backyard - yep, in the nude with strangers wielding birch and pine branches and freshly drawn freezing well water. I could go on but you can imagine as you would have driven through some of these villages on your trip.

I have already started saving for next year! Thank you for all your help Natalie - having the guides in Moscow and St Petersburg made all the difference.

Regards

Elizabeth Warmoll, Tailormade tour, 06 July 2006