Testimonials from A-Z Tours clients

I just want to let you know what a fantastic trip we had to Egypt with our family of seven. We all cannot say enough positive things about our guide. All the other contacts we were involved with were also wonderful. The hotels were wonderful. The Sheraton downtown would be my only 4 out of all 5's on everything.

I wrote to the message board at Frommer's.com as that is what I relied on in choosing your company. You might be interested in seeing that they pulled my message and put it on their daily web page that is sent out every day. I hope people take my advice and use your agency. Also take good care the Guide. He is a gem!!

We had a wonderful time. All the guides and drivers were great. We loved the country and especially the people of Egypt. They are such kind and friendly people. We now have many new friends in Egypt. We never worried about our safety we were very protected.

Please feel free to give out my email address to anyone who contacts you about travel to Egypt and would like to talk to someone who has recently been there. I would love to share with them all my wonderful times in Egypt. Thank you and all your staff for all their hard work and planning in preparing this trip for Bill and myself. Please thank all the guides and drivers for making our trip a truly wonderful experience. We will in the future again return to Egypt with A-Z Tours. Thank You,

Thank you so much for organizing everything for us. The trip was wonderful, we loved Luxor and wish we had spent more time there. The drivers and the guides and even the lovely man who took us on the felucca were all really sweet and made the day really enjoyable. I will definitely recommend your trips to any of my friends or family who are visiting the country. Thank you again, the day really added to what was an incredibly memorable week.

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Gaynor Day Party of 2 - Ghana to Egypt - Nov 2004

I was ill when I was on the Nile Cruise. However, because I have, twice this year, had a serious medical problem with my stomach/intestines, which has involved serious surgery in both cases, we were very concerned and believed that this was another similar attack. I am pleased to report that our guide, arranged an amazingly quick and efficient evacuation to Cairo, in liaison with others from the A-Z offices, and were ready to help admit me into the best hospital in Cairo. Luckily, by the time I reached Cairo, I felt that the illness was NOT the same as the last two episodes, and was able to rest in a hotel for a day - and then resume a less packed itinerary for the rest of the trip.

We found all the people very friendly and helpful. In fact, people seemed to bend over backwards to help us once they knew what we needed. The people on the boat cruise made a special cake, and presentation at dinner, when they knew it was my birthday. The guide helped us many times, with buying clothes, giving the right tips, knowing cultural expectations, letting us know what was obligatory and what was not, changing itinerary when necessary.

She was also very knowledgeable about her topics, very professional in her approach, very generous (she gave me a little birthday gift, and invited us home to meet her parents at the end of the trip etc.) Everyone was very helpful and concerned when I was ill. The manager of A-Z Tours, Cairo, Dr. Khaled, sent flowers, paid for the taxi from Luxor to Cairo etc. The company also helped us arrange transport when we decided to attend a concert in the Opera House.

We had a wonderful trip and will have no hesitation in recommending your company to our friends. The two main Egyptology guides, were excellent and answered all our questions with patience . Overall the hotels were magnificent, the Sofitel Sphinx is getting a bit run down and shabby now. Thank you again for the trip

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Holiday was good overall and we appreciate the fact that you were able to accommodate us at the last minute. Our guide in Cairo and the desert was very good and knowledgeable and a pleasure to be with. Went beyond the call of duty in helping me to retrieve my camera.The guide for the morning in Edfu and Kom Ombo. Truly excellent guide. Others weren't quite as good. Overall the holiday was enjoyable - how could it not be with such amazing sights to see - but it could have been improved.

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I just wanted to let both of you know that Egypt and all the people I associate with our visit there are now a permanent part of me and that I will treasure them always. Thank you again for all the planning that you and your staff and your associates in Egypt put into our trip.

Now, I wrote this little mummy story at an Internet cafe near the Mexican hotel in Sharm el Sheik.
Mummy Story

I am also working on a list of those unexpected but memorable experiences that add immeasurably to a trip. One of many of those was the break-down of our van at St. Catherine's and our subsequent ad-hoc trip back to Cairo with a busload of Coptic's who had just visited the monastery. What could have been a nightmare experience turned into a memorable one which I shall be writing about.

At this time I would like to point out the efforts of our guide. He worked tirelessly to make safe and fitting arrangements for us and seemed to be quite distressed by all that was happening outside the control of a-z travel. All's well that ends well, and hats off to him for his efforts on our behalf. We will both keep in touch with the two of you.

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I have no complaints about your arrangements. All went well for me. The trip was most enjoyable - mainly thanks to my fellow travelers. The two specialist Egyptologist guides were very good.

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Our guide, was a very pleasant honest accommodating young man, although i am sure it was a challenge for him with a large group of mainly women, but he managed politely to get us (not a easy job i would imagine) to where we were going with the minimum of fuss. He was cheerful and adaptable when things (as they do) didn't go to plan exactly. I would be happy to recommend him and your company......Egypt was absolutely awesome......

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Sorry I haven’t replied sooner but I was straight back to work and working away from home (gosh I needed that break).

Anyway, the trip was truly wonderful and met all our expectations – In particular the Guide we had (Eileen Kendle) was superb and the amount of effort she put into the tour was above and beyond that required of her role. For that I highly commend her.

Thank you too for all your good work – I will have no hesitation coming back to you. We want to do the west coast some time and Hawaii – so if you have any good info on that we would be interested. Once again – thank you all very much for you efforts.

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Thanks. Had a great time, & your tour was excellent. I loved my tour guide!

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We had a great time. The driver was very good. Punctual, polite - even though it was Ramadan and we were eating and drinking during they day. He also on occasion acted as an unofficial guide. He also kept us very well informed about what we were doing and when and with whom.

The hotels were good. We did however have to request a room change on our final night's stay in Amman. Our requested however was dealt with swiftly. No big problem. Overall we had a great time.

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Thank you so much for all your company has done to make this trip a once in a lifetime trip for us. Please pass our appreciation on to your company members and guides. We will be recommending you to anyone we know that is planning a trip to areas where you provide tours.

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Thank you. Everything went smoothly. The guides were excellent and fun to get to know. We felt we learnt not just about old Egypt but also modern Egypt through them. We will recommend you to others.

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Please know that we feel A-Z did a good job for us in a difficult time. Thanks for the good work of the A-Z team.

First, we rank our trips either “Bad”, “OK”, “Good” or “Great”. Our Egypt trip was a Good trip.

Great Accommodations: The hotels and Nile River Cruiser were great accommodations. We were most surprised with the quality, spaciousness and cleanliness of the Nile River Cruiser. Nice Shopping: The ladies found some nice shopping. Joan bought a gold cartouche with her name in hieroglyphics and a mother-of-pearl inlaid jewelry box. Good Guide: Our personal guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable.

Joan and I are glad we took the trip and consider it one of our travel highlights. We got to see the Ancient Egyptian sites and were thrilled to have had that opportunity.

Both John and I very much enjoyed our trip to Egypt and we would like to thank you and Khaled for all the planning and arrangements you performed on our behalf. It was a joy meeting Khaled and touring with him and we will be staying in touch with him in the future.

We have individual copies of your company survey and will be completing them for you right away. You can be sure that they will contain many positive and complimentary comments on your staff, agents, guides and facilities in Egypt. They all worked hard to ensure that our visit was a memorable one. Thank you once again. We will stay in touch.

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Egypt was very interesting and the trip was very nice. Your people in Egypt took care of us. My husband was sick a couple of days and Khaled took him to the Emergency Room and was kind to stop and purchase the prescribed medications. He was feeling much better on Wednesday, but we did miss Alexandria on Tuesday.

Since we had an extra day on returning to Cairo before we departed Egypt on the 28th, your people were able to get us to Alexandria on the 27th. So we really only missed the Light and Sound show in Luxor - which we were told we could stay over until the show then go across the desert to Hurghada later that night, but considering the long drive we of course wanted to get to Hurghada before it got too late.

But all in all we did enjoy our trip. We thank A-Z tours and all your people in Egypt for the service and friendly, helping attitude. The cruise ship was more like a 3 Star even though when it was new several years ago it could have been a 5 Star. We're glad we got to Egypt and knowing things can't always be the way we want them to be -- we truly did enjoy our trip and appreciate your guides and services.

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The trip was excellent. I had an absolute blast (not including my sick days, but we all had them), I am definitely considering doing it again in a few years with the family. The group was good, there were a few hiccups but Momen (the tour guide) handled them perfectly, he was great! I think the only down side was the sick days and the convoys :) if i ever see a convoy again it is too soon :) Thanks for a great trip

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We had a wonderful holiday, and everything went incredibly smoothly – many thanks to you and your team for making sure that our entire itinerary ran like clockwork.

One comment we would make as a suggestion for any future itineraries you put together. We would suggest you seek alternative accommodation in Hurghada. While the accommodation itself was okay, the meals were awful. All the other accommodation provided was great – the Oberoi on the Nile was superb and Santorini simply stunning!

Thank you and all your team at A-Z once again, we have had a wonderful holiday and I have already passed on your details to a friend who is planning to visit Egypt next year. We hope to also utilize your services again in the future!. Kindest regards

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Yes, I am back safe and sound and recovering nicely, thank you! I have been anticipating writing this letter for some time. I'll give you the pros first.

1. The hotels are wonderful. I loved the Safir, the Isis and the Belle...whatever it was, in Hurghada. At my request, the Belle gave me a ground floor room. The pool, the beach and the restaurant were just steps away, the Red Sea an incredible sight. USE THE BELLE MORE OFTEN! Really appreciated your efforts to switch me to this hotel, too.

2. Everywhere you go, the service is just great, couldn't ask for better. The natives, instead of insisting I learn their language, as we do here, struggled to make themselves understood and to understand me. Everyone seemed intent on learning English just as fast as possible. I had to laugh when 6 guys came running to handle my luggage - all expecting baksheesh, of course!

3. The attractions are indescribable. I think Cairo is the most interesting city I have ever visited. I loved the pyramids, couldn't take my eyes off the Sphinx. The light show at the pyramids was so spectacular I went twice. I loved Aswan and Luxor and most especially, Hurghada. On this trip, you look forward keenly to Hurghada and three days of leisure.

4. I really hated to leave the boat. That was the second best experience of the whole trip. Hurghada was the best!

5. I cannot do justice to the Egyptian people in words. They are so polite, so friendly, so willing to go out of their way (not only for tourists, but for each other, too!) Their cheerfulness, warmth, constantly joking around (at the Safir, every time I went to the bank they asked me for a loan - "Big Money!" they called me!) Of course I saw mostly men, but that was a bonus! I did meet a few women, and they are sweet, too. The men treat each other like they are all brothers. Their activities in Cairo continually fascinated me. The Egyptian sense of humor is constant and constantly lifting your spirits. They're just great people all around. It is not true that Egyptian men "harass" women. That is a big lie and I will do my best to quash it through the internet.

6. To tell you the truth, I was a bit wary of the food, but indeed, it was all delicious. The Egyptians make the best custard I have ever eaten. They also make a dish with milk, sugar, and tiny noodles - wonderful! I loved the food, the drinks, brushed my teeth with the tap water and suffered no.well, almost no, ill effects.

7. The guides. Except for a couple of misunderstandings due to language, I got along extremely well with the guides and drivers. Three of them made proposals, which, unfortunately, I had to turn down, but they were very courteous and polite about it so I was flattered. I swear, two of them cried when leaving me.. One fellow in Luxor, said, "Oh, you are Susan? I have heard of you!" So apparently my reputation preceded me, or perhaps caught up with me! Just for a few minutes, I got to talk politics in Hurghada, and that was most interesting.

8. A-Z Tours. You guys did just a fantastic job. I appreciate the heavy-duty logistics of all those arrangements and the trouble you went to, to make our trip a memorable one. You are just a great company and I will tell everyone, "If possible, use A-Z Tours for your trip to Egypt." Thanks so much - everything came off perfectly, or nearly so.

That's mostly it. I had a grand time and would go again if I could.Thanks again, you guys, for a most memorable trip. Y'all take care, now.

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We have been home for 2 weeks now and have been meaning to write to you with our sincere thanks for a WONDERFUL and UNFORGETTABLE honeymoon. It was all we had expected and a lot more, we loved Egypt and all its wonders. We just had a great time.

The trip was a trip of a lifetime...the services of A-Z Tours and its personnel were first rate from our tour guides to our driver. They were all great (knowledgeable, well informed, helpful at all times and very accommodating).

Originally we were not happy about being moved from Hurghada to El Gouna but after we arrived at the Sheraton Miramar we fell in love with the place. We have been telling our friend what a great experience it was traveling with A-Z Tours and hope to plan future trips with your company once again. Thank you so much for this unforgettable memory.

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The Italy tour with Cosmos was great. Our guide, Morris, was the best and really helped with the history and any problems we had. He even helped us find a hotel in Rome for our return after our side trip to Switzerland. It was a wonderful time and our first bus tour. We would do it again, maybe upgrade a bit and go with Globus, but we loved it. Thanks for your help,

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Yes all went well with the Globus trip. A bit more time at the cultural places and less at gift shops would have suited us better but it was obvious that the tour was geared to the American Market, however we enjoyed it but needed a rest in Halifax afterwards! Thanks, Pam Regan

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We had a wonderful time and thought your trip was great. i must tell you that our tour guide ,was just wonderful. He made our trip extra special with his great amount of knowledge and fine English and we always felt totally safe because of him.

We will send a detailed letter in addition to the AZ form we filled out. Please know your very best employee was our Guide and is a great employee of yours and very loyal to AZ tours. look for our detailed letter for your use and knowledge in a few days when we get settled into work etc.

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I wanted to thank you for the wonderful tour arranged through your company. We learnt so much about the country - both the past and the present.

Our guide, who was with us throughout, was excellent. We were greatly impressed with his knowledge and his organizational skills, imparted with enthusiasm and good humor. We also were impressed with the way he efficiently and diplomatically dealt with the occasional problem.

We appreciated these qualities particularly in the context of mass tourism, realizing how difficult it would have been for us to arrange the holiday ourselves. By the end of the tour the Guide was an integral part of our group and a valued friend.

Finally I’d like to say that we would not hesitate to recommend your company - and our ‘guide extraordinaire’ to family or friends contemplating a visit to Egypt. With many thanks,

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Professor Clive Harper - Egypt/Harpers Party - October 2004

Congratulations on running such a good service – Our Guide was fantastic and made the trip such a success. Kindest regards and send on our heartfelt thanks to our Guide.

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I have to tell you it was fabulous. I don't know how you and Khaled manage to find such wonderful, knowledgeable people. More to Come. We will definitely use A-Z when we plan our trip to Viet Nam, etc.

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We enjoyed the Canada trip, The Concord Hotel is Quebec was outstanding. The river cruise was enjoyable - the food and staff were excellent. Had some problems with the airline scheduling. Only black mark was the St John Hotel in St John - hard to get to our room and it seemed very old and tired. The last nite we stayed at the Plaza Hotel in St. John. Thanks for all your effort and patience.

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The trip was most enjoyable, and everything went off without a hitch, thanks.

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Thank you, thank you, thank you - we had a wonderful trip - the best one yet! The guides were the best! Soooo much history to learn, my head hurts. I would recommend your agency to any and everyone - in fact I posted a message on Fodors site, under travel talk and gave A-Z Tours two thumbs up! All the best to you - you have a good thing going. Keep it up! Hope to travel with you again - maybe to Asia. All my best.

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I am still in Paris – staying here a month after finishing my trip here. I loved the tour. Which was a form of boot camp (6 am calls!!) but which was precisely what I needed. I lost 5 lbs and saw so much of Italy which was lovely Thank you again. I may go somewhere else next year too!!

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Just wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful vacation and would like to thank you for arranging the Globus Tour. It far exceeded our expectations. The tour guide, Roger, was an amazing wealth of information. Hotels were wonderful and the food exceptional. We would recommend both Globus and yourself to anyone who might ask.

We just got back today and everything was great. COSMOS bus tour was very good. COSMOS has great people as well as good hotels and bus. We were very busy for the full tour. The additional tours were also a good value for what you got. Tour was full so COMOS booked an additional bus for our tour. Was great because our tour got upgraded hotels since the first coach filled up the normal hotels.

Our additional week stay was good. We learned how to read train schedules and made our way to Switzerland and back to Rome again in time to catch our flight. Flight was full but both Delta and Air France did a good job with our flights. Had a small problem with seats with flight out of Paris but Air France got on it and fixed us up. Good job Air France!!

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I'd like to commend your services and all your tour guides for giving me a truly memorable experience in Egypt.

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I had a great time. The A-Z people on the ground in Egypt were fantastic, and they also adjusted well when I missed my connection on the way over and arrived in Egypt a day late. Thanks to you again, and please don't hesitate to give my name or E-mail as a reference.

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First of all we want to thank you for giving has the chance to meet such lovely people in the Guides and Drivers,,,,we would have liked to have them as our souvenir...take them back with us...but ...we could not fit all of them in our luggage !!!!!!

The trip was fantastic...just being there, near the pyramids, walking through the temples, going inside the tombs, the museum...it was almost unreal , spectacular and fantastic....we loved it and we are making our friends very jealous .The hotels, the food , everything was fine.

Again thank you for everything....we should have really stayed there a little longer...but there is always a next time . We will try to keep in touch with the people we met.

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I would like to thank you for all your help in organizing my trip to Canada (Canadian Train Odyssey) I had the most wonderful time in Canada, esp. the rail journey. The whole experience was truly superb, and the Rockies were awesome, esp. Jasper and Banff. Of the cities, enjoyed Vancouver the most.Thanks once more.

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The trip went great. The guide was great. We both got sick however when we left Cairo which was not surprising as everyone I spoke to about Egypt told me about the sickness. The thing that overwhelmed us both was everyone wanted a piece of you when it came to tipping, some people deserving the tips but some not and very rude about it when we did not tip enough! But all in all really enjoyed the trip loved the Red Sea just to chill out after all the touring.

Loved all the sights in Cairo. All in all glad I went to enjoy the experience. Best hotel was the Sofitel in Cairo. We enjoyed it very much so and thanking you again.

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Thanks for getting in touch. Our trip to Egypt was so much more than we expected! It was organized excellently, for which we owe a big thank you to yourself. It was a trip of a lifetime and the constant attention to detail of our guides made the holiday so special. Our Guide was terrific; he really did go beyond the call of duty to make our trip all the more enjoyable. Yours, is a tour operator we would certainly recommend to friends and one we would definitely choose for future holidays. Well done A-Z Tours! And thanks again for a wonderful holiday.

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Tour with Cosmos going well and we can enjoy all places that we went, especially we got a pretty tour director Mis Serena Campbell. Thank's a lot for your attention, please inform me when you have a plan visit to Jakarta,Indonesia.

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All went well with the exception of the issues we had with the flight home.The tour was fabulous. I cannot praise the quality of the hotels and planned meals enough. The tour director and all the local guides were unbelievably informative. I would definitely use Globus again in the future. Thanks for your help.

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We had a wonderful time in Nova Scotia. All of the hotels were fine. The only problem we had was the weather. The first week was simply gorgeous; the second week was mostly cloudy with some rain; but we were able to get around, take pictures, and enjoy ourselves.

Again thank you for all your efforts on our behalf. Send my regards and thanks to Avril, as well. It's been a pleasure,

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I'm continuing around the world and won't be home for several months. However, I would like to say how much I enjoyed Egypt, the tour, the architecture, the guides and all. Each guide was unique in what they brought to my experience. In each case they were helpful and solicitous of my particular needs.

If I had to make a complaint, it is that the nature of the business requires the shopping, the demonstrations, the pressure to buy and the reliance for their reputation for bringing tourists to the shops. I don't know the answer. Of course if my wife had been with me she would have enjoyed all of these excursions. Apart from these I would say you have put together a good program, very professional and efficient. I appreciate your help in fulfilling some of my oldest dreams.

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We all had a wonderful time. It was definitely one of the best trips I have ever taken. The hotels were all very good. Our guide was excellent! Thank you for a great trip.

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We loved our trip. You did an excellent job planning and coordinating and our Guide was incredible! He is very gifted. We feel like he is a member of our family now. We hope he can visit us in America in the future. I am glad I chose you from the hundreds of responses I received last March. Again, thanks and our best to the Guide

Will always miss Egypt. Will get our Guide to US for visit. Plan to ship him in dry ice along with his beloved pigeons. Nice job Avril. Put some escalators in these pyramids before I come back

Judy - We really did have a wonderful trip. Thank you for making it so seamlessly entertaining.

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The trip was alright, the crew in Cairo were very good and looked after us very well. the accommodation in Luxor was good, and the hotel the first night in Aswan was also good, but the boat was unreal. The Cairo office tried to make amends by putting us into a five star hotel in Cairo. As I said at the beginning the Cairo section was wonderful , we couldn’t have had better guides, they were well informed, well mannered, and courteous, and for this I thank you. Since this holiday my husband has been twice more in Egypt, and men at his Work (Canadian) have asked him about the tour and holiday.

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We really enjoyed our Canadian Rockies Tour. Everything went quite smoothly. Thank You Very Much,

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We had a great trip and did not encounter any real problems. Each B&B was different, so the differences made each visit special. All of the hosts were very accommodating and we really enjoyed meeting them and their other guests. Thanks for your help in arranging the B&B part of our trip.

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Everything went very well. The ladies followed your suggestions for things to do and see and had a great time. All the golf arrangements went as planned, and the weather was very nice while we were there--understand it was the first good week all summer. Unfortunately, it was foggy and misting the day we were at Highlands Links/Ingonish, but otherwise we had sunshine.

Whalewatching was successful at Cheticamp, and the ladies wished we had planned more time in Mahone Bay/Lunenburg. It was very enjoyable, and we appreciate all your help. Thanks for everything.

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Had a marvelous time overall!!! The Globus tour director for Portugal, Spain, and Morocco was outstanding, well organized, and well informed. Next round, I'd love to do just a concentrated tour of Spain, although I'm also interested in any tours of Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, and Crete. Thanks so much for all your help!!! I learned tons of stuff about the Iberian peninsula, met some interesting people, and had lots and lots of fun!!!

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The tour to Newfoundland was interesting. It is unfortunate there are no alternates to Air Canada as they are poor. We missed our plane in Ontario because of a delayed flight from Newark so we missed the opening evening's activities which we tried so hard to schedule. The trip has its highs and lows as all trip do but I would based on my experience give Globus no better than a B.

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We would just like to let you know that we had a wonderful time in Egypt and thought that the itinerary was excellent and included everything that we wished to see.

We would also like to let you know that our tour guide was fantastic and went out of his way to make our time in Egypt special. He was very enthusiastic about his job and we could tell he loved his country and he had a real passion when telling us the history. We could not thank him enough and he made our holiday really special. Thank you once again. We will be recommending your company to friends.

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Hi Avril! Frommers.com recently had a discussion of Egypt tours and I joined in, of course.

You KNOW what a fan I am of you and your company. As a result of my posting I received three e-mails (so far) asking me for more info. My suggestion to all was for them to e-mail you with their questions. Of course I also included lots of information about our very wonderful experience. I hope all is well with you and Khaled.

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Sharon Koch - Greece - June 2004

We're home from an awesome trip in Greece. Once we got to Athens, everything just fell into place, and the tour went very smoothly, despite an Athens bus driver's strike.

With the exception of one hotel in Delphi (the Parnassas), most of the hotels were nice. The Olympia Palace in Olympia was beautiful. Our excursions were very nicely co-ordinated, and all of our guides (except one in Rhodes) were easy to understand and very knowledgeable. We did almost all of the optional tours during the entire trip. Our included meals were all delicious, and Mauro took us to a couple of restaurants that had wonderful food.

The Greek Islands were wonderful. Thank you so much for all of your help!

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The trip was excellent and we enjoyed it thoroughly, it all went very smoothly. Thank you very much for your input and organizing it.

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Just wanted to let you know that my mother and I had a great vacation all thanks to A-Z Tour and our guide. I will try to write something that you could use as customer testimonial this week but I am still trying to catch up with all the things in the office. I will be recommending my friends and co-workers who are thinking of touring Egypt to have a look at your website before they make their final decision. In summary, I was more than satisfied with this trip. The organization, planning and execution of the entire trip was great. My mother and I were able to enjoy the entire trip without any worries. Good job.

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Venkatesh Natarajan - Egypt - June 2004

I just wanted to let you know that I had a great trip to Egypt. The travel arrangements were excellent and the guides were very helpful. In addition, I wanted to particularly mention and thank the Guides efforts while I was in Luxor. Thanks

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Mira Kopecky - Egypt - June 2004

Yes I had a nice trip – thank you for organizing it on such short notice.

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John & Glenys Dymock - Egypt - June 2004

I was met at the airport and taken to my hotel on arrival. Custom formalities were quick and hassle free. The 3/4* hotels were well situated, clean, comfortable with a high level of service; probably a bit more personal and with more character than the large chains.

Included trips were all that one could expect and the level of information provided by the guides was good in quality and clarity.

The leisurely cruise and beach stay in Hurghada were a pleasant relief from the hot, busy days of touring. Actually there was a good balance between structured sight seeing and free time.

Your agents were at the hotel each morning to ensure that the day got off to a smooth start; introducing the Guide for the day, explaining the program for the day and making sure clients understood the schedule for the evening and the next morning.

There were a couple of things that created some difficulty. The frequent changing of guides was a bit of a problem. The level of English was good when it came to describing the sites but the level of conversational and idiomatic English made conversations and requests sometimes awkward.

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Paul Smyth - Atlantic Canada - May 2004

We have now returned from our 'Maritime Experience' and (weather apart) we have had a wonderful time. I would like to thank you for all of your help in making this holiday a success and I would not hesitate to engage your services again the next time I visit the area. Thanks again.

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Linda Lowrimore - Europe - May 2004

Trip was very enjoyable – The Tour Director and Driver were excellent. It was definitely the “HIGHLIGHTS” of Eastern Europe. At several places, we would all have enjoyed more opportunity to explore, but we had to push on due to time constraints. I also took all but one of the optional excursions, and I found it a little hectic. I would recommend to anyone interested that they limit the number of optional excursions to allow more time for relaxing. I have returned tired and in need of another holiday!

Thanks once again for your assistance, Theresa

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Khaled....I just received the calling cards that you sent me printed on papyrus.....what a fantastic idea.....Our trip was absolutely great and I am probably boring everyone I talk to since that's all I talk about........thanks to both you and Avril for arranging all the details and providing us with memories of a lifetime.

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I am from Northeast Ohio too (The Akron area) and read your post on Frommer's with great interest. I am looking to go to Egypt in January and I, like you, have to fit the trip into the time when my sons are on break from college. Most of the major tour companies (Globus, Gate1, etc.) don't have tours at the time I want to go. I went to the A-Z website and it looks a lot more expensive than what you paid. Any advice you can offer me would be greatly appreciate! Thanks.

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Response from Val
Hi Neal,
Thanks for asking! My advice would be to e-mail Avril Betts at A-Z (avril@a-ztours.com), tell her exactly when you want to go and see what she comes up with. I do know that January is considered their "high season" in terms of travel to Egypt.

As an old guy with a young daughter my No. 1 concern was SAFETY. I chose a-ztravel.com because they gave me the "comfort level" I need to convince myself to take a trip I've wanted to take my entire life. I was NOT disappointed; there is NO PLACE like Egypt. Period.

My FIRST question, after explaining what I wanted to do, was "Is Egypt SAFE?" Avril Betts, the co-owner of a-z travel, responded, "Egypt is safe. Egypt is a police state. There are police everywhere, and especially for Americans." That is EXACTLY what we found. Everyone took GOOD care of us. Always. We never felt unsafe, even for a minute. In Egypt, there is a police force JUST for tourists! Really. And, because we were Americans, they kept an EXTRA careful eye on us. We left the hotel one morning with our guide and driver and the guard at the gate said, "Canadians? Go on through." When our guide said, "No, they're Americans," the guard wrote down our names, asked us where we were going, and then a police car followed us for a while! Cool.

The beauty of an individualized tour of Egypt is that you can "commune" with other tourists WHEN you want to. Know what I mean? There will be other tourists, of all nationalities, in your hotel & on your cruise ship. On the ship you will sit at tables with others. BUT, if they annoy you, you're not "stuck" with them 24/7, a Godsend.

We were met at the Cairo airport by two "guides" who carried our bags and zipped us through the customs/visa process, which took only a few minutes, and right by at least a hundred other tourists waiting in line, probably for hours.

On part of our journey (the Nile cruise & side trips), we were joined by another A-Z traveler who had a slightly different itinerary/schedule than ours. He was a really nice guy and added to our enjoyment. Then on our last evening we were joined with another couple for the light show at Giza and dinner afterwards. We picked them up at their 3-Star hotel. I would NOT have wanted to stay there-- it was dirty and scary. Stick with the 5-Star, it is not that much more expensive and there is a WORLD of difference.

My strong suggestion is to e-mail Avril and ask her ANYTHING you want to, and I mean anything including questioning the costs. She e-mailed us an information packet with a Q&A section. I was totally amazed at how accurate it was when compared with our actual experience.

Avril had assured us that we would never be in a group larger than 8 people and we never were.

We were supposed to take the overnight sleeper train to Aswan but that would have meant missing out on one of the evening activities so we opted, at almost the last minute, to fly Egyptair for just a little more. (The overnight train is a 14-hour trip; the plane took less than an hour.)

As long as you are on a "genuine" 5-Star cruise ship selected by the company/guide you should be fine. There are HUNDREDS of the ships.

I should tell you that my only "discomfort" in the trip planning process was that Avril/Khaled couldn't give me the names of the hotels/ship until shortly before we left. I was asking for that information so I could check out hotel/ship websites in advance. BUT, as Avril explained, they wait until almost the last minute to snag the reservations for the accommodations to get the HIGHEST quality rooms for the best price. (In other words, you might get a far superior room that you could NOT have reserved months in advance.) And our rooms in both the hotels and on the ship were GREAT! (Of course the Star-Rating system for Egypt was not equivalent to American/European standards so it's important to have people who actually KNOW the hotels.)

Because we were on such a tight schedule (self-imposed), Avril had to "crunch" some things together for us so we could see as much as possible within our limited amount of time, which was my "direction" to her. Also, our guide was VERY thorough, a good thing, except when I felt I needed a little nap! Because he was OUR guide, I felt free to say, "Hamdan, I have A.D.D. Give us the abbreviated version and then I'm gonna go take a nap." He'd laugh, but I also noticed that he would then "plan" things to accommodate my nap schedule! Can you imagine trying to do that on a large-group tour? (For me, a little mid-afternoon nap enhances all of the other experiences during a day, and especially with the time difference. Am I getting old?)

Also, I spoke with/listened to other tourists who were there on large-group tours and a lot of their complaints went WAY beyond the "normal" gripes about the inconveniences one will always encounter in a foreign & poor country. We had NO complaints. Check out the testimonials on the a-z website.

If you would like to share a little of our Egypt experience, my daughter did a report for school upon our return and I e-mailed it to Avril who put it on their website: We fell in love with Egypt and it's people. They genuinely LIKED Americans. Yes, like your wimpy husband, :-) people thought we were crazy for going to a Muslim country in the Middle East, especially when we are at war. We never felt unsafe. And the adolescent boys in Egypt just LOVED Roxanne, a real boost for her ego!

Does this help?
Val Sawhill, Akron, Ohio

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Catherine Noon and Sister – US to Egypt – May 2004

Thank you Avril. Yes, we are home safe and sound. We had a fantastic trip - thanks for organizing. The hotel in Aswan was perfect and our tour guide was very sweet and really did try hard with her English.

The Nile cruise was EXCELLENT. The boat was lovely and the pace of the sightseeing was perfect. On the whole, the trip was excellent (especially Abu Simbul!). Thanks again and please do not hesitate to call me if you have any more questions.

Actually we just returned home this past Saturday, as we spent a week in Paris following our week in Cairo. Everything went very well in Cairo, we had a great time. It was a memorable vacation and would highly recommend your tours. We would like to thank our tour guide.

I just wanted to let you know what an awesome job our tour guide did. He was very knowledgeable and professional. We had a great time and learned a lot about ancient and modern Egypt and highly recommend him and AZ Tours to everyone. This vacation is by far the best and most memorable vacation we've taken.

We had a fantastic holiday. Jordan was definitely a totally different experience than Egypt. And I'm very happy to say that our guide was brilliant, we were really happy with everything we did and that he helped us arrange.

Please pass on my compliments. If I know of anyone else in the future who is traveling in that direction I'll be more than happy to pass on your information. Thanks

The trip was enjoyable, with Luxor, Mt. Sinai and the Red Sea particularly enjoyable and the tour leaders / guides at these were very good.Thanks again to you for all the work and effort you put in to organizing the trip,

We had a great time. It was definitely a once in a life time trip. Your guide is the best tour guide I have ever met and will probably ever meet. He was knowledgeable, but more importantly he was a great teacher. He knew when our children had enough and we did other things. He always got us to where we needed and we never felt rushed. I can’t say enough good things about him. The other guide was also very good, not quite up to your Luxor Guide, but then I can’t imagine anyone better than him.

Again, we had a great time. You can use me as a reference for your company. I will highly recommend your company to organize an Egyptian Vacation.

The trip was excellent and the hand-offs were trouble free. It was an absolutely phenomenal trip with little hassle and tons of great memories-thanks so much for arranging it all.

Trip was great... the visit was wonderful. I am happy with the services you provided overall. The guide was fluent in English and delightful. Thank you so much.

Jennifer Bottemiller party of 2 – USA to Greece/Turkey – April 2004

Thank you again for all of your help on the organizing of the trip at the last minute. Greece was amazing and Turkey awesome, I really wish we had had more time there to explore some other places as well, but that gives one something to look forward to eh? Thanks again for everything. I had a wonderful time on the trip and met some great people both on the trip and on the journeys to and from Greece, which was an adventure in itself!

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Avril I just wanted to say thank you for everything - your company was first rate especially considering my last minute decision to join. I can only speak from my own experiences but here goes...

- Was very impressed with your guide, may be the best guide I have had during my world travels. M was also excellent, and the rest were friendly and ok.

- Enjoyed all of the sites and would probably have upgraded to flying to them as all the ground travel wore me down a little bit as the tour went on.

- For me personally, I really didn’t enjoy Hurghada. I realize now that I could go anywhere else in the world for a beach vacation and came to Egypt for history, people and sites. But that’s just me and not really a reflection on your tour

- I would recommend the 8 or 9 day to tour to anyone that asked me, think that’s a perfect amount of time to see all the major sites and have the best possible time.

Thanks again for everything and pass on my appreciation to the guides and the drivers.

I want to thank you for your arrangements. Everything worked out perfectly. M is a GREAT guide and we really liked him. He is very modern and nice to listen too. He also knows a LOT about Egyptian history. He knew when to let us be for ourselves and when to chat with us. I really respect that kind of skills.

We did have a very interesting and mostly enjoyable trip. Just looking at our photographs reminds us what a varied program we had and just how much we managed to see in a short period, which was why we chose to do a tour rather than attempt to do it all ourselves. One thing we really enjoyed was the opportunity to meet with people - we all got along really well

Peter and I loved Abu Simbel, and wandering the streets in Aswan, and our time in Hurghada; but I think it was because we just felt free to do our own thing. As for your own role in helping us, thank you very much. All the other tourists who booked through you agreed that you were very efficient and helpful, and we all found your web site one of the best. I hope that you feel satisfied that in general we enjoyed our trip and we are very glad that we have seen so many of Egypt's wonders. Thanks again

Overall our trip was wonderful. We got to see all we wanted except the tomb of King Tut due to a mix up with the guide in Luxor. All of our other experiences were nothing less than OUTSTANDING! All of the other guides, drivers and staff members were wonderful.

All of the accommodations except St Catherine's, were Outstanding. Thank you so much for assisting us with this trip of a lifetime.

Thanks again, you have a wonderful company and we have already recommended your services to several other families.

We had a great trip. We enjoyed your people and appreciated the efforts put forward on our behalf. The trip will stay with my son and I forever. Thank you

The trip was great! My Son took the prize as being the best haggler for price, of the group! Probably the only problem was that we were not there long enough, but we certainly got as best a feel for the country and the ancients in the time we had! Thanks for everything,

We had a wonderful trip to Egypt. The schedule was good - we liked visiting the Pyramids on the first day, and the Cairo Museum on the last day. The museum was a great summary of the entire trip. We are still processing all that we saw - and feel we had a great snapshot of the history, religions, land and people of Egypt. The Temples of Karnak and Luxor were incredible!

The hotels were fine - at some times, we wished we were closer to Cairo for the trips from the airport and for the last day. However the Giza location was closer to the Pyramids, Memphis and Saqqara - and allowed us to visit the University of Cairo.

The hotel in Luxor was very nice - we enjoyed the ability to have tea and dinner at the Old Winter Palace. The time in Aswan was short - we realize we could have taken the train back later that same night (instead of the convoy both ways). We chose not to go to the Botanical Gardens for 20 minutes, because it didn't seem worth it. The guides were very knowledgeable and personable. They really made our trip comfortable, and were flexible to our needs!

Hannah and I wanted to thank you for the wonderful experience. As you know neither of us had ever been anywhere very faraway from America. To say we were a little scared would be an understatement, but with your help we where able to get to Egypt.Once we got in Egypt we were treated so very kind by both our guides and the Egyptian people. Never did we feel lost.

I have to admit that I wondered if our first trip outside of the States should be so far from home but now I know that it was the right choice. Every dream we had about Egypt has been achieved. We look forward to many more trips outside of the States! Thanks.

I want to thank you all very much for a wonderful trip. Egypt is sooo special as were all of the people we met. In a perfect world I would change a few things about the trip e.g. have fewer guides so there is more continuity, be clearer about the tipping protocol, know more about some of the sights (Kristina felt she missed some things because she didn't know they were there).

I would probably advise people to miss Hurghada unless water sports is your thing, Our last day which we did on our own was very special. We would not have been able to do it earlier in the trip but managed very well that last day(even the taxis!) In retrospect I am glad that we stayed at the three star option as we didn't feel we were just another group of tourists. I would highly recommend A-Z to other people. You were wonderful.

We enjoyed the trip. We loved Jordan. Visiting the Dead Sea (where we swam, a highlight not to be missed) Jordan is a great country and has some wonderful places especially for biblical tours. I loved your company as did Therese and I hope I can rouse enough people to make another tour.

It was an incredible trip. I would like to thank everyone involved for all the work they did to make the trip one to remember. The Luxor-Aswan part of the trip was spectacular. Special thanks to H for making sure I was alright, As I was travellng alone, he always made sure that I had what I needed, and made sure that I felt one of the group at all times.

Again, thank you for the great arrangements, and I will not hesitate to use A-Z Travel when I plan my return trip in about 2 years.

Thank you we all arrived home safe and sound. President Mburak was at the airport to see us off so you could imagine the chaos. The trip was really great and well enjoyed I believe by all. Thanks to all your staff for all the hard work they put in to entertain us.

Sorry we had so little chance to further our acquaintance, but your stand in proved to be more than we could have expected. The tour was a great success apart from a couple of items that were not of your choosing. The Tee off times especially at Hurghada were a little early but only one member of our group complained. Please convey our best wishes to your representatives and our thanks for the help that they gave to our party.

collected memories and experiences that we'll never forget. Everyone here is so interested in hearing all about it! We get to tell our stories of Egypt over and over again which is great as it allows us to relive these experiences of Egypt over and over again. We will recommend the Egyptian Highlights Tour with A-Z Tours without hesitation.

The staff of A-Z Tours were a big part of our trip and we thank you for that. We thoroughly enjoyed the fact that we were in small groups which allowed us to make some friends and enjoy this wonderful journey with others. Our time spent with Khaled and H were extra special. Their knowledge and passion for their culture and history are captivating! J took very good care of us. He was able to make us feel very comfortable with his quiet personality and ability to keep things in order which had a great impact on our trip.

Thanks again for your time and efforts in making this such a great trip for us. All the best to you and Khaled with the future of A-Z Tours!!! SHOKRAN!

The tour went generally well - we got to do and see everything that was scheduled.The trip was more of an adventure rather than a holiday but that is what we expected and experienced the fascinating ancient (and current) Egyptian history and culture.

The trip was well organized and we always felt comfortable that there was someone to fall back on if needed. We were blessed with wonderful traveling companions whose company we thoroughly enjoyed. Khaled, H (Upper Egypt) and M (St. Catherine's) were exceptional guides.

I suppose the most frustrating thing we found was the harassment by locals in "pushing" their wares -I know that the tourist is a target in most countries but I suppose it occurred in Egypt more persistently than other places we visited - but we were warned. We have no troubles in recommending your company to our friends. Thanks again for the arrangements.

The trip with A-Z was great!!! The tour guides were generally quite knowledgeable and attentive....and the hotels, the boat trip, etc. were great!!! It would be nice to have had an opportunity to see you or Khaled at least for a few minutes before parting Egypt ....... thanks for an experience that won't be forgotten!!!

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Jane Pyecha – Saudi Arabia to Egypt – February 2004

I had a great trip. You have some wonderful people working for you, they really treated me well. As you know, they are the ones who really sell the company for you, and they all did a great job!! Take care and I hope to see you again, whether in Egypt or Kenya or India??? All the best.

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We are unanimous(all 4 of us) in our belief that the trip was wonderful. I was very pleased at the way we were taken care of. Khaled made the Pyramids come alive for us & we were honored to be invited home. In Luxor & Aswan, H &A made our travels memorable. The guide was very resourceful & found us restaurants doing authentic Egyptian cuisine. When Rupinder (Pinky) was unwell the guides made sure they didn't need anything by calling up. There were slight problems at the Gaddis Hotel with the hot water but nothing huge.

The guide (in Cairo) was very nice but after having Khaled & H previously we were somewhat disappointed. Overall we had a fantastic trip & have recommended you to family, friends & colleagues. Thank you & Khaled for everything. We do want to return to Egypt in2-3 years' time. Thanks once more,

What can I say. We had the holiday of a lifetime. Our accommodation at the resort was exotic, relaxing and very comfortable. T in Hurghada was lovely and both guides were just brilliant. We felt so rewarded with our adventure. Having such a small group and family we were able to go around the tourist info and sites but also we were able to ask our personal questions and view the more Egyptian side of life.

Michael was quite sick at one point and H and his wife were so helpful. The personal touch made it very special. The Sonesta hotel was brilliant. I think the Safir in Cairo was not the best. Food in every venue was excellent. All in all I can only thank you for your effort to organize such a wealth of talent. We loved every part of our adventure. River cruise was great. We felt that we had made some lovely friends rather than paid tour guides. All of my children enjoyed the touring as well.

The plane flight to Cairo was great. I think the drive from Hurghada was a bit of a mind bender. More time of course would have meant we could spread things out more but considering everything it was just so wonderful. Thank you again and I will recommend your site to others. Warmest wishes

We can highly recommend your company for our wonderful time in Egypt. Thanks again and look forward to hearing about more adventures we could take!

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Jonathon Arnold and family – Ghana to Egypt – January 2004

We very much enjoyed our time in Egypt. It is a fascinating country, with lots to offer tourists. Our 10 days were packed, so we came home tired. But we expected that would happen.

Overall the tour was quite well organized, and covered the major sites. H was very good as a guide - personable and flexible. He kept us informed, and gave us opinions on choices we could take advantage of, and he was knowledgeable.

Hurghada was beautiful, and we enjoyed snorkeling and the beach. Egyptian service, while better than Ghanaian service, is not up to European or North American standards. The big advantage we found with A-Z tours was your flexibility. We didn't have to fit your tour schedule, you adapted to our time constraints. And we appreciated that.

The trip was fabulous and wonderful. Thank you for all your help and I'll definitely recommend A-Z Tours to my friends!

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Roy Davies – USA to Egypt – January 2004

I enjoyed my holiday. Everything was organized and I saw what I wanted to – I’ll recommend A to Z to anyone going to Egypt.

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