Global Basecamps

We love Global BaseCamps and Laura Hagler! :D
Amazing customized trip! We visited Tokyo, Hakone, Takayama, Kyoto, and Osaka all in 12 DAYS! Perfect amount of time was designated in each city. My favorite parts of the trip were staying at a Ryokan in Hakone (TOP NOTCH) and Exploring Dotonbori in Osaka. I do have to mention we loved the Ramen chain «Ichiran» that was in pretty much in every city we visited and ate at 2 – 3 times during our trip. I can only hope it makes it to Texas one day!
GBC will send you the best booklet guides and info pack. There really isn’t much work for you to do since they do all the accommodation and transportation planning for you. Quality Service, we couldn’t have had it any other way!
**If you’re like us, and do research on your own on the cities you plan to visit, I don’t suggest opting in for tour guides. In our experience, it was sub-​par, but we may just have had bad luck. They were, however, useful for getting us around to different districts of the city (especially Tokyo) without thinking about how to get there, and after awhile, we got a handle on the subway systems. If you do decide a guide would be useful, we suggest half-​day only.

We used Global Basecamps (GBC) rep. Laura Hagler for a trip to Japan. It was like pulling teeth to get therm to tune in to who we were and what we felt was acceptable for our trip. We finally settled on an itinerary that we felt was OK.
However, the arrangements turned out to be minimally acceptable. We had 3 private guides on our trip and one was just horrendous. The docs from GBC said to let guides know if you can afford to use taxis because it would save you time and effort, but this guide insisted on using subways and walking us all over Tokyo, even when we explained that one person in our party had physical constraints. She insisted on taking us to see historical sites in Tokyo, when we specifically indicated that we wanted to see modern Japanese design and architecture in Tokyo (We saw a lot of historical sites in Kyoto). It did not matter what our objectives were or what our constraints were. This guide had her fixed routine and no matter what we said, we ended up following her parameters, not ours.
We also asked for a private cooking class, indicating that we cooked sushi and other Japanese dishes at home. When we got to the class, it was a beginner’s intro to making sushi class. Really? We traveled all the way to Japan to rehash what we already knew?
We repeatedly indicated that price was not a huge consideration. We preferred to have the best experience for our trip rather than save one or two thousand dollars, Nonetheless, they consistently offered cheap and often inappropriate options that we researched and vetoed.
Overall, GBC seems more oriented to young travelers on a budget, rather than older folks who have the disposable income to do it right. Given their performance, I would either use a more upscale service or do the research myself.
Japan was a great trip, but the kudos belong to Japan as a spectacular destination. Not GBC as a travel agent/​coordinator.
=== Response to Comment From Elias G. ===
I did not say that I did not like the itinerary prior to leaving. I said that it was a struggle to get the itinerary settled. We had to double-​check everything and the things we took on faith, like the cooking class for people who already make sushi, meditation instruction for my sister who has meditated for many years, and one private guide were hilariously inappropriate. GBC took our input that we wanted a cooking class because we made sushi and some Japanese food and that my sister was looking for more «Zen-​like» experiences, having meditated for many years, and comically misapplied that information. We took these things on faith because we hoped the rep understood what we wanted and we were not sure how to double-​check these specific choices. There was also an element of «planning fatigue» because we had to spend so much time going back and forth with GBC over the itinerary. The saving grace was that the cooking instructor and the priest were wonderful people to meet and talk to, and our first private guide in Kyoto was truly excellent. I waited 6 months to do a review because I am very busy and wanted to let my impressions settle in.

My wife and I just recently used Global Basecamps for our trip to Belize for our honeymoon — It was amazing. We’ve traveled quite extensively and we usually just stay in hostels, but we decided to class it up this time and they didn’t disappoint. Hayden handled everything for us and used amazing local guides and companies for our accommodation and sight-​seeing. We would definitely use them again.

Laura Roundy at Global Basecamps helped us plan our three week trip to Burma (Myanmar). Before deciding on this trip to Burma, she was super helpful when we were considering a trip to Morocco. Even with such an extreme change of plans she remained patient, calm & relaxed. She is extremely well informed and knowledgable about as aspects of travel and destinations. She was attuned to exactly how we wanted to travel and coordinated through Khiri Travel our exceptional guides, transportation, logistics and lodging. Our experience was seamless, we were taken care of from the moment we landed to the moment we left and we had a fabulous time! She is an outstanding Global Basecamps representative.

My buddies and I recently returned from an 8 day Inca Trail excursion planned by Laura Roundy at Global Basecamps and it was amazing! I normally plan all my own travel but for this type of trip my companions felt more comfortable booking a planned itinerary through a company here in the States. I went along not really knowing what to expect but I’m so happy with the results!
Let me first say that leading up to the trip, Laura was extremely helpful! She always responded to our questions in a timely fashion and in a professional manner. The documents she sent us in preparation for the trip were very useful in helping us plan what to bring to Peru.
Upon arrival to Cusco, we were met by Erwin, a nice gentleman who ended up facilitating us on our transfers, introducing us to our guide and giving us great recommendations for Cusco throughout our trip. After three days acclimation in beautiful Cusco, we started at Km 82 to hike the Inca Trail.
Once on the hike I fully understood that GB had partnered with a Peruvian company to fulfill our trail itinerary and we learned they work with one of the best companies operating on the Inca Trail. The equipment was all very good, sleeping bags and liners very clean, tents almost new, wonderful guide — but the real bonus was that we had porters. Yes porters always work the trail with every group but we arrived to the trail during local election time, which is really important to the locals and their families. There is a fine levied upon those who do not vote and Peruvians take much pride in their local governments so they want to be present at election time anyway. We were surprised to learn that our company not only paid the fine for the porters but also paid them extra to come and work with us for the duration of our trip! We saw other groups on the trail who had no porters, thus they had no tents, no food (except their own snacks) and most critically — no help on the trail. Needless to say, we felt very fortunate and well taken care of during our hike!
All other amenities arranged by Laura before and after the hike were stellar. Hotels in both Cusco and Aguas Calientes were superior and all included meals super tasty. Everything went incredibly smooth during the whole trip and I am impressed by what Global Basecamps can arrange from afar. I highly recommend booking through GB for your adventure travel!

We used Global Basecamps for our honeymoon to Thailand. Laura was amazing. We started from scratch and had a very vague idea of where we wanted to go and where we wanted to stay. Our honeymoon was excellent and SO stress free. The entire thing was seamless– from the flight transfers to the hotels and our excursions– everything was taken care of and thought of by them. I made it clear that we didn’t want to feel like a touristy couple with a large group, and we never felt that way at all. They did an EXCELLENT job of choosing eco-​hotels, and the elephant camp we went to was incredibly humane to their animals. They told us which excursions not to go on because of the way they treat their animals. I was incredibly impressed with their customer service, complete with a welcome home email with tips on jet lag. This was a full service agency and we will be using them again.

We used GB for a custom group trip in Vietnam Feb 2014 and couldn’t be happier! We told them exactly the areas we wanted to visit and the activities our group was interested in and they created an unforgettable trip for us! The hotels were impeccable and the guides were amazing. All were knowledgeable, friendly and the transportation was our own private charter which was very helpful for a group of 6. Even when we had a hiccup on our trip and was a day late to begin our tour, they rearranged everything for us and we felt like we never missed anything. If you want a worry free experience go with GB!

Global Basecamps organized a great customized trip for us to northern Morocco — Asilah, Chefchaouen, Volubulis, Fes and Rabat. Meagan really listened to what we were looking for in terms of ryads and activities, and arranged a great itinerary. We had great guides in Volubulis (Hamid) and Fes (Fettah), and a wonderful driver (Hamid). We loved our cooking class at Café Clock in Fes (our chef Souad was great). Would definitely use Global Basecamps again!

My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon in Japan which was coordinated by Global Basecamps. It was A-​MAZING! I don’t know that we could have created as great a trip as GB was able to put together for us. Everything was so easy and well laid out. Before our trip, we received a packet that provided specific details for each day we were in Japan ranging from sample train schedules, places to eat, potential site seeing ideas, and so on. And they booked all of our passage in advance and had them sent to our first hotel. Seriously, I don’t know how we would have managed all of that without them. They also set us up with awesome places to stay, great private tour guides, and tons of other helpful tips that you could only receive from true travel experts in that region. We were so happy with the level of customer service we received as well. They even called to check-​in on us while in Japan. I can’t wait for our next vacation so we can use them again :)

We just got back from our trip to Japan and I must say that our vacation is so much fun! Our itineraries are well organized and I really appreciate the services of this travel agency in assisting us during our trip. We have to call your local agency in Japan twice for an assistance and both times, their services are very efficient. The hotels where we stayed are nice except for the Hotel Sunroute in Kyoto which is quite cramped and tiny. Overall, our trip went well without a hassle, thanks to your services in making it happen.

My trip to Tanzania was one of the best travel experiences I have had so far I think. I love the country and the people. I just can’t say enough and will not soon forget it. I went on the Machame 7 Day Mt. Kilimanjaro trek that was amazing and words cannot describe. Then went on safari and visited two tribal villages. Had a private safari and was out of this world. I will look forward to working with Global Basecamps one day in the future. I also want to say that their partner in Tanzania, Maasai Wanderings, is the best and their customer service, employees, etc. are outstanding. I highly recommend both companies.
Thank-​you to everyone at Global Basecamps… Asante Sana!
Sandy D.

We utilized GBC for a two-​week honeymoon in Tanzania, and I could not recommend them highly enough. When they say they offer «high-​level of customer service and commitment to responsible travel,» they mean it and it’s precisely what they delivered.
A friend had taken a trip to Tanzania and utilized the local Tanzanian tour company, «Maasai Wanderings». She spoke highly of them and when I went to get in touch with MW for my early inquiries, I was put in touch with GBC. As I later learned, GBC is the official North America representative and handle all the bookings for Maasai Wanderings. From our experience, it seems they have a phenomenal relationship as communication was fantastic and the trip was orchestrated perfectly.
Meagan was our rep at GBC and she was responsive, polite, and tolerant of my many questions (even the inane ones!). She was eager to learn more about what we wanted from the trip, and excited to help us plan and customize it to truly make it our own. At the same time, I felt very comfortable giving her discretion to book our lodging — as it would have been virtually impossible for us to review/​compare hotels at each of the parks along the way, not to mention we wouldn’t have had a clue about which ones were logistically feasible during our travels. We were pleasantly surprised with each and every place we stayed.
While this review is about GBC and the services they provided, I also want to add how incredible Maasai Wanderings was. Really, our only direct involvement was with our Safari guide, BUT they were in charge of all the execution on the ground. The service was fantastic and my wife and I still can’t stop talking about our guide, David. He was: knowledgeable about the wildlife (has a sixth sense), a ridiculously good driver (ya have to be there — but seriously he must be one of the best), he was extremely patient and always on time, and he had a paternal-​like responsibility about him. He’s also sharp and super interesting to talk to. Yup, so we liked him a lot! Still talking about how we miss him and how he should be the leader of the free world, etc
Both of these companies have high-​quality people and offer high-​quality services. Perhaps you pay a small premium, but really their prices are super-​competitive for what they offer and it is WORTH IT. We highly recommend and hope to be able to utilize their services again in the future.

Global Basecamp provided a 6 day Japan trip for my husband and I including Tokyo and Nikko.
For planning we worked with Andres Zuleta — he was very good at getting my feedback and understanding what i needed out of my short trip. I gave him a heck load of requirements including my concerns about expense/​accommodations/​expectations in Japan. I wanted to spend part of my holiday in a Ryokan and I also wanted to not be concerned with commuting. He succeeded in getting me passmo cards (mandatory if you are visiting Japan), 2-​day trip transportation passes to Nikko, great hotel and ryokan selection, 2 Studio Ghibli tickets as well as contacts and guides during the course of my trip. Planning I’d give it a 10 out of 10.
After we agreed on the price of the trip and paid for it, we received the package from him that included: a booklet for us with precise directions and information as to who we will meet, what to expect and optimal train routes to take (which I was extremely grateful for, as there are a TON of ways to get to a single location in japan using their commuter trains with multiple timelines). Within the booklet he even detailed that we would receive another package with local tickets when we arrived in our designated hotel in Shinjuku.
Once we got to Japan — we were greeted by a contact within the airport — he greeted us, gave us some discount cards and our tickets, even helped us get on board our airport to hotel bus. He even gave us an airport bus guide and alternative transportation route in case we miss our airport bus. Having this guide was really nice since we were jet lagged and he was there in person to help us get acclimated to the airport to hotel transportation system.
When we got to our hotel — Hotel Sunroute Plaza in Shinjuku — a nice little package with our studio ghibli tickets as well as more transportation tickets awaited us at the hotel checkin. This was a nice touch since we didn’t have to worry about carrying a ton of detail information from US to Japan.
We had our own itinerary while in Tokyo but the booklet provided to us had a lot of nice tips and tricks to get around Tokyo and the passmo cards we had was amazing since we could get around Tokyo easily with a 2500 yen credit per person. We totally used up our passmo ticket and even refilled it once. It was a really convenient way to travel within Tokyo districts.
When we made our way to Nikko, a guide was waiting for us to take us on a tour of the shrines in Nikko. I wanted a guide, as I wanted someone with deep historical knowledge about Ieyesu Tokugawa and understanding of the art. Hiroko Ita was part of a husband and wife team of guides in Nikko and I really enjoyed spending 5 hours with her and hearing her historical stories and other stories (including funny tourist stories). She also took us to places to eat as well — since I was not familiar with Nikko, and as part of the tour package — my food was already paid for and she even gave us options of what we wanted to eat per our budget — instead of being stuck in one place to eat. I was really happy with having her around — since she gave us a lot of information, including maps, local places of interest (not part of the plan), with her personal recommendations of what we should try vs what most tourists like in Nikko (interesting part of it is she’s not affiliated with any of these places, she just happens to live nearby and know the people here). She’d admit that some places are located close to the shrines and therefore have higher prices due to the fact of being conveniently located.
Our onsen ryokan was amazing, I am glad Andres picked this ryokan — it’s called Hotel Shikisai. Anyone going to Japan — I’d recommend this highly as a way to experience Japan. I had requested a less touristy ryokan because I did not want to stay in a regular hotel with a lot of americanized items. Even though the majority of the staff did not speak English — their customer service was still impeccable by using sign language for things we did not understand. I have limited understanding of Japanese language save for basic words and ability to read some of the kanji but I got around fine with just that.
Overall satisfied with Global Basecamp — although i could probably get a better price deal with other agencies — what’s great about global basecamp is their customer service and their agents placed in local places to make sure everything is ok.

We traveled to South America recently and our trip was flawlessly coordinated by GBC. My husband and I are not exactly low maintenance when it comes to travel details, questions… etc and our contact at GBC was extremely patient, thorough and pleasant throughout the entire trip planning process. She understood our preferences and concerns and took them all into account when making recommendations on where to stay, what to see and what to do during our stay in SA.
We definitely could not have put that trip together on our own and were able to maximize our vacation experience with the guidance of GBC.
Definitely give them a call if you’re planning international travel, they know what they’re doing.

Fantastic customer service + low fees = Good combination. We had a flawless trip to Peru and didn’t need to think about a thing. The hotels we stayed in were always exactly what we expected or better and we enjoyed a worry-​free couple of weeks. Many thanks to GBC.

I took a trip to the Galapagos Islands and Colombia in Nov 2011. The trip was everthing we hoped for and Globalbasecamps help us plan pretty much everything. All there recommendations were awesome. Do yourself a favor and use these guys.

I found out about Global Basecamps while planning a vacation with AirTreks. We visited six cities in two countries (Peru, Costa Rica) over 10 days. My rep, Meagan, was literally phenomenal. I’m a VERY high-​maintenance client, and was contacting her fanatically from the time of planning, through confirmation AND while on the trip. Not only was she poised, calm and friendly, the services were BETTER than I could have imagined. We were greeted by guides in each locale that were expeditious and helpful, and we ended up being upgraded at two of our hotels. I can not recommend this service any higher, as the standard of service — and tolerance to my outbursts — were handled with aplomb and a smile. Kudos to Meagan, and kudos to Global Basecamps. The trip simply would not have been as enjoyable — or smooth — without them.

I recently returned from a remarkable 12 day adventure in Japan and I couldn’t have done it without the help of Global Basecamps. They helped me plan the ideal customized getaway. Everything turned out amazing. The only problem — the vacation wasn’t long enough!
We flew into Tokyo where we stayed for 4 nights. We had a morning tour of the grand city and private tea ceremony where we learned the art of tea making and how it’s served. From there, we visited Kamakura which was on the top of my list. We saw soo much and yet had a lot of free time to wander the city on our own which was great because we were able to return to some of the places on our previous tours.
We visited Mount Fuji (also on the top of my list) and spent the night in Hakone. The view from the hotel was extraordinary. Who wouldn’t like waking up to the sight of Mount Fuji on a everyday basis? It was a sight out of National Geographic.
We boarded the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto where we spent the remainder of our vacation there. We saw and learned the history of many beautiful temples and shrines throughout the area. We even tried on kimonos and walked through the Gion District. From Kyoto we visit Nara, Hiroshima and Osaka.
All our tour guides (10 in total) were friendly, knowledgeable and just downright amazing! We even exchanged contact information to stay in touch.
I award Global Basecamps 5 stars in all aspects. Every single transition from place to place was smooth. My agent at Global Basecamps even went out of his way to provided local directions. That’s priceless to anyone who doesn’t know their way around and is a bit apprehensive because of the language barrier. I recommend Global Basecamps to everyone — no matter what kind of vacation you are looking to go on. They will work with you until you are happy!
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Alright, jetlag is finally gone, so let’s do this thing.
Last Sunday, we returned from an AMAZING two-​week vacation in Tanzania. We started off doing a safari across Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti, then flew from an airfield in the middle of the Serengeti to Zanzibar, spent a couple of nights there, then flew back to Arusha and successfully climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro over the course of the next week.
If you can imagine, we were moving around quite a bit, as we had a very packed itinerary. Lucky for us, Global Basecamps handled the entire affair down to every last detail. We never had to hail a cab, we never had to pick up a phone, we didn’t have to research times and schedules. We basically shot Global Basecamps an inquiry, explained what we wanted to see/​do, and purchased our flight tickets to/​from Tanzania. Every other detail was handled quickly and professionally by Global Basecamps. From the moment we arrived in Tanzania to the moment we left, we never had any doubt as to whether or not a trustworthy individual was being held responsible for us.
Now, let’s be clear… Global Basecamps doesn’t exactly handle the local details in the countries in which they operate. Instead, they partner with local agencies that are more familiar with the intricacies and plans. You may be thinking,“Why deal with a middle man?”, and there’s a very solid answer for that. Let’s say you search for a safari and a trek in Africa, as we did. You’ll find many of local businesses and organizations that, while trustworthy according to travel sites, are still foreign businesses with nothing but a P.O. Box address for you to deal with should discussions fall through. Global Basecamps, acting as a local agent, allows you to avoid any potential headache and trickery. And if you compare the costs and really break down the math, the cut taken by Global Basecamps is likely to be very small. If you have the money to spend more than the value of a passenger vehicle on a vacation, do it right and deal with an organization you can trust and yell at later.
That said, the entire experience was just short of five stars, mainly due to communication issues. There were slight (and I mean slight) deviations from our listed itinerary when climbing Kilimanjaro, which led to some confusion until the local agency provided us with a more accurate guide. Additionally, while we were explicitly told that it won’t be like we’re driving around in a car all day while on safari, that’s exactly what we were doing. It may have been our specific guide being a very upstanding guy who plays by the rules, but we were not allowed to exit the vehicle when around any form of animal danger. And given that we (thankfully) saw a ton of animals, that was nearly all day, every day, for four days. This didn’t detract from the experience, and only the very young guides seemed open to letting clients place themselves in direct danger like I wanted to do to myself. In fact, both of these issues are likely a bit of miscommunication with the local organizations, as Global Basecamps doesn’t deal with all of these actual hands-​on activities themselves.
Finally, while they were very, VERY quick to reply to questions and inquiries before we finalized the booking and forked over our money, the responses definitely began to lag ever so slightly (a day or two versus a couple hours) and lose a lot of their depth afterwards. Don’t be mistaken: customer service remained respectable and good until the day we left for our trip, but it certainly went down a notch once they had sealed the deal. It felt ever so slightly insulting, but I do tend to be a bit sensitive with such things…
All in all, I’d still highly recommend Global Basecamps for any unique vacation plans in the areas they service.

This was my third time using the incredible services and unique properties of Global Basecamps. For my recent trip to South Africa I wanted a unique Kruger safari experience. Mike at GBC was, as usual, extremely helpful and full of suggestions. We selected a four-​day walking safari. The accommodations, food and staff were were awesome! I have safaried in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique using the traditional game driving format. I would tell anyone that enjoys nature, animals and adventure that you must go on a walking safari. And book it through Global Basecamps!!! You’ll have an experience of a lifetime.
John Monetta
San Francisco