Testimonials
There is no other satisfaction that we get than hearing trip stories form our guests. It is these stories that remain with them for many years to come. And when we receive appreciation for all the effort that goes into making these stories, our cup runneth over! Here is what some of our clients have said about their trips
Dr. Arun Sahasrabudhe (Western Europe, Sep. 2018)
When one wants to travel and see the world, Travel Agents come to mind, since most of us are not really inclined to do all the necessary leg work ourselves. And then we worry about how to select a good Travel Agent. But I want the readers of this testimonial to not mention Maps and Stories and Travel Agent in the same breath. Maps and Stories are in a class of their own.
My wife and I have been using the services of Maps and Stories for the last four years and have travelled to New Zealand, Australia, Myanmar, Italy, a Mediterranean Cruise with stops in Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and coastal Italy. We have thoroughly enjoyed every one of the above mentioned trips. And we are about to embark on another wonderful upcoming trip to London, Germany, and Switzerland.
Maps and Stories of course will book everything like any Agent would. But that is the smallest part of all they do for you. It is run by two travel enthusiasts, Sameer and Jeshal, who have travelled to many parts of the globe, themselves, looking for off beat and out of the ordinary places, and experiences that they can bring to our attention. Anyone can plan your travels and visits to popular tourist spots, but Sameer and Jeshal have planned and guided us to uncommon places, that uniquely represent the different facets and colourful character of the countries visited. This aspect of their customised services makes them stand apart.
Lastly but certainly not the least, is their attention to detail, their meticulous planning to line up appropriate local guides who bring out the best in these foreign lands, many of whom have become and remained our friends long after the trips were over. However, during any trip, even after detailed meticulous planning, things can go wrong due to unplanned unexpected events. The real quality and test of a Service Organization shows up in how they react when something goes wrong. Jeshal and Sameer remain in touch frequently enough to track how our travels are going. In our last trip to Italy, our van broke down. But the owner of the rental company in Sorrento, and Jeshal in Mumbai stayed in touch with us, efficiently arranging a replacement van for us without any inconvenience or delays. This is top quality service and attention to detail, that distinguishes Maps and Stories from the crowd.
Philippe Hanck & Minhui Yu (Southern India, February 2018)
Our trip to Tamil Nadu in Southern India was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Tailor-made for our small group of six, the trip was well balanced between culture and tranquil enjoyment in the midst of Tamil Nadu’s luxuriant tropics. The road travel was never too heavy: it was one of our requisites to Maps & Stories, and the pace of the whole trip was just perfect. Our 14-day excursion took us to the bustling cities of Chennai and Madurai, the utopian town of Auroville, the former French settlement of Pondicherry with its colonial styled villas, to magnificent temples and the lesser known but amazing villages of Chettinad, with thousands of mansions of opulence, a vestige of past glories. Outside Mamallapuram, we met surprisingly few tourists (avoiding the hordes of tourists was our other request to Maps & Stories)…what a privilege, what unforgettable memories: the serenity of Gangaikondacholapuram temple, to me the most beautiful and moving, undisturbed; Darasuram temple, the fervor of the devotees and the Carnatic music performance that the organizing family invited us to listen in; a lazy evening in a princely residence of the Chettiars, the little market of Kothamangalam… We greatly appreciate and thank Jeshal and Sameer, for their attention to details in the choice of the itinerary and accommodations, mostly small hotels in heritage mansions. They made it one of our best holiday trip ever.
Rohan Shah (National Parks Circuit, USA, July 2014)
To be honest, planning a travel is not something that excites me. What if I get it wrong? What if I end up spending more than required? So, you can imagine my elation when I came across Maps and Stories. It really is a one stop shop for travelling enthusiasts who want to do something different and don’t know where to begin.
I’ve lived in the States for 9 years and I thought I’d seen pretty much everything there was to see. I kept going back to meet my friends but this time, I wanted to do something different. And Maps and Stories blew me away!
A road trip was planned for us friends from Denver to San Francisco. We drove through Colorado, Utah, Nevada and then lastly California, witnessing some of the most scenic landscape I’ve ever seen. The trip was planned in such a way that we didn’t end up spending more than 5 hours on the road a day and got to visit beautiful state and national parks. Apart from our driving route, all of our stays were organized as per our needs. We stayed in simple motels to cozy Bed n Breakfasts and topped it off with a stay in a swanky hotel in Vegas. This might sound like an exaggeration…but the statement I’m about to make is 100% true: I can’t wait to see more of the world! And all I have to do is give Maps and Stories a call and they’ll plan something epic and it’ll be right in my budget!!
Thank you Maps and Stories…for everything!!!!
Nitin Okhade & Family (Alaska, USA, June 2014)
Alaska : the final frontier! I was still debating with my family on the vacation destination in between Alaska and Hawaii till we took off to Anchorage from San Francisco!
And the 49th state of the US started impressing me before even we landed through the aerial views! Very pristine, serene and nature friendly, Alaska is great for explorations including local cruises, glacier walks, hikes, hot springs and Mount McKinley as well as Denali National Park.
The trip was meticulously planned and very professionally arranged by Sameer and his team from Maps and Stories! The accommodation recommendations and the suggested restaurants were just too good! They went above and beyond ensuring we get a life time experience! And boy surely we did! Even a California brand ambassador like me this turned out to be a great exploration experience! And I have become a fan of Alaska! Great job by Maps and Stories!
Dr. Kedar Parulkar & Family (Slovenia, Austria & Istanbul, May 2014)
As age was a deterrent to take my parents (both 75+) for their first trip ever out of the country, we decided to customize it so that we could plan it at a relaxed pace at the same time make the most of our time there.
As soon as we met the Maps & Stories team, they struck us as competent and knowledgeable about intricacies of tour planning. Their suggestion of exploring the Slovenian coast in a yacht (my daughter was thrilled as she got to be the skipper of the yacht), driving through the Alps via Bled and finally getting a good dose of history n culture in Salzburg and Vienna was perfect!
While Sameer was driving us throughout the trip, with the help of their local guides Janez Ohnjec and Danijel Germek we got opportunity to interact with local Slovenes who were very helpful. One particular place Sameer took us to was Gross-Glockner, the highest peak in Austria. None of organized group tours from India take you there. It can only be compared to Jung-frau in Switzerland.
In a nutshell, I would like to mention that Maps and Stories is a great choice for anybody who likes to plan or customize a trip to lesser visited gems around the world. This is not to say that they will not take you to routine touristic places but I have come to realize ‘they do things differently’. I have already recommended them to many of my friends!
