TK
GBAll around excellent! We have used Swain Destinations for over a dozen trips to Africa, Australia/NZ and India. Never once on any of them has any single arrangement (accommodations, rides, guides, etc) ever not worked perfectly. It's hard to get better than that!
Nicole Mathison
GBSouth Africa Our trip that Swain Destinations planned to Africa was great from start to end. Planning was very easy and the entire trip was seamless. We were there almost three weeks and stayed in 6 different locations. We never had to worry about our next location or any logistics in moving from place to place. All internal transfers and flights were handled and everything was planned out down to the small details.
Katie Manly
GBArctic Finland trip with Swain Destinations My family of four traveled with Swain Destinations to Finland in December 2021. It was just when Omicron was spiking in Europe and we were nervous at first but the Swain team walked us through all the protocols and because we felt like we were going to be in a very remote area (Finnish Lapland, in the Arctic Circle) we went on the trip anyway. When I say it was the best trip our family has ever gone on, I am not exaggerating. Everything from the moment we landed in Rovaniemi to the day we returned home was so special. Our guide, Miikka, was so caring and flexible, always making suggestions based on the days' weather and working so hard to ensure we would see the Northern Lights, despite December being a difficult month to get to see them. The food from our private chef at our chalet was AMAZING. We gave Swain Destinations our preferences and dietary requirements prior to traveling and everything was prepared exactly to our needs, and was still authentic, locally sourced and delicious. Every activity that was arranged was so wonderful - from the activities themselves being unique and in the beautiful Arctic setting, to the individuals who led the activities being legitimate Sami reindeer herders, champion husky mushers, and so on. I cannot speak highly enough of just how moved we were as a family to have these experiences together. We wrapped up our trip in Helsinki and got to experience the Christmas Markets and even Finland Day, which was beautiful and touching. I have to say that I thought a trip to the Arctic would be one and done, but now I want to go again in a few years when our children are old enough to do some of the more active experiences like ice-track racing, and helicoptering over the North Pole! We are already planning our next Swain Destinations trip, and cannot wait to see what they offer elsewhere, but I highly highly recommend their Finland experiences.
Julie Noble
GBEverything went well on the trip Everything went well on the trip. Loved Salamanca Inn and Strahan Village especially. Only criticism I have is that Swain pushes towards high-end options; in some cases they provide only high-end options. I was able to suggest and renegotiate these, and in one case, find an alternative option that Swain was unable to provide. For non-travel savvy or less tech-savvy people, this would be a real problem.
Sandra Vaessen
GBKathryn Fisher is wonderful to work… Kathryn Fisher is wonderful to work with. Thorough and detail oriented. She definitely knows her stuff and my clients always return delighted with their experiences in Australia or New Zealand. I have a couple on a 25 day tour right now and i'm sure their reactions will be similar.