North America Food Trips

A great combination of food experiences and visits to archaeological sites with lots of fun experiences in great cities. Excellent local guide. Occasional glitches owing to local failures outside the control of Explore or the local guide (eg a change of hotel caused by the hotel itself with no explanation given to us, the local company or Explore. Caused some disruption but Explore stepped up with a refund). Some stunning scenery as well as wildlife at some sites. Markets were well worth visiting and a cooking class followed by meal was fun. A lot of travelling but Mexico is a huge country and landscapes are terrific.

The trip was as described in the brochure and was an excellent introduction to the food of Mexico and some of the archaeological sites. The guide Yves was extremely knowledgeable and a great story teller. His local knowledge was invaluable in spotting opportunities as they arose, and also in solving any difficulties. We were a group of 15 with a driver and a guide and were originally put in an 18 seater minibus. As some of the driving days were many hours long, we requested a larger and more comfortable bus and this was arranged. As some of the trips turned out to be even longer than planned, due to roadworks and unavoidable detours, this was an essential upgrade. One of the hotels, rated as premium, had, unbeknownst to either Explore or the local tour operator, had moved us to a much more basic accommodation. It was disappointing but Explore dealt with it in a very timely manner by refunding the cost of the two nights. Mistakes do happen but dealing with them is the mark of a good company. The group was mixed with some couples and some singles. I travelled on my own but there was always company for meals if I wanted it.