Swain Destinations Reviews 

We had a fantastic 4 weeks in Australia, designed by Swain! All of the arrangements went off without a hitch and were perfect! We were never left hanging or wondering if we would be picked up, met, etc.

Many thanks to George and the team of folks who made this trip possible. This was a trip of a lifetime and is at the top of our list for experiences.

We can't wait to return!

Everything was perfect. Wouldn’t change a thing!

Gary at Swain worked diligently with us to provide the itinerary we requested, and George and Jan followed up with fabulous communications during our trip. Some of the hotels selected were absolutely amazing, while a few seemed less than anticipated (quality, location, views, sound levels, amenities, customer service). Tours were mostly as expected. Transfers were spot on, with George coordinating when we had flight delays. We never felt alone!

I just spent two delightful weeks in Australia and George and the Swain team was on top of everything! Hotels, flights, tours … all great!
I will be back and most definitely will use the Swain team again! Thank you for the best experience ever!

All of our thanks to George and the Swain Destinations team! We've just returned from just short of 4 weeks in Australia and New Zealand, and the trip was fantastic! The tour was constructed by Swain working closely with my travel consultant in the states, and the tour operators selected for each day were flexible, knowledgable and fantastic!
There were a couple of instances where there were glitches, and George was there with help, humor and flexibility.
Strongly reccomended, and we'll use them again when we return.

I would give 10 stars if it was available. Swain Destinations planned and executed perfectly our 3 week trip to New Zealand. Everything coalesced to make a memorable vacation. The Itinerary had a variety of experiences and also allowed a perfect amount of personal exploration. We flew to each destination city, with specific communication from George Swain, and everything went so smoothly. We were notified daily of our excursions or flights, and the drivers names to look out for. No one missed a beat! It worked like a Swiss clock… (we had all morning flights, so we could arrive at a new city, with plenty of time to explore.)
The guides that were chosen for us, for each city, actually made the trip. They each brought New Zealand to life. We are a very curious couple, so the guides responded so well to our enthusiasm.
We had one possible glitch for a flight due to weather. It ended up being fine, and it was then that we realized how conscientious George is. We felt very taken care of, in all aspects… Which allowed us to fully embrace the beauty of New Zealand.
I must give a shout out to the St Moritz (Queenstown) and their daily breakfasts… Heavenly…..
Mahalo Nui Loa to George Swain and Linda Lewis at The Travel store - Brentwood,
Claudia and John Wright

We had a great itinerary and every detail was arranged for us. There were a few setbacks, mostly weather related, and the Swain team was easy to reach and very responsive. Definitely recommend this company for trips to New Zealand and Australia!

This was our second African safari trip planned by Swain within a 10 year period. It was our dream to return to Africa to share what I still call "the trip of my lifetime", this time with our adult children. Now we can add many exclamation points to that and our children feel the same.
This trip focused on South Africa and Botswana and once again, Swain, Kathryn, and her team listened to our goals and built a perfect itinerary! From planning to lodge selections, air travel to in-country coordination, every detail was thoughtfully managed and executed.
We experienced one episode of lost baggage for 4 of the 6 of us and thought we could manage it ourselves, however when a 24 hour delay started to become 48 hrs we called Swain and Deidre from the local office jumped on it and worked her immediate magic. Her communication was incredible and we were reunited with our bags closer to 24 hours! Huge appreciation from all of us!
The broader Swain "team" including drivers, guides and airport coordinators were all excellent. Our son commented on how much he enjoyed learning about the local culture even during a short interaction from several of these folks.
We have recommended Swain to several friends and will confidently continue to do so! Thank you Kathryn, and the greater Swain team for creating a truly memorable family adventure.

I had the trip of a lifetime! Everything went smoothly and my private guides were all wonderful!

Our 16 day trip to South Africa was meticulously planned and executed. We were treated to first class everything from the moment we stepped off the plane. Our guides, the meals(we had some challenging food restrictions in our group), the accommodations, the personalized touches, our experiences both in Capetown and in the bush exceeded our expectations. We had a passport snafu that could have disrupted our trip but the team responded quickly and handled it seamlessly. Our group of 6 were blown away by this epic adventure. Shout out to Kat Mccue for all her work coordinating this life changing trip.

Our two week trip to Australia was perfect. The Swain team locked down every detail, coordinated everything, and booked incredible lodging with fabulous food. The tour guides they chose for our various experiences were fantastic as well. This is our second time using Swain Destinations. The first time was for a trip to South Africa. I will use them again for New Zealand.

I can’t recommend Swain Destinations enough! Jacqueline and her amazing local team, Deidre & Zarina, pulled together the trip of a lifetime for me & my partner on very short notice — and it was absolutely flawless. They helped us check off our bucket list with an unforgettable journey to Victoria Falls, Kruger National Park, and Cape Town.

Every detail was thoughtfully planned, yet we still had so much room for personalization to make it feel truly our own. From start to finish, every logistic was executed perfectly — smooth, seamless, and beyond my expectations. I’ll forever be grateful to Jacqueline and her team for making this dream adventure a reality!

We have been blessed to travel quite a bit; this was our first experience with Swain Destinations. From start to finish, they were tremendous. Above and beyond the call of duty! They excelled at making us feel cared for, protected, and removed the anxiety that can come when traveling to a new place. I could not recommend them more highly!

Their customer service was superb! We were contacted continuously every step of our journey while on vacation with our itinerary and reminders. Would highly recommend their services!

Swain was amazing from planning to the end of our trip. They were aware of our budget while finding safe and exciting ways to see Africa for the first time. I refer to this as a trip of a lifetime and it truly was. I didn't have to worry about a thing because everything was planned ahead, so we were allowed to truly appreciate this trip.

The trip was so well planned, and exactly what we asked for -- we started with a walking tour of Auckland to get acclimated, a trip to Hobbiton, a tour of the mountains, black sand beaches and rain forest, all with lovely, knowledgeable guides. They were super flexible, cancelling one trip when our plans changed, moving our transportation times when requested, and again, everyone was so nice!!

We just got back from Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda and it was a fantastic experience. The logistics were perfect from the moment we got off the plane through the moment we were dropped back off at the airport. Our driver/guide was fantastic, could not have been nicer or more accommodating, and had us at every hotel and activity without any issues and made sure we were extremely well taken care of every step of the way. No issues at any activity or any accommodation - everyone had our information and everything went off without the slightest hitch. Even still, we were contacted by local Swain representatives to ensure we were having a great time and as a point of contact for any issues should any arise. We also have travelled to New Zealand/Australia in 2012-2013 and to South Africa in 2016 and both of those trips were equally amazing. Cannot recommend Swain highly enough. Thanks!

Just returned from Botswana -- SWAIN did an absolutely fabulous job planning this trip for us -- everything went perfectly!!! Thank you SWAIN!

Swain went above and beyond in exceeding our expectations! They did a phenomenal job arranging flights, tours, guides, and accommodations. They listened to what we wanted in our trip, were easy to work with, flexible (including when a medical emergency delayed our trip by a year), and very reachable--they quickly responded when we had questions or needed assistance (which was close to never because of how perfectly they had our trip planned!). This was the trip of a lifetime for my little family, and I appreciate all of the thought and effort that was put into planning our trip. Thank you!