There are several big tour companies around the globe. The most well known ones that come to mind are Intrepid, Topdeck, Contiki, and G Adventures. They have been around for a long time and they pretty much have a tour to every spot in the world. Most claim to give you a local experience as their group sizes are not very large and the ‘locals’ guide their tours. We don’t claim to know every part of the world, but we think below are a few good reasons why you should choose to travel to the Black Sea with our exclusive Hidden Wonders tours instead of these bigger well known companies.
When you contact Hidden Wonders, you are talking to me, the owner of the business, not a call centre operator who may or may not have been to the destination you want to travel to. Who is more passionate about their customer than the owner of the business? I take the time to reply to each query with care and respect and make sure that you are 100% satisfied with our communication each time.
When it comes to tours, we believe that size matters. In fact, it matters a lot. How small is small when it comes to tour sizes do you think? For example, when Intrepid says ‘small group’, they mean up to 18 people at times. To us, that is not small enough. We cap our pre-planned tours at twelve people, and we can cap customised tours at four people for any itinerary.
We have found that when you have only one tour guide and lots of travellers, the experience is not so intimate and it gets tricky to meet the needs of each person, even if the guide knows all the local secrets. For us, it is quality over quantity. If you were to share your personal space with seventeen other people, we think it would take away from the feeling of having the intimate travel experience we strive to deliver to you.
One way we give you more personal space is by capping the tours at a very small number. Another way we achieve this is by providing you with a quality, safe and spacious vehicle for the duration of the tour. For example, for tours that are capped at 12 people, you will be allocated a 17-seater vehicle so you can stretch your arms and legs as wide as you wish.
Truly tailored to your needs and wishesAs the founder, I design the tours in consultation with other locals, the tour guides and experts in the industry. As a passionate traveller, I plan for every little detail that will enhance your experience and minimise potential problems. I handpick the hotels and the tour guides. Almost all our tour guides are born and raised in the region so they have the knowledge of the true hidden spots and can tailor the tour based on the needs and wishes of the travellers on the go. This brings us to a very important quality of our tours: flexibility.
Flexibility is always possibleThe Bigger companies such as Intrepid, Topdeck, Intrepid and Trafalgar, usually are not able to offer much flexibility as their dates and itineraries are set a long time ago and any change required by you would probably need to go through quite a bit of paperwork and might increase the cost of your tour. Hidden Wonders is a small team of people, which means when you want to make a change we make it happen fast. Maybe you want to start the tour on a different date, add a day to your tour, add a place or activity to your tour or skip one. Maybe you want to have a themed tour such as “Women Only Adventure”, “Weeklong Birthday Retreat” or “Team Building Getaway” etc. It is all possible with our tours, especially if you are travelling with four or more people.
We have seen the negative impact of bigger tours on the environment compared to smaller tours that do not disturb the local life and nature as much. I am from Rize, Black Sea, and my family still lives there to look after our tea plantations and hazelnut orchards. So, as the owner of Hidden Wonders, I care deeply about the future of the region, especially the future of the local culture and the raw nature. I do my best to create a balance between introducing these amazing hidden wonders to the rest of the world while preserving the nature and the life around it. Our care for the Black Sea region goes beyond business and social responsibility; it is a personal matter.
You could call it a family businessThe tour guides, hotel managers, workshop trainers, drivers or cleaners… almost all of them are either somehow related to me or my extended family, personally known by me or a member of my family or close friends. Everyone that will be at your service during your exclusive tour is connected to me and each other. This means we will look after you the way we would look after our own family or friends. It also means that when you want something special or extra we can usually make it happen without costing you extra money. After all, isn’t that what family is for?
For us, travel is about having fun, resting, learning, growing and rejuvenating, and we want you to have it all. When you choose to travel with us, you will get to experience the true Black Sea with the quality, safety and passion of Hidden Wonders. You could be a valued guest of us or you could choose to be a seat occupant on a big company’s tour bus. To find out more about our exclusive tours visit our website, send us a message or give us a call on 1300 514 94 (if calling from outside Australia call on 0011 61 1300 514 949)