Judy Perl Travel

Nov 20th, 2019

Jan 28th, 2019

Jul 2nd, 2018

We just came back from a dream trip to Tanzania and Kenya for a safari celebrating our anniversary. Having used Judy Perl Worldwide travel before, we knew that they always knew the best people on the ground at our destinations but this time, the company exceeded every expectation at every turn. It was challenging trip in terms of Covid preparation, visa applications and multiple cancelled airline trips. But Elisabeth Brown, of Judy Perl, guided us through ever challenge and every detail. Elisabeth was always available - even when we were in Africa through WhatsApp. Elisabeth arranged for people to greet us at every transfer point and we always felt that we had an advocate and guide to assist us wherever we went. When Kenya reopened its border with Tanzania, Elisabeth jumped at the opportunity to arrange bush planes to take us across the border. She arranged for us to get Covid tests within a narrow window escorted at all times by her extraordinary team on the ground. They hand-delivered the test results with hours to spare and negotiated with the customs officials a speedy passage into their country. As we dealt with all of the challenges, Elisabeth assured us that this would be a trip of a lifetime and indeed it was! Where normally in non-Covid times there would be 200 cars jostling to see the same animal, we were many times the ONLY CAR! We saw stampeding giraffes, lions mating, 5 cheetah brothers all at once - occasionally fighting among themselves, dozens of hippos in a hippo pool, elephants trekking across the plains with a baby in the middle for protections, a hyena chasing a baby gazelle with the mother running interference in the middle and multiple leopards with one in a tree bringing down its prey. And, these are just a few of the things we saw! Because it was our anniversary, the travel agency informed all of the resorts to arrange for romantic dinners and special events to mark our celebration. The treatment we received was exceptional. We felt like we received celebrity service at every turn. In summary, Judy Perl Worldwide Travel and Elisabeth Brown took care of every detail and made this a trip of a lifetime!
May 13th, 2020

I booked a trip through the New York Times and Judy Perl is the travel agency they make you use. If it were my choice, I would find someone else. I am going on an expensive high-end trip so I would expect a travel agency to be attentive, communicative, and check in on occasion. Judy Perl does none of the above. I had to reach out to them when final payment was due because I hadn't heard from them in months. When my credit card company flagged the large charge and declined it, I had to figure it out for myself. No one reached out. And once it was cleared up, I had to check in to make sure I was all paid. You think they'd want to be sure that their travelers were paid?!? And now I'm about a month out from the trip which requires a specific packing list and I have not heard a thing. I went back to the confirmation of my trip from a few months ago, one of the few communications they initiated, to find a link to a website and figure out where within the website to find the recommended packing list. From other agents or agencies I've used in the past, this is something they would have already reached out on. Even discount agencies I've used have been more proactive. Don't expect full service from this travel agency, even if you're paying a premium. I hope New York Times finds another agency to work with. Otherwise, I would have second thoughts about booking another trip with the New York Times and after this experience I'd never use Judy Perl on my own.
Feb 9th, 2020