I thought the organised tour for me was an excellent way for me to experience South Africa - happy to recommend Jon Baines Tours to other travellers. Really a lifetime experience. Tour leader was very good.
Personally, I think this was one of the best tours I have been on, although this was one of few group tours arranged for me. I loved the arrangements, choices of places to visit and the unity amongst group members. If I were to go on another arranged tour, my first choice would be Jon Baines Tours for variety of experiences and value for money.
I have had a wonderful tour. Janice was brilliant at organising us all and bringing us all together as a group. She was constantly upbeat, in control. Coco was a delight. I have enormously enjoyed spending time with her. Hiroshima Memorial museum was probably the highlight of the tour. The oyster meal in Hiroshima was a high point as was the Kobe beef dinner.
First trip with Jon Baines. David was such a wonderful, caring tour leader. Choice of guide perfect. They both did so much more than you would expect.
This tour is suitable for both medical and non medical individuals / couples. The history of egypt was amazing as was networking and meeting people from all walks of life. Amir was a great source of local knowledge - friendly and very helpful. Great food and service with lots of choice.
Both local guide and our tour leader were excellent. Always ready to help with any queries and always very patient and courteous. The speaker was extremely knowledgeable but clear and concise.
Good spread of visits from public hospital, small private hospital in Kathmandu and district hospital in Bhutan. Enjoyed Himalayan Rescue talks very much also. Bhutan guides brilliant – Tulsi and Robin very informative. Dipesh very good although sometimes not loud enough. (Tour manager) Otto was excellent organiser, very calm under pressure, a pleasure to have guiding us. (Tour leader) Richard – always lively, positive energy in the group, added to group cohesion.
As usual, (tour leader) David Shannon did a great job as tour leader – kept us well informed of each day’s activities and spoke well at the professional visits. (National guide) Coco was a fabulous, caring and interesting guide – well informed and very organised.
I thought the midwifery visits were excellent. Loved the uni, birthing house and birth clinic. Very memorable and informative. The hotels were amazing. I was lucky to have a fantastic roommate as the Tokyo room was cozy but loved the happy house in foyer each evening. Good bonding time.
We could have happily spent longer in Crete and perhaps visited the south coast and further into the mountains. Thank you to (tour leaders) Val and Clive for making this such a wonderful trip. As always, Jon Baines has come up trumps.
This has been probably the best trip I have been on. The organisation was first rate with everything provided for. This holiday has been more than I could have expected it to be.
Relaxed and caring attitude over all days of our trips out. (Co-tour leader) Valerie’s enthusiasm for her botanical knowledge was infectious. It was a delight, especially Botanical Park of Crete and Plateau of Gious Campos. Took into great consideration the terrain we covered. Also, (co-tour leader) Clive keeping his experienced eye on the group was extremely helpful.
I really enjoyed visiting a previously unknown part of the British Isles to me and learning of the history and enjoying the scenery of the Islands. The guides were very good giving historical and background information.
(Tour leader) Cathy (Warwick) is so lovely and very knowledgeable about the areas visited on our tour. She made sure we were well looked after and none of got lost. Thanks Cathy for a memorable trip.
This was my first-ever organized tour and I enjoyed it immensely. We were lucky to have a group of like-minded people, which I think makes a big difference on a tour like this.
(National guide) Frank was great – excellent knowledge and always available to help out and organisation was superb – interaction with locals was superb.
Dinner at the Ly Club restaurant was excellent. The drinks at the Rex hotel were an experience. The visit of the Binh Tay market and the cooking class at Hao Tuc was fantastic.
(Local guide) Long was amazing. He made you feel safe, he had extensive knowledge of Vietnam’s history, and current day city advice was valuable. He was easy to embrace as one of the group. (Tour leader) Kylie Ward was a great tour leader. Responsive to requests and suggestions, she worked well with the tour guides. Kylie was inclusive, consultative of the group, kind, caring and full of humour. Kylie represented the ACN at the visits impeccably and her communication with the hospital and clinic leaders / managers was respectful and professional. She was amazing!
I have not been on an organised tour before and this tour exceeded all my expectations. The attention to detail has been tremendous and I wouldn’t hesitate to go on another tour in the future. Highly recommended.
This was a wonderful trip to this exotic country. Chantelle was excellent in every aspect. She was very conscientious, worked very hard and we fully appreciated her.
We both enjoyed our time on this tour, seeing gardens, hearing from the guides and the company of fellow passengers. Local guides outstanding. Tour leader worked well with the group.
This was a wonderful destination and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. I learned so much about Japanese history and culture. My tailormade tour in Nagasaki was a highlight. I have always been interested in the medical consequences of the A bomb and was able to visit Nagasaki University and obtain some very useful books. My local guides were extremely helpful in this regard. I visited four museums which explored the history of western medicine’s infiltration into Japan.
Jason (James) and Coco were both very helpful, friendly and amenable. (Tour leader) Jason is incredibly knowledgeable about Japanese history. His experience of living in Japan and frequent visits means he is a fountain of information. Coco, as previously commented, was conscientious and caring.
Loved the whole experience. Blew away a whole lot of misconceptions about Iran. Full of admiration for the country and the people.
Librarians were very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Different libraries were presented in different ways – we saw different aspects, which was good.
Group meals very well organised. Visits to places of medical historical interest very well-organised. All our local guides knew a lot and communicated well.
A wonderful group, excellent leader (Nicky Leap). How lucky we were to have an Icelandic midwife as our local guide, she knew many of the midwives we met. Excellent visits – Iceland must be the leading light in midwifery. Food excellent, far better than I expected, we did have fruit and vegetables every day.
The food and service were uniformly outstanding. A small group of 12 worked brilliantly. The ship’s crew are exemplary. The ship – even though full – never felt crowded. The food exceeded all expectations. An excellent experience. The Corinthia Hotel was a tremendous finale.
I feel very privileged to have shared and had the opportunity to visit the variety of health facilities… I hope in future I may be able to return to volunteer if my OT skills could add value.
Guides at Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Edinburgh and universities in Edinburgh and Glasgow and museum in Edinburgh were outstanding.
The buses and drivers were excellent. National Museum of Scotland: Superb and the local guide Sophie Goggins is to be commended. Edinburgh guide Sheila was also excellent. Everything ran smoothly and efficiently.
