South Africa Tour & Trip Reviews

ACIS is hands down the best in the business for educational travel. I have been traveling abroad with students since 2005 but exclusively with ACIS since 2011. They have provided my students with a top-notch experience every year. Aside from creating outstanding itineraries and/or working with group leaders to customize their own, ACIS has mastered the minor details which could be easily overlooked when organizing an educational tour for students. Establishing quality and centrally located accommodations, diversifying meals, being flexible with group sizes, and providing experienced and dedicated tour directors are all top priorities in their tour development. For example, I can always count on ACIS to put us in a centrally located hotel near the action as opposed to a cheaper hotel 30 minutes outside of the city center; I do not worry about student complaints of repetitive dinners; and I know that I can choose a catalog tour to Iceland with 25+ students or customize a tour through Mexico with 15 students. I have found ACIS to be the best value for the money spent.

ACIS also has top-of-the-line customer service. Tour consultants are readily available for your assistance. They are extremely accommodating, professional, hard-working, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. I have never been disappointed or had difficulty resolving complications. Additionally, ACIS has been extremely accommodating to my students and their families in response to the COVID-19 travel dilemmas. I will definitely be traveling with ACIS in the future!

ACIS is unmatched! From the planning stages all the way to our daily excursions one thing that ACIS does better than anyone else is check in with their customers. My students and I are in safe hands the entire time, and if I ever needed anything, I don't have to make a move. Tour consultants call their group leaders while we are on the trip to make sure we are happy and satisfied. I always forget about this until I see a phone being handed to me and hear, "It's for you." Every trip I've taken with students has been a wonderful, engaging, and educational experience. Leading students on an international excursion is not for the faint of heart, but ACIS provides support the entire way. No matter how big or small a question is, the tour manager will respond with professionalism and genuine care. Local guides are knowledgable and dedicated to teaching and the accommodations are clean, comfortable, and close to the sites. And, of course, the daily adventures and local, authentic food are in a tie for my favorite part of traveling. You cannot go wrong with this company.

Funny---and interesting that all of their 5-star reviews are from this month where the company has moved all tours AGAIN to 2022 and there are some really angry people. Not angry because of moving tours to next year due to Covid, but angry because ACIS is withholding refunds of money due to parents. Their "enhanced cancelation" policy is a bunch of bs. They're not refunding me $1125 of paid-in-full tour, as my son cannot go next year. So, for all of those that have written a STELLAR review on behalf of ACIS this month (feb 2021) thanks for sticking up for your buddies at ACIS. The rest of us, struggling to even try and pay for such an extravagant trip for our children, are out a ton of money because as one ACIS rep told me on the phone "we need to pay bills too." I'm sure that PPP money you got will cover you just fine. The rest of us will figure it out from here.

My high school has used ACIS since the '80's. I am honored to have taken over the trip from the teacher that took me to Europe when I was a student. Throughout the years, ACIS has provided the most outstanding experiences for our students. I have compared similar trips that other companies offer and have actually used another company for a different trip, and nothing compares to ACIS. From customer service, to the tour managers, to the accommodations, to the excursions, everything ACIS does is top tier. We travel on the most convenient flights, stay at the nicest and best-located hotels, eat local and authentic cuisine, and fill our days with the most meaningful outings and connections. When something unexpected comes up during a trip, ACIS has always stepped up and made on-the-fly adjustments that made the new situation seem normal. When COVID shut down two trips in a row, ACIS made the most generous refunds possible for our travelers. After leading multiple trips with ACIS, I am certain that they will continue to exceed my expectations for years to come.

I can't say enough great things about ACIS! I have completed two successful trips with them and they were terrific in terms of planning the trip (our program manager was in constant communication and made sure that the itinerary met our precise needs) and the trip itself. ACIS tour managers are knowledgeable, expert in working with teenagers and are able to pivot on a dime when situations change. Hotels are centrally located, clean and provide a hearty breakfast. Further, the ACIS staff is professional and readily available to accommodate our needs both before and during the trip. I traveled once with another educational tour company and discovered that ACIS is far superior.

My partnership through the years with the ACIS has transformed my professional life as an educator. After creating and developing a seminar on the Holocaust at my school I aspired to take my students to Europe to trace this terrible history and to contemplate its many lessons in a more meaningful way. I had misgivings in reaching out to a travel company to organize such a trip, however, because the course had become personal to me in a way only an educator could understand and I was nervous about turning my work over to travel agents and my students' experience to tour guides. But if I was going to take students overseas I would need expert assistance, and so I called the ACIS to inquire about such a trip. From that first hour long conversation with their program manager, it was clear the ACIS was not merely offering services but more importantly a partnership with desperately needed insight and travel experience. Before we talked about dates, places, and numbers of travelers, Cara wanted to understand what I imagined such an experience could be for my students and how it might impact them for years to come so that she could leverage the considerable expertise of the ACIS to help bring my vision to life. Trusting the ACIS with my work was the best decision I ever made. My ACIS tour manager understands me as a teacher because he's one of the best educators I know. With the world as his classroom, he teaches best by creating an experience that reaches students in that place where truth is kept.

In addition to how they understand the purpose and value of travel, the ACIS is equally revered by me for their professionalism and competence. Ever phone call is returned and email responded to in a timely manner with answers and insights to questions and concerns. The myriad logistics for hotels, restaurants, flights, busses, etc., are meticulously reviewed and appraised multiple times before, during, and after each trip to the point where they are handled so smoothly I simply don't see them. Through the years unforeseen circumstances on my trips have put their competency to the test. One year in Krakow, Poland, after a cancelled flight home due to an early morning fog my anxious students and I were stranded at the airport. All it took was one phone call to the ACIS. They gathered their resources, woke up who they needed to, and worked the problem. In short order we were transferred to another airport, new flight arrangements were made, put up in a hotel airport to rest, and made it home safe and sound into the wide open arms of grateful parents—at no extra cost. Perhaps at no other time has the ACIS been tested more severely as a result of the recent pandemic. Last March only two days before we were set to leave for another trip we had to cancel as the pandemic quickly worsened. Despite finding themselves in uncharted waters, how they have navigated my trips through the last year has been remarkable.

The ACIS continues to inspire me and I hope nothing more than to continue this valued partnership for years to come.

I have worked with ACIS for many many years (and have also previously traveled with other companies) and I can honestly say that ACIS is truly the best travel company out there. The support given to the group leaders is outstanding, from the earliest stages of planning a trip with fantastic Program Managers, to communications and check-ins during the tour from both your own program manager and those from offices overseas, plus follow-ups after the trip. With ACIS, your ideas and your voice really do matter, and they listen and try to accommodate whatever plans you may want to arrange for your group.

When weather delays or city strikes have ever affected plans, ACIS bends over backwards to make sure that alternative plans are activated so that your group has the best possible experience no matter what. When our return flight was affected because of a commercial airline strike, ACIS arranged for us to travel by train from Paris to London, and arranged an amazing city tour for us including theater tickets to a show of our choice and a fabulous meal at Covent Garden so that we could then fly home on a different airline from a different city without skipping a beat. When luggage was once delayed longer than usual because of major weather issues at the airport, ACIS met us with cash in hand for each of the travelers so that everyone could purchase toiletries and necessary items so that we could carry on a bit longer until our luggage caught up with us.

ACIS tours are educational in ways large and small! We have traveled to Central America, China, Russia, Australia + New Zealand and all over Europe and the UK with ACIS and each trip included a well-balanced itinerary with a trip that included really excellent hotels and restaurants that I would gladly return to if traveling to that destination again. The food is local, fresh, authentic and delicious, and mealtime becomes a cultural event. The points of interest selected on their itineraries are a combination of sites you absolutely must see plus sites you may not have been as familiar with, but are so glad you experienced!!! The tour managers make every effort to weave in stops at local markets, shops, concerts or shows that may be of interest so that you can experience more from each area you visit.

ACIS uses experienced tour managers and guides who not only know the history and culture of each destination, but who also know how to interact well with both students and adults. They are stellar additions to the ACIS team in every corner of the world we have visited, and I have repeat travelers who tell me that the ACIS tour managers and guides are one of the many reasons they continue to return. Experienced, knowledgeable guides make learning fun and fascinating, and we have never been disappointed in all the years we have traveled with this company.

We have an ACIS trip planned for Japan that was postponed because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, and I can’t wait to travel again. They have made very reasonable and flexible reservation arrangements in light of the world’s pandemic, demonstrating once again their ability to pivot and help the traveler as much as possible. It has been my continued experience that ACIS will be there for you when it counts, helping you plan for just about anything that may come up in as stress-free a manner as possible. We have had one awesome trip after another, every single time. This has not been my experience with other travel companies. You get what you pay for…and although ACIS may not be the least expensive travel company, they are truly, truly the best, and you will be SO glad you chose to travel with them!"

ACIS is a true 5-star company. I have had the pleasure to work with this company for over 25 years. The Boston Team is by far the best educational travel team. I have worked with two other companies and each one yielded a sub-par experience with so many problems and extra-hidden charges. This is never the scenario, from my experiences with ACIS, in fact, the total opposite. As a Group Leader, one does except planning and organizing, but I must say that Tom Heigham, facilitated my trip from start to finish that at times, I felt like I was a participant! Tom is the utmost professional, meticulous and ensures a smooth transition from each leg of the trip. As my last trip left prior to the pandemic last February, Tom and his team were able to defuse a dilema I was experiencing regarding an ill student. Due to my long-standing relationship with ACIS, my student was able to receive a full refund minus the initial deposit. I was extremely grateful for this gesture by ACIS. My Tour Manager in Span, Nil, was excellent and not only provided insightful recommendations for our free time, but also offered to arrange any extra activities for my students. Nil was knowledgeable and an expert in Spanish art, culture and history. I would definetly request Nil for my next trip! However, whomever I would be assigned, would be up to the exemplary standards of ACIS. I would highly recommend ACIS for a new teacher venturing out on a new trip or a returning teacher. I look forward to working with Tom and the Boston Team for my next trip in 2022.

Sincerely,
Liza Iolli
Woodward School for Girls
Quincy, MA

My first trip with ACIS was in 2019. It was during this trip that I became hooked on ACIS and would always use them as my travel company. That trip was not even with students yet, it was the Group Leaders trip to Barcelona. This company is amazing at putting together incredible experiences and giving us tools to be great group leaders. They are with you every step of the way. I would not travel with any other comapany.

Summer 2014 trip to France : We could not have dreamed up a better tour manager! Her suggested changes to our itinerary made the trip for us so memorable because not only did we get to see many more typical French villages that were lesser known to foreign tourists, but we also got to have a picnic on an authentic farm and even take advantage of the proximity of Italy by going there for a day. Our tour manager was so knowledgeable, positive, hilarious, engaging, and organized: a true diamond in the rough!


2016 trip to France: This entire trip honestly felt like a dream! We could not have asked for a better experience, and my kids learned and grew so much in just 9 days. I particularly love this itinerary because it allowed for three completely different views of France: city (Paris), mountains (Chamonix), beach (Nice). In addition, our group was elated to get to drive through Italy en route to Nice!

Feb 2019 to Quebec: This was an absolute dream trip, and I would not have changed anything about it! The kids raved about the experience, especially dog-sledding, snow tubing, and sugar shack dancing! We definitely plan to offer this exact same trip (hopefully with Tony!) every other year for our school.

I just can't say enough about how fortunate I've been to travel with ACIS. Touring Italy with Edouardo, the UK and Ireland with Libby-- these were trips that have stayed with me. In each case, our Tour Manager went above and beyond to make sure everything was seamless and professional. But it was the little extras that really added to the richness of the experience. In Italy, on his day off, when we were having a free day, Edo instead joined us and we took a side tour of the Appian Way and the catacombs. Amazing! In England, Libby would often ask our driver to detour-- "There's a castle down this road you must see!" and off we'd go. When we were scheduled to arrive at York on a Sunday, she arranged for us to attend Evensong. Picture being able to experience a cathedral as it was meant to be experienced! I sat in the ancient choir loft and added my voice to the worshipers as they sang. I have traveled with other companies, but no one compares to ACIS. Being able to walk to and from your centrally-located hotel adds an extra layer of customization and convenience. But the Tour Managers! Second to none. I cannot wait until we go out into the world again together!

Yeah so like many people I was going to France when the pandemic hit. The trip was canceled only got half of the money back. When we went to look at the insurance and contract information which was online; it could no longer be found. They closed our account before we had made a decision which means we had no access to any information including billing... we had no access to the money we payed. There first offer gave most students no money back... for a $5000 trip $1000 is not enough. I saved up my own money and I felt hurt it was all going to waste because they didn’t want to give peoples there money. They gave us low ball offers and tried to push us roll over the trip with the school. The problem was this was most students senior year and they would not be at the school anymore. I know a lot of people where excited for this trip and devastated that we could not go. But the refunds they tried giving ruined mine and my friends love for traveling. They really were not willing to work with us and made a uncertain time even more bleak. I would never travel with this company nor let anyone I know travel with them.

My daughter’s France trip was cancelled due to COVID. Told we could roll over to a new trip in 2021. My daughter is not comfortable traveling nor do we as her parents feel it will be safe so we cancelled. We were told $650 of the almost $4,000 paid was non refundable. We were told this was due to the many expenses they already incurred. Maybe ACIS needs to rethink their business plan or at least it seems like they are the ones that need insurance to cover these expenses they said they incurred and weren’t refunded. Instead they are keeping the money of many hard working families. Money paid for an experience our children NEVER received. So sorry I ever agreed to this trip and will NEVER consider another tour from this company for any of my children. These companies should not be allowed to practice business in this manner. Shameful.

When I signed my daughter up to go to France (in 2021) I was told that I would get a full refund as long as the trip was cancelled before 65 days prior to the departure date. With everything that has happened with the pandemic, it just isn’t feasible for my family to spend this amount of money.

Acis has responded that the cancellation fee is $350, AND it would only be a travel voucher for another date. (From the acis site- Given the uncertainties that may exist around international travel in the year ahead, we’re making an exception to our standard cancellation policies. We’ve extended our most generous cancellation/refund amounts that are usually in place until 130 days before departure all the way until 65 days before departure.“

Guess we won’t use this system again.

Please ask yourself why a bunch of recent four star reviews just happened to show up on the site all at the same time. This appears to be the result of a coordinated effort to manipulate what is being seen on the site and to push back bad reviews from those that had horrendous experiences with ACIS. Please don't be fooled.