Join our bespoke international small group tours for mature travellers

Glenda & Ken
What an absolutely wonderful experience you have given us on our Japan Autumn Tour. We were taken by hand and supported every step of the way. It is such a thoughtful itinerary and well planned itinerary that showed us the very best of Japan. We have been immersed in the culture, landscape, food and the arts across our journey. Your well-chosen and knowledgeable guides filled us with the history and stories of this beautiful country. Their expertise and attention to detail gave is the best possible experience. Each guide brought their own skill set as they enthusiastically supported us through the maze of transportation networks, introduced us to a variety of culinary delights and safely returned us to our very comfortable accommodation places each day. Thankyou for sharing your beloved country with us Ken, We will have wonderful memories that we will keep forever.

I must say I thought the tour was excellent. I enjoyed every moment. We had such a delightful and proficient guide in Shira. She was known and respected by everyone that showed us their crafts and workshops. She looked after us so well and taught us so much about every aspect of Uzbekistan. She was a walking encyclopedia about just about everything! We will miss her company. She is a very special person and we were lucky to be guided by her. Nik too was a charming tour manager.
We will all have many happy memories from the tour.  The food was all so abundant and very tasty – nice to be able to eat so many fresh salads and vegetables.  Everything surpassed my expectations – the Government and the Russians did an amazing job in repairing and renovating the wonderful mosques, madrassas and minarets. We were even lucky enough to see all stages of the silkworm’s life cycle, one way or another! It was nice, too, to be in a country where we felt extremely safe all the time. I very much enjoyed being able to see the Art Museum in Nukus – what a treat!
Uzbekistan is so interesting in so many ways: thoughts of Marco Polo and the Silk Road; all the learned scholars making incredible breakthroughs in the fields of mathematics; astronomy and medicine: the amazing Islamic architecture; the Uzbek folk tales depicted in the miniature paintings and bronze statues. Shira always had another story for us as we journeyed through the fertile agricultural landscape. Stories of tyrants and despots and empire builders – it went on and on. It has opened my eyes and whetted my appetite to learn more about the history of Central Asia and Marco Polo and the experiences he had on his travels.
Thank you for all the time and care that has gone into organising this extremely interesting Small Group Tour of Uzbekistan.

I finally am getting around to writing a review of this wonderful Uzbekistan Small Group Tour  you put together for us! It was very well organised with the beautiful Shira guiding us all the way! The itinerary although hectic and tiring at times was excellent and that’s what being a tourist is all about! Transport in the minibus was very good and our driver excellent. We enjoyed the bullet train experience; however, we did have to complain about the individual car drivers for our trip over the mountain pass. We felt they drove too fast and seat belts not being a requirement concerned us all, however, after speaking with Shira she sorted it out! The hotels were very good, all the meals were excellent, food was fresh and so much of it! Our guide, Shira, shared and taught us so much about the history and culture of the Silk Road. We saw and learnt about the architecture, visited many beautiful historical sites, saw the mulberry crafts, silks, weaving, the traditional textiles, embroidery styles, we loved both the fashion parades and our small group also had lots of fun wandering the markets. It allowed us all to experience everything in such a personal way, so even though we had just met it was like best friends together!  
Glenda, thank you for organising this wonderful trip.

As a textile artist, I found this Italian Textile and Artisan Tour nothing short of spectacular. Visiting and staying in some of the smaller towns in Puglia, Umbria and Tuscany, the changing countryside along with the food and the wineries we went to were nothing short of fantastic. The third and fourth generation artisans we met long the way told fascinating family histories but being able to see their work in progress whilst onsite in their historical studios was truly inspiring. I have now done 4 trips with Glenda and she never ceases to amaze me with her thoroughness to ensure we have remarkable accommodation, the most interesting places to eat and drink, uses great local guides that know everything including where the next bank is to where the best bargains can be found – so 10 out of 10 Glenda!

Here is Jude’s Website. https://www.artinsitu.com.au Her clothing especially her jackets are amazing (and read her wonderful stories)

I am writing to thank you for providing us with the most marvellous tour of Japan. We have just completed the Japan Cherry Blossom Tour with Glenda, (‘tour organiser extraordinaire’)  it was fabulous and so well organised. Hotels were excellent, many delicious foodie moments (We would never have tried all the different foods had we been on our own)  and there was wide variety of activities and experiences including sushi making class to a kimono moment and sharing in a tea ceremony. We loved that we experienced a variety of transport from the local buses and trains to the exciting bullet train. We loved that it was a small group including wonderful Japanese guides. We felt like we learnt a lot about the Japanese culture and we were so lucky to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom …just as in the picture post cards. All in all a wonderful trip and we have no hesitation in recommending Boutique Tours & Travel. Thank you Glenda ! 

Wow. What a fantastic place is Egypt. I was treated to amazing accommodation, food and guides. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Egypt itself is amazing, the history, the pyramids, the tombs, the temples, even the ride on camels. 

Our guides, especially Ayman, were so knowledgeable and brought the past to life. Our transportation and drivers were amazing in the Egyptian traffic. 

We had a 4 night cruise on the Nile which was amazing, there's that word again, the service, rooms and food and sights along the way were, you guessed it, amazing. 

Thanks Glenda for organising such a wonderful bucket list trip. Egypt Boutique Small Group Tour. I loved it all..

I am just writing to tell you how much I enjoyed my Boutique Cherry Blossom trip to Japan  and we were lucky to see the beautiful cherry blossoms. The tour was planned so well, we were able to immerse ourselves into the culture, eat at authentic Japanese restaurants and we had plenty of photo opportunities. I loved that we had a mixture of coach travel and Bullet train journeys as well as walking through markets and gardens in the different cities and rural areas. So many highlights and came back  home having experienced the very best of Japan thanks to your planning and we had so much fun along the way.  I have recommended you to friends and family and looking forward to my next trip with you . Thanks again”

Wow, what a trip. Our Japan Boutique Small Group Cherry Blossom Tour was amazing. It was cherry blossom season and they certainly were everywhere and beautiful. We were treated to wonderful food in many settings from city, Unesco town, off the beaten track, monastery and mustn't forget the dragon burger,  restaurants. We had many experiences including dressing up in kimonos and having a tea ceremony, another wonderful dinner and a Geisha explaining her life and performing a dance, learnt how to make sushi and so much more. 

I have also been to China with Glenda which again had many cultural and wonderful food experiences. 

Thank you again Glenda and I cannot wait for my next trip with you. 

This country has been on my list for a long time so when Glenda announced her very extensive tour, she did not disappoint.

On the 19 day Morocco Small Group Textile and Foodie Tour we experienced so many incredible places to stay from where Kings reside up in the mountains, a night glamping in the Sahara to a stunning seaside residence, the sheer diversity of this majestic country was remarkable. Walking the famous markets of Fez and Marrakesh shopping alongside locals whilst finding your own treasures was just one of the many outstanding experiences we had. Camel riding, fossil finding, blue cities, this tour had every adventure covered and my only job was to be present.

“We have had an extraordinary journey through Egypt on Boutique Egypt Small Group Tour!! Our two main guides, Mariana and Bishoy, have provided expert insight of Egyptian history and so much more. 

Then there is Glenda Fagan. Glenda designed the tour, was such a great travel companion (tour leader), and always made sure every day had wow factor, immersion, and spontaneous moments. 

Glenda organises private tours and small group tours to wonderful locations. She is a superwoman and we cannot recommend her highly enough.”

Wow, what a fantastic and fun experience I had on my tour with you in Turkey Glenda.

I saw and learnt more than I ever expected, so much history, old civilizations and cultures and I returned home with a thirst for more knowledge.

The restaurants and the food you chose was to die for; we ate in some wonderful restaurants.

I loved eveerything on the Boutique Turkish Delights Turkey Tour including all the shopping bargains. There was no one stand out highlight as every day was full of them. Your tour exceeded all my expectations in every way.
Thank you.

Uzbekistan is not a place I had ever thought of going to as a lone female traveler before meeting Glenda and talking to her about this wonderful country, its silk road history and the gentle people who live there. We had a marvelous local guide, who told us many stories regarding their culture who took as to see some breathtaking historical sites made with architectural tiling; it is obviously a country that takes great pride in the upkeep of their beautiful buildings. The silk weaving, the embroidery, the ceramic workshops, shopping at various markets, the outstanding local food found in the most surprising places along with amazing stays in quirky hotels all made for a very memorable trip-of-a-lifetime. 

I highly recommend this Boutique Small Group Uzbekistan Silk Road Tour.

“I just wanted to let you know how fantastic your tour to China was. I loved Shanghai especially, it was out of this world, and the Terracotta warriors were just amazing and Beijing had so much to offer. The itinerary was terrific and having a small group really allowed us to experience things in a more personal way. Your support and advice helped us every step of the way and nothing was too much trouble due to your wonderful planning. Thank you so very much.”

What a fabulous time we had on your Vietnam Small Group Tour with you. It was such a pleasant change from the other tours we had done in the past. Having such a small group really allowed us to experience things in a more personal way and it was great knowing that nothing was ’set in concrete’ and we still had time to wander and discover on our own.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience. Thank you so much, we will definitely tell others.