So far, we have used Shadyside Travel for two major trips: a six-week trip to Italy in 2022, and a three-week adventure in Africa, just completed in September. They were both very complicated trips with lots of cities, tours, and other activities. Dawnn did a terrific job on arranging both, making sure that we got to see and do basically all there was to see and do, while ensuring we were not overwhelmed and had downtime to explore (or not) on our own. In Italy, we went to Milan, Florence, the Chianti Region, Rome, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, Puglia (Bari, Matera, Alberabelo), Bologna, Venice, Trieste, Verona, as well as St. Moritz, Switzerland, and the Predjama Castle in Slovenia. We sampled wine, cheese, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, and plenty of gelato, as one does in Italy. We toured museums, cathedrals, castles, ancient ruins, cave homes, and Trulli (look it up – so charming!). The accommodations were all excellent, and the transfers and train scheduling were spot on. Our guides were all personable and professional. We learned so much! It was the trip of a lifetime – until we went to Africa. We started in Morocco, went on to Egypt, then Zimbabwe and back again. We had a fantastic tour of the Atlas Mountains and Agafay Desert; we wandered around the Old Medina in Marrakech and stayed in a lovely riad in the heart of it. We explored spice shops, rug emporiums, and other artisan stores. From there, Egypt: we flew to Cairo, explored the pyramids, museums, the old bazaar, and more artisan shops, then on to Luxor for the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, and the Colossi of Memnon. No media can do it justice. We left Egypt for safari and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. It was far better than we anticipated. We saw – up close – elephants, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, baboons, hippos, crocs, gazelle, antelope, and yes, lions and leopard. Again, the accommodations and guides were fantastic. Once more, Dawnn made sure we basically did all there was to do without it being too much. On both trips, she made recommendations about things we had not considered or known about that turned out to be wonderful surprises, all while respecting our preferences and budget. We highly recommend using Shadyside travel, and we will be using them again!