Experience Northern Italy the way few others do with Audrey

Our trip to Friuli with Audrey and Manlio was incredible! From the first contact with Audrey (thanks to a Google search!) through the planning process, we felt confident about her professionalism and attention to detail. What we didn't know until our trip began is how much fun and local insight Audrey and Manlio would bring to the whole experience. Audrey was quick to laugh with us, to anticipate our every need, and to prepare us for each day's adventures. Manlio was a steady presence, handling driving and sharing stories and memories that enhanced our trip. Their love for Friuli is evident, and it's contagious! Our trip was everything we hoped for and more. We're telling everyone to head to Friuli to see a different side of Italy. There are no better guides to the region than Audrey and Manlio. Grazie to you both! 

We have had the most memorable trip to beautiful Italy, made all the better by working with Travels With Audrey.  We were keen to explore the region of Friuli and the region surpassed our expectations.  Experiencing the history, cuisine and wine of this special region was a daily joy. Having Audrey and Manlio as our main guides made all hassles and irritations of international travel melt away as we were effortlessly transported to our tours, meals and activities.  The hotels arranged by Audrey were beautifully appointed and perfectly located.  We found the pre-trip booklet very helpful in planning for and packing for the trip. She crafted a perfectly paced journey, hired wonderfully educational and knowledgeable guides and attended to all our needs along the way.  Audrey and Manlio provided a great balance of help and guidance during the day while also allowing us time on our own to explore and discover cities and sights on our own.

We took a chance hiring Audrey to lead us on our trip and we were blessed with great fortune in discovering her services.  We cannot overemphasize how our travel to the amazing region of Friuli was enhanced by doing so with Audrey and Manlio.  We look forward to meeting them again as dear friends when we return in the future.

We had a family adventure with 13 of us, ages 1 to 67 years old, related as brothers, sisters, in-laws, cousins, and grandchildren.  Audrey spent two weeks with the whole gang as our Tour Manager and then my husband Rich and I stayed on another week with Audrey to see sites in Northern Italy with her as our driver-guide. The whole trip was AWESOME.  We made marvelous memories together.  Audrey was terrific at meeting the needs of this diverse group.  She took us to special spots that we had visited with her 5 years before.  That is one of the reasons we selected her to help guide us and she far exceeded our expectations.  She also added many new treasures to enjoy and share with each other.  Audrey is organized, knowledgeable, fun, flexible, curious, thoughtful, energetic, discreet, adventurous, and sentimental. We enjoyed Audrey’s tour and her company as she shared her favorite spots with us along the way.  We ate things that surprised us  and went to places that we would never have found on our own. Audrey was our constant guide and friend.  Tomorrow night I am meeting with the family to begin planning a trip with Audrey to France in the fall!

Traveling with Audrey is no ordinary kind of guided travel. Although it can be “interesting” to see the sights that all tourists “should see” (according to tour companies and travel books), I look for more than that. I want to experience what living around those sights is all about – the land, the people, the history and the connection between these that results in different cuisines, traditions, and cultural ways. And that’s what makes Audrey a one-of-a-kind tour manager for me. Because that’s just what she delivered. If you’ve ever visited family/friends in another country who have shown you around, taken you to their favourite places and given you some background into what you were seeing (and did all the driving and talking to locals!), then you know what I mean. It’s a kind of deep immersion into more of the life a local person experiences.

For example, we were in a shop in Italy where all kinds of pasta and sauces were sold. The shop owner clearly was passionate about the products she was selling, as evident by the dialogue between her and Audrey (who btw, is also an enthusiastic foodie!). I tried asking about the pasta, but the shop owner’s English was very limited, and I have no Italian. She struggled to find even a few words to explain which pastas went with what sauces. Audrey came over and with her help translating, I was able to learn so much from the shop owner. Afterwards, she even remarked to Audrey how nice it was for her to be able to explain in greater detail what I was looking at. And that is something that would not have happened had I been on my own or travelling with a tour company on a preset itinerary.  Her amazing ability to flip between several languages, her extensive and personal knowledge of the areas, its history, her ability to connect with locals and let's not forget her incredible driving skills in the mountains and narrow city streets have made this a trip of a lifetime! No stress, no hassles, less crowds. Travels With Audrey has my highest recommendation!

Thank you, Audrey for the “perfect tour” of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.  Our merry little band of “over 70” year olds would have never made this trip on our own, nor would we have tolerated a big bus tour.  Your planning, time management and adjustments to our daily needs and itinerary were invaluable.  We especially enjoyed your personalized booklet as it was a great resource for our pre-trip travel planning.  The daily tour information with history and highlights of all our destinations was also very helpful.  The museums, boat and train rides, castles, wine tastings and your little surprises were enjoyed by all.  Most of all we got to enjoy these countries through all the food experiences you planned.  The Parmigiano-Reggiano, Balsamic Vinegar and Prosciutto tours were all interesting and tasty. 

Speaking of food, all the restaurants you took us to for lunch and dinner were over the top when it came to ambiance, scenic views and crazy good food.   We dinned everywhere from a ski gondola to a wine cave to hillside restaurants – fantastic.  These are just a few of the reasons we chose you for the second time to guide us on our lengthy tour.  Lastly, thank you for driving us over 2,200 miles, through 4 countries, in a span of 3 weeks so we could enjoy the beautiful countryside of these amazing countries….and did I mention the FOOD.  This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us that we all enjoyed and could not imagine entrusting anyone but you with coordinating this trip.  You have spoiled us rotten when it comes to traveling. Thank you for everything, Gail, Bill, Lil, Tom and Bruce

After some research online we found and liked Audrey’s website and decided she would be a good fit for the kind of tour we had in mind, which entailed the availability of Audrey as our driver-guide who confidently drove us around well-known and lesser-known regions of Italy allowing us to discover little known locations and enjoy wonderful food and delicious wines along the way. The best part of it was the complete ability to let the trip just happen, without having to worry about anything. From driving itineraries to hotels, private guided tours in Rome and the Vatican to wine tastings and suggestions for places to eat, Audrey took care of it all for us. I would absolutely recommend Travels with Audrey, especially if you are looking for a private tour and do not want the hassle of planning or driving in a foreign country.  Audrey introduced us to parts of Italy we did not know existed! Our understanding and appreciation for Italy are now so much deeper that we would like to go back and re-visit some of those areas. By far the most notable experiences included observing the truffle hunting dogs at work in Umbria. We then had the opportunity to watch fresh pasta being made from scratch followed by a hearty lunch, accompanied by good local wines. All of this at their private home as if we part of their family. Wild boar home smoked “salame”, fresh pasta with a delicious truffle sauce…all of it conspired to creating lots of very fond memories! 

Our small group of eight saw Paris and Provence in 10 days with each day full of adventure and new experiences to our senses. This was our second trip using Audrey as our traveling guide. Our first trip was to Italy and with our 12 year old son. We did not hesitate to sign up for Audrey's small group tour to France when we received the information. Audrey is not just a guide, but becomes a friend who advocates for her guests. 

Audrey speaks 5 languages and has much knowledge about the places she takes her guests. When you travel with Audrey ALL logistics are taken care of. She is very detailed oriented and ensures that each guest is comfortable. Her trips are smooth and seamless. Tickets for museums and other events are purchased in advance and Audrey's group is ushered in; not waiting in long lines. Audrey hires expert tour guides for museums and villages who enrich your experience and bring history back to life. In France, we visited some main attractions, but then dove deep off the beaten path to feel the pulse of daily life in quaint villages. I liked it that in Provence we stayed in one Inn as our base camp and then drove to different villages from there. It was a comfort to have such a beautiful Inn to call our home for seven days while in Provence, where each guest had their own veranda. We enjoyed ancient Roman ruins, places where Van Gogh lived, open air markets, medieval castles, and a day on the Mediterranean in a boat swimming and exploring the Calanques. We learned about French wines and olive oils. We visited a beautiful lavender store where we learned about the different lavenders. Audrey knows how to put a trip together and is tuned into each guest to make sure everyone is comfortable. We are looking forward to doing more trips with Audrey.

This was our second trip with Audrey and once again, the service she provides is top-notch. Her itineraries are a blend of must-see attractions and unique, off-the-beaten path experiences, with unplanned time for you to explore on your own. Audrey takes care of every detail so you can focus on enjoying your time abroad. She chooses hotels, restaurants, and experiences that are charming, upscale and authentic. Fluent in multiple languages, she has solid cultural knowledge of many European countries, and chooses excellent local guides who provide deeper context and history. We love traveling with Audrey, and can’t wait for our next trip with her!

We highly recommend Audrey and here’s why: During the planning phase of our trip we emailed back & forth a lot.  We changed our entire itinerary from what we started with when we first met with Audrey to our final trip.  Audrey was so accommodating with all of our “changing our minds” on where we wanted to go and things we wanted to see.  She found new things to do when we went a new direction.  Audrey planned the vacation exactly the way we wanted it. Every detail was planned out, up to personal drivers and personal tour guides. We didn’t have to worry about anything. She provided additional info for places to eat and things to see and she was always there if we had a problem or question while on our trip. The Personal Guides were outstanding-very friendly and knowledgeable and the tickets to bypass the lines were exceptional. Hotels were centrally located for easy walking and all very clean and friendly.

We really enjoyed Audrey taking us to the Venice that most tourist don’t get to see, especially our “Venetian Bar Crawl with wine and Cicchetti”. We were fortunately very lucky to have Audrey as our driver-guide from Rome to San Marino and eventually to Venice. She was a wealth of knowledge about the history of the area we were driving through. It was such a pleasure to work with Audrey: our trip was OUTSTANDING because of the care and personal attention she gave to us from our initial planning to our final itinerary.

Thank you Audrey for planning an amazing, life-changing trip to Sicily for us. It truly was a dream come true, and you and your in-country associates made it so memorable for us. We packed a lot into a one-week itinerary, and it was the perfect balance of seeing ancient ruins, countryside, food tours, baroque architecture, the Mediterranean Sea and strolling town centers and main streets. And of course shopping and food! 

The company hired to drive us around all week was incredible, and our guides at the ruins were very, very knowledgeable. Your pamphlets and vouchers helped us to feel more informed and organized before leaving home too. I discovered my ancestral neighborhood on this trip, and it is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My only regret is that I can't get on a plane tomorrow and go right back! This trip was a long time in the making, and I thank you for your flexibility, for answering so many questions, and for staying in touch with us while we were in Sicily. Many thanks, Grazie mille!

My family and I just returned from a vacation to Italy, planned by Audrey. I had never been to Italy before, and I didn’t know where to begin planning. Audrey’s knowledge of Italy is incredible. We gave her some ideas, and our budget, and she planned the most amazing trip for us! Each step was perfect. The hotels were beautiful, and we loved private tours of Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Florence. The cooking class she set up in Sorrento was one of the highlights! We kept raving about how flawless and easy each part of the trip was! And Stresa, a place we never even knew about, was breathtaking! If it wasn’t for Audrey, we would have never gone there! She planned every detail, right down to the train tickets. Audrey, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. You made our trip perfect and memorable. We will definitely be booking with you again! 

Martha and I are three-time travelers with Audrey. We have found a way to travel that suits how we want to see new places! It is so stress free to have someone who has taken care of all of the travel arrangements, ticket purchases, and dinner reservations ahead of time. You can just relax and enjoy. While we want to see the main attractions, we also want to get a more personal feel for the places where we visit. With Audrey's connections and small groups, we get to see and experience things that most tourists don't even know exist. Our recent trip was excellent and if you're thinking about travel, I would highly recommend Travels with Audrey!

My husband and I just completed a tour of Italy arranged with Travels with Audrey. Everything was perfect, I mean, really perfect! I’m sure Audrey even arranged the weather!! The hotel recommendations were impeccable, as were the restaurants, and each of our guides along the way was extremely knowledgeable, personable and such a pleasure to spend time with. It was a trip completed at our pace, acknowledging our wishes, but with some gentle (and much needed) guidance. We feel we’ve not only gained a real knowledge and understanding of the sights we’ve seen, but a real appreciation for the rich history of Italy and the lives of its inhabitants today. Some olive oil and a few pieces of ceramic have been picked up along our travels, as well as about 2,500 photos, but more than that, our lives have been enriched by our experience, and we’ve gained a new friend. From the bottom of our hearts, thank-you Audrey! 

Three friends and I joined Audrey on this trip and had a wonderful time. The trip was incredibly well organized, fun, and stress-free. Compared to other group tours I've been on, this one was top notch in every way. We were consistently impressed with the quality of hotels, guides, activities, restaurants, and food/wine recommendations. One of the best aspects of the trip was just spending time with Audrey. Always a font of knowledge, upbeat, smiling and a joy to be around! Highly recommend Travels With Audrey. If you have an opportunity to take a trip with her, or to have her arrange your trip, just do it!

My family of 4 greatly enjoyed Paris, Provence, Lyon, Burgundy and Normandy. Audrey is an outstanding travel facilitator. Her personal attention to details and adjusting itineraries to meet our needs was really helpful. From planning to leading us throughout the trip we had just the right amount of activity, relaxing time, group time, and alone time. Her lifetime of experience and in-depth knowledge of the area was such a bonus. Can't recommend highly enough the value she provides. Looking forward to traveling with Audrey again!

In June, Audrey led our group of 8 artist friends through the lovely towns of Provence, France.  I asked her to help create a relaxing pace through the beautiful villages where artists historically came to paint and see the summer light of the Mediterranean towns.  She helped choose the places to visit, chose a charming boutique hotel on the edge of St Remy, drove us, translated for us, and basically guided us through our experience at a relaxed pace.  It was just perfect and Audrey is a charming and knowledgeable host. We took her recommendations for which towns to stay longer, where to eat (Audrey is a foodie!) and where the best shopping was. I highly recommend Audrey to put together your group vacation, just the way you want it!  Merci beaucoup, Audrey! Should I mention that Audrey and I met as tour managers and have been friends for almost 10 years? I know her planning and attention to detail is impeccable.

My family and I recently traveled to Italy with Audrey. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and all agreed that Audrey enhanced our trip way beyond anything we could have organized ourselves. Audrey is well networked with local hotels, guides and transportation services. What that meant for us, is that we got the best rooms in the hotels with views, we travelled in Luxury Mercedes vans and mini-buses with friendly, knowledgeable drivers. Our Guides to the many venues enriched our tours with their vast amount knowledge and enthusiasm. And they could get us in to venues skipping lines that were blocks long. Amazing!

All of Audrey’s contacts respect and adore her and make sure her clients get the best service. We went to many of the most well-known sights and places, such as Florence, Rome, the Vatican and Tuscany. However, we also went to many off the beaten track places that Audrey knew that were wonderful, such as lunch and wine tasting at the Chianti winery, a private dinner prepared by our own chef in Rome and to some Greek ruins that were incredible in southern Italy to mention a few.

I highly recommend Audrey. She is a warm gracious woman who works very hard for you and keeps your group organized. She saves you hours of logistics time, because she knows the regions and people well. Paying the money up front in the beginning was scary, but we had heard about her and took the risk. She really took care of us. Our family all agreed that our small group tour was far more satisfying than a larger tour could have ever been for not much more money.

We just took a tailored two week trip with our best friends.  Audrey developed our travel plan to Edinburgh, London, Normandy and the Loire valley.  It was a DREAM TRIP.  The hotels were all very good and the food was superb.  The best thing about the trip was the personal guides that Audrey set up for us; they were extremely knowledgeable, personable and entertaining.  Audrey drove us around in France and was our guide in the Loire.  A great trip! 
View Bill, Gail, Tom & Lil's private tour package and what they consider to be most valuable about Audrey's service

I would like to thank you for making our family vacation so special. Everything went without a hitch, from the tour guides, to the dinners you planned. We LOVED everything! The special personal chef night was fantastic, just perfect! I know traveling with toddlers is not always easy but you made it seamless. I really appreciated you giving them places to go that the girls would enjoy, and the hotel with the pool, great choice. You know that I chose to book with you because you were our guide five years ago and we really enjoyed ourselves then. I’m so happy we found you again. Booking with you was easy and I will not hesitate to recommend you to all my friends and family.

 We have used Audrey’s services twice in the past, once to Italy and once to Spain. Our most recent trip was to Spain. This trip exceeded our expectations in many ways. First of all, individual travelers are different and have different needs. Audrey takes this into account and tailors the trip to the specific personality of the group. For example, our group had a mixture of adults, young adults and teenagers. Audrey arranged the transportation so that we were never rushed in the morning, had ample time to eat breakfast and set off to a day of sightseeing feeling rested and excited about the day. We visited all the typical tourist spots, but also had intimate “one of a kind” trips to a vineyard, sherry bodega, cooking class and olive oil factory. The longer drives were broken up by timely stops in unique towns. All this adds up to a one of a kind experience that really allows you to feel the culture of the country. We left the hotel planning up to Audrey and each hotel was centrally located, unique and clean. Audrey has extensive knowledge about the countries that she offers and a love for travel and the people. You cannot go wrong with a trip with Audrey. Try her once, and like us, you will be back for more. 

My family just got back from a 10 day trip to Spain with Audrey and it was AWESOME!!!! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to travel again without her! Audrey took care of everything…hotels, transportation, obtaining tickets to sites, shows, etc., which left us to just enjoy our trip! We had told her in advance which activities and cities we were interested in and she made it happen. She was even able to squeeze in some extra activities (like wine tasting!) while we were there. Audrey is so nice, and easy to talk with. We really enjoyed her company and her love for the country. If you want to have a great vacation without any worries, you have to use Audrey!

Just want to say thank you once again for a most fabulous tour. The fact that you designed it to suit our very specific interests was phenomenal. Everything went very smoothly. You knew just what arrangements were necessary to accomplish everything in the time we had available. We were very pleased with the transportation, restaurants, sites, guides, etc. The whole trip could not have gone better.  Our tour realized the dream my wife and sister in law wanted to fulfill: following the footsteps of their father as a paratrooper during the 2nd World War. We met many great people and have wonderful memories. I will always cherish the “down” times when Maureen and I had a sandwich and a beer at a sidewalk café in Paris and a beer at a sidewalk cafe in Berlin with Frau Vogel. Looking forward to future travels!

We were fortunate enough to have had Audrey De Monte serve as Tour Manager for our 10 day family trip to Europe. The tour was a 10-day multi generational family tour (grandparents to teen age grandchildren) of the cities of Paris, Venice and Rome. Audrey was extremely well organized and always provided multiple suggestions to make sure that everyone was having a great time. She knew the cities well which enabled us to get access to great reasonably priced restaurants that served authentic local food which was not an easy task for such a large group. She kept our group on time and always offered suggestions for other activities when we had free time. She made this family trip a very precious memory for all and for that we are grateful. Thank you Audrey!

We just got back from our Italian "adventure" last night and I wanted to spend a few minutes sharing with you some of my thoughts about this trip. Most importantly, our local host and tour manager, Audrey, made this a most memorable time with her knowledge, patience, sweetness and fun personality.  This could have been a very grueling time with the extreme heat, non-stop walking and lack of sleep but Audrey made it extremely enjoyable.  We couldn't have asked for anyone better and we feel blessed that we were lucky enough to have her as our guide.  The itinerary was fabulous and we especially loved the side trips to San Gimignano, Assisi, Cortona and the winery tour with lunch. I also wanted to mention that our culinary experience in Tuscany was an evening we will never forget. I highly recommend Travels with Audrey for your vacation to Italy. 

Allyson and I were very impressed with our tour to Italy! We wouldn't have changed a thing!!! We loved our hotels from the staff to the hotels and fabulous breakfast buffets. Our views from each of them were wonderful...especially the one in Rome. The nearby restaurants were superb. We both loved the first meal together with the taste-testing of drinks. It was a great way to meet each other and an excellent indication of what was ahead of us!!! Audrey's enthusiasm, attention to details and sweet surprises made each day very special: the musicians on the gondola ride, the wine and appetizers on the balcony, the chocolate candy on the bus and the rooftop wine tasting (what a view). Audrey was really a fantastic tour manager. We appreciated how much she knew about Italy and that she spoke Italian. She flawlessly made all the arrangements, so that we didn't have to think about anything besides enjoying our trip. She was also an easy person to travel with! We can't recommend her highly enough!

Thank you for your incredible leadership! As I scribbled on a post card to you on our last day in Sorrento, we truly appreciated your intelligent, enthusiastic, warm, witty and often personalized guidance throughout our wonderful trip to Italy. Your personal imprint was upon each of us who shared in this incredible adventure, and I know I speak for everyone when I say a sincere thank-you for making it so very special for each and every one of us! As our daughter, expressed it, you have the best career in the world! I know that we just witnessed the frosting on the cake, and that your expertise made everything seem so flawless, but that was all because of the hard work that you did behind the scenes. As Captain Jean Luc Picard would say, "make it so!" You are very special! 

Audrey, just wanted to tell you again how much we enjoyed sharing a little part of Italy with you and our other travel companions. The people, the food and wine, the culture, and the experiences will linger as vivid memories. You made it all happen as it should. Thank you for your professionalism, but most of all for your personal involvement and caring that made everything seem to happy naturally. More than a one-time tour manager, I hope to count you as a new friend. Thanks again and we hope to share new travel experiences with you again in more exciting places in the future. God bless you.

We just wanted to thank you for making our honeymoon simply unforgettable. We think we were so very fortunate to have had you as our tour manager. You are amazing. Everything about you fits what you do perfectly. We appreciated your being so knowledgeable about the places we visited, so well prepared and we loved your personality. We find ourselves reminiscing of so many lovely times we had. We would definitely travel with you again! You will be glad to know the bottles of wine made it just fine. And speaking of wine, dining with you at you own personally chosen restaurants was a unique, wonderful experience as well!