Reviews of Asia Transpacific Journeys - ATJ (Travel Agency)

Marina Crispo

My husband and I just came back from Indonesia, our 5th trip with ATJ.... Everything was, as usual, organized to perfection.. Jen took care of every single detail with a magic touch.. It has been always very easy to plan the trip... She “ listen “ and she has the ability to understand what exactly we have in mind... and it is done right away... We have an answer in hours... never a moment of procrastination.. Her team has together all the details and we leave always with every single moment prepared and covered ... The follow up continues during the entire trip.. even after our return.... It is a very comfortable feeling to know that we are protected and spoiled every day away from home...... Everyone else I had to deal with was as professional and caring.. (as Janene .) I have to mention that ATJ guides are all excellent , cars and drivers are always the best available ... We have been traveling all over the world for many years, not only Asia, but ATJ gives BY FAR the best service and the best memories......... Marina

Gregg G

We've used ATJ on three occasions and they really do know their way around Asia. We always do custom itineraries so we cannot comment about group tour experiences. The process of creating a satisfactory itinerary is dynamic and we always get good responses from ATJ when we wish to amend part of the tour. They always seem to get excellent local guides, which is the MOST important aspect of any travel experience in my opinion. Being so well connected with the local agencies is key and they seem to have that down. If there are last minute issues, we never worry because we know that ATJ will rescue us form any negative experiences. We highly recommend them!

Eric Rutherford

ATJ put into action a dream I had to travel with my 13 year old son. We traveled the silk road. Guides were fantastic and on time. We broke form the itinerary and even went skiing in western China at the recommendation of our guide. Exceeded my expectations.

mosaics1223

Our trip to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam was meticulously planned which made for very smooth traveling. We enjoyed a variety of unusual activities which brought us deeper into the cultures of the countries we visited. These included biking in Bangkok ( partly thru a slum), spending a day at an elephant reserve, boating along a river and seeing floating villages and visiting an organic herb farm in Vietnam.

J Mac

ATJ has twice created memorable, beautifully choreographed tours for us.

Kristina Gerszten

Just back from our third family trip with Asia Transpacific. Each one has been a very special adventure custom made to meet our needs. Each trip was seamless...and went beyond our expectations. It is not worth traveling all the way to Asia and taking off time from a busy work schedule unless you have the best guides and excursions. All the guides have been skilled and highly educated. Most of all, they were always able to engage our preteens and now teens so that we came back filled with knowledge and desire to return. On each trip we have been immersed in cultural experiences as well as seeing amazing sites, eating great food, and learning about other religions, history, language....I have recommended Lesa Clarkson to multiple friends. Each one has reported back a very positive experience. You will not be disappointed if you book with this company, especially Lesa Clarkson.

Elizabeth Nabel

ATJ provides fabulous service, attentive to detail, really makes a trip personalized and special. I will clearly use them again on an Asia trip.

richard pettingill

This is our 4th trip organized by ATJ. All have been excellent with overall itinerary, lodging and informative guides. Highly recommend.

Louise Chamberlin

We used ATJ for our honeymoon and were thrilled with our experience. This was our first experience using a travel agency, and booked with them for a 2-week trip to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. We were very impressed by the level of service received - all hotels we stayed at were very special and most surprised us with "honeymoon treats" such as flowers on the bed, special desserts or wine, etc - a lovely touch! Our experience in Maldives was dream-like, with a beautiful over-water bungalow and our agent, Jen Boyd, arranged an all-inclusive package so we didn't have to worry about anything. Our guide in Sri Lanka, Prasad, was incredible - he was with us for our entire stay and shuttled us from place to place while answering all of our questions, taking care of all our needs, and giving us a wonderful experience from beginning to end. We enjoyed all of the activities arranged for us (we probably booked too many as we were worn out almost every day - but we would not have given up any single experience!) We were able to see an astounding amount of locations in 10 days, including temples, museums, local markets, historic sites, regional experiences, and anything else you could imagine. I appreciated that Jen and her team were patient with us changing our minds and misunderstanding the process (we paid a deposit and then wanted to change the itinerary, not understanding that it was supposed to be set at that time - oops) and making everything so easy from visas to plane tickets to planning advice. We also loved the pre-departure packets we received: our final itinerary arrived in a nice leather binder to take with us, for organizing documents and learning about each place we would visit. We would definitely use ATJ again in the future, and hope to return to Asia again soon!

Gina Davis

I have read the previous review by Ns. Cohen and it awaken bad memories of a trip I took with this company. I have had a similar experience where I came to find that I have paid double for a trip to Thailand and was totally refused details of my bill, break down of expenses and was left cheated and bitten by this people. Make sure to demand prices in advance and check against real offers on line. Thank goodness for Google enabling us to double check all that is available and also enable us to write reviews so other people can be warned.

Reid Cooper

Over the years, my wife and I have had the opportunity to work with many Indian nationals in our professions. We thoroughly enjoyed the people and the culture so we decide to visit India. After doing a considerable amount of research we selected ATJs “Treasures of India” tour. We had very high expectations for this tour and each and every one of our expectations was exceeded. The itinerary was pleasantly aggressive and diverse. The tour guide was articulate, knowledgeable, personable and entertaining. The tour leader was professional and locally well connected. Imagine drifting down the Ganges at sunrise in a wooden row boat with a small (6 people) tour group with a native flute player on the bow of the boat playing Hindu religious tunes as you watch multiple cremations and associated rites being performed on the steps of the Ganges in Varanasi. Actually having front row seats to a colorful and musical night performance of the Hindu Arti rite conducted by 7 Hindu priest before thousands of devotees. Or visiting a beautiful and ornate 10th century Jain Temple, a 16th century palace/fort or watching the Taj Mahal emerge from the morning fog from your luxury hotel balcony. Or visiting world renowned local artist producing hand made silk carpets, designer silk scarfs, dhurries, pottery, jewelry, miniature painting, etc. Wandering through the Pushkar Fair that is a combination of family entertainment, religious event and the annual horse and camel trading event. If your idea of a vacation is lying on the beach with an umbrella drink, this is probably not the tour package for you. If you would like to explore and be literally immersed in the culture and history of Northern India, do yourself a favor and sign up for this tour.

Richard Conover

We had fabulous guides, which greatly enriched our experience. Everything went flawlessly. Great places to stay and visit. Worked like clockwork. Wonderful planning. Couldn't be more pleased with our travel experience with ATJ.

Rachael Wilson

Amazing Honeymoon Experience! They booked everything for us and made sure to include guides and drivers to make our honeymoon experience memorable and super organized to make the most of our time in Asia! We plan on using ATJ for all our future Asia travels! Highly recommend their services

Susan Lebowitz

ATJ did a masterful job planning our customized 2 month trip to Australia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia. I say "masterful" because with a trip that long you would expect that something would not go according to plan, but it did. We worked with Katie who provided us excellence guidance and expertise throughout the planning process. Her insights and first-hand knowledge of the regions made a big impact on our trip. ATJ booked all of our hotels, flights, transfers and guides. As you can imagine with a 2-month trip, it was a lot of work. They also arranged for visas, provided valuable documentation and offered helpful pre-travel travel tips. I highly recommend ATJ and would certainly use them again in the future.

lisa stanger

The trip exceeded our expectations. ATG put together an exceptional itinerary for our first trip to Japan which appealed to our teen daughter as well as my husband and me. the guides were excellent as were the one-on -one experiences, such as meeting with an apprentice geisha and a cooking lesson in a traditional japanese home .

Eve Bluett

We just returned from a visit to Laos and Vietnam planned and coordinated for us by ATJ. The trip was amazing in every way. Our accommodations were wonderful, the private tours really interesting and tailored to our family's needs. The travel information they provided was extremely detailed and more than we even expected. All in all, we definitely recommend their travel tours!

Carol Sussman

Each step on our 16 day Indonesian adventure was perfectly planned and executed by Jen Boyd at Asia Transpacific Journeys. I first travelled with this company 20 years ago and my experience all these years later was even better. We had a trip designed specifically for our interests and budget, and it was splendid. Thank You ATJ!

Ryan McComb

Just booked an amazing trip to Cambodia with Jarrod at ATJ. Had an absolute blast. Everything from the accommodations to the guides were perfect. When traveling abroad, there's always a little fear at the back of your mind that a driver might not show up, a tour guide might be a dud, or a hotel might be a total bust. But everything was absolutely awesome. And if you haven't considered spending a couple weeks in Cambodia, think again. We found it to be a fascinating and beautiful country!

Caroline Heald

ATJ did a brilliant job designing a three-week New Zealand trip for us to remote locations. Our lodges were top-notch and the choreography was brilliant. We trusted ATJ to do a good job because we've been so satisfied with their work on earlier trips we made to India and Nepal.

Linda Haines

My sister and I just came back from a wonderful custom trip to China. Everything was set up beautifully by ATJ, and our experience couldn't have been better. We saw old China and new China, and stayed in places large and small, many of them UNESCO World Heritage sites that are well off the beaten path. The guides and drivers were all great, and it is obvious that they all want to go the extra mile for ATJ clients. Thank you for what I believe is my fifth trip with ATJ, since the first one in 1994.

Rob Boas

We recently returned from a truly magical trip to Papua New Guinea that was arranged for us by ATJ. We visited local tribesmen (and women!) in remote villages in three different regions of PNG and were always greeted warmly and treated to demonstrations and presentations by the locals, fully decked out in their traditional attire and face/body make-up. The highlight of the whole trip, though, was the "Tumbuna Sing-Sing," a festival held near Mt. Hagen that involved dance performances by 11 different tribes from all over the country. There were only about 25-30 guests watching the Sing-Sing so there were plenty of opportunities to get great photos. We were even able to photograph the performers while they got dressed and applied their elaborate make-up. Amazing!

Eleanor Livingstone

We just returned from 5 weeks in Australia and the South Island of New Zealand. This was our first trip using ATJ and certainly will not be the last! Some of the places where we stayed took our breath away. Each place was so unique and different from the place before and we felt we got a great sense of the wonderful hospitality shown us in both countries. There were many details to work out on this trip as we were driving ourselves much of the time and we were in quite remote parts of the country. We were able to relax and enjoy knowing all the details were looked after for us. It was a fantastic trip to a wonderful part of the world and we could never have put this trip together ourselves - ATJ gave us a trip we will always remember and we are already planning our next trip with this great travel company.

Alexis Bernard

Superb planning and execution made our first visit to Thailand an extraordinary experience! What sets ATJ apart for me is that they don’t do “canned” itineraries. They give expert advice -- and don’t seem to get tired of however many questions you might have -- but they also listen to what the client wants and build these preferences into the planning. The result is a customized journey with no ugly surprises, and yet one that is filled with the thrill of discovery. Outstanding on every level!

Sheila Reiser-Okun

We recently returned from a private tour to New Zealand, Tasmania (Australia) and Sri Lanka, planned by ATJ. (We went to the Four Seasons in the Maldives on our own at the end of this trip).The trip was fabulous! We travel extensively and this trip we now call "our trip of a lifetime". We planned it with Jen Boyd through emails and phone calls to determine exactly what we wanted to include and experience. We wanted the trip thoroughly planned ahead of time, so as not to waste a minute of our vacation time figuring our what to do next and the necessary logistics. Of course in our plan there was time for spontaneous activity. Jen did an outstanding job! Every detail of our itinerary was well-planned and the tour went like clockwork. Any issue that came up, we could contact Jen by email or phone that moment and she handled it immediately. We felt taken care of at all times. We will definitely plan more trips with Jen at ATJ in the future!

Joe McGreevy

ATJ helped us plan our honeymoon in December 2017. I came to ATJ with a general plan of what we wanted to do (Thailand), and its expert agent (Katie Landgraf) put together an amazing 10-day package. It would not have been possible for me to have booked the accommodations we experienced if I had called the hotels each myself. ATJ clearly used some relationships that we would use again. We did not book our airfare through ATJ, but that's only because I bought the flights when I was working with a different agency. The other agency (who will remain nameless) was terrible about getting back to me. Only about six months out from the trip, the other agency stopped responding to my calls. We had a complete itinerary and everything. I called ATJ the next day (somewhat frantically) and within three/four days, Katie had put together a new itinerary and we were off to the races. Katie used the flights I previously booked and planned around those. It was seamless. She's punctual and responsive. She also made the recommendation to Koh Yao Noi, which was insane. I hope we go back there multiple times. This should also be noted. We really wanted to see elephants on our trip. Unfortunately, Katie informed us that there were no ethical elephant sanctuaries in southern Thailand. Because ATJ would only schedule activities with ethical elephant sanctuaries, we were out of luck. My wife and I did some research and found what we thought was an ethical facility in Phuket. We notified Katie and she did some research on the facility (Phuket Elephant Sanctuary). It turned out that it was a very new, ethical facility and she immediately had it put on ATJ's approved list. She then updated our itinerary with PES. Pretty much ideal customer service. Maybe the best part of the planning, though, was the travel once we arrived in Thailand. This planning was all ATJ. We arrived at 2:00 AM on a Saturday. The airport was packed, but we had a driver with a sign and our names on it. He waited more than 45 minutes past when we were supposed to arrive even though we never contacted him. He was a manager (potentially owner) of the company, spoke great English, and explained our travel while in Thailand. For the next ten days, we were taxied around several islands, two cities, sooooo many boats, and there were zero problems. Every single time we were supposed to be picked up, there was a driver waiting for us (usually 15 minutes ahead of time). When our flights changed on the way out and we needed to get to the airport early, they accommodated us. Needless to say, we were impressed ATJ picked such a great internal travel company to shuttle us around. The trip was so awesome I almost forgot to explain how great ATJ was before the trip. ATJ sends you a lot of cool stuff about the places you're going. They send it all in a nice leather-bound notebook with a couple of leather passport holders and four luggage tags. All unexpected, all pretty nice quality. The information ATJ provided included recommendations on vaccinations, visas, currency, local customs, weather, you name it. You literally don't have to do any more research after ATJ sends you your final packet. I've recommended them to several friends and family members, and should we return to Asia (we will), we'll be calling ATJ.

Angela D

We had an outstanding tour experience with ATJ in Japan last month. We visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Koyasan, Kanazawa and Takayama. Everything was taken care of during our trip, no worries at all. Our guides were very knowledgeable and fluent in English. ATJ works to accommodate the interests of their travelers all the way. The food was an experience in itself, with high quality ingredients, complex dishes and colorful presentations. It was truly a trip of a lifetime for us!

Allyson Miller

ATJ put together a fabulous trip to Borneo and Bali for our group. I highly recommend this company. They monitored out trip while we were away and made any necessary adjustments to ensure the most memorable trip of my life. Thanks ATJ.

Nurit Cohen

We booked a trip to Japan with ATJ and we are very sorry we did. A trip for 3 people for 14 days costs are more than $45,000. Once we got to Japan we realized that we have paid twice ! ! as much as we should. We have written letters, and received letters full of lies and errors from Simone Farbus, Director of operations but what we are really looking for is a refund of part of our expenses. It is unfair, big lies, cheating and miss representing themselves as a great, knowledgeable travel agency, where we came to find out, they are really taking advantage of people who are visiting a foreign land and finding out the real value only when they get there. Be careful of this agency. We have asked for a detailed bill showing what did we pay for but of course, they refused us claiming they don't give any sort of breakdown. Would you trust such a company? We will display the full correspondence soon.

Eileen Jackson

Yes they are expensive but you get what you pay for. Everything paid for, no sneaky little extras. All tips for local guides , bus drivers and hotel staff are included. Water, snacks and many little extras along the way. You are kept busy from 8am - 10pm seeing and doing everything available in the vicinity, meeting the locals, experiencing more than you could ever imagine. For every plan A there is a plan B. Traveling in remote areas can be a challenge but with a guide from ATJ you never have to worry. You will not know there has ever been a problem. I have traveled with them to Papua New Guinea and South East Asia and hope to travel with them again.

Merrie Wise

ATJ planned an amazing adventure for us throughout Malaysia and Indonesia! The trip far exceeded our expectations. From the start all at ATJ were top notch and so helpful! Guides throughout the trip and lodging the best! Would HIGHLY recommend using ATJ for all your trips to Asia!

Ally Frusciano

My husband, two teenage daughters and I recently came back from a 2+ week trip to Myanmar and Thailand planned by ATJ. It was absolutely amazing. The attention to detail and "off the beaten" path experiences blew us all away. Thank you ATJ for creating a trip of a lifetime for our family!

Len

Jen at ATJ constructed a fabulous itinerary that fit our interests. The trip was beautifully orchestrated and everything went smoothly. Hotels were perfect and guides were good. This was our second trip with ATJ and I will definitely use them again

Rich Dana

Jen Boyd was an incredible travel representative, and created the most memorable trip. Her advice on locations to visit, personalized tours and the accommodations she arranged were far beyond our expectations. I would recommend her to anyone considering traveling to the far east.

Phyllis Berger

Jen Boyd and the team at ATJ created a creative, original, informative and thoroughly entertaining itinerary for our group of 7 friends traveling together. They were responsive and attentive to all of our needs. I can't recommend them highly enough and I can't wait to book another trip with them!

Hilda Douglas

First hand seamless experience of a life time Thailand, Laos and Cambodia After discussing and understanding our goals and dreams, likes and dislikes, interest levels and comfort levels, Jen from ATJ put together a seamless itinerary that accomplished all that and more. Just one example is when our English speaking guide dropped my husband and I off for just the two of us to take a ride on a wooden raft down the Ping River while the guide makes sure he is at the end destination point to 'seamlessly' pick us up for the next private experience on this journey of a lifetime. No glitches, no surprises, all incredible experiences with the reassurance of our various English speaking guides and capable drivers.

Benjamin Piper

I cannot rate ATJ highly enough. I just got back from an almost month long private trip to Taiwan and China that I put together with ATJ and it was great. My travel specialist, Pat, was very competent and easy going to work with. I told him what I wanted, he offered his own suggestions and we put together a great trip. There were a couple of hiccups on the trip but ATJ was able to fix them on the fly. In Tibet, I needed a new guide because the first one wasn't very good. I texted my ATJ contact right away and he got me a new, much better guide for the next day and for the rest of my time in Tibet. I also changed my mind in Xining about the 21-hour train ride to Lhasa. I realized I was starting to dread it so I contacted ATJ to see if they could book me a flight to Lhasa the next day instead. They were able to do it and I was glad I flew. One weakness of the trip was that not all of my guides were foodies so they didn't all know where to go for the best food. Most of them did once I convinced them that I didn't want tourist food, but at least a couple were not really aware of where to get the best food. The just were not foodies. Thankfully, I didn't leave this to chance and had ATJ put extra days in the itinerary for Taipei, Taiwan and Chengdu, P.R.C. so that I could book my own food tours on those days through companies I found on Trip Advisor. I have booked many fabulous food tours at locations all over the world through Trip Advisor and I was so glad I booked my own private tours on this trip. I recommend doing this if you really are interested in food. The best food tour was in Taipei through a company called Taipei Eats. The company's co-founder, Tina, took me on an all-day amazing food tour sampling all the best of Taipei's street foods and foods at small, completely non-tourist restaurants. In Chengdu, I received another very good food tour from my guide Ryan with Chengdu Food Tours. I highly recommend ATJ and would use them again!

Caroline Gritzinger

ATJ planned our whole 3 week honeymoon to New Zealand and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Everything was top notch and our travel agent Jen was fabulous to work with! We will be using them again!

Stephen Reed

I stumbled upon ATJ while searching online for an Asia-focused travel agency. After blindly reaching out, Jen Boyd called me back immediately and I knew from our initial conversation that she and ATJ were the right choice to put together a four-country custom tour through SE Asia for my son and me. Jen and ATJ hit it out of the park! From coordinating and booking flights, to putting together an elephant experience in Chiang Mai, to a food tour in Siem Reap, Jen took care of everything. The pacing of the trip was perfect; not too fast, not too slow. I absolutely recommend ATJ and I cannot wait to book our next adventure with them. Keep up the great work!