I just returned from a two week trip to Israel and Jordan and it was by far one of the best trip I've taken in my extensive years of international travel. I attribute this exceptional and memorable trip to the expertise of my travel agent and in-country guides.

I had considered package tours to Israel and Jordan but was unsatisfied with the itineraries. I had kept Wendy Perrin's’ article in Condè Nast Traveller on “Top Travel Specialists”. I decided to contact the Susan Weissberg from Wyllys Travel who was listed as one of the experts for Israel and it turned out to be an excellent decision. Susan spoke with me and assessed my interests and developed an individualized itinerary which covered the sites I was interested in touring. Susan’s organization and attention to detail made the trip go smoothly and flawlessly which was quite a feat considering all the transfers that took place. Susan had informed me that we had a special service to escort us through the airport upon arrival and departure in Israel. I had no idea how valuable that service would turn out to be. We were met at the gate upon arrival in Tel Aviv and quickly escorted through a special elevator to a private van and transported to immigration where we went to the front of the line and processed through immigration. Upon departure, we arrived 2 ½ prior to our flight and had no time to spare. If it were not for the special service getting us through the many security check points, we would have missed our flight (I estimate it would have taken 4-5 hours to get through all of the lines).
Susan was known by name at all of the hotels and tour companies, and they all made a point of ensuring we were happy and well served. We received excellent rooms with views at all of the hotels. Upon arrival at the Carlton Hotel in Tel Aviv, the manager personally greeted us and Susan had roses, an excellent bottle of wine, and fruit in our room. All of the extra attention to detail and perks by Susan made for the perfect trip including her selection of our guides.

Yuval De-Joannes guided us for our 8 days in Israel. I can’t say enough about Yuval. He was, by far, the all around best guide I've had in my over 30 years of travel. Yuval’s knowledge of history, religion, civilizations, and his familiarity with the country and people is unsurpassed. He is very well read and someone who loves to learn and is always researching and reading to expand upon his knowledge. Yuval is able to quickly assess the interest of his clients and adapt the tours and sites to individual interests. We were interested in buying quality Olive Oil and Yuval took us to a small local family owned business that was starting to press olive oil that day. It was quite a treat. We had a fairly aggressive schedule and Yuval made sure to plan out the days and adjust as necessary to ensure we saw all the sites on our itinerary plus a few extras. Whether you are walking the path of Jesus and his disciples, or through the ruins of the cities build by Herod the Great, Yuval, through his storytelling abilities, brought the history and its characters to life. Yuval always supplied us with bottles of water and when the days got hot, he pulled out the icy bottles which were always a welcome treat. Whether it was sites to see, or restaurants, Yuval always had the perfect recommendations. Yuval is a very kind and good hearted person and it was a pleasure to spend 8 days with him. He took good care of us and I hated for the time to end but we still had our visit to Jordan ahead.

All of the transfers at the Israel and Jordan borders went smoothly which I again attribute to Susan’s stellar planning. Our Jordanian guide Odehi (Audi) meet us at the border and guided us to Wadi Rum and Petra. Audi was also an excellent guide and was very knowledgeable. Audi had a background in geology which made the tour of Wadi Rum all the more interesting. He too made sure we were well taken care of and escorted us both day and night. We took a cooking course at Petra Kitchen which was very fun and Audi stayed until class was complete and escorted us back to the hotel.

Throughout the trip, Susan and our guides made us feel very safe and we had no worries and were free to enjoy the experience of Israel and Jordan.

We are not usually given to writing reviews of our travel experiences. However, this is an exception. From our first contact with Susan Weissberg, President & CEO of Wyllys Professional Travel in Coral Gables, Florida, we knew we had made the right decision. After an initial conversation, Susan developed a ten day itinerary that exactly matched our interests. The hand selected Israeli guide, Garfinkel and Jordanian guide Essam and driver Yousef perfectly matched our interests. All were highly educated and extremely knowledgeable and loved to laugh.

Garfinkel was a font of information on Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Roman influences on what today is a very modern State of Israel. His willingness to deviate from the “beaten path” added to the Israel experience. It was obvious that he is held in high regard by other guides given the numerous greetings and hearty acknowledgements he received. He even managed to get us close enough to the Dome of the Rock to take some great pictures. His patience with our extended shopping sprees for Yemenite jewelry and a visit to acquaintances of ours in Haifa was the mark of a professional.

Essam and Yousef were equally informative about the Nabetean culture in the region and their petroglyphs at Wadi Rum and Petra. Both exhibited the essence of Arab hospitality as did the Bedouins we met and ate with. Since Jordan is also call the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, it is by definition the Kingdom of the Bedouins. Essam and Yousef were also highly respected by their Jordanian counterparts which, by extension, flowed to us.

All in all, it was the trip of a lifetime. Perfectly orchestrated by Susan Weissberg. Flawless execution, including expedited service through Israeli and Jordanian passport control and customs. The accommodations (Dan, Tel Aviv; Scotts Hotel, Tiberius; Mamilla, Jerusalem; and Movenpik, Petra) and meals were all first class. The food was absolutely outstanding in all venues. The only caution we would add is if your first name is Ken. “ken” is also the Hebrew word for “yes”, so whiplash is a distinct possibility.

When my wife and I decide upon traveling to a foreign destination, Condé Nast is our first choice in researching a travel agency partner.Thus, with Israel as our destination, we were lead to Susan Weissberg of Wyllys Professional Travel in Coral Gables, Florida.First impressions are important and Susan did not disappoint.She responded to my initial e-mail promptly.Within a day or two we talked on the phone for quite some time.

Travel goals and plans are always unique. Thus, a custom plan is helpful. Our situation involved working our ‘tour’ around a family wedding in Jerusalem, with the wedding party staying at a pre-arranged hotel in Tel-Aviv (The Sheraton Tel-Aviv). We could not plan a ‘guided’ tour during our five and one-half day stay in Tel-Aviv due to the uncertainty with the timing of family events. “This is not a problem”, Susan stated, and she was correct. First Susan obtained a premium room at the Sheraton Tel-Aviv for us. This was followed with a ‘laundry list’, if you will, of recommended places to visit, restaurants to dine at, etc. She also provided us with the local tour agency’s contact number, in case any additional inquiries were necessary. We created our ‘own’ tour schedule around family events. My wife and I would suggest that the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel-Aviv and the Machon Alyalon underground bullet factory located on Kibbutz Hill in Rehovot (40 minute cab ride from Tel-Aviv) should not be missed. Also, relax riding a bicycle around Hayarkon Park.

Our six-day ‘guided’ tour with Elad began from Tel-Aviv. We wound our way up the western coast to Haifa before ending up in Tiberias for a few days. We then spent seven days with Jerusalem as our ‘base camp’. However, I would not consider the King David Hotel a ‘camping site’!!. Many of the wonderful sights visited were mentioned in other reviews of Susan’s fine services. Repetition is not necessary. One thing that was not stressed enough in other reviews, in my opinion, are the guides that Susan has pre-screened for her clients. Elad, our main guide throughout our six-day tour (the final day was on our own), and Ilan, our jeep tour guide in the Golan Heights, the Merom Golan Kibbutz, were knowledgeable and passionate about their beloved country. This passion is a nationalistic passion, not a religious one. Thus, the complicated political, educational, agricultural and religious situations in Israel were explained thoroughly and explicitly.

Israel’s complexity, diversity, history and beauty are something that should be seen and experienced by all – Jew, Christian, Muslim, or non-affiliated. Susan and her team enhanced this experience with proper planning of our holiday, followed by flawless execution of that plan.