Which luxury travel companies have their own offices and staff in the destination?
By Richard Jasinski·Updated 4 November 2026
These 15 luxury travel companies say on their own websites that they have their own offices or staff in the places they send travellers and name no partner running the ground. Of them, Metropolitan Touring, Enchanting Travels and Remote Lands have the most Google reviews.
Which luxury travel companies have their own offices and staff in the destination?
These 15 luxury travel companies say they have their own offices or staff on the ground; Metropolitan Touring, Enchanting Travels and Remote Lands have the most Google reviews. Ask each which countries its own people cover and where it uses a partner.
Abercrombie & Kent
- Best for
- Group departures and private trips
- On the ground
- Has more than 3,000 staff in over 65 offices across 40 countries.
- Money protection
- ATOL number 2881 covers flight-inclusive packages sold by its UK company; its US terms name no trust account or bond.
- Reviews
- Google: 4.9 out of 5 from 20 reviews; Trustpilot: 4.4 out of 5 from 795 reviews, newest 3 November 2026. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- abercrombiekent.com
Aracari
- Best for
- Private trips planned to order
- On the ground
- Has on-the-ground experts in Lima and La Paz.
- Website
- aracari.com
Backroads
- Best for
- Group departures and private trips
- On the ground
- Has regional offices in Utah, Canada and France. It also employs more than 800 Trip Leaders worldwide.
- Founded
- 1979
- Reviews
- Google: 4.2 out of 5 from 123 reviews; Trustpilot: 2.3 out of 5 from 12 reviews, newest 28 October 2026. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- backroads.com
Elevated India
- Best for
- Group departures and private trips
- On the ground
- Does not subcontract its India operations.
- Reviews
- Google: 5.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- elevatedindia.com
Enchanting Travels
- Best for
- Private trips planned to order
- On the ground
- Has teams of local experts on its own staff around the globe.
- Reviews
- Google: 4.9 out of 5 from 139 reviews; Trustpilot: 4.9 out of 5 from 3,298 reviews, newest 2 November 2026. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- enchantingtravels.com
Enigma Peru
- Best for
- Group departures and private trips
- On the ground
- Employs Peruvian people on its own staff in Peru.
- Website
- enigmaperu.com
Greaves Travel
- Best for
- Private trips planned to order
- On the ground
- Has its own offices in India.
- Reviews
- Google: 4.8 out of 5 from 12 reviews. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- greavesindia.com
Hitotoki
- Best for
- Private trips planned to order
- On the ground
- Has its team based in Japan, with a Japan headquarters that coordinates itinerary design and on-trip support.
- Founded
- 2016
- Reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.7 out of 5 from 32 reviews, newest 13 August 2026. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- hitotoki-travel.com
Inside Egypt
- Best for
- Group departures and private trips
- On the ground
- Designs and operates every journey locally in Egypt with its Cairo-based team.
- Website
- inside-egypt.com
JapanQuest Journeys
- Best for
- Private trips planned to order
- On the ground
- Has its own team on the ground in Japan to carry out each journey.
- Limits it publishes
- Bespoke journeys start at $3,000 per person per day, based on double occupancy.
- Reviews
- Google: 2.0 out of 5 from 1 review. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- japanquestjourneys.com
Kuoda Travel
- Best for
- Tailor-made trips booked as an agent
- On the ground
- Has its own on-the-ground presence in Cusco, Peru.
- Reviews
- Google: 4.9 out of 5 from 44 reviews. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- kuodatravel.com
Metropolitan Touring
- Best for
- Trips on ships it operates
- On the ground
- Is locally owned and has offices in Ecuador and Peru.
- Reviews
- Google: 4.5 out of 5 from 549 reviews. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- metropolitan-touring.com
MyBhutan
- Best for
- Private trips planned to order
- On the ground
- Has its own office in Thimphu, Bhutan.
- Reviews
- Google: 5.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- mybhutan.com
Remote Lands
- Best for
- Group departures and private trips
- On the ground
- Has country managers and teams on the ground in every country in Asia.
- Limits it publishes
- Minimum trip length is 5 nights in most cases.
- Reviews
- Google: 5.0 out of 5 from 125 reviews. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- remotelands.com
Travelive
- Best for
- Private trips planned to order
- On the ground
- Owns and runs 12 destination management companies, each with its own local team.
- Reviews
- Google: 4.8 out of 5 from 33 reviews; Trustpilot: 4.4 out of 5 from 33 reviews, newest 24 October 2026. Read 3 November 2026; each platform's figure stands on its own.
- Website
- travelive.com
Who to contact first
Start with the company on this page that names a scheme protecting your payments on its own website, then add any other card that fits your dates.
What to ask each one to set out in writing:
- What the price includes and excludes, line by line: stays, guides, transfers, internal flights, park or entry fees.
- The deposit, when the balance is due and what you lose if you cancel.
- Which scheme protects your money and the number to check it.
Own offices in the destination: the questions people ask
Why does it matter if a travel company has its own staff in the destination?
Its own people can change plans on the day and answer to the company you paid. Where a partner runs the ground, ask who that partner is and who you call.
How do I check where a company has offices?
The card links the page each line came from. Ask the company for the office address and an in-country contact number for your trip.
Which of these companies protect my money if they fail?
1 of the 15 names a protection scheme on its own website: Abercrombie & Kent. Check the number with the scheme itself before you pay.
Which of these have Trustpilot profiles?
5 of the 15: Abercrombie & Kent, Backroads, Enchanting Travels, Hitotoki and Travelive. Each card gives the TrustScore, the review count and the newest review date, read 3 November 2026.
Which of these have the most Google reviews?
Metropolitan Touring, Enchanting Travels and Remote Lands, in that order. A count says how many people reviewed a company, not whether it fits your trip; each card gives the rating and count, read 3 November 2026.
Where can I check these facts myself?
Each card links the pages of the company's own website its lines were read from, with the date they were read.
How were these companies chosen?
Each one is in the Uncompromised Travel luxury tour operators table, built from the luxury tour operators ChatGPT names most often; its own website says it has its own offices or staff in the places it sends travellers and names no partner running the ground. A company is on the page because its published facts fit the question, never because it paid.
Is any company on this page paying to be here?
No. No company on this page is a partner of Uncompromised Travel; none paid to be on it.
Read next
Built to answer the question in the main heading. What is shown: what each company published on its own website, read on 3 November 2026, with links to the pages read, with its Google and Trustpilot figures where the listing carries the company's own name, from the Uncompromised Travel luxury tour operators table. Cards are in alphabetical order. Photos show the places named in their captions, not any company's trips. No company on this page is a partner of Uncompromised Travel. How this site earns · How we work.