Dear Fellow Travelers:

I had the opportunity to travel with Fitzmaurice Tours in March 2008 along with my group of 22 middle school girls from New Jersey on the “Aztec and Mayan Treasures” tour that began in Mexico City and concluded on the Yucatan peninsula. The company’s owner, Mr. Alejandro Fitzmaurice, personally met us at the airport and made sure that all of our needs were met along the way.  He stayed with us during the entire trip to make sure that everything ran smoothly.

Initially, I was considering some of the larger student travel companies that tend to predominate in the market, but after reading numerous reviews I became increasingly concerned that those ‘popular’ travel companies would not be able to provide adequate attention and personalized service given their cookie-cutter programs.  I was also concerned about the hidden fees and extra expenses that other companies seemed to spring on their travelers.

Fortunately, I happened across the Fitzmaurice Tours website while surfing the internet. The Aztec and Mayan Treasures tour immediately caught my attention and interest, and Mr. Fitzmaurice was able to personalize several aspects of the tour to meet some specific travel needs of my group. After sending in the initial tour deposit, the company’s US office in Atlanta, took charge of the accounts, and they provided regular feedback to me about the status of accounts.  Their excellent attention to detail was a great relief.

At no time did I have concerns about the safety of the students. Mr. Fitzmaurice, his colleagues, and the tour guides were constantly vigilant of the group whether we were walking around Mexico City, climbing a pyramid, shopping, or simply eating in a restaurant. The tour guides that Mr. Fitzmaurice provided were very personable and extremely knowledgeable about all of places we visited. The food was delicious at every restaurant, and by the end of the trip we had all gained a greater appreciation of the rich culture and history of our neighbors to the south.

So if you’re looking for a tour company to guide you through the wonders of Mexico, I recommend that you travel with Fitzmaurice Tours.  You won’t regret it!  I will definitely travel with Fitzmaurice Tours on my next student trip to Mexico. If you have any questions about my experience with Fitzmaurice Tours, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Douglas A. Demo, Ph.D.
Assistant Director of the Middle School
MS Spanish Teacher
Kent Place School
Summit, NJ  07902

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The tours provided by Fitzmaurice Tours are fascinating. They synthesize education with entertainment, tourism with local knowledge, and careful planning with flexibility. By the end of our tour, our faculty, students, and parents were clapping wildly and cheering for Alejandro Fitzmaurice, the director, praising him for the incredible success of our tour. Alejandro and all the office staff labored months before, planning and preparing to excite and educate our group. On our tour, Alejandro paid unwavering attention to each need and interest of our group. Alongside Alejandro, our supporting tour guides brought humor, local knowledge, impressive scholarship, and passion to their work. In just a few days, Alejandro and the tour guides had won our hearts. We cannot wait until we can return to the Yucatan, to smell the sweet air, dine on local food, climb the ruins, dive in the Cenote, and swim in the Caribbean. But, most of all, we cannot wait to see Alejandro and his family, again. Thank you, Alejandro, we miss you and your beautiful Yucatan.   

Matt Kustura
Learning Specialist
Marymount of Santa Barbara
2130 Mission Ridge Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
(805) 569-1811 Ext.235

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Every year we take our 6th graders to the Yucatan as part of their social studies and literature coursework. It is an amazing opportunity for them. I love how history comes alive to them as they interact with Mayan families, walk ancient temple grounds, read glyphs at the ball court, eat local food, and experience modern life in the Yucatan. Our students learn so much and make personal connections to history and literature in ways we could not duplicate in the classroom. Fitzmaurice Tours makes our annual trip the highlight of the year. The accommodations are comfortable, the tour guides extremely knowledgeable and personable, transportation is impeccable, and our travel arrangements are detailed and flawless. With Fitzmaurice Tours I never worry. Everything is always taken care of, allowing me to concentrate on my students and their experience. I highly recommend them.

Michelle Parker
The Colby School
Park City, UT
(435) 655-3966
michelle@parkerplace.net

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Dear Traveler

My name is Marianne Sheppeck.  I am a Spanish teacher in Athens Pennsylvania.    During the summer of 2006, a fellow teacher and myself took a group of students to the Yucatan with Fitzmaurice Tours.  I have traveled to Mexico on 4 other occasions with groups of students.  During these trips, I used well-known student based travel organizations.  I can honestly say that the trips that I have taken in the past do not remotely compare in quality to the trip that I took with Fitzmaurice Tours. 

I found that Fitzmaurice Tours staff went above and beyond to make this trip a most memorable one for my students.  The hotels we stayed in were very nice.  The food was fantastic.  I have stayed in some hotels in the past that were not of good quality.  I did not find that with Fitzmaurice Tours.   

It was obvious to me that a lot of time and planning went into our trip.  There were many “extras” during the trip that made a world of difference for the students.  This trip was well organized down to the minute.  The kids were always busy and entertained.  Our tour guide was always there for us if we needed him.  He constantly kept on top of things to make sure things went smoothly and that we were happy. 

My trip with Fitzmaurice Tours exceeded all my expectations.  I can’t imagine using any other company in the future.  I strongly recommend Fitzmaurice Tours.  You will have a stress free, enjoyable, memorable experience with Fitzmaurice Tours, as will your students.

Honestly, I was reluctant to try Fitzmaurice Tours because it was a small company, but after a few “bad experiences” with other companies I knew I had to try it.    I am so glad that I took advantage of the opportunity to travel with Fitzmaurice Tours.  It was the best decision I have made regarding student travel.

So, if you are looking for a trip with “personal touch”  this is the company for you. If you have any questions, comments or concerns feel free to e-mail me at the address below.  I hope that you too will make the decision to use Fitzmaurice Tours.  As far as I am concerned it is the best and only choice..

Sincerely

Marianne Sheppeck
Spanish Teacher
Athens Area High School
msheppeck@athensasd.org

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Dear Future Traveler:

My name is Valerie Díaz, and I have been traveling to Mexico since 1994, specifically to the Yucatan, first as a student myself and since 1999, leading groups of students and adults. I have worked with several American companies in the beginning but have learned that if you are planning a tour with students to Mexico, a company right from Mexico provides the best service. Fitzmaurice Tours is stellar in this regard.

Alejandro Fitzmaurice and his company have exceeded my expectations. I am extremely particular when it comes to tour details and Alejandro has given me the freedom of choosing a tour from the company list or designing my own. Most importantly, Alejandro has always respected my priorities – the students’ interests and safety. 

I’ve just come back from my third tour (June 2009) with Fitzmaurice Tours and I can tell you that I will never travel with any other tour company when it comes to Mexico! The highlight of this tour was an immersion class that Alejandro and I set up in Mérida. With budget cuts everywhere in the school districts, I wanted to offer something more to my students and Alejandro made this happen. In addition, he designed activities for the adults who came along, so that they had unique experiences while students were in class. 

Our tour schedule was amazing. We went from Valladolid to Ek-Balam (Mayan pyramids which visitors may still climb, no longer possible in Chichen Itza), Chichen Itza and to the Cenote Ik-Kil.  We then headed to Merida, for class. In the six days in Merida, students really got a good taste of the flavor and culture of the city and its people. We also went to Progreso, where we had a beach party, complete with games, swimming and music.  We visited a Mayan family, where the students learned how hammocks are made and tasted some of the regional food (Salbutes and Panuchos). From Merida, we headed back to Cancun, with a stop along the way in Tulum. Cancun was dynamic as ever with its ever changing opportunities to discover new aspects of the culture. They learned more than I expected and are coming out of this experience with their eyes wide open and willingness to keep learning! 

Alex is one of a kind! He took care of every detail imaginable; and I couldn’t ask for more! I have absolutely no complaints when it comes to him, his company or the quality of service I have received. I hope that you will consider taking a tour with Alejandro and his crew! He has been absolutely fantastic with everything! 

If you would like more information or a formal reference, please call me at 715-587-5375 or email me at vdiaz@new.rr.com 

Sincerely,

Valerie Díaz

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Hello, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Richard Nagel. I am a Spanish teacher at Pequot Lakes High School in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. I am writing you on behalf of Fitzmaurice Tours.
First let me give you a bit of background. I have made 4 different trips with students to the Yucatan Peninsula in the past 8 years. I have arranged trips myself and I have used the services of other tour companies to make these trips. My most recent trip was from March 21-March 28, 2005. I chose to use Fitzmaurice Tours, to handle all the arrangements. It was the best trip I’ve ever made!

My fellow teacher, Jim Boos, and I chaperoned 33 of our junior and senior Spanish students. We stayed in Cancun, Merida, and Cozumel. Our accommodations were excellent. Our cuisine was outstanding. Every meal was authentic Mexican food except for the one night that we dined in a restored 17th century mansion. We had a Mediterranean-style beefsteak prepared by an Austrian chef and a Swiss Sous-Chef! If you¹ve ever traveled with teenagers, you know that they can be mighty picky about what they eat. Almost all of our students loved every meal we had, which was extraordinary! In addition, we had a few nights when Fitzmaurice Tours hired either a trio or a group of Mariachis to play for us. The kids loved it!

Our tour director for the trip was David Escalante. He was with us 24/7, from the moment that we arrived in Cancun until we left the airport in Cozumel. David is a wonderful tour director. He relates extremely well to the students. He is attentive to their needs. He has a great sense of humor. He is an experienced tour director. He has led dozens of tours in Mexico. He has lived many years in both Cancun and Merida, so he is very knowledgeable about how things work in Mexico. In my estimation, he is the ideal tour director.

During the trip, I had the opportunity to get to know the owner of Fitzmaurice Tours, Mr. Alejandro Fitzmaurice. Alejandro has put together a great tour agency! Since he is the owner, he attends extremely well to all the details of the trip. He makes sure that everything runs smoothly. Alejandro strives for perfection and it shows in the day-to-day reality of the tour. He hired a very competent bus operator. He hired the very best guides for our tours of Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and Merida. The hotels we stayed in were excellent, and the food was authentic and tasty. In addition, Alejandro shadowed us during parts of the trip, making sure everything ran smoothly. He is a very competent, hard-working man. The woman who handled our trip payments, Diane Chiprany, was extremely competent.
In closing, then, I chose Fitzmaurice Tours for several reasons:
1) they are a tour company specializing only in tours to Mexico;
2) the tour director was great;
3) the owner is a meticulous person who is very attentive to details;
4) inclusions: our trip included more for the money than we would have received anywhere else;
5) size: Fitzmaurice Tours is a small company determined to give its best value for the money spent.

Sincerely,
Richard A. Nagel
Spanish Teacher
Pequot Lakes HS
30805 Olson Street
Pequot Lakes MN 56472

If you would like to talk to me in person, please call me at the school (218-568-9233) or at home (218) 568-4357.

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“Having contracted other educational travel companies, we finally found one that could customize a tour to fit the needs of our students.   Fitzmaurice Tours provides a professional and personal touch, with an educational program to hold the interest of any student.  The tour guides are extremely knowledgeable and obviously love to talk about their heritage and the history of the areas that we visit.  Travel arrangements by Mr. Fitzmaurice are excellent and the special touches he adds to each tour are remembered by all, from fabulous, local restaurants, great lodging and even health care when needed.  We plan to visit Mexico again and will always travel with Fitzmaurice Tours.”
 
Patricia Gryce
Beddow High School
Fort Washington, Maryland
pgryce@thebeddowschool.org

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Once again, in February of 2008, our school group traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula with Fitzmaurice Tours and once again, the trip was wonderful. 
We could not have had a better experience.  It's obvious that a lot of time and thought goes into the preparations for any of their trips.  They make it easy for you to make plans, from customizing the itinerary to collecting students'
payments.  There is nothing mediocre about any aspect of the trip when you travel with Fitzmaurice Tours. The hotel accommodations are always very nice, some are even historical or of resort quality and may be all inclusive.  That's great for a bunch of hungry teenagers.  The tour guides and tour directors are knowledgeable and extremely passionate about the history of their country. 
It is sometimes difficult to keep students interested during an educational tour, but when the guides begin to speak, the students really do listen.  If you are new to traveling, you should know that the tour director remains
with your group at all times, day and night.  If you looking for an educational travel company for your group, I suggest you look no further. 
Fitzmaurice Tours is, by far, the best company to arrange your travel plans.
We will always travel with them!  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Patricia Gryce
Beddow High School
Fort Washington, Maryland
pgryce@thebeddowschool.org

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Dear Teacher:

If you want to give your group of students the best educational trip to Mexico, I strongly recommend that you travel with Fitzmaurice Tours.
Traveling with students is an experience in itself, and to make things easier and run smoothly, Fitzmaurice Tours takes care of every detail imaginable, from start to finish! The tour itineraries include visits to important archaeological sites, monuments and museums. The hotels are impressive and the food is excellent! A Tour Director will accompany you from the moment you arrive, attending to the slightest of details and imparting valuable cultural insight and commentary, leaving you free to learn and enjoy the sights along with your students. You will not find a company like this. Your group will remember this trip for years to come and most likely will travel again because of the excellent service you will receive from Fitzmaurice Tours.
If you have any questions about my experiences while traveling, I would be more than happy to share them with you.
Please don't hesitate to ask me questions or voice your concerns. My address is 616 Cleveland Avenue, Marinette, WI. My phone number is 715-330-5121 and my email is Diaz@crivitz.k12.wi.us
If you would like to talk to me by phone, just drop me an email and tell me when would be a good time to call.

Sincerely,
Valerie Diaz
Spanish Teacher
Crivitz High School

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Dear Future Travelers:

I have been traveling with my students for the past 4 years. I previously used other student travel companies, before using Fitzmaurice Tours. Let me tell you there is a big difference. You definitely feel a more personal experience when you travel with Fitzmaurice Tours. I have been extremely pleased with the service and accommodations that they provide. There is no other tour company that I am aware of where you actually meet the owner, Mr. Alejandro Fitzmaurice, who is always in touch with your tour and willing to make any changes that may be necessary, so that your trip is exactly what you were looking for. For me it is a relief to work with a company that adds that personal touch. If my students were not pleased I would not be traveling with Fitzmaurice Tours again in June, 2007. I strongly suggest that when you decide to travel with students or others, you should definitely consider this company!!!

Burt Saenz
Romeoville High School
saenzba@vvsd.org

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Dear Future Traveler,

I would just like to say what a wonderful experience we had with Fitzmaurice Tours. Since one of my daughters lives in Merida, Yucatan; I decided to bring a group of close middle-aged friends there so that they could experience the culture of the country where my daughter lives. They were all pretty excited and nervous of course once we boarded the airplane. However once we landed all of nervousness was gone. We were met by Mr. Alejandro Fitzmaurice, and the coach driver, Raymundo, at the airport. After that all of our expectations were exceeded. We stayed at wonderful hotels. The food was very delicious, especially the dinners.  The sites we saw, like Chichen Itza, Isla Mujeres, and who could forget Tulum, left us speechless. We were also provided with a bonus, the entertainment both our driver Raymundo as well as tour director Alejandro had great senses of humor which made the somewhat long rides seem not so long. In short, I would highly recommend Fitzmaurice tours not only for their professionalism, but for the close attention to detail that is given to each and every one of their tours.

Please feel free to contact me via email at laurahoffman28@hotmail.com

Sincerely,
Laura Hoffman

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Dear Future Travelers:

Recently, I led a group on Fitzmaurice Tours Adventure in Yucatan. I can't say enough good things about this tour. So much attention was paid to the most minute details by Fitzmaurice Tours staff that I felt that we were treated like guests in someone's home. The hotels that we stayed at were beyond my expectations and the restaurants chosen were an excellent representation of typical Mexican cuisine. There was plenty of opportunity to take in the ancient culture on this tour and still experience the flavor of the modern-day life of the Yucatan Peninsula. I was especially impressed with the visit to a Mayan family in Santa Elena. My students still talk about seeing the t ortillas made by hand and the man who made rope from a plant in just a few minutes. Those are things that they may never experience again in their lifetime and that infuse me, as a Spanish teacher, with excitement, energy, and commitment to continue traveling with students. The last couple of days in the sun and sand (and shopping!) at Cozumel were the perfect end to the tour. Our trip was so wonderful that I am planning another tour with Fitzmaurice Tours for next spring!

~Ann Losurdo
Spanish Teacher
Paul V. Moore High School
alosurd1@twcny.rr.com

If you would like to talk to me in person, please call me at home (315) 343-7316

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To Whom It May Concern:

If you are considering a group trip in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, I would recommend without hesitation the services of Fitzmaurice Tours which is owned and operated by Alejandro Fitzmaurice. My daughter and I had the pleasure to be members of a group which traveled to the Yucatan from 6/24/03 – 07/01/03. The tour was planned and well run. The sites Fitzmaurice Tours chose for us to visit were very interesting and illustrated both the Mayan and Spanish influence in the Yucatan. Our bus transportation was always on time, clean and reliable. The bus was first class with air conditioning, reclining seats and restroom. Without exception, the hotels were clean with room assignments and keys ready upon our arrival. Baggage was delivered promptly to our rooms and picked up reliably on our departure. Meals were excellent and served on time. At the Mayan sites of Chichen Itza and Uxmal the licensed guide selected by Fitzmaurice Tours was extremely knowledgeable about Mayan culture and history with command of English that was so good that we never had any trouble understanding what he was explaining to us. We swam in a spectacular fresh-water spring in a cave. We had the opportunity to visit a Mayan family in the present-day Mayan village of Santa Elena. The beaches at Isla Mujeres were a chance to relax and the snorkeling trip was a highlight of our tour. The Tour Director was trustworthy and reliable, always courteous, patient and attentive to the details that made the trip run smoothly.
In short, I can recommend Fitzmaurice Tours to you based on my personal experience with one of its tours.
If you have a question, you can call me at (314) 968-0434 and would be happy to speak to you.

Sincerely,
Alec Hill

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Dear Alejandro and Diane,

I can't thank you enough for making all the arrangements for our wonderful trip to the Yucatan. The mother/daughter idea was a fantastic one. There were so many magical moments on this great
journey that were shared by moms and daughters together. Everyone had the best time. Whether it was our delicious Valentines dinner at Villa Maria and horse drawn carriage ride with our daughters in Merida, climbing the pyramids at Chichen Itza and Uxmal, or snorkling at Isla Mujeres, all the parents were thrilled to share these moments with their daughters. The girls also had plenty of time to "hang" with their friends, shopping, riding in the bus, sharing hotel rooms and swimming. The moms also had fun getting to know each other and many great conversations happened on the bus and at meals. Our hotel accommodations were great and the bus we had on tour was a private deluxe motorcoach with air conditioning and restroom.

Thanks again for making our trip such a terrific one.

Until next time,
Lyn Shirvanian
Director of Student Activities
Marymount Academy
lshirvanian@marymountsb.org

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Dear Traveler,

I have traveled with Fitzmaurice Tours twice in the past and am hoping to travel with them again in the future. I have never had any tour company work so hard to make our Mexico tour a pleasant experience.

Both of my tours were well-organized and the tour guides were very knowledgeable and extremely pleasant. Our accommodations were very nice and the food was excellent. The tour bus was clean, air-conditioned, and the bus driver was very professional. I especially enjoyed my stays in Valladolid and Merida.

I just cannot say enough good things about Fitzmaurice Tours and hope that this will help in your decision to travel with them. I think my choice to travel with them on more than one occasion in the past and my plans to travel with them in the future are the best testimony I can give.

I can recommend Fitzmaurice Tours without reservation and would be happy to answer additional questions.

Kimberly Nichols
Rome High School
Rome, Georgia
kdnichols@msn.com

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Dear Traveler,

My name is Elizabeth Sweeney and I am a Spanish teacher at Whitefield Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. On behalf of Alejandro Fitzmaurice and Fitzmaurice Tours, I would like to tell you a little bit about my excellent experiences in traveling with my students to Mexico. I chose Fitzmaurice Tours for two reasons: one was based on an excellent recommendation from a family here who traveled to the Yucatan with Fitzmaurice Tours, and the other reason was the personal attention to detail that they were able to offer us. I originally looked into EF, which is a very large educational tour company, and I decided to change to Fitzmaurice Tours simply because of their willingness to bend over backwards to accommodate every detail that was important to me. They even allowed me to make changes in the itinerary and allowed my input on certain hotels and restaurants with
which I was familiar.
Before the trip, our Fitzmaurice Tours coordinator, Diane Chiprany, attended to every detail regarding preparation for the trip. She came over to the school personally to give a presentation and orientation to parents, and was there every step of the way to make sure I was properly preparing the students for travel to Mexico. Three other chaperones and I took 19 students on a tour originating in Mexico City and heading westward to our final destination, Puerto Vallarta.
Alejandro was our Tour Director, and I was utterly amazed at how easy he made my job. From picking up cases of bottled water for the bus to holding onto all the kids' passports and traveler's checks, to even paying for his own cab across town into the middle of Guanajuato to track down the right medicine for a girl who became ill halfway through the trip. Alejandro was extremely knowledgeable about the places we visited, which was very important to me, as it was an educational trip.
To sum up, I wanted for nothing throughout the entire trip. I cannot think of one thing that was lacking or that could have been improved. I am so thoroughly impressed with this tour company that I know we will always use them for our Spanish trips at Whitefield. I strongly recommend Fitzmaurice Tours to you. You will not be disappointed if you travel with them. If there is anything else I can do to help you in your decision, please do not hesitate to contact me. Trips like these are truly experiences of a lifetime.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Sweeney,
Chair of Foreign Languages
Whitefield Academy
elizabethosweeney@yahoo.com