Testimonials…
“Our trip went perfectly! We were so impressed with everything – our coach driver Andreas was just wonderful and our trip ran faultlessly. Maya was amazing in Athens – after an initial confusion over the metro we were confident and used it loads. The whole thing was so brilliant thanks to the team at Hellene and we are incredibly grateful for the efforts taken. Thanks again for all the support and organisation. ”
AR Greece ‘24
“The Rome Hotel was excellent. Lovely rooms and a super courtyard for the children to sit it. James was amazing when things when slightly wrong. Very quick to respond and all sorted immediately. I know Claudia is an outstanding planner and I feel very secure knowing she is in charge of setting up our itinerary. Thank you!
I’ve used Hellene for nearly 10 years now – excellent in-country knowledge and friendly communications.”
KD Rome ‘24
“Brilliant hotel to stay in with a big group – amazingly helpful staff, lovely rooms and reception area, delicious breakfasts and dinner. The reps in Italy were both very helpful and polite, and were quick to reply via Whatsapp/phone call. We visited a range of sites and museums, many of which were part of the GCSE Class Civ syllabus in particular, and it was a great enriching experience for all pupils of Latin, Class Civ and History of Art. James and Claudia were always very quick to reply and were very helpful and knowledgeable. Ramona was particularly helpful in meeting us at the airport both times, communicating with the coach driver, helping us settle in to the hotel, speaking to the airport about the lost luggage, and general contact with me throughout the trip. Loredana was helpful when we were struggling with the scheduling of the day, as we had ended up having too much time in the afternoon after a very rushed morning. She brought our Catacombs tour forward to 4pm and she encouraged us to go and see the Pyramid of Cestius to kill some time beforehand. ”
FS Rome ‘24
“I just wanted to email you both with a huge THANK YOU for making Hampton’s Classics trip to Greece so successful. From the day I contacted Hellene School Travel in August 2023 to the last day of the trip, the pupils, staff and I have felt in the very safest of hands and had a brilliant time. Your knowledge and expertise – regarding both the sites themselves and general trip logistics – have been second-to-none, and I am immensely grateful! I will of course be very happy to recommend you to any other schools and provide testimonies/evaluations if requested. I hope that you have a lovely break if/when it comes, and that you enjoy the respite from my incessant questions (until I get back in touch about our next trip, sorry!). ”
AW Greece ‘24
“Wow! We have returned from Spain this evening and it was an absolutely incredible trip and has set a new benchmark for the quality of trip we as a Classics department can offer. The guide Clara was absolutely superb and meticulously organised – she communicated very well with the driver and hotel which meant I could relax with timings. We made a card and gave her a very large tip at the end, but if you could please pass on our thanks to her to the agent in Spain, that would be much appreciated. We loved the hotel – the boys used the gym and there was a park outside for football. The meal at the steakhouse/tapas restaurant was excellent and the students commented on the quality of the food. The sites were spectacular and we managed to fit in an extra visit to the Plaza de Espana which was unbelievable. The beach today was adored by the kids and they learned so much, with lots of intersection with what they are learning in Classical Civilisation. The Italica site was a particular highlight as was the beautiful museum and theatre at Merida. I cannot thank you enough for all your organisation, hard work and advice. The trip has been an unparalleled success and something that the students and teachers will remember forever. I didn’t want it to end and the students were very thankful as we left the coach. Crete for this time next year! I cannot wait. ”
MM Spain ‘24
“Let me pass on thanks from everyone involved in organising this trip. SMT was similarly shocked at the rise in flight prices and similarly grateful for everything you and Hellene have done. I hugely appreciate it. I know these flights have been a nightmare and everyone here, myself especially, is grateful (On a side note, lesson learned, best next time to fly on more flexible dates. I’ve also found out that I can float flight deposits and recoup the money from parents later – but that’s all for next time.) ”
LI Italy ‘24
“The Athens trip last week went really smoothly and we all had a great time. The travel arrangements all worked well and we really liked the Hotel – they are very sympathetic & tolerant towards school parties, the food is excellent, the rooms were lovely and the view from the hotel rooftop bar was wonderful. We were also grateful that the barman would not serve Year 12s any alcohol, or even allow us to buy them alcoholic drinks – this made things really easy for us as tour leaders!
All the entry tickets worked fine and the whole trip was harmonious and smooth.
Many thanks again for all your knowledgeable advice and help – it made a huge difference.”
JR Greece ‘24
“The trip was a tremendous success and much enjoyed by the students.
Thank you so much for organising the itinerary – the timings were perfect and the food was outstanding.”
MM Wales ‘24
“An exceptional experience and value for money- the students were so pleased and enjoyed every aspect of the trip and we haven’t heard any negative comments from any of them. The accompanying staff (three of whom have done this trip on multiple occasions) were also exceptionally impressed with the entire experience and the expertise that Hellene demonstrated throughout the entire process. All consultations with HST were tailored to our tour and enabled us to amend and tweak our tour to our particular students’ needs and courses in a bespoke way. The final pre-tour consultation was insightful, helpful and pertinent to our specific itinerary; it was done with great expertise and was most useful in situ. I have offered many trips in the past and have never been offered a pre-tour briefing – I will now insist upon one. Thank you- this briefing made my first trip to Greece so much more enjoyable with the information provided. The ability to meet the educational requirements of four A-level courses (Ancient History, Philosophy, Medieval & Early-Modern History and Politics) on one tour was a tall order but it was more than fulfilled. All the students have developed and progressed the knowledge and experience of their main subject, as well as exposure to the other three disciplines. My first conversation with Sarah demonstrated that she had a love of the Ancient World and that she knew what she was talking about- her answers were not read from a sheet. After that conversation my mind was made up that we would be safe with HST”
GR Greece ‘23
“An excellent trip. Sarah and the whole team at Hellene were fab!”
KC Greece ‘23
“Excellent overall – brilliant staff, facilities and location. Claudia Willocks but she was excellent – very accommodating, knowledgeable and organised. Hellene is the company which most schools seem to use for Classics trips and we’ve used them before for our residentials because of reputation, knowledge, flexibility with itinerary and value for money. As this was my first time organising a residential school trip, I wanted to make sure everything was done properly (and that we were covered if something went wrong) and I knew that the pupils and staff would benefit from a professionally organised trip and from a trip leader who wasn’t stressed out of her eyeballs!! ”
AW Hadrian’s Wall ‘23
“We wanted to try out a small, caring, specialist company for ourselves having heard good things from colleagues.”
JG Italy ‘23
“We were looking to try a new operator, we wanted value for money, support and experience. The staff at Hotel Tolo were incredibly kind and patient given we dragged a whole lot of mud into their hotel, needed to check out 45 mins before breakfast started, made a ruckus doing a quiz and got stuck behind a door that maybe should not have been closed! We were very embarrassed and felt like the Clampetts, but they were lovely. ”
EA Greece ‘23
“Thanks for putting together such an excellent tour as always. I’m completely broken by the last 4 weeks of term – exam marking, report writing and over 100,000 steps in 5 days of scorching heat – but the tour was definitely up there with one of the best groups we’ve ever taken away and the staff had a fantastic time! I’m now off to sleep for 6 weeks…”
MB Italy ‘23
“Facebook recommendations from other Classics departments were overwhelmingly in favour of Hellene. So glad I asked for their advice! I didn’t have a single complaint from a pupil about their rooms – the first for a trip! ”
CM Greece ‘23
“I have travelled with you before (not as a trip leader) and you came recommended by a Classics colleague. We appreciate the quality of accommodation, responsiveness during the booking and pre-trip process and understanding of the academic objectives of the trips (i.e. visiting particular sites and museums). I chose Hellene because you are Classics-specific. I have accompanied other school trips organised and have seen the issues faced when non-specialists are booking your trips. I valued the fact that Hellene understands the importance of getting into specific sites and museums (on other trips, tour companies have tried to fob us off with alternatives because of their incompetence with checking opening hours!!) Thanks to Claudia for putting up with a million questions from me and to James who was excellent during the initial booking process. Our coach driver in Greece – Yiannis – was kind and accommodating. All of the reception staff at the hotels were great and I really appreciated having Maya (from Amoratis Travel) as a courier in Athens. ”
CM Greece ’23
“Jamie, thank you so much for your work – and that of your colleagues in various locations – on our trip. It was a real success. I had not run a trip abroad since before Covid, in 2019, and in the run-up to this one I felt quite out of practice. The support we had at all stages, including when we were out there, was much appreciated; once we got there, I was able to relax and enjoy it more than I had anticipated. Thanks, in particular for sourcing the hotels: the hotel in Rome is quite a find and a significant improvement on anything I have experienced anywhere else in Rome on a school trip (in terms of room spec and esp. breakfast). We made the most of being out in SE Rome by exploring the area a bit (esp. the Lateran complex, which ordinarily we wouldn’t get out to). Some reports on the internet suggested the area might be a bit intimidating: but to me it seemed no more so than central London. And the restaurants in Rome were also excellent – again a step up from the norm, very much appreciated. So, thanks again. I’m very grateful that our return to foreign travel went so smoothly. It gives me the confidence to plan another trip for next year. ”
JB Italy ‘23
“The trip was a tremendous success. Claudia always responded to my emails promptly and followed up any questions that I had. I appreciate that a lot has changed since our last trip in 2019, and so I was pleased with the value for money, given the changes (Brexit, pandemic, inflation etc). You inspire confidence! I would happily travel with Sky Express again in the future. The aircraft was small and the staff were extremely professional. They provide one free drink. ”
AJ Greece ‘23
“The students had a fantastic time in Rome and Sorrento. We thoroughly enjoyed all the different sites visited, particularly useful for our students who are studying amphitheatres and theatres as part of the Literature and Culture component of GCSE Latin. The trip proved very good value for money, particularly at a time when I know lots of trips have skyrocketed by 1/3 since Covid. Jamie’s pre-tour consultation was excellent and I am grateful for his time talking through the itinerary with me and any questions I had, such as double checking where might be good for lunches and travelling around Rome. I cannot fault Claudia and the team for their help and patience with the booking process. All three coach drivers in Italy were very kind and helpful. I was really impressed, having had some not so pleasant drivers on previous trips. Ramona was lovely at Rome airport and got us on our way very speedily. Likewise, Loredana was very helpful via WhatsApp with logistics regarding coach drivers, as well as where to eat lunch in Rome near the Colosseum. We had the issue of being late for the Colosseum booking as we did not have enough time to get from the Vatican to the Colosseum after huge queues at the Vatican. I am really very grateful for the efforts by all to ensure we could visit all three sites still on our trip. I really appreciated Jamie keeping me up to date with the progress. I’m sure I tested his patience on multiple occasions so thank you!”
BR Italy ‘23
“Just a quick email to say that the trip was fantastic. It was the best trip I have ever run and I have told my colleagues I refuse to book a trip moving forward with anyone but Hellene School Travel! Fantastic experience from start to finish. The pre-tour talk was thorough and attentive, the booking process smooth, supportive and clear. HST were very accommodating of last-minute changes. Coach driver in Athens was outstanding, Maya greeting us on our arrival and assisting us on our return made everything much less stressful. Outstanding support from Maya, Yannis and everyone we met in Greece. Claudia and Sarah have also been very supportive. One student, on encountering a Greek-yoghurt version of panna cotta, proceeded to eat six! ”
Greece HA ‘23
“I had never been to the San Sebastiano catacombs before. They were certainly impressive. Our tour guide Ramona was very obliging and helpful. She even knew Chinese! ”
FW Italy ‘23
“All in all, it was a great trip. Utterly exhausting but the boys had a great time. Definitely would have been better to have more spread over the 4 days as in previous years, but you do what you have to do to make it manageable and affordable. Thank you so much for all your team’s work on this trip. Very much appreciated! ”
EA Italy ‘23
“I’ve been using Hellene for 8 years and because its bespoke to Classics, that makes an enormous difference!”
SD Greece ‘23
“Thank you for everything! We had the most AMAZING trip. The students loved it and so did we. Utterly exhausting but a massive success. It really was a fantastic week. I particularly loved seeing new places like Nemea and Corinth and the museums at Thebes and Nafplio. Reflecting on it, the money issues post-Brexit and with rising inflation have definitely been the biggest challenges on this trip – using a bank card, paying entrance fees, inflation between the planning of the trip and the departure making us go slightly over-budget… Brave new world!! ”
RA Greece ‘23
“Itinerary was subject-related and tailored service provided – on both counts HST delivered brilliantly. Five stars for comfort and location, 3 stars for the food/packed lunches All sites were excellent as were the guides. Glanum was especially brilliant. Our Arles guide, Francois, was very much liked by pupils as was Marie in Nimes also excellent. Coach drivers were super too! ”
SJ France ‘23
“It was an amazing trip, and I just want to thank you, John, Claudia, Ramona, everyone for making it so amazing. It’s always a pleasure to work with you, and also so reassuring as everyone is so brilliant – long may Hellene continue! Several of my colleagues run a variety of trips abroad, and all of them are amazed at how much I sing your praises, and just how efficient and helpful everyone at Hellene is – I seem to be the only person who has got nothing but positive things to say about their travel company! ”
JJ Italy ‘23
“Thank you so much for the trip you organised for us to Greece this year. It was fantastic and I’m sorry that I haven’t been in touch sooner to say so. It really went without a hitch and, as my first time leading an overseas trip, I couldn’t have been more pleased. ”
NT Greece ‘23
“A MASSIVE thank you to @Sarah404BC & Hellene School Travel & all the wondrous Italian guides & drivers who allowed us to have such a wonderful time in Sorrento. We have loved every second! ”
SH Italy ‘23
“Thank you. It went really well, and we all very much enjoyed ourselves. Our pupils loved it, and my stress levels stayed surprisingly low. Going to Olympia was a good idea (the guide was excellent, and the hotel lovely!) – we have missed that in the past. And we managed to fit in the Pnyx before the Acropolis museum on day three which worked well – we had a good chat about democracy up there! We arrived at a number of the sites early in the morning before anyone else was there which made them all the more atmospheric, and managed to avoid the rain! Everything else was as impressive as ever, and it’s always a pleasure to witness the kids’ reaction. The ones who had studied GCSE Classical Civilisation went crazy when they saw all their source material in the National Archaeological Museum. ‘O…M…G’ became one pupil’s constant refrain throughout the trip. Our coach driver, Dimitris, was superb, and none of us could get enough of the Greek food, of course. ”
JM Greece ‘23
“We had an excellent trip, which the pupils really enjoyed. Claudia went through everything thoroughly and was very knowledgeable and answered all my questions. The booking process was very easy. James and Sarah answered all my questions promptly, gave really helpful advice and allayed fears. The coach company in Italy was excellent. The drivers, Giuseppe and Ermano, were professional and drove really well in challenging circumstances (such as reversing down Vesuvius due to a road block ahead!). The accommodation was great. The views were beautiful. The food was good. Nicolette in Naples was also fab. ”
EH Italy ‘23
“I love this is a specialist Classics company with immense knowledge so I can be advised on itinerary. Hellene also choose good suppliers in Greece. We have used them for years for all our trips. ”
FG Greece ‘23
“Our daughter and her friends had a fantastic time. And she has been regaling us with tales of Ancient Greece, gods and oracles, not just eating spaghetti and paddling in the sea! ”
Greece ‘23
“Have used Hellene for decades now! Claudia was excellent at handling our trip and both Sarah & John were available throughout. We like the familiarity and personal touch and were particularly impressed that they had gone to Italy on a recent recce to strengthen their contacts and update their information.”
LD Italy ‘23
“The first and most important thing to say is that we had a great time, and it was fantastic to go back to Italy again, for me the first time in four years and with a different school. Thank you very much to you and all the team at Hellene for the hard work in the build up to and during our trip, and for ensuring that on the whole everything ran very smoothly indeed. Since my last visit, and due to Brexit and Covid, there were a few changes to how things were run in Italy, but we felt well briefed and prepared and able to manage these well. In Sorrento, we met up with some colleagues we knew from a nearby school there at the same time, and we felt very lucky with the support and communication we had received from you compared to what they had experienced with a different company. ”
BH Italy ‘23
“Anna, was very good. She went the extra mile and both staff and girls loved her. Our coach driver was also excellent. Maya was also good who met us on the first day. Claudia at Hellene was very good in all the planning and communication – swift response to all the emails. We trust Hellene to provide a good package (reliability, expertise both home and away, price) and communication is excellent.”
CL Greece ‘23
“We had a lovely time in Italy, thanks to the expert planning and support of you and the rest of your team. I think the pupils may have enjoyed staying 5-10 minutes closer to the centre, but I appreciate this could have drastically upped the price of the whole trip. Fortunately walking them all over Rome (20,000-29,000 steps per day in the end!) meant they were too tired to make too much noise in the evenings! All in all, we were thrilled with the trip, and we can’t wait to run another one soon (though I am tempted to let another colleague be in charge next time!). We have used Hellene before and loved the service provided. The fact that Sarah and John are both experienced Classics teachers means they can provide real insights in the day-to-day running of a school trip to the Mediterranean! ”
SH Italy ‘22
“North West Greece 10/10! Dimitris is the most amazing driver! Cassope, Elea and Orraon are wonderful sites – a different human view of ancient Greece. ”
JG Greece ‘22
“Thank you, Claudia, for setting up our trip and all that you did for us. The Guide, Peter, was amazing. Honestly, he made the trip so much better than it could have been. As the weather had improved, he took us to Cawfields and showed us a section of the wall and a milecastle. He was keen to do this as he felt it was important for the pupils to understand about the wall in advance of the walk. I’m so pleased you found him for us. The Sill is a brilliant place to stay. Food was good, staff were lovely, rooms were clean and safe. Perfectly placed for all we wanted to do! I’d go back for a holiday anytime:-) ”
SF Hadrian’s Wall ’22
“Many Thanks for arranging such a wonderful trip for us. All the reps that you arranged for us were very helpful and great company. Sabrina and her colleague Lorena were also very helpful. I was very impressed with all the staff at both hotels and the Trattorias and I particularly enjoyed the hotel in Sorrento. I ended up with a wonderful third floor room with a great view of Vesuvius. I was delighted to do another Classics trip after our visit to Greece in 2015. We had many more pupils this time, so it was certainly an ambitious trip. Thank you as well for your detailed advice before the trip which came in very useful. Our pupils all felt that it was a detailed and high-quality itinerary, so I am delighted about that. ”
MC Italy ‘22
“Thanks for organising the trip. Once again you proved your worth. It is striking how many times Hellene and the sister company in Italy knew their stuff and how often local knowledge was wrong or confused. ”
HB Italy ‘22
“Hellene made Booking very simple, despite several amendments and further requests. We particularly enjoyed the Topos Allou mask workshop and comedy performance. Apart from Sarah and Claudia (who were typically and profoundly helpful throughout), Dimitrius (our coach driver) and Nikos Amoratis offered invaluable support. We chose the Company because of past experience and subsequent knowledge of how helpful and thorough Hellene’s support is. ”
PG Greece ‘22
“On the surface Hellene are not the cheapest but only because they don’t hide any of the extras (e. g. single rooms for staff) and the hotels are very good. Sarah Thomason in particular is just top draw – any classicist leading a trip for the first time can rely on a really detailed blow-by-blow coverage of how to go about things. ”
DS Greece ‘22
“Sarah was excellent in accommodating everything we wanted to include and making suggestions to get us the best value for money on the flights. For the inevitable things that go wrong, the agents in Italy were excellent. Our guide, Ramona, was truly outstanding in every regard. I know I’m in safe hands with Claudia, Sarah and John! ”
CD Rome ‘22
“I can highly recommend the ‘path less travelled’. While it would be a shame to rob pupils of the chance to visit mainland Greece or Rome, we plan trips there in alternate years in a four-year cycle (how very Classical!), leaving us to explore the rarer sites in the ‘off’ years. And it doesn’t get much rarer than South Western Spain (at least unless your school risk assessment can cope with war-zones!). Credit should certainly go to Hellene for being willing to step into the unknown, enabling an ambitious itinerary, and sorting out great hotels and guides for us. ”
HP Spain ’22
“All the places we visited were terrific and I would recommend them all. Because there is so much Greek stuff (which is great!), I would definitely advise a trip to Piazza Armerina for a Roman fix – those mosaics are amazing. Claudia was incredibly helpful in the planning phase (+ Sarah for the phone call just before we left). We value the classical expertise of Hellene and want a company we can trust to give our pupils a good experience. ”
JP Sicily ‘22
“Had great feedback from students and parents – the two staff who hadn’t been to Greece before loved every minute of it. Loads of sites for the keener Classicists and enough time in schedule to let everyone have free time and shopping. None of us had ever been to the Museum at Thebes before but it’s really nice and a great stop on the way up to Delphi. Claudia made everything simple and efficient. ”
NJ Greece ‘22
“Thanks so much for everything. More effusive praise will be forthcoming later once I regain my ability to put words into a coherent sentence. I confess to being a little on the tired side at the moment. Suffice it to say, you and your staff have proved why anyone who has travelled with you would never travel with anyone else again. ”
CJ Greece ‘22