Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

Beth Ann Wahl and Jack Kolpen at tulip fields outside Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Travelers Beth Ann Wahl and Jack Kolpen take in a “glorious” field of tulips outside Amsterdam.

BENELUX April 2026

We are delighted to write this review of Tom, who planned our trip to the Benelux countries.

Tom and his team did an outstanding job organizing every aspect of our journey through Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. His recommendations reflected deep local knowledge, thoughtful planning, and careful attention to our interests and travel style. From hotels and transportation to dining and sightseeing suggestions, everything was seamless and exceptionally well-coordinated.

Equally important was the absolutely outstanding array of guides—and drivers too—that Tom selected for us in each of our destinations. Every guide and driver was knowledgeable, engaging, professional, and clearly chosen with care. They added tremendous depth and personality to the experience and transformed the trip from simply sightseeing into something far more memorable and meaningful.

We thought we would pick out some of the more memorable experiences from the trip, but quickly realized that our entire 18-day journey was packed with memorable moments, making it difficult to separate one experience from another as being “better” than the rest. How does one even begin to compare the memorability of standing in glorious fields of tulips outside Amsterdam, sitting behind the polishing wheel of a diamond cutter, standing before great works of art, touring the Bruges countryside in a classic car, delighting in creations of artisan chocolatiers, to experiencing the sobering feeling of standing in the now-calm Ardennes where so many young soldiers gave their lives for our freedom?

We actually had the pleasure of meeting Tom twice during the trip—once unexpectedly in the lobby of the Botanic Sanctuary Hotel in Antwerp (a jewel of a hotel not to be missed), and again, intentionally by Tom but a complete surprise to us, on the final afternoon of our journey at Laurent Gerbaud, the acclaimed Brussels chocolatier known for his inventive approach to traditional Belgian chocolate. Both encounters reinforced how genuinely invested he was in making sure everything went well and that we were enjoying ourselves.

In many cases, a travel company thanks you for using their services. In this case, we feel obligated to thank Tom and his team for the truly brilliant ideas they gave us for this trip. Tom anticipated details we never would have considered ourselves, and helped make the journey both relaxing and unforgettable. The itinerary struck a perfect balance between major highlights and unique experiences we almost certainly would have missed on our own.

We highly recommend Tom and his team to anyone looking for personalized, professional, and highly knowledgeable travel planning services in the Benelux. Ten stars!

If you would like to read more details about the trip Tom designed for us, please visit my travel blog at youdontknowjacktravels.com.

Michael Modak and his wife at a chocolate-making class at Neuhaus in Brussels.

Traveler Michael Modak and his wife took a chocolate-making class at Neuhaus in Brussels.

Flowers, chocolate, and beer! Just back from the Benelux region. What started as a trip to see the tulips in The Netherlands and the family that hosted my wife when she spent a semester there turned into a wonderful 2-week excursion throughout the region.

Thomas and his team put together their ideas for a wonderfully diverse agenda and after a few discussions, we had a great plan that included sites, museums, flowers, chocolate, and beer.

In the Amsterdam area we enjoyed the city and tulip fields in Flevoland, the Aalsmeer tulip auction, and Keukenhof Park. En route to the Hague we had a great WOW Moment in the diamond district of Antwerp. A stop in the beautiful city of Leiden allowed us to learn about the pilgrims stopping there before sailing to the US. The Hague offered nice art museums as well as easy access to the Delft area and the windmills at Kinderdijk.

Luxembourg offered very nice scenery and the remarkable Vianden Castle as well as Castle Beaufort where a local version of Cassis was a welcome beverage. And our time in Belgium included stops in Bruges, Ghent and Brussels. Great chocolate and beer in all of these places. And a visit to Waterloo provided a good understanding of Napolean and his rise and fall.

Out of so many wonderful stops and events on the trip, our top 3 would be (1) a private boat dinner cruise on the canals of Amsterdam (2) a tour of the area where the Battle of the Bulge took place, and (3) a chocolate making class at Neuhaus at the Galerie in Brussels.

All hotels were marvelous and logistics were flawless. And the guides were all superb. Very knowledgeable and flexible. I’m keen to give my top rating to Thomas and his team.

The standards that have been set by WendyPerrin.com to be able to achieve a slot on the WOW List is not only well deserved by Tom’s organization—those who he associates with were also impeccable.
This trip was planned 6 years ago and needed to be cancelled due to COVID, and it was well worth the wait. Every day was a phenomenal experience with the guides. The Pulitzer Hotel’s staff were courteous, knowledgeable and attuned to all of our needs. The gardens are a testament to their commitment to aesthetics for all to enjoy. Seeing the tulips was a kaleidoscope of color that was incredible. This trip lived up to all of our expectations and more.

Just back from a quick trip to Belgium that we planned with Tom. Our teenage daughter and nephew had a couple of days off from school in early November, and my husband had to be in London for business the following week, so I reached out to Tom about spending a few days in either Belgium or Amsterdam. After a quick call where Tom outlined what each destination would look like, we decided on Belgium.

Tom suggested using Ghent as our home base, which was a great idea, as it ended up being our favorite city we visited. He booked us into 1898 The Post, a great boutique hotel right in the middle of the small city. We spent one day exploring Ghent and our other two days we took day trips (with a driver and private guide) to Antwerp and Bruges (both about an hour’s drive away). Tom planned the perfect combination of sightseeing and learning the history of each city with fun hands-on activities, such as a Belgian waffle-making class, a chocolate-making class, and in Antwerp, the diamond capital of the world, we visited with a master diamond cutter and tried our hand at cutting a real diamond.

Our guide, Sopfie, was fabulous and made everything really interesting for the teens. Every half hour or so we would pop into an artisan chocolate or dessert shop to taste something amazing. Three full days gave us a great overview of a country rich in history, culture, and amazing food! Belgium was a fabulous long-weekend getaway! Thank you, Tom!

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