How It Started
he introduced guests to an Indian prince featured on “Oprah”, the owner of 27 hotels in India and his 12 Century castle
Cloud9traveltours came into being as a result of tours Phil led for over 10 years. Initially, he chose places he wanted to see and invited his friends. He would do all the research and planning. As more people and friends heard about the trips, more asked to join the next trip and to bring their friends! He always selected unique destinations—Iceland, Cuba, India. Each morning, he told the story of each site the group would visit. He selected the hotels, restaurants, local guides, transportation, and sites to visit. In each location, he made local friends who gave his travelers unique insights into the lives, cultures, stories, and history of the places his local friends called home. Each evening, he and his travel companions shared stories over a cocktail by the hotel pool. That became one of the traditions of his trips!
Filling the trip with surprises, he introduced guests to an Indian prince featured on “Oprah”, the owner of 27 hotels in India and his 12 Century castle he renovated, dinner on the roof of the Taj Lake Palace Hotel, 12 friends in Iceland who shared what life was like there, Hemingway’s favorite bar in Havana, the National Hotel where mafia bosses met with the Cuban dictator—Batista—smoking volcanoes, camel rides, the Taj Mahal, boat trips on the Ganges, the cremation sites of Varanassi, and horseback riding in the Himalayas. He jumped into fountains with Kashmiri kids to cool down, had his eyes circled with kohl, fed elephants, visited houseboats in Srinigar, and visited the movie sites for “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Star Wars,” and “Dune” in Wadi Rum.
Issam (“Sammy”) began to join him on his travels. Their love for traveling is powerful. Sammy took Phil to Jordan where Phil joined a family feast and, as the honored guest, dined on goat eyeballs and tongue! They drank tea with Bedouins on the cliffs of Petra and met an American woman who had married her Bedouin husband and lives in a mountainside cave. Sammy introduced Phil to his cousin—a tour guide who guided Prince Charles and Camilla on their visit to Jordan. They watched a Queen Latifah movie, “Last Holiday,” and travelled to the Czech Republic to stay in the hotel where Queen Latifah stayed in the film—the 150-year-old Hotel Pupp. They launched flame-powered balloons skyward at the Festival of Sao Joao in Porto, befriended the chef at the one -star Michelin restaurant, DOC, in the Duoro Valley, and shared a wine festival in Madeira with American and Canadian expats who had relocated to Portugal to start a new life.
Their next travels will be to South Africa, Chile and Easter Island, New Zealand, Sicily, and Sri Lanka. Hopefully, their next travel adventures will be with you as one of their traveling companions. Then you will become part of the story of Cloud9traveltours!
10+ Years
Leading Tours
250+
Happy Clients
20+ Years
Travel Experience
Meet The Team
Hi I'm
Phil
Phil is a trial lawyer and has represented scores of America’s largest corporations. A native of Miami, he began leading tour groups 10 years ago and has led tours to Iceland, Cuba, India, and cruises. Phil has a massive love of travel. He says, “Travel opens your heart.” He became fascinated with travel when his parents took him to Europe at age 13 and he realized different countries had different histories, lifestyles, and thoughts from the United States. The trip opened up his eyes! Outgoing and hilarious, he will bring his special sparkle and “fabulosity” to your trip.
Hi I'm
Issam (“Sammy”)
Issam (“Sammy”) is a manager at a luxury hotel in Miami. He was educated in Malaysia where he joined with students from all over the world. He brings a wealth of experience in hotels and restaurants selecting each of our hotels, restaurants only locals know, and offering suggestions on wine. He introduces us to the staff, chef, and sommelier. He is a certified Sommelier. He is also a native of Jordan and leads our Jordan tour as only a native can. He provides incredible knowledge on the sites we visit. Charming, world-travelled, and a student of history, Issam’s infectious smile will have you smiling throughout our journey together.
How we Work
Join Us For Drinks!
The only thing we ask is that you join us for drinks each evening so that people can share their experiences and get to know each other!
We Arrange Everything Else
We arrange everything else: Welcome Party, local guides, transportation, river cruises, winery outdoor lunches, winery tastings and private Sommelier tours, entertainment, mud baths, Dead Sea spa, camel rides, Bedouin adventures at Wadi Rum, cliff climbing at Petra, meeting our friends, restaurant reservations, restaurants only locals know, special native goat feast in Jordan, tour schedule for each day, Farewell Lunch, and SURPRISES! Phil and Issam also provide a morning talk on the sites you will see that day including their history, story, and the movies filmed there.
You Book Your Own Hotel
We give you a list of the hotels to book. We give you the arrival and departure dates. That way, you can get exactly the room you want.
You Book Your Own Flights
We let you book your own flights. That way, you can get exactly the seats you want and use miles if you have them! We give you the schedule of when to arrive and when you may wish to depart.
You Can Do Whatever You Want
You do not have to join the tour group each day. If you want, take a day off and go shopping, enjoy the beach, people watch at a café, see sites we do not have on our schedule, join a Camel Safari, see movie sites, or just chill out.
Why Our Tours Cost Less than Other Companies
Why Our Tours Cost Less:
- We choose wonderful but less expensive hotels
- We let you book your own air and hotels
- We handle sites to visit, getting around, restaurants to choose, where to shop, and people to meet.
- We only add a charge of $500 per traveler for all of the arrangements we make, guiding the tour, introducing you to our friends, and arranging fantastic, unique, once-in-a lifetime experiences for you. And lots of surprises!
Other companies’ prices:
Kensington Tours
- $7,018 per person
Abercrombie & Kent
- $6,995 per person
Our Tours
Jordan
Date: Nov. 7 - 16, 2024
Price:
$2,400 per person traveling together
$3,200 per solo traveler
Dubai
Date: Nov. 17 - 22, 2024
Price:
$2,000 per person traveling together
$2,400 per solo traveler
porto duoro valley madeira
Date: June 18 - July 1, 2025
Price:
$2700 per person traveling together
$3,600 per solo traveler
Magical Madeira
Date: June 26, 2024 - July 1, 2025
Price:
$1,300 per person traveling together
$1,750 per solo traveler
WHAT OUR TRAVELERS SAY
Cloud 9 Travel Tours
"I Will Never Forget it"
“Thank you for an amazing trip! I will never forget it. Meeting the Prince, the feast atop the castle, dinner by candlelight at the Taj Lake Palace Hotel, riding the elephants, wearing turbans, and visiting the truly most beautiful building in the world – the Taj Mahal. These are just a few of my 100 favorite memories. Please put me on the list for the next trip, wherever it is. I cannot wait!”
Cloud 9 Travel Tours
"They are very jealous!”
“A Cruise to Cuba! What can I say? Only you could put that trip together. 14 wonderful new friends, sites that Americans have not been able to visit since the 1960’s, Fidel, Che Guevara, Hemingway’s home and favorite bar, riding in the 1950’s pink cars, the private rooftop restaurant, the charming Cuban people, and my first time on a cruise ship (I loved it!). I have told all my friends about Cuba and the Cruise. They are very jealous!”
Cloud 9 Travel Tours
"Thank You!"
“Many kudos to you for arranging our group trip to Iceland. What an interesting and unique country! I would probably never have gone if you had not put the group together. I loved the Icelanders you arranged for us to meet. Dancing at midnight while the sun was still up was amazing! The blue, blue warm springs pools were unforgettable. Seeing Bjork’s home. Smoking volcanoes. And finding out the Icelanders have an app to determine if they are too closely related to marry. My favorite thing was making so many new friends. As they say in Iceland, “pakka per fyrir” (Thank you)!
Why Choose Our Tours
Our Vision
At Cloud9traveltours, we believe in taking you on a trip as a friend would show you his hometown. We want you to feel like you are on a trip to home.
Our Expertise
We visit every site and make friends there. We put together only the most enjoyable, most fun, and most enriching experiences for our tour groups.
Our Commitment
We are committed to giving you a trip that will bring you joy, laughter, friends, and happiness. We take you into the heart of each location, sharing what we find unique, and then connect you with incredible people
Contact Us
We’d love to hear from you!
We put together tours to our favorite places. We would love to have you join us to see our favorite sights and meet our friends. Travel opens your heart.
Hours:
Monday – Friday : 9am – 5pm
Saturday – Sunday : Closed
We will get back to you as quickly as we can. Looking forward to speaking with you.
Monday – Friday : 9am – 5pm
Saturday – Sunday : Closed
We will get back to you as quickly as we can. Looking forward to speaking with you.
