Testimonials
“You had a great experience with me here in Normandy and you’d like to let others know about this… then get to your keyboards !” “ See comments from previous clients on Trip Advisor” about my tours and remember “ nobody is 100% perfect, only God !
43 responses
Visiting the Normandy beaches has been on our “bucket list” for a long time and the dream came true this Spring. We experienced a private, 2 day, fact filled adventure with the very knowledgeable guide Trevor Standefer with American D-Day Tours. The tour was constructed in a way gave you the feeling of what it was truely like on June 6th. 1944 for both the paratroopers inland and the beach invasion troops coming ashore. If you have the time, I highly recommend the 2 day tour.
Trevor not only knows the history of June 6th. 1944 but has spent years interviewing veterans that were there that day and is able to share their stories for them because most are no longer with us. Hearing these stories made the experience come to life for us.
If you are just looking for a quick look at the beaches and cemeteries, there are loads of cheap tour buses out there but if you are looking for more of a personal, detailed experience then Trevor is the one who can take you there. We will remember our time in Normandy and the sacrifice our brave men made to insure our freedoms forever.
Bob Holder
Boone, NC USA
Trevor’s knowledge and understanding of the DDay landing was incredible. We learned so much from this experience that I encourage anyone, American or not, to take this tour. Trevor packed so much into the tour including the American cemetery, the bunkers at the beaches, the town with the parachute jumper who hung from the steeple and more. He has the most intriguing stories to go along with each place we visited. We had a special lunch with his wonderful mother. We were a party of 6 and the transportation was great. I recommend this 5 star tour.
My family just returned from Europe and one of our highlights was the 1 day private tour we had of the American landings on D-Day. Trevor was GREAT!!!!! My husband and I had both recently retired from the Army and while I had the opportunity to go on several “staff rides” to Normandy, while we were stationed in Germany, my husband had never been on one. Very convenient,(me, my spouse and our two teen age boys)took a 2 1/2 hour train in from Paris (we took the 0710 from Gare St Lazare), arrived a little after 0930 and immediately started our tour. Trevor has a very spacious van with a speaker system so you can here everything very easily. Trevor is very knowledgeable and kept us mesmerized the entire day. NO DEAD SPACE – which was great – we have been on tours where the guide has something to say at specific locations and then NOTHING while traveling in between sites. Trevor kept us enthralled with stories of D-Day and the men involved the entire tour. He answered all of our questions (and we had MANY). Trevor has a very comprehensive way of laying out the Operation that is easy to understand, you get the history before D-Day, maneuvers leading up to and during the invasion and he highlights the stories of the brave men who lost there lives that day. He also reminded us of the civilian lives lost that day and has a unique perspective of occupied France by the Germans – his grandparents lived in the area during the Occupation. What was very special was after he would give us our “history lesson” at each site he always gave us the opportunity to walk independently to see things for ourselves. Never felt rushed and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TOUR. On our next trip we plan on taking his newest tour which is the Dday Motorcycle tour!!!
My two sons(aged 13 and 15) and I took the essential D-Day Tour with Trevor and had a fantastic time. We were staying in Paris and took a train up to Normandy for the day. Unfortunately our first train to Carentan was cancelled, so we had to take another train 2 hours later to Caen. Trevor was very accommodating and agreed to meet us in Caen, and to adjust the Tour to fit our new starting location.
The Tour was absolutely fascinating and Trevor did a very nice job providing context about the Region, the War up to that point and the planning for the invasion. And at each location, he had a tremendous amount of knowledge and detail on the local events that occurred in each place. Despite the late start, it was still a long day and Trevor did a very nice job keeping my boys engaged and entertained throughout.
For anyone with an interest in WWII, and in Normandy specifically, I would highly recommend hiring Trevor to guide you through the area.
Trevor is a very knowledgeable historian and provided, my twenty year old son and I, a wonderful private Paratroopers Tour on March 12th, 2018. Trevor shared the details leading up to the day and, at each stop, great aspects of the key events that took place. We learned so much and are grateful to hear from him and, to have met and talked to his mother, Danielle. You will be very pleased with American-DDay-Tours. Trevor and Danielle, thank you for again for a wonderful experience. All the best, Steve Weber, Naperville, IL U.S.A.
Trevor,
Thank you for providing a memorable Normandy Tour for our family in September 2017. Your passion and knowledge for WWII, along with your natural ability to tell stories makes you an excellent guide. If you are lucky, Trevor will take you for the best caramel ice cream in the world!
Thanks for a great experience!
Best wishes,
Mitch & Maggie
Our tour was 100% worth it! My dad is a history buff and WW2 aficionado, so we took a two day tour with Trevor. He is incredibly knowledgeable and all of us learned so much about D-Day. Even more impressive, though, is Trevor’s ability to animate the stories of the Americans and French people who experienced the invasion. He helped us understand the impact and importance of what transpired in June 1944. He is an excellent communicator (he speaks perfect English and French), and is very passionate about what he does. Thank you, Trevor, for an amazing tour!
Hello Trevor, We loved our day and a half tour with you. Your depth of knowledge and passion for the subject made this a once-in-a-lifetime experience. My husband and I were engrossed in your stories but, significantly, so was our teenage son. He has said your tour was the best thing about our visit to Paris and Normandy. Thank you for bringing D Day to life for us. You do honor to our troops by keeping their heroism and sacrifice so alive for new generations.
The four of us hired Trevor to take us on his one day tour. We were so fortunate that the weather in early October was cool and partly sunny. From the moment he picked us up in his comfortable Ford van, Trevor gave us a running history lesson that put what we saw that day into perspective and in such great detail. He answered every question we had and he brought the events of D-Day and beyond down to a human scale with personal stories of soldiers and their families. He also has roots in the area so it’s all personal to him. He clearly spends huge amounts of his free time reading.
We would highly recommend Trevor to be your tour guide in Normandy. He also had some great recommendations for restaurants and other sites in the area.
My wife and I spent the day with Trevor. He was simply fabulous! His knowledge of the planning and execution of the invasion at Normandy was simply boundless. He brought it to life with his passion and insight. His description was vivid and made us feel that we were there when it happened. It was truly a highlight of our travel to the area.
We were on a cruise ship that docked at Le Havre. Trevor was there waiting for us when we disembarked and he got us back to the ship on time.
He shared his past with us and helped us understand how his background fed his passion for his devotion to telling the story of Normandy. We stopped for lunch at a place where we had the best quiche ever. He got us there before the start of the busy lunch time, so we could get served and out so we would not lose tour time. I can not imagine that there is anyone who could have been a better guide than Treor.
On September 24, 2013, my sister, her husband, my husband and I had the pleasure of taking Trevor’s American D-Day Tour from our cruise ship out of Le Havre to the German Cemetery, Pointe-du-Hoc, Omaha Beach, Omaha Beach Museum and the American Cemetery. It was the best tour we took our entire trip! Trevor is a wealth of knowledge on the whole history of the area and has personal family ties to the Americans landing in France. Trevor’s whole tour is done in honor of those whole gave their lives and those who survived the bloodiest day in American History. He has had the honor of giving tours to World War II Veterans to survived D-Day who have told him their stories, which he shares on his tour. The tour is a respectful and humbling tribute to D-Day. The entire tour tells the American side of the story and if you have a soul it will rock you emotionally to your core. It’s a tour that every American should take at least once in their lifetime and if you have the chance to have Trevor give it to you, you are in for a life changing day.
There are many bigger companies that offer similar tours, but while strolling along listening to other guides I’m glad I had an American with no accent giving us our tour. I understood every word spoken. Trevor also maximizes our time by allowing us to ordering our lunch in advance so when we sat down for lunch the food was served quickly and we didn’t have to wait long and be right back on our way.
If you are looking for a tour guide who will give you 100% history and no fluff, Trevor is your guy. We are all grateful for our experience with him! Thank you, Trevor!
Jean Barnes
My wife and I, along with our two friends, recently travelled to Europe via a cruise ship followed by a 12 day land portion. Trevor met us at our hotel and from the first moment I met him, I knew that I had chose the right tour company!
Our tour was the “D-Day Essemntial Private Tour Package”
Trevor’s deep and thorough knowledge of the entire D-Day operation, what went into it before, during and after as well as explanation of the military maneuvers and what our boys went through….explained right on the hallowed sands of Utah and Omaha Beaches….the PERSONAL connection that he and his family had to World War II, his heartfelt explanation of what went on while at all of the tour stops that we made….his respect and honor for our fallen, having lunch in his house with his family…amazing, amazing, amazing!!!!
This company….American D-Day Tours….we wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is looking not only to “tour” the area, but to hear it through Trevor’s words….you will not be disappointed!
God Bless all of our troops and let us NEVER forget…..Trevor has certainly not forgotten!
Thank you Trevor!
Mike and Ellen Nied
Long Island, NY
Our family (four of us including two active boys 11 and 9) took a private tour with Trevor on April 17, 2013. It was a scheduled 9 hour pickup and drop off tour and we discussed with Trevor that the attention span of young boys may not last that long. He assured us he would make it fun and interesting for them. We had a great day, his thorough knowledge of DDay, the area,his passion for the subject, his family stories from his grandparents who lived through the German occupation and engagement of our boys in the facts, was great. The lunch he arranged for us was delicious. Our boys were engaged (as were we) for the entire day. Trevor even made dinner reservations for us at at L’angle St Laurent, in Bayeux, which was fabulous. Having spent 5 days in Paris and two days in Normandy, the tour and our Normandy visit were one of the highlights of our trip. We reccomend Trevor as a guide without reservation.
My husband and I spent a full day with Trevor in September 2012. Trevor was both knowledgeable and passionate, and the perfect guide to help me appreciate what my Dad and all of the Allies endured on D-Day. My Dad was likely in the second landing craft on Omaha beach, and Trevor’s descriptions of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles they faced, made me understand why it was something my Dad never wanted to discuss.
Our tour started at St. Mere Eglise, visited Pont du Hoc, Utah and Omaha beaches, and ended at the American cemetery. Trevor showed the perfect balance between providing information, and letting you reflect on the tremendous sacrifices made to ensure our freedom. Trevor continues to learn about the war by talking with the WWII veterans who visit-you can tell that Trevor cares deeply about this subject and appreciates what the French people in Normandy did to help the Allies. An amazing and very moving experience-thank you Trevor!
Margie and Rob Stanford
Visited September 2012
Trevor; You are a natural at what you do, well researched and definitly are a professional as a guide. “The Essential Tour” you provided our group of eight was impressive and memorable, topped off with a wonderful lunch at your home provided by your delightful wife Sandrine. Your knowledge and presentation at each of the sites visited was amazing and maximized the time perfectly.
Everyone of us left regretting we had not taken your “Full D-Day Experience 2 Day Tour”.
Thank you for providing us a memorable day at a very moving historical area. We at Holt Travel will be highly recommending you and your tours to our client base.
Our family of four took a one-day tour with Trevor in August 2012. We stayed the night before in the quaint town of Sainte Mere Eglise and met with Trevor at the church the next morning. It was a full day of touring. My son, who loves military history, absorbed all the facts so he could discuss at length what happened in Normandy with his grandfather, a retired Army Lt. Colonel. Being half French and half American, Trevor speaks both languages fluently, so there was no language barrier. Lunch was delicious, a fact repeated by my daughter more than once after we continued our vacation in Paris. I have ordered the movie The Longest Day. We will make it a family night to watch it before Nick heads back to college. Thanks for the experience.
The Librandi’s
Our thanks to Trevor for a most incredible day touring the historical sites of Normandy. Visiting this area has been an important objective on our bucket list for as long as we can remember and it was our good fortune to choose Trevor as our guide.
He has a deep personal understanding of the flow of Operation Overlord to its most detailed level, enhanced by extensive research and interviews he has conducted with returning veterans.. He uses a mixture of historic photography and personally prepared maps of the battle areas to support his presentations of the most vivid details of events on those days. From minute details such as pointing out bullet damage to an old iron fence, a historical derivation of the hedgerows and their impact on the days of battle, to a grand comprehension of the overall invasion plan and execution, Trevor is a warehouse of knowledge on the subject and the perfect guide to lead you through a most informative and interesting visit.
His reverence for the history of these areas and the young men who made that history is evident in the depths of his emotion, moved to tears as he stood on ‘Bloody Omaha’ beach, recounting events of that day. It’s almost as if he was there.
We very quickly developed an enormous respect for Trevor, not only for the quality of his presentations but for the respect with which he relates these heroic accomplishments and his committment to getting it right. We highly recommend that you consider Trevor as your guide should you have the good fortune to visit the Normandy area.
Mark & Linda
Trevor made the Bedford Boys and the Rangers who did the impossible at Pointe du Hoc come to life for us with his knowledge and respect for the events that unfolded on June 6, 1944. His stories, photos, and even beach diagrams of the actions taken by those brave young men brought tears to our eyes. The American Cemetery at Normandy was overwhelming and a fitting conclusion to our one-day tour.
A very personalized tour by an enthusiastic tour guide with strong family ties to the U.S., Trevor speaks English fluently and is truly interested in his work. We also found him to be extremely accommodating as we missed our early train from Bayeux, but he adjusted and found a way to pick us up in Carentan and join the rest of the seven- person tour. He was also gracious enough to invite all of us to his home for lunch where we met his lovely wife which only enhanced and personalized the tour.
The experience with Trevor at Normandy was the highlight of our three week trip throughout France. We will certainly recommend his services to our friends and to all tourists interested in gaining a first-hand appreciation of the sacrifices that were made by so many brave young men for the cause of freedom on the beaches of Omaha and Utah.
Merci beaucoup Trevor for the lifetime memories that we are anxious to share with our friends and our two adult children. Let us know when you plan to come to the States.
Warmest Regards, chuck and mary
Hi Trevor ! Thanks again for a fantastic tour !!!
Robin & Adam Ross from Florida
My wife and I took a tour with Trevor, and we loved it! It was awesome! It made our entire trip to France worth it. My grandfather had been in the Normandy Invasion–Utah Beach, and so I was especially interested in learning about where my grandfather served. Trevor was great in taking extra time showing us Utah Beach. He showed us there the 531st engineering batallion landed, and how the battle progressed. His knowledge was excellent. He took extra time to show me things that were important to me, but not necessarily ‘standard tour stuff.’ He found the road that my grandfather helped de-mine and found the street signs named after my grandfather’s fallen companions. It was an excellent experience! I would recommend him highly to anybody wanting to spend a day in Normandy.
We took the 1st train from Paris in the morning. Trevor picked us up at the train station, and off we went. He then dropped us back off in time to catch the last train of the day and we returned to Paris. It was flawless! i recommend him 100%.
Kevin and Marianne Rencher, Helena, MT USA
We had a wonderful time with Trevor. He has a wealth of knowledge of the area, and points out many areas and facts that are not in the normal books and movies. We wish we could have done 2 days with him instead of just one. We will highly recommend Trevor to anybody for a moving experience. And lunch was fantastic!
We toured the American Beaches of Normandy in March 2011 with Trevor. He is great! We learned so much at every stop of the day. Not only was the tour a great experience, but we also learned so much. At each stop of the tour, Trevor gave us an in depth history lesson. Thanks for a day we will always remember. We highly recommend Trevor as an expert on D-Day.
Helen & Joe
Thank you Trevor, for taking good care of my clients, Mr and Mrs Gilchrist and Dr and Mrs Ruby. Being able to put my clients in the hands of a knowledgable and capable guide is essential for the private tours my clients expect. They all reported that your in-depth knowledge of D-Day and the Normandy beaches exceeded their expectations. I look forward to working with you many more times in the future.
Best Regards
from Fort Worth Texas
Hi Trevor and Sandrine….
Thanks for the wonderful tour and your warm hopitality.We look forward to showing you some of the same but Texas Style. I hope many tourist will be coming your way.
Thanks again…..
Frances and David
Dear Trevor,
My family and I are back home in the U.S. We enjoyed our visits to Spain and France.
I would like to express my gratitude in coordinating my family’s DDay tour with you. You were extremely professional and knowledgeable, and made the tour interesting and fun. The 8.5 hours went by really quickly and we all thoroughly enjoyed the tour. It was a trip we will always remember. We would be happy to recommend American-Dday-Tours to friends/family.
Sincerely,
Norma Reyes
Thanks again for your great tour and insightful comments.
Joel A. Arimjo
Dear Trevor,
After taking your tour on September 19th, we are now back home in the USA. We just wanted to say how much we enjoyed the day. It was way beyond our expectations, primarily because of you. You’re so knowledgeable and have a great company.
I have watched again “The Longest Day” and “Saving Private Ryan”, they both have new meaning for me, and remind me of our wonderful tour.
Thanks for a great experience!
Cheers, Brian
Very comprehensive and emotional experience.”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed August 15, 2011
We had booked a two day tour with Ellwood Siebold(ddaybattletours). Unfortunately, Ellwood was under the weather and unable to do the 2nd day as he needed to see a specialist. He arranged for Trevor Standefer (American-dday-tours) to do the 2nd day. We had previously heard Ellwood described as the “Steve Irwin” of D-day tours due to his passion and enthusiasm. Trevor had a vast knowledge of the American aspects of D-day and he brought a very personal and emotional perspective based on his heritage as an American with French parentage. Trevor had me in tears as he related stories on Omaha beach. His personal stories about his grandparents were incredible. I did this tour with my husband and 12 year old daughter. We were extremely pleased to have had this opportunity with Trevor.
Visited August 2011
Trevor was fantastic. We had a fabulous time, and we learned a lot. Thanks for the great experience. When I get home, I’ll post something good on Trip Advisor. This was truly an awesome day.
Rebecca
I’m back in NY now but I wanted to take a moment and thank you again for such a memorable day in Normandy. It was truly a powerful and poignant experience. Hearing the incredible stories of both the soldiers as well as your family really brought the sites to life for me. I hope to someday return to your part of the world and I hope you will look me up in New York City should your travels ever take you here. Thanks again.
Regards,
Trevor was absolutely wonderful! He had an incredible amount of information about the sites and really made events come alive for us through his descriptions and details and was professional yet very personable. Thank you so much for recommending him – we had a wonderful tour and will recommend him highly to everyone else.
We just wanted to send a thank you for our outstanding tour with Trevor.
Alan Davis
We just wanted to send a thank you for our outstanding 2 day tour with Trevor. Both days flew and we were so pleased with the itinerary and the way Trevor added some of his own family history from that time. The added special stops which no one else goes to( thank goodness ) were also a special treat. The Churchill was a great choice for convenience and service and we are glad to see that they are able to expand their facilities with the new adjacent hotel.
All the best Trevor and thank you again for a very special 2 days of touring.
Best regards,
Brenda and Don Esacove
We just wanted to say thanks! Trevor. You led our group on the 19 and 20 July, 2 day Full D-day Experience tour. This was the highlight of my European holiday. Your insight and manner of presenting the battles was outstanding. If and when we get to return to Normandy, we will definately take another tour with you. Trevor is such a great tour-guide.
Brent and Bonnie Morrison
Columbus, IN USA
Dear Battlebus:
I had to send a message right away about today’s excellent tour.
Trevor provided superb stories about the American sectors. His
personal family experiences were a powerful and poignant addition to
the battlefield stories.
Trevor did a great job throughout. Thanks again for a wonderful
survey of the history of D-Day.
Sincerely,
David Schmiedicke
Madison, WI. USA
Greetings! We so enjoyed our 2 day American Experience tour. Trevor was an outstanding guide. Thanks to him we had a terrific 2 days and learned so much.
Mary and Frank Sabatasso
We wanted to express our sincere thanks and heartfelt gratitude for the wonderful tours we experienced with you recently. On 1 June 2010, we took the American Highlight Tour and the British Highlight Tour on 2 June 2010. Both tours were truly amazing to say the least. Our tour guides Trevor and Dale (respectively) provided such insight in the historical aspects as well as the emotions of each place we visited. They are to be commended for their individual presentations, sincerity and candor. We couldn’t believe how quickly each day passed. Yesterday (6 June 2010), I watched the local Military Channel’s presentation of D-Day. To my amazement, I relived many of the places Trevor and Dale took us. What a wonderful tour! Thanks to Battlebus Tours, Trevor and Dale, this is the one tour we’ll always remember! (Alan Smith, Jeff Silbersack, Dave Knippenberg)
Battle Bus Staff, my father and I were recently in Bayeux France and partook of your 2 day American Experience Tour (June 7th & 8th). Our guide for this tour was Trevor. I would like to let you know that the tour he gave was excellent, his knowledge and visual aids were very informative and gave a personal touch to the stories he passed along. His Conduct, knowledge, and presentation, reflect highly on your Company. And I would personally like to thank you for giving my father and myself an experience we will remember and pass along. I will highly recommend your company to anyone I know that will be visiting the area. Thank You again.
Trevor, thank you again for a great tour.
Michael D Hafenbrack
Gysgt. USMC Retired
I just wanted to tell you what a great experience we had last week with Trevor Standefer. He was an awesome guide with lots of personal stories as well as answers to all my detailed questions. He kept my 9 year old and 21 year old daughters interested for 8 hours which is an amazing feat. My whole family had a life time experience. He is perfect for American tourist like us who want to focus on American stories and experiences. His understanding of the French perspective and American was the perfect combination. The stories from the French side of his family were touching and gave us the feeling of a personal experience. He made the D-day history come alive.
We will refer our many friends to Trevor who have asked us and would like to have the same experience.
Thanks again for giving us such a wonderful family experience, not just one for us WWII fanatics.
Sincerely yours,
Phil
We took your tour on June 1 and wanted to say a big thank you for such a wonderful experience! Your stories about your French Grandparents and your mother added a personal element that made the tour all the more interesting for us. You were an excellent guide and we truly enjoyed ourselves!
Thanks again,
Martina McGilloway
I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our American
Highlights tour! It was one of the best parts of our trip. Please
tell Trevor that we did have dinner at le Pommier, per his
recommendation, and loved it! What a wonderful way to begin our first
visit to France and we will surely recommend your company to anyone
visiting in the area. We also hope to visit again very soon…
Merci beaucoup,
Robin Perrone
Charlotte, North Carolina – USA
Normandy D-Day Tour
I recently took a D-Day tour of the American beaches Trevor was clearly an expert on the subject, but he was able to explain it to non-experts like us in a clear and understandable way. He also had a number of family stories to share that were pretty amazing. The tour was one of the highlights of the trip.
Regina Swan
Santa Rosa, CA USA 05/20/2010
On May 6 and 7 my cousin Merv Kleinstein and I took the two day tour with Trevor. I was hoping I had selected the best tour company because Merv is a huge military history buff who has visited battle fields around the world, including Normandy two or three previous times, and a mediocre tour guide would not make him happy. However, Trevor was excellent and even Merv found the tour very interesting despite his vast knowledge of World War II. Trevor’s French background with stories he learned from his French grandparents added a dimension and a personal element to the tour you cannot get with other tour guides. We were very happy with him and the tour.
Feel free to use this e-mail as a recommendation of your fine company.
Also, we stayed at the D’Argouges hotel on your recommendation and our stay there was quite nice and the staff very accomodating. Frederic even helped us locate Merv’s lost IPhone. Finally, your web site is very good and provided a great deal of information we wanted prior to the trip such as the weather, how to get to Bayeux, travel information etc.
No question we would recommend you to anyone touring Normandy.
Just a short note to say how much my son and myself enjoyed our tour on 12th
September. We thought you were excellent. Good luck to your tour
business in the future.
Regards Peter.