Insight Vacations Reviews

What a wonderful tour! April-May is the time to go, as the weather is improving (we had many days in the mid-20s Celsius after a cool beginning), and the Keukenhof Gardens are open and, in our case, were included in the tour. Our wonderful tour director, Philip Orna, went out of his way to ensure we had the best tour possible, and our driver, Ludwig, ...read more was also excellent.

There were a few downsides. The accommodation in Bruges is a brand new Radisson, which is still teething, is understaffed and is not well located (next to the rail yards). Apparently chosen by Insight because they received a lot of bad feedback regarding the previous hotel.

The NH hotel in Amsterdam is also new to Insight, and is very tired. It is apparently due to be renovated this year (2019), so should be in good shape by 2020, but may not be so good this year.

The Chateau D'Urspelt is lovely, but it is a true country stay. It is a long drive from Luxembourg, so those who choose not to take the optional excursion to Trier will have to remain in Luxembourg until the excursion returns. Trier is certainly worthwhile, so we would recommend taking this excursion.

We went on the majority of the optional excursions and recommend doing the same. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and made many friends among our travelling companions.

I did a comprehensive tour of Portugal over a decade ago and thought it was time to revisit this beautiful country. I have travelled with Insight Vacations more than a dozen times, so choosing a tour operator was easy.

Although the itinerary was similar to the previous tour, this time there were new inclusions and a broader cultural focus, both ...read more of which made a difference. For example, in each region we tasted local delicacies: pastel de nata in Lisbon, doce fino in Algarve, ginjinha in Obidos, pastel de Tentugal in Coimbra, tibia in Braga, etc. etc. These are small touches, but were appreciated by all, since they and the stories behind them are all threads in the tapestry that is Portugal.

Accommodation was comfortable and very close to city centres and historic sites. Included food was excellent, particularly in the local restaurants Frade dos mares in Lisbon, Sem-Fim in Monsaraz, farm-to-table dinner in Quinta de Maroccos in Peso da Regua... Both included and optional excursions were excellent and were a real value-add to an already great choice of locations and sightseeing.

The local guides were superb - they were passionate about their cities, knowledgeable and entertaining. The tour director and the driver were great too: professional and attentive. The former was friendly, personable, well organised, able to quickly solve problems and displayed excellent attention to detail.

Overall, the tour was very well organised. If anything, I think it should be a bit longer- additional two days would have allowed for some more time to be spent in locations worthy of more exploration. My only criticism would be the stay in Almancil. While the stroll on the beach was nice, there really wasn't anything else to do in the afternoon/evening. Perhaps a different location for an overnight should be considered? Apart from that, the tour was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in gaining a deeper insight into Portugal.

On a separate note - this was the first time I've booked a tour with Global Journeys, an agency I came across accidentally while doing an online search. At first I was a little sceptical and concerned about whether I'd made the right choice of an agent. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Global Journeys provided service of a high standard: communication was timely, responses to questions prompt, information accurate. I have already recommended them to friends and would use them again myself.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our seven day Italian adventure. The tour company was excellent and the tour guide was an extremely well organised person with a wealth of knowledge and anecdotes, The standard of the hotels was very good and in great locations. Top marks to everyone involved in our package holiday.

Toured Spain and Portugal with Paddy and Insight Vacations. Paddy is the best tour director we have ever had. He went above and beyond anything we had ever experienced before and always with a smile on his face and a geniune warmth in his heart.....our next Tour director will have some big shoes to fill. Some days were long drives but that's what's ...read more required to get to see different places. Accommodation was good. We felt safe and well cared for the whole journey, which is important travelling overseas. If you want amazing memories just jump into everything on offer. Yvonne from Global Journeys was fantastic and organised our holiday to perfection.

Love Insight. They really make you feel safe and looked after. Worries disappear once you're on the road with them. And Global Journeys takes the worries out even before you start travelling - and keep the cost down.

I would travel with Insight Vacations again. Nice group of people. Tour Director was great and coach driver amazing. Some of the meals on the optional excursions were below my expectations.

We travelled with Insight Vacations again ... to Morocco this time. Pretty well perfect as usual. Some days were long drives but that's what's required to get to see different places. Accommodation was good. We felt safe and well cared for the whole journey, which is important in a strange country. So much colour and life to see in Morocco, so different ...read more to our western world. We learnt how to haggle quite well after a while and how to say "no" politely but with authority. We went for a camel ride in the Sahara to watch the sunset. If you want amazing memories just jump into everything on offer. Yvonne from Global Journeys was fantastic and organised our holiday to perfection.

This tour was a terrific way to experience these three diverse countries in one go, an almost essential criteria after having to travel so far. The booking process and the management of the booking by Global Journeys was smooth and seamless from start to finish and we rate them very highly. As for the tour itself, the experience provided by Insight ...read more Vacations was exceptional.

The motor coach, driver and the Tour Director were of the highest standard, however the quality of the accommodation varied considerably across the tour. Overall the accommodation was very good but in a couple of locations it was not really up to expectations. The group was quite varied and overall got along very well, which makes a trip like this very interesting as travel stories are shared and enjoyed.

If there was any complaint, the number of optional experiences was excessive and overpriced. Compared to past tours we have experienced we would have expected many of what were presented as extra cost options would have been included in a tour of this quality and cost, however, overall the tour was a very high quality offering and a great way to experience such diverse countries

This was a great way to see the highlights of Spain & Portugal. We were so incredibly fortunate to have Brad as our truly exceptional Tour Director. His knowledge of every aspect of both countries added an extra dimension to the trip. The quality of accommodation was very good & the optional tours were worthwhile with excellent guides. February proved ...read more to be a perfect time to travel as the crowds were smaller than at other times & the weather was sunny & mild. I would be happy to travel with Insight again.

Excellent all round. Global Journeys kept me confident & well informed, whilst the Insight Road To Rome Tour was a trip we'll never forget. Truly had nothing to worry about, great pace & accomodating/considerate towards my pregnant wife. Knowledgeable & professional staff, head & shoulders above the rest.

Overall a good trip. Saw a lot which could not do on your own. Busy schedule but not stressed as everything taken care of.

Accommodation in Florence & Rome could be better. Really need to do the Optional tours to benefit from it so budget for these. So you could say the optional tours are not really optional.

Allow a few days at the end to relax ...read more & do shopping if you want as you don’t really get enough time for this on the tour despite what they say. The guide Gary was excellent & professional. As this was our first time to Italy & the europena continent it was a good way to do it with this tour.

Christmas Day in Zermatt with the snow around us was a memory to last forever. Excellent tour with a great Tour Director. Georgie from Global Journeys was great to deal with and made our bookings easy.

Great accommodation and an excellent Tour Director. We will recommend Insight Vacations to our friends. Georgie at Global Journeys was very helpful.

I would definitely book through Global Journeys again - everything was handled extremely well and all my flights were thoughtfully chosen. Juliet contacted me when one of my flights was changed about 3 months before the tour started. Michelle (Tour Director) and Zoltan (Driver) were marvellous: there was one very difficult passenger and Michelle handled ...read more the situation with courtesy, tact and a minimum of fuss. The market venues were wonderful and we were given plenty of time to browse the areas surrounding the markets.

Very good tour most enjoyable. The accommodation was excellent, the food very good and the markets excellent. The tour director Sue Mason was excellent and the flourishes much appreciated.

We were so lucky on our tour - we had so much fun we have come home for a rest! Our tour leader Daghan and driver Murat were both professional but with warm and ready smiles and inexhaustible good humour that went far beyond their duty to mould us 26 coachmates into a new set of Turkish 'cousins'! Turkey is a wonderful culturally rich country and our ...read more hosts warmly welcomed us everywhere we went. Food, hotels, transport and itinerary were all of a high standard. We would definitely be interested in touring southern Turkey when it becomes available. Thanks Insight and Global Journeys!

Great sights, scenery, tapas and Sangria everywhere. Would love to go back to Salamanca and Seville. Porto quite run down and still undergoing renovations. Lisbon was very nice and stylish.

We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience of the 14 days Country Roads of Croatia. Definitely happy that we did not go in the peak summer season, as the crowds were still packed. Out Tour Director Irina was amazing and very attentive to all of our needs. Even though we have travelled quite a bit, we were still amazed to see and hear about the lakes ...read more and waterfalls and the beautiful caves in Slovenia, that we were previously unaware of. Thank you for organising our booking.

The itinerary of this tour gave a comprehensive coverage of Southern Italy and Sicily that could be achieved comfortably in 14 days. In Rome we particularly enjoyed visiting the Pantheon and then the Sistine Chapel with a taste of other areas of the Vatican Museum. Then south to Puglia via other well-known towns and sites to the area around Alberobello ...read more with their unique, conicle-roofed houses. The agricultural emphasis in Puglia was an interesting variation to many other areas of Italy. And the history of previous civilisations was showcased throughout our tour and was different as we journeyed along.

From Puglia it was on to Sicily with its evidence of the early habitation by the Moors and Greeks. We appreciated the sightseeing at Taormina, Syracusa and Agrigento as examples. As Sicily had experienced heavy rain, our tour director, Margaret, changed the itinerary enabling us to safely see all our planned sights. Personally, we would have liked to reach the top of Mt Etna; but maybe another day. Margaret also ensured we all enjoyed our tour. The coach was very comfortable and always spotless. Our driver, Massimo with his excellent driving skills, made us feel safe and was always there to provide assistance off the coach as required. Thankyou Margaret and Massimo! This tour was filled with great variety, excellent direction and comes highly recommended.

Enjoyed the tour and saw some amazing places and met some great people. Had a few hiccups due to weather and a landslide on the Amalfi Coast and earth tremor in Sicily. Tour director was OK but not as good as ones I have had on other trips.