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AAT Kings vs Travelmarvel
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of AAT Kings and Travelmarvel.The Low Down
AAT Kings have partnered with Global Journeys since our inception, and as a result we have an in-depth understanding of all their trips, through both Australia and New Zealand. Our team have journeyed with them on 9 tours through New Zealand, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. That close relationship also means we can deliver fantastic savings throughout the year. AAT King's core multi-day coach tours cater mainly for those over 55+, whilst their short breaks in the Northern Territory tend to attract a more diverse range of ages. All coaches are first class, and AAT Kings pride themselves on their tour guides - many of which have been with them for decades!
The lesser known, but equally popular Travelmarvel, is the sister brand of APT. Positioned as a premium Operator, but a level down from APT with regards to pricing, inclusions and the age of it's river ships. Travelmarvel & APT share the same past passenger Rewards Scheme, and many of our clients like prefer to spend a little less, knowing they are still backed by one of Australasia's premier touring companies. With it's roots in coach touring through Australia and New Zealand, Travelmarvel now offer river cruises in Europe & Asia, tours and cruises in Canada and trips around South & Central America. As Platinum Partners of APT & Travelmarvel, our consulting team have an in-depth knowledge and have personally experienced travelling with Travelmarvel and would relish the opportunity to help organise your next holiday.
Stats
No. of Trips
109
No. of Departures
8,065
Avg. Trip Length
8 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$567
Accommodation
3.5 - 4.5 Star
Budget
Affordable & Premium
No. of Trips
331
No. of Departures
2,541
Avg. Trip Length
15 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$621
Accommodation
4 Star
Budget
Affordable & Premium
In Their Own Words
We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Choosing AAT Kings for your Australia or New Zealand holiday guarantees you’ll benefit from the insider secrets, off-the-beaten-path destinations and authentic interactions with local characters that only 100 years of experience can provide. With over a hundred years’ experience in sharing Australia with our guests, AAT Kings holds exclusive access to some truly unique locations, secret trails and roads less travelled that add so much value to the overall travel experience.
At AAT Kings, our on-road staff are best in class. Our Travel Directors, Driver Guides and Drivers are hand-picked for their passion, experience, and enthusiasm for the spectacular countries we live in. There is truly no one better to share with you the best destinations across Australia and New Zealand. We have been perfecting our itineraries and products for over 100 years, so the benefits gained from travelling with us are unrivalled. With over 150 expertly crafted holiday itineraries to choose from, we offer something for everyone.
Holiday memories are not just shaped by the incredible places you visit, but also by the wonderful people you meet along the way. At Travelmarvel, we know that great service is about going above and beyond, and that’s why our staff are regarded as a holiday highlight in their own right.
Travelmarvel holidays offer the perfect combination of all the highlights of the destination with outstanding quality and value for money - you won’t go wrong choosing Travelmavel for your next holiday adventure.
Recent Reviews
4.5
AAT Kings itinerary for this outback tour was thoughtfully planned. There were many opportunities to learn about Aboriginal culture and view spectacular scenery. We enjoyed getting to know our fellow travellers. Having some evenings free to dine without the group was appreciated. Highlights included "Under a Desert Moon", Field of Light Sunrise and read more Uluru Barbecue with star gazing. Walks along the creek bed at Kings Canyon, Kata Tjuta exploration, around base of Uluru and at Simpsons Gap provided ample photo opportunities. Accommodation at the three resorts was spacious and meals high quality.
Bus drivers/tour guides all knowledgeable. Perfect weather in early June for travel with warm days and no rain.
Bus drivers/tour guides all knowledgeable. Perfect weather in early June for travel with warm days and no rain.
Wonders of West coast & Kimberley 0
Wonders of the West Coast & Kimberley
S & M, VIC, Australia, Jun 2026
A wonderful trip. Coral Bay, Ningaloo Reef, Horizontal Falls to the Bungle Bungles were some of our favourites. Dave and Macca lead us through the various areas with comprehensive knowledge and commentary. Global Journeys as usual did a wonderful job in booking our seemless trip and keeping us informed at every stage. Thanks.
Grace was very helpful in arranging the booking and final details. We had a group of 18 on our tour. We saw a lot of interesting places which were definitely worth visiting and it was an unexpected delight to see Lake Eyre full of water. The flies were bad, so a fly net is recommended even for April/May, and we only received an email from the AAT read more King tour guide about it after we had arrived there. Wilpena Pound and Arkaroola were definite highlights and extra nights there would have been desirable in hindsight. The 4WD jeep tour at Arkaroola accessed a very remote area and was spectacular. There were too many fries served at lunches and dinners (even at the winery lunch) for my liking, and I feel that the preordered meals lacked details (ie, chicken, beef, vegetarian). It would help if vegetarian indicated is it rice, pasta, salad? especially for the cost of the trip. Most breakfasts were at 7 am and departures at 745 am so there were no super early departure times. And Coober Pedy is definitely worth visiting.
Tasmania's Wilderness & Heritage tour with AAT Kings tour was a great small group tour. There was lots of room in our bus, they took us to really interesting places, accommodation was very comfortable. Lunches in wineries, the autumn colours were wonderful. Tour leader was informative . I would recommend this holiday for an enjoyable relaxing time away.
Fun tour and great sights. 0
Tastes of Southern Australia
Dawn and Gary, TX, United States, Mar 2026
We enjoyed this trip. The Great Icean Road was spectacular. We went to a reserve and saw multiple koalas in the wild. It was great to see the kangaroos and wallabies roaming around along the way. The tour director and bus driver were amazing. Kudos to Anna and Terry!!
4.6
We had a very enjoyable 7 day cruise along the Douro with Travelmarvel. The scenery was beautiful and the excursions were all interesting and different although travelling by bus for over an hour to get to and from a location did become tiring as the weather was very hot. The ship itself is new and nicely decorated with wonderful, accommodating staff read more and very good food. The included wines varied between excellent and ordinary. Our main criticism is that Travelmarvel seems to be removing or downgrading some services.
I have been on 6 different river cruises with 4 different companies and must say that all except Travelmarvel have provided daily water in your cabin and also provided a refillable bottle to take on excursions. On this trip we were not provided with these essential services. There was no room service and although the tv offered movies to watch you were greeted with a message that the service was unavailable every time you tried. Overall the food was very good but the much anticipated bbq in the middle of the cruise was poorly organized (long wait in line to get access to the buffet) and the food very ordinary!
So, overall a wonderful trip in a beautiful part of the world but we will look to other river cruise companies for future holidays. This was the second trip organized by Hannah Perry and she did a wonderful job. Courteous, professional and efficient, she takes a genuine interest in your trip and does everything possible to ensure a trouble free and enjoyable holiday experience.
I have been on 6 different river cruises with 4 different companies and must say that all except Travelmarvel have provided daily water in your cabin and also provided a refillable bottle to take on excursions. On this trip we were not provided with these essential services. There was no room service and although the tv offered movies to watch you were greeted with a message that the service was unavailable every time you tried. Overall the food was very good but the much anticipated bbq in the middle of the cruise was poorly organized (long wait in line to get access to the buffet) and the food very ordinary!
So, overall a wonderful trip in a beautiful part of the world but we will look to other river cruise companies for future holidays. This was the second trip organized by Hannah Perry and she did a wonderful job. Courteous, professional and efficient, she takes a genuine interest in your trip and does everything possible to ensure a trouble free and enjoyable holiday experience.
The Duoro Valley was spectacular but the actual cruise felt like a coach trip where we used the Travelmarvel Estrela more as a hotel. Of course there was cruising and we passed through some impressive locks, but often excursions would bus us to a winery while the ship continued along the river, returning us to meet it at a different location. Consequently read more I felt that I missed out on a lot of the relaxing river cruising I was looking forward to. The Estrela was quite a new ship, but not very well designed. The bathrooms were minute as was the pool on the sundeck. The dining room and lounge with their very low ceilings need much better sound damping. It was a pleasant trip but did not live up to my expectations. Hannah Perry at Global Journeys handled our booking very well and was always available to answer queries.
A wonderful holiday despite difficult circumstances 1
European Gems
Peter and Ruth, NSW, Australia, Jul 2026
We planned and booked this holiday over 12 months ago and were impressed by the quality of service provided by Tracey Standing at Global Journeys. Nothing was too much trouble even when a small war started on our route to Europe threatening to prevent our getting there. Tracey was able to book us alternate flights, taking us around the world the other read more way (via Canada), as a contingency plan then was able to get our money back when we didn't actually need them.
The Travelmarvel cruise was an excellent product too. Their staff were all highly skilled and very effective at working around difficult circumstances. Due to low water levels in the Rhine/Danube river system we were unable to make the full journey on a single ship and ended up traveling on four different ships with buses shuttling us between navigable portions of the rivers. In many ways we probably managed to see more of Europe than we would normally see just from the river. Through the efforts of our Cruise Director Bernadett we covered every one of the locations we were booked to see and there was a sound clear plan and effective control measures every time we had to relocate. (With over 150 passengers that adds up to a lot of cats to herd). I would go on a similar Global Journeys/Travelmarvel trip again in a heartbeat without any concerns about what fate throws at us. (I might wait until it rains again in Europe though.)
The Travelmarvel cruise was an excellent product too. Their staff were all highly skilled and very effective at working around difficult circumstances. Due to low water levels in the Rhine/Danube river system we were unable to make the full journey on a single ship and ended up traveling on four different ships with buses shuttling us between navigable portions of the rivers. In many ways we probably managed to see more of Europe than we would normally see just from the river. Through the efforts of our Cruise Director Bernadett we covered every one of the locations we were booked to see and there was a sound clear plan and effective control measures every time we had to relocate. (With over 150 passengers that adds up to a lot of cats to herd). I would go on a similar Global Journeys/Travelmarvel trip again in a heartbeat without any concerns about what fate throws at us. (I might wait until it rains again in Europe though.)
The trip was eventful, because of the river levels we ended up going on 4 ships and 2 nights in a hotel. There was quite a lot of time spent on coaches travelling between ships. Considering the river levels, we both think that Travelmarvel did their best to give everyone as good a time as possible. It was a series of unfortunate events that was handled read more excellently by them. Kayla from Global Journeys was wonderful, she handled the booking efficiently and kept s formed of what was happening every step of the way, 10/10 for Kayla.
To the top of Australia 0
Cape York and Tropical North by 4WD
Gary and Lea, NSW, Australia, Jul 2026
Interesting and informative trip. Well worth the effort and definitely a 'bucket list' tour. Accommodation, meals, 4WD vehicle and driver/guide Noel were all very good although the Bramwell Station accommodation was quite cramped. Our thanks to Grace for her assistance throughout the booking process.
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