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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
102
No. of Departures
10,067
Avg. Trip Length
9 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$439
Accommodation
3.5 - 4.5 Star
Budget
Affordable & Premium
No. of Trips
308
No. of Departures
1,157
Avg. Trip Length
15 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$469
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
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!!
Our New Zealand tour was well organised, very pleasant. All places we visited are of great interest. We would recommend future travellers to experience this tour.
Tour through the South of New Zealand 4
Southern Wonders
Leonardo and Francesca, Italy, Italy, Dec 2025
Booking on line with Global Journeys has been easy and very efficient, thanks to Tracey Standing helping us at every step of the procedure. The travel with AAT Kings has been enjoyable and well organized, inlcuded the comfort of the bus and the management of the bags, trhanks to the Travel Director Hope Horsley and the bus driver David. Lovely travellers. read more Good accomodations. Perhaps desirable some more stops to admire the scenery. We have appreciated vey much the option activities offered. We recommend the journey without any doubt.
I have done many bus tours in Australia and this was one of the best. I have also visited SA many times but had not spent a lot of time on the Eyre Peninsula. The, scenery, the places we visited, the experiences from Murphy's Haystack to visiting oyster farms, to having mouth watering food, were simply the best. The accommodation was good, the particular read more stand out was the hotel at Port Lincoln located on the waterfront. Liz our Tour Director was very professional in her management and organisational, along with her enthusiasm for the country side. Anthony the coach driver was as good as they come, there were no uneasy moments. Kings always do a great job. Well done.
4.6
Tracey was outstanding, always available, answered our many detailed questions and worries, promptly and really cared about us. TM was terrific, we would like to have had a detailed dynamic map on the screen in the cabin, so we knew exactly where we were at any moment. We missed the Iron Gates which we were disappointed about due to water level issues. read more Yes would book again, but never a 'non definite departure 'again.
A comfortable way to explore a magic area of Croatia. 0
Adriatic Coastal Cruise
Loris and Peter, ACT, Australia, Apr 2026
A most enjoyable way to experience the beautiful coastline of Croatia. The smaller ship was able to navigate into bays and ports that would have been inaccessible to larger ships. Every day revealed new vistas and an new understanding of the history of this whole area. The ship was comfortable, meals were outstanding and the wine flowed freely. The read more perfect weather was an added bonus.
Great Food, Great Service...but 0
Lisbon with Douro Discovery
Rosemary and Neil, NSW, Australia, Apr 2026
We were very impressed with both the food and the service given on the ship. There was a great range of food and it was always served with a smile. The cabin, though understandably small, was well maintained and there was plenty of room for storage with cases tucked away under the bed. The evening entertainments were enjoyable and well chosen. However, read more when we arrived on board and were directed to our cabin, we received no information regarding what happened next. All there was, was a piece of paper from the Travelmarvel CEO and a safety video being shown on the cabin TV. It was up to us to go out and ask to actually find out that the daily schedule was posted near the tour desk and that it could be accessed eventually through the TV. We understand that saving paper is important but a brief “How to” on the back of the CEO’s welcome would have easily solved our confusion.
The guided tours and accompanying guides were generally good and we enjoyed them, but often it was quite a lengthy trip away on a bus. We figured we could have simply done a bus tour! We usually found that, where the ship docked, there was little or nothing to do if you didn’t take the excursion. At times, as well, we felt the Tour Director on the boat was too verbose. Simple, straightforward explanations and directions would be been better, especially as over half of the passengers were of an age that complicated explanations meant important information was either not understood or was forgotten. So, if you just wanted a few calm days on a boat with great food and service, it was fine.
The guided tours and accompanying guides were generally good and we enjoyed them, but often it was quite a lengthy trip away on a bus. We figured we could have simply done a bus tour! We usually found that, where the ship docked, there was little or nothing to do if you didn’t take the excursion. At times, as well, we felt the Tour Director on the boat was too verbose. Simple, straightforward explanations and directions would be been better, especially as over half of the passengers were of an age that complicated explanations meant important information was either not understood or was forgotten. So, if you just wanted a few calm days on a boat with great food and service, it was fine.
We have just completed the Majestic Mekong River cruise and below is my feedback. Once again Travelmarel have exceeded our expectations and please pass on my feedback to the fabulous onboard team. We thoroughly enjoyed our recent cruise from Vietnam to Cambodia along the beautiful Mekong river on the RV Amalotus.There were lots of opportunities to read more site see on set tours or to do what one wished. We love that flexibility, as after all it’s our trip to enjoy! The onboard staff were amazing to deal with, with nothing ever being a problem. And I won’t even talk about the food as there was so much choice of excellent quality and quantity. Well organised and thoroughly enjoyable trip.
Our TD, Tim Thinh Dinh was brilliant. Very professional, nothing was too much trouble for him and always a simile on his face. Tim is an excellent representative for the APT / Travelmarel Brand in Vietnam and goes over and above to ensure all guests get to have an amazing journey on the ever-changing Mekong River. Hotel Manager Johnny also provided outstanding service and was well supported by an excellent and extremely professional onboard Team. Johnny's attention to detail and customer focus was a real strength. The local guides were also good. Extremely knowledgeable and great sense's of humour. We look forward to many more journeys with APT / Travelmarel. Thank you, and thanks Hannah for yet another well organised holiday.
Our TD, Tim Thinh Dinh was brilliant. Very professional, nothing was too much trouble for him and always a simile on his face. Tim is an excellent representative for the APT / Travelmarel Brand in Vietnam and goes over and above to ensure all guests get to have an amazing journey on the ever-changing Mekong River. Hotel Manager Johnny also provided outstanding service and was well supported by an excellent and extremely professional onboard Team. Johnny's attention to detail and customer focus was a real strength. The local guides were also good. Extremely knowledgeable and great sense's of humour. We look forward to many more journeys with APT / Travelmarel. Thank you, and thanks Hannah for yet another well organised holiday.
Every thing went very smoothly. The tour director &coach driver were excellent. 0
Grand Tasman
Evan , NSW, Australia, Mar 2026
Thanks very much for Grace who guided me through all things applying to our application for the Grand Tasman Tour. The tour was very well run, and for our first trip to Tassie the whole trip was a wonderful experience. Thanks again cheers.
Wonders of Vietnam and Cambodia 0
Wonders of Vietnam and Cambodia
Gary and Lea, NSW, Australia, Jan 2026
An excellent experience, thanks to our Tour Director (Yee) and our Cruise Director on the Lotus (Johhny). The TM staff looked after us well from arrival to departure, and everywhere in between. Hotels were all 5*, with spacious rooms and great facilities. Cruise staff, food and service were very good (although the Bhaya is old, cramped and tired, and read more in need of replacement). Locals in both Vietnam and Cambodia were friendly and welcoming; a tribute to their resilience after recent wars and deprivations. Grace, and the rest of her team from GJ, handled our booking with customary efficiency. Overall, an experience to be greatly recommended!
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