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APT vs Travelmarvel
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of APT and Travelmarvel.The Low Down
Initially providing coach touring around Australia and NZ to the local market, APT have grown exponentially over the last decade to now offer trips around the world, and are well known for their European river cruises. Over the last few years APT have introduced small ship expeditions that cruise the waters through Asia, Europe, Canada and off the coast of Kimberley. Catering primarily for the retired market, their trips aren't cheap, but in APT's case - you get what you pay for. Look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. The team here at Global Journeys have travelled multiple times by coach, cruise & river with APT, and we definitely recommend them as a quality, consistent, reliable Operator, and our past client reviews back that up.
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
344
No. of Departures
1,441
Avg. Trip Length
16 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$738
Accommodation
4 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
No. of Trips
279
No. of Departures
927
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$452
Accommodation
4 Star
Budget
Affordable & Premium
In Their Own Words
We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
APT is an Australian family-owned company whose essence began in Melbourne in the 1920s. More than 90 years on, APT offers life-enriching trips to every continent, and through the company’s vast industry experience, meticulous planning and unquestionable passion it's earned a place among the world’s most well-regarded travel companies.
From boutique river cruising to small-group 4WD adventures; traditional coach touring with a decadent twist; epic rail journeys to small-ship expeditions; classic ocean cruising to safaris of discovery by both land and air – there’s little APT are unwilling to consider in pursuit of creating the finest holiday experience for its valued guests.
Timeless luxury, exclusive experiences, life enriching moments and true personalisation. APT offers all-inclusive holidays so everything is taken care of. We invite you to join us; you won’t be disappointed.
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
4.7
This tour was from Uluru to Alice Springs over 7 days. Our tour guide/driver, Geery was an amazing guy whose knowledge and lifetime experience in the area gave us an insight into life in the region. Uluru was one place I have always wanted to visit and getting up close to the rock was a great experience. Accommodation and the meals at Sails was superb. read more We then had a couple of days at Kings Canyon before moving onto Alice and spending the day walking through the MacDonnell Ranges. Great experience walking into Simpson's Gap and Standley Chasm. Our last night was spent at the Outback Bush BBQ, a great way to end the tour. Thank you to Hannah from Global Journeys for organising this tour for me.
Thanks APT for supporting us navigate the difficulties caused by the outbreak of war in the middle east.We were able to change our flights and undertake our planned trip from Budapest to Amsterdam. Special thanks to Global Journeys staff for their guidance and patient reassurance. The cruise was all we had hoped for and the ship, staff, meals and organisation read more were excellent. We met a diverse range of fellow travelers whose company we enjoyed. We would have no hesitation in recommending APT to others.
Pretty awesome trip overall. We took the extended option which included Mai Chau. Definitely worth a visit! The trip was well organised, and in general the tour guides we had at each section were great. Although, we thought the Vietnam guides were of a higher quality than those in Cambodia. It was a little disappointing to be led into Siem Reap read more to see sunrise over Angkor Wat, and not be told the best position to take the sunrise photos from. Many of our tour missed the best photo opportunities. We were extremely lucky to have an initial group of 11 people who undertook the extended tour together (known as the Epic 11), and clicked really well. Added bonus for the trip really.
Amazing Christmas Markets and Magnificent Europe Tour with APT 1
Festive Christmas Markets with Magnificent Europe
Michael and Elise Smith , WA, Australia, Nov 2025
This is the 5th time we have used Hannah at Global Journeys for a travel booking, and it won’t be our last. She is responsive, efficient, and very easy to deal with. Same with APT. Luxury accommodation, great food, free-flowing drink and amazing staff. A well organised tour with excellent information provided by our Tour Director and Cruise Director read more which was outstanding. Excellent selection of Christmas markets for us to visit and there was something in the Christmas markets for everyone, be it hot food and drinks or any one of a thousand Christmas mementos or ornaments. Loved the Christmas markets in Venna, and we were very lucky with weather, no snow unfortunately but still a fantastic itinerary. Highly recommended. We have booked another APT adventure next year!
Another great trip where GJ's organisation took a lot of the complexity and hassle out of things. The local guides were truly awesome, and the Mekong Serenity is lovely.
We have just been on our 8th APT tour and they have delivered again. The itinerary was comprehensive without being over taxing, the accomodation was first class and well located, the meals diverse and generally above expectation and the organisation near perfect. Any such tour is dependant on the Tour Director and we had the best in Asami Komachi. Her read more passion for her country was evident and she never stopped working to make sure we enjoyed every aspect of our tour.
We’d also like to thank Tracey from Global Journeys for the work she did to organise our tour. We have given her some hard times over the Covid period and she always delivers in the most friendly way. We highly recommend her.
We’d also like to thank Tracey from Global Journeys for the work she did to organise our tour. We have given her some hard times over the Covid period and she always delivers in the most friendly way. We highly recommend her.
4.6
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!
This tour was fantastic. I think what made it so good was our fabulous Tour Director Gordon. He was a born and bred Tasmanian and obviously loved his State. His knowledge and information was wonderful and nothing was too much trouble for him from start to finish. Highly recommend.
Have travelled with several other cruises lines and whilst Travelmarvel was very nice, we found it at the lower end of the scale. But it was very well priced in comparison so I guess you get what you pay for. We felt the cruise director was was hard to understand whenever she held a microphone and at times tried to give out too much information at once read more which had the guest bored and not listening. The meals were excellent but the tours only basic.
We cruised from Amsterdam to Budapest during the Christmas season. The cruise and the included guided tours were great. We learned so much about the history of these lovely cities, towns and areas that we visited. The standard and quantity of meals provided was amazing and the onboard service faultless. The only change I would make is to not go to read more as many Christmas markets as they all became a bit same same and most had food and drinks that we just didn't need. Next time we would spend more time exploring more than just the old town and market squares.
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