Home > Compare Tour & Adventure Operators > Cosmos vs Costsaver
Cosmos vs Costsaver
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Cosmos and Costsaver.The Low Down
A lot of our clients aren't too fussed about their accommodation (as long as it's clean and comfortable) and are more interested in the destination. Over 1,200 past client reviews with an average 4.5 out 5 star rating, is impressive. Why? Great value and interesting itineraries. Part of the Globus Family, there are further great discounts to be had.Accommodation is 3 to 3/12 star, but a lot of our clients are pleasantly surprised at the quality. Hotels are often located out of the city centre, so prepare your trip budget to allow for transfers or taxis if you want to explore the cities on your own. Allow extra funds for some meals and excursions not included in more premium inclusive itineraries. Like our past clients, we feel very comfortable recommending Cosmos.
CostSaver is Trafalgar's affordable range of coach tours. Comparable to Cosmos in price and quality, their focus has always been on Europe and the UK, but have more recently launched a range of new itineraries in the US, Canada and South America. If you are looking for an affordable touring option, then CostSaver is a great option, and if you've travelled with any of its sister brands like AAT Kings, Trafalgar or Insight Vacations further savings are available.The price for that affordability - while all the must-see sights are included, there are lot of optional excursions which can add up quickly if you choose to do them all. If that's likely, perhaps a more inclusive Operator like Trafalgar or Insight is best. However if you like the freedom to explore on your own, and are after a relaxing and hassle-free holiday, then Costsaver is a great option.
Stats
No. of Trips
189
No. of Departures
3,214
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$380
Accommodation
3 - 4 Star
Budget
Affordable
Trip Styles Coach Tours
No. of Trips
109
No. of Departures
2,346
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$316
Accommodation
3 - 4 Star
Budget
Affordable
Trip Styles Coach Tours
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
At Cosmos, we like to think of ourselves as experts in ‘thrillology’ – the art of bringing you an experience, time and time again. With over 50 years of ‘wow’ under our belts and no sign of slowing down, we know how to curate value touring holidays that you’ll never forget; creating the experiences you’ve always dreamed of and showing you the ones, you never thought of. Our job is to take care of the planning and logistics, so that all you have to focus on is living your dreams!
We know lasting travel memories don’t have to cost the earth. Our value tours cover all the essentials, while providing you the building blocks to tailor your dream holiday. We plan and include all the essentials – your quality transport, accommodation, sightseeing, many meals and the very best Travel Directors, leaving you the time to tailor your trip your way.
As an active founder and supporter of the TreadRight Foundation, you’ll travel confidently knowing we support the protection and conservation of the places we visit. We tread far, but always tread lightly. Having won the 5 star gold award for highest travel satisfaction, from the independent review provider FEEFO, you can be assured you’ll get an unbeatable holiday at an unbeatable price. Value is in our blood, and thanks to our Ready To Go Rate, you’ll be confident that when you book, the price you see is the best it’ll be. Travel the world without a hassle in the world.
Recent Reviews
4.5
Thank you to Georgie for making the booking process so simple. Everything was arranged very quickly and seamless from the booking, to payment to arrival in Dublin for the beginning of my trip. Georgie was very quick to respond to any questions I asked.
Just got back from doing the Cosmos Irish Discovery 9 day tour- well what can I say other than ...read more loved every minute - I went solo and chose to do all the optional extra tours & so glad I did. Our group was a good mix of young and old, couples, friends travelling together and a few solo travellers from the USA, Australia, Canada and England. We had a few teenagers travelling with family. The hotels that we stayed in were cosy and clean. On those nights where dinners were not included, the hotel locations were quite central. Breakfast was excellent with a wide variety on offer each morning. Our tour director “Deborah” was fantastic, very friendly, full of such interesting knowledge of the whole country!! She grew up and lives in Waterford and had a personal touch to her history and culture and stories she shared with us.
Jarek our driver was professional, courteous and fun and ever so considerate, like driving really slow and at a snails pace so we could all get the perfect photo. We also used seat rotation of 2 rows of seats forward each day enabled others to have front row seats on coach. The coach was extremely comfortable and included WiFi and individual USB ports for recharging phones etc on the go. The scenery was spectacular and we were fortunate to have fine weather most of the time, with just light showers on a couple of days in March.
I particularly loved the tour of Dublin City sights, Guinness Storehouse, tour of Belfast with a very reputable local guide, the Titanic Museum, Giants Causeway, the Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry, Muckross House, Jaunting car ride, Blarney Castle and gardens, the Tamore pub evening for the sing-a-long. All of it! A fantastic tour and highly recommend. I will definitely book with Global Journeys and Cosmos again, I particularly liked the CosmosGO app for guides, maps, tour notes to use offline. Looking forward to next trip now 😊
Just got back from doing the Cosmos Irish Discovery 9 day tour- well what can I say other than ...read more loved every minute - I went solo and chose to do all the optional extra tours & so glad I did. Our group was a good mix of young and old, couples, friends travelling together and a few solo travellers from the USA, Australia, Canada and England. We had a few teenagers travelling with family. The hotels that we stayed in were cosy and clean. On those nights where dinners were not included, the hotel locations were quite central. Breakfast was excellent with a wide variety on offer each morning. Our tour director “Deborah” was fantastic, very friendly, full of such interesting knowledge of the whole country!! She grew up and lives in Waterford and had a personal touch to her history and culture and stories she shared with us.
Jarek our driver was professional, courteous and fun and ever so considerate, like driving really slow and at a snails pace so we could all get the perfect photo. We also used seat rotation of 2 rows of seats forward each day enabled others to have front row seats on coach. The coach was extremely comfortable and included WiFi and individual USB ports for recharging phones etc on the go. The scenery was spectacular and we were fortunate to have fine weather most of the time, with just light showers on a couple of days in March.
I particularly loved the tour of Dublin City sights, Guinness Storehouse, tour of Belfast with a very reputable local guide, the Titanic Museum, Giants Causeway, the Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry, Muckross House, Jaunting car ride, Blarney Castle and gardens, the Tamore pub evening for the sing-a-long. All of it! A fantastic tour and highly recommend. I will definitely book with Global Journeys and Cosmos again, I particularly liked the CosmosGO app for guides, maps, tour notes to use offline. Looking forward to next trip now 😊
Wonderful tour through Monument Valley, Bryce and Zion with many unforgettable landscapes and activities. Tour director Lisa was very knowledgeable and always ready to help and driver Randy very experienced and conscientious. Weather in March at high altitude was still pretty cold with snowfall in some places.
We did the 7 countries in 10 days tour; it was a well-organised trip and whatever was promised, it happened; no surprises; can I say our amazing Tour Director Luigi has been great, very knowledgeable and giving us extra places to visit as long as time permits, making sure our visit to a country is all well-spent and worth the long drives from one country ...read more to the next. Our coach driver Mateo is the best driver, he drove us everyday in safety and we can all rest and sleep soundly on our seats. Moreover, he always keeps our coach neat and tidy. Thank you for this wonderful experience and great value for the cost of the tour; all the hotels were good and clean (Novotel, Accor Group). Will definitely plan our next holiday with Global Journeys.
We booked this 7 day coach tour of the south island of New Zealand to use up some credits Global Journeys were holding for us. Global Journeys had previously helped us organize 2 two-week tours in Canada but we had to cancel them. The NZ tour was good. There were 21 people on our coach, all Aussies and all over 50. They were all experienced travellers ...read more and good fun.
The tour covered all the usual places in the south island, including the TranzAlpine rail trip from Christchurch to Greymouth. We were really enjoying it until we reached Arthur's Pass, and the train was forced to return to Christchurch due to torrential rain. Fortunately our coach was able to pick us up almost immediately, and we continued on our way. We had to organize a few to many of our own meals but the tour was inexpensive, so that's understandable.
The tour covered all the usual places in the south island, including the TranzAlpine rail trip from Christchurch to Greymouth. We were really enjoying it until we reached Arthur's Pass, and the train was forced to return to Christchurch due to torrential rain. Fortunately our coach was able to pick us up almost immediately, and we continued on our way. We had to organize a few to many of our own meals but the tour was inexpensive, so that's understandable.
Had a wonderful two weeks. Cosmos were great again, George the tour leader, Giovanni the driver. Had a wonderful group of people on board. Highly recommend. Booking through Global Journeys and Georgie was hassle free once again.
It was a wonderful trip. Blue skies, new motor coach and great guide. I think the highlight was each day, each park was better and better. The accommodations were all appropriate for the setting and the dining options were fine, but not memorable. Really impressed with the luggage handling and room check-in efficiency. Maybe a bit more info on Day ...read more 1 logistics to meet the guide and check-in would help but the hotel knew the drill. I would definitely take another Globus/Cosmos tour in the future.
4.4
The title says it all!! The Best of the Balkans was thoroughly enjoyed! The coach and driver were professional and comfortable. The hotels were clean, comfortable and all staff welcoming and professional. The tour director, Jasmina, was the most amazing knowledgeable, helpful caring and genuine tour director I have ever met on all the tours that I have ...read more been on. She did have a few challenging moments that she handled professionally and with kindness. She is ! in a million!!!
I must add that some of the food that was served including breakfast and dinner, in the hotels were a little missing the target. There was a few gluten free passengers on my trip and there was little in the way of desserts, only fruit and more fruit and mostly only bread was offered at breakfast time. Maybe a small amount of cereal and pastry or sweet cake would of been a welcomed change .
The places we visited were amazing and if time had permitted, a longer stay would of been welcomed. Thank you to Tracey for all of your help booking this amazing trip for me!!
I must add that some of the food that was served including breakfast and dinner, in the hotels were a little missing the target. There was a few gluten free passengers on my trip and there was little in the way of desserts, only fruit and more fruit and mostly only bread was offered at breakfast time. Maybe a small amount of cereal and pastry or sweet cake would of been a welcomed change .
The places we visited were amazing and if time had permitted, a longer stay would of been welcomed. Thank you to Tracey for all of your help booking this amazing trip for me!!
Tracey Standing was excellent and we would travel with Costsaver again. Hotels were very good, clean and decor was lovely.
We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Tour guide was fantastic as was our driver. Very well paced tour, very scenic and good stops along the way. Were happy with all hotels. Extra tours were mostly very good, probably a bit expensive but I would still recommend.
What an amazing trip from start to finish. The Netherlands was fresh and with spectacular views where Rome was warmer in August but the history and places we visited were some of the greatest ancient ruins I have experienced. Tour guide was out standing with the greatest knowledge of the visited countries. The bus driver was a gem. Accommodations were ...read more of high standard and breakfasts plentiful. I recommend this trip to everyone and all ages. Would definitely travel with Costsavers again. Travelled with a mixture of people who were awesome.
Air Canada Airlines. The flights were good, going and coming. The person allocating the seating was very helpful. She recommended that if we'd like to sit down the back of the plane, there were 2 seats together, which would make it easier for us as we wouldn't have to climb over someone to get out. It was also convenient that we could check our luggage ...read more all the way through to Calgary, as we didn't have much time between flights going over.
Costsaver were very difficult to contact by email and phone. Consequently, we had to ask the hotel staff where we were to meet the trip director. The trip director was very good. However, it went a bit haywire when another had to replace to original one, due to family circumstances. The new one kept saying she hadn't done a trip on the west for a few years. She only did east Canada area. Therefore, her commentary was little and not often. In Vancouver, at the end of the trip we had a hotel situated quite a distance from the cruise terminal, There were nearly half the passengers going on the cruise the next day. It would have been convenient if a bus could have taken all of us to the terminal instead of independent transport.
The Holand America Line "Volendam" cruise was very good. Some people were very helpful. The person booking the shore excursions, at times gave us incorrect information, If we hadn't asked another, we would have arrived late for our excursion. The service desk people were helpful at times. Some came across as not being very knowledgeable. e.g when I asked for stamps, I was told I'd have to come back later, as he couldn't give them to me as they were locked away and the person who had the key was on a break. We had difficulty getting WiFi and were told we had to pay for it. This was not mentioned to us prior to the trip.
There was plenty to do during the day while at sea, and it catered for all age groups. The ship arrived in port early which enabled us to do shopping and site seeing. The food was plentiful and there was a variety to choose from. We went to the Pinnacle Restaurant, the service was very good and the food cooked to our wishes. I would consider going on another Holland America Line cruise. The size of ship was just right. I didn't feel I was on top of people.
Costsaver were very difficult to contact by email and phone. Consequently, we had to ask the hotel staff where we were to meet the trip director. The trip director was very good. However, it went a bit haywire when another had to replace to original one, due to family circumstances. The new one kept saying she hadn't done a trip on the west for a few years. She only did east Canada area. Therefore, her commentary was little and not often. In Vancouver, at the end of the trip we had a hotel situated quite a distance from the cruise terminal, There were nearly half the passengers going on the cruise the next day. It would have been convenient if a bus could have taken all of us to the terminal instead of independent transport.
The Holand America Line "Volendam" cruise was very good. Some people were very helpful. The person booking the shore excursions, at times gave us incorrect information, If we hadn't asked another, we would have arrived late for our excursion. The service desk people were helpful at times. Some came across as not being very knowledgeable. e.g when I asked for stamps, I was told I'd have to come back later, as he couldn't give them to me as they were locked away and the person who had the key was on a break. We had difficulty getting WiFi and were told we had to pay for it. This was not mentioned to us prior to the trip.
There was plenty to do during the day while at sea, and it catered for all age groups. The ship arrived in port early which enabled us to do shopping and site seeing. The food was plentiful and there was a variety to choose from. We went to the Pinnacle Restaurant, the service was very good and the food cooked to our wishes. I would consider going on another Holland America Line cruise. The size of ship was just right. I didn't feel I was on top of people.
We had an amazing guide who really tried her best to offer as much opportunity as possible for us to view and experience more. The optional and included experiences were great, the only negative was that we could not visit Mijas, because this optional included a dinner and our family has a few dietary needs, which makes the dinners extremely difficult ...read more and expensive. Highlights were Monserrat (Barcelona), Gibraltar and the Golden Triangle in Lisbon with a low in Valencia with the walking tour - no free time given because the guide used up all the time. Being a CostSaver tour, we knew not to expect much from the hotels, but majority were actually pretty good with the only issue being the very hard beds and small bathrooms.
Popular Trips
19 Days Vancouver to Vancouver
Operator: Cosmos
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