Home > Compare Tour Operators > Insight Vacations vs Tauck
Insight Vacations vs Tauck
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Insight Vacations and Tauck.The Low Down
Upmarket coach touring, with 4.5+ star accommodation, maximum group sizes of 40 on a full size coach and more leisurely paced touring itineraries. The pricing of Insight's trips tends to attract travellers in their 60's and 70's. If you're tall, then you should seriously consider Insight, as their coaches been reconfigured to allow up to twice as much legroom as on a standard coach. Insight have recently launched trips through South America, and expanded their range of Gold Luxury Vacations, where you can expect the ultimate in luxury and refinement.We find that the feedback we get back from past clients is sometimes a little critical, and we feel this is because of the very high standard some of our clients are expecting due to Insight's positioning in the market. On every multi-day journey, there will always be little annoyances, but as a whole package the team here definitely recommend Insight worthy of your consideration. If you've travelled with any of its sister brands like AAT Kings, Trafalgar or Uniworld further savings are available.
New to the Australian market in 2017, Tauck began operations in the US over 90 years ago. Offering premium river cruises, land tours, small ship cruises, family adventures and small group journeys around the world. You won't find too many Aussies and Kiwis on their trips yet, as they have only recently opened an office Downunder, but Tauck are renowned for the quality and inclusiveness of their trips, whether they are on land or water. Stats
No. of Trips
454
No. of Departures
5,169
Avg. Trip Length
13 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$528
Accommodation
4 - 4.5 Star
Budget
Premium
No. of Trips
184
No. of Departures
2,527
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$1,001
Accommodation
4.5 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
At Insight Vacations we have been creating magical travel experiences for over 40 years, showcasing the most outstanding destinations and curated experiences in Europe and North America.
Why are we different to any other operator? It’s our unique Insight experiences. It’s our authentic and varied dining options, it’s travelling in smaller groups on customised coaches with twice the legroom, it’s staying in the right hotels in the right location, all brought together seamlessly by our exceptional travel directors. In essence: All the sights, and the insights….up close and personal…in comfort and style.
Travel is such a joy and a personal passion for myself and every member of our team. We’re so proud of the quality, service and value we provide and invite you to try it for yourself. Talk to Global Journeys to find out more about travelling in style and booking your next holiday with Insight Vacations.
We believe that when you travel, you should never settle for ordinary. You deserve to travel in good company, with someone who cares. We believe that good value sells itself – you should get what you pay for, and then some, in one upfront price with virtually everything included. Leave your worries at home; we take on all the planning, all the logistics. To you, it’s peace of mind travel, to us, it’s 90+ years of integrity.
Wherever we travel, we’re all about taking you to explore the world’s treasures….discover people and cultures you may not have known existed…and experience extraordinary, life-changing moments. Since 1925, we’ve built our company on the personal referrals and recommendations of our guests. We can think of no higher testament to our journeys and commitment to customer satisfaction – and no better way to tell you what we do than through their words.
Recent Reviews
4.5
Overall we enjoyed our tour in Spain. We loved the country and acquired a lot of interesting information about it from our tour guide and from the local guides we also used along the way. We felt that the company did a good job of highlighting as much of the country as possible in the time available. The coach was comfortable and the accommodation was ...read more good.
However, there are a couple of aspects of the tour we would like reviewed by the operators. The first is the group dinners. Overall they were disappointing. I don’t believe the food was the best Spanish restaurants have to offer … and the way it was served to such a large group wasn’t pleasant either. We felt like we were a nuisance … and so the faster the food’s served and finished, the better. Probably one group dinner together would be sufficient. Surely this would also mean a fairer distribution of business in each location? And I’m quite sure the quality and value for money would be better.
The ‘optional extras’ were the other aspect of the tour I didn’t like. If something is worth seeing in a particular city, then include it in the tour. Why make it an ‘extra’? Of course I understand that every important site or monument can’t be included in a ‘highlights’ tour, but if the inclusions are listed then the customer knows what they are signing up for. By all means leave the occasional free afternoon or morning (I’m not saying we should have every second filled) but when it’s free time just make it free time. Overall I felt these ‘optional extras’ were more about the company creating more revenue.
The tour guide and driver were really lovely. These people do a good job … I hope the tour operators adequately remunerate them (because in the tour information there is a lot made of the tipping, and how essential it is etc … the implication being that we need to help the company to supplement their salaries). Surely tipping is at the discretion of the customer, without the percentage or amount being suggested by the company in their tour notes?
However, there are a couple of aspects of the tour we would like reviewed by the operators. The first is the group dinners. Overall they were disappointing. I don’t believe the food was the best Spanish restaurants have to offer … and the way it was served to such a large group wasn’t pleasant either. We felt like we were a nuisance … and so the faster the food’s served and finished, the better. Probably one group dinner together would be sufficient. Surely this would also mean a fairer distribution of business in each location? And I’m quite sure the quality and value for money would be better.
The ‘optional extras’ were the other aspect of the tour I didn’t like. If something is worth seeing in a particular city, then include it in the tour. Why make it an ‘extra’? Of course I understand that every important site or monument can’t be included in a ‘highlights’ tour, but if the inclusions are listed then the customer knows what they are signing up for. By all means leave the occasional free afternoon or morning (I’m not saying we should have every second filled) but when it’s free time just make it free time. Overall I felt these ‘optional extras’ were more about the company creating more revenue.
The tour guide and driver were really lovely. These people do a good job … I hope the tour operators adequately remunerate them (because in the tour information there is a lot made of the tipping, and how essential it is etc … the implication being that we need to help the company to supplement their salaries). Surely tipping is at the discretion of the customer, without the percentage or amount being suggested by the company in their tour notes?
The tour itself was great. There were many highlights especially for those who love the buildings, culture and art of Ancient Egyptians. The Nile cruise was wonderful and food good. There is one hitch. Transfers at Cairo airport, the pickup is not at the Arrival Hall but at the area before the Immigration. For travellers especially jet lagged travellers ...read more who after after 21 hours flight from Australia can easily not notice it. Insight informed travellers that the pickup was at Arrival Hall or outside depending on Covid restrictions. I had before the trip, enquired with my advisor to confirm the pickup point. Sadly she said there was no reply from Insight. It was a dent in my holiday because I was not informed of the pickup point, walked pass it and had to take local taxi and paid US 30 dollars!!!
The trip was excellent in terms of the locations visited. The markets were great to see but can get rather repetitive after the second or third one. One downside is that there isn't much time for exploring the other sites in the cities. To make the most of the journey I would recommend planning some additional sites to see yourself at each of the d ...read moreestinations.
I’ve just enjoyed the most marvellous trip. Having never been to Italy before, and as a solo traveler, this Treasures of Italy journey was perfect. Whilst we definitely got to enjoy so much of Italy it was managed well with most stays being two nights and enough down time along the way. Elena, our Tour Director, along with the Wellness Director, Flip, ...read more made the trip perfect - making adjustments as required along the way to cater for individual needs or impacts of weather. I do think it’s great that a number of the experiences are optional meaning that you need to pay extra IF you want to do them. It allows you more flexibility.
This was my first coach tour but certainly won’t be my last - and definitely with Insight! I loved that the accommodation was all in ideal locations and a few were positively lux! The group all got along extremely well. I feel 10 days is a good amount of time. We were all ready to move on. I also appreciated the way Hannah at Global Journeys made the booking process seamless - as we needed to change plans for which trip I was going on. Thank you Hannah, Global Journeys and Insight! Till next time!
This was my first coach tour but certainly won’t be my last - and definitely with Insight! I loved that the accommodation was all in ideal locations and a few were positively lux! The group all got along extremely well. I feel 10 days is a good amount of time. We were all ready to move on. I also appreciated the way Hannah at Global Journeys made the booking process seamless - as we needed to change plans for which trip I was going on. Thank you Hannah, Global Journeys and Insight! Till next time!
Treasures of Turkey was a very comprehensive tour. Our Tour Director was excellent and so enthusiastic in sharing so much of his knowledge with our group. He kept it all extremely interesting although it might have been a bit of an overload of history to try and remember (buy the books as you travel along). The hotels were well located, some a little ...read more better than others, but all very good. The food, although not always to my taste, was very acceptable. But only 1 glass of wine with dinner? Altogether a well worthwhile trip.
This tour was an excellent start for someone who had never visited Scotland before. Guide Caroline was most knowledgeable and helpful always. The group was rather one sided - 33 North Americans and 1 Australian (me!) The accommodation was excellent. The day we spent on the Orkney Isles was the highlight of the trip for me,
Georgie from Global Journeys ...read more always replied to my queries promptly and I will certainly use them again for future trips.
Georgie from Global Journeys ...read more always replied to my queries promptly and I will certainly use them again for future trips.
4.7
Denali was spectacular and thoroughly enjoyed the plane ride up over Denali. The trip into the park was also great and we did see some bears and Dall sheep way off into the distance. The Lodges were all Princess Lodges and were very crowded. Quite a number of us caught COVID so didn't make the cruise which was very disappointing but enjoyed what we ...read more did see.
Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We had a great Tour Director and everything was well organised. She gave very informative information on the places we were visiting and had a great sense of humour. The accommodations were fabulous and there was a great group of people on the tour.
Overall, a wonderful experience. We must start with kudos to both Jemma and Hannah for all the support, help and advice you gave us throughout the booking process. Yes, we will book with you again and are now looking at Tauck tours to Australia, New Zealand and or Tasmania in 2023.
Our tour to Ireland was number one on our Bucket List and we were ...read more not disappointed. Vincent, our tour guide was a treasure of information on Ireland's history and overall knowledge of the political, economic and societal struggles that have plagued Ireland's history. Also, his knowledge of each of the sites we visited on tour was extraordinary. He truly deserves to be a "Keeper" for Tauck.
There are, however, two recommendations for consideration that would change our overall rating to five stars instead of four. First, the Westin Dublin was not what we expected of our accommodations. It was below the standard of other Westin hotels we have used over the years. Unfortunately, we had complaints that we registered with our tour guide and the hotel management. Compared with all other hotels we stayed in during our tour, the Westin was at the very bottom.
Secondly, the amount of time we spent on the limousine bus was excessive. We covered a huge amount of The Republic of Ireland's and Northern Ireland's geography and transit times to each destination were often at times too long. Due to the necessity to keep on track with our itinerary, we felt that the amount of time we were allotted at some of our stops was minimized. Again, a wonderful experience that took Bill back to his Irish roots!
Our tour to Ireland was number one on our Bucket List and we were ...read more not disappointed. Vincent, our tour guide was a treasure of information on Ireland's history and overall knowledge of the political, economic and societal struggles that have plagued Ireland's history. Also, his knowledge of each of the sites we visited on tour was extraordinary. He truly deserves to be a "Keeper" for Tauck.
There are, however, two recommendations for consideration that would change our overall rating to five stars instead of four. First, the Westin Dublin was not what we expected of our accommodations. It was below the standard of other Westin hotels we have used over the years. Unfortunately, we had complaints that we registered with our tour guide and the hotel management. Compared with all other hotels we stayed in during our tour, the Westin was at the very bottom.
Secondly, the amount of time we spent on the limousine bus was excessive. We covered a huge amount of The Republic of Ireland's and Northern Ireland's geography and transit times to each destination were often at times too long. Due to the necessity to keep on track with our itinerary, we felt that the amount of time we were allotted at some of our stops was minimized. Again, a wonderful experience that took Bill back to his Irish roots!
Fantastic company and nice staff on board. We never had to ask for anything... it was all offered on a plate. Very good service and Global Journeys handled the booking and delivered all the required paperwork.
Our experience was an intriguing and memorable holiday on our Portrait of India tour. From the moment we arrived until we boarded our plane to leave, we didn’t have to worry about a thing as everything was taken care of. The accommodation was superb and we visited some magnificent places and sites along with a couple of real surprises. The Taj Mahal ...read more and Varanasi were highlights along with lunch cooked cooked by a famous local in her home. Our tour guide was very interesting and informative throughout our journey and we would recommend this trip to our friends.
Jemma was highly professional booking our trip and keeping us informed with a Tauck hotel change. We were fortunate to explore towns that felt like you were on a movie set and experience the colours of autumn and how each of the states we went to had their own uniqueness. Denise, a local to the area, was our tour guide and she had years of experience ...read more as well as knowledge only residents would have. Staying overnight at Mount Washington Resort was a highlight as was the lobster dinner in Maine. Acadia Park was overrun with tourists and cruise ship passengers but I understand they are working on coming up with a solution. Tauck had great accommodation for the most part and meals were excellent. We were blessed with warm temperatures and only 1 day of rain and it certainly gave a great picture of New England overall.
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