Home > Compare Tour & Adventure Operators > Intrepid vs Topdeck
Intrepid vs Topdeck
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Intrepid and Topdeck.The Low Down
Intrepid specialise in small group adventure tours, and feature trips around the globe. With over 700 tours and 50,000 departures, Intrepid's itineraries are designed for the budget conscious adventurer, families and even adventures for those that prefer a bit of comfort at the end of each day. Like G Adventures, Intrepid also have a myriad of trips through South and Central America & Asia and operate dynamic pricing so prices can change daily - upwards if the trip is filling up, and down if they need to fill some spaces.Recommending the best Operator for small group adventures is a tough one. It's very subjective and we think a lot depends on the region, the itinerary and the trip leader you get. This will have a huge sway on whether your trip is good, great or average. Our advice is to choose the Operator which has the itinerary and departures dates that suit you best. Look at things like inclusions, group size and other details to help make your decision.
If you are 18 to 39 then you might want to consider jumping onboard with Topdeck. Epic Euro Trips, in-depth small group trips, and tented camping trips around Europe in the summer months. While Europe makes up the backbone of Topdeck's range, they also run a series of tours through the USA, Canada, Africa, Asia, Australia & New Zealand.As opposed to Contiki, Topdeck trips allow you to be another 4 years older before you have to start considering alternatives. With the potential to still be boozy, party trips, the subtle change is age range means clients are more inclined to exploring the destination and culture, with plenty of free time on offer to do so.
Stats
No. of Trips
1,102
No. of Departures
51,577
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$438
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable & Premium
No. of Trips
65
No. of Departures
670
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$279
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable
Trip Styles Coach Tours18-to-30'sSailing Trips
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers off the beaten track to discover the world's most amazing places for 30 years. Every trip is designed to truly experience local culture - to meet local people, try local food, take local transport and stay in local accommodation. Led by a local leader, our small group tours offer a sustainable way to travel off the beaten track, while giving back to the places and people that travellers visit.
Topdeck is a collective of explorers who are devoted to travel, we strive to open minds, shift perspectives, learn new things and make a difference. We build epic group trips for 18 to 30 somethings and our passion is to inspire young people through life-changing travel experiences.
With over 46 years’ experience, our business is to make travel dreams a reality, we know what works and we’re not afraid to shout about it. We offer variety, comfort and value for money, and promise a hassle-free holiday, loaded with authentic local experiences.
With loads of free time to explore, heaps of included meals, access to some amazing bucket list activities and the opportunity to meet a whole bunch of like-minded young travellers, Topdeck trips are way more than your average package tour. They’re the experience of a lifetime.
We build the trips. You build the memories. So, if you’re looking for an unforgettable adventure? Topdeck’s the only choice!
Recent Reviews
4.4
Usually independent travellers, this was our first experience of small group travel. First leg of tour group was through Jordan. Great group of 11 people who were led by well organised tour leader. Had plenty of time to see the sights. Border crossing to Israel was unorganized. No representative from Intrepid arrived to do the formalities of the crossing ...read more as promised. Second part of tour through Israel was with a different group of people and a different tour leader. Not as well organised. Food options and accommodation was not of premium level. The quality of tour leader can make a huge difference to your experience. There was a fair amount of walking in this tour and whilst we are over 55, some older members of the group struggled to keep up and be on time at sights which caused frustration for the group. If you’re not up to walking varied terrains and keeping on time then reconsider your ability for small group travel. Overall it was a good trip with plenty to see. Communication provided by your leaders is critical to enjoying the experiences of small group travel.
We were so looking forward to these two tours by Intrepid, "Premium Jordan" and "Israel & The Palestinian Territories".
The first tour "Premium Jordan" was all as expected we had a great Tour Director, great crew of tourists and amazing sites. There were 3 main highlights in this tour, Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea. There were also many other attractions ...read more but we thought these 3 were the pick. Petra was amazing, unbelievable on just how the tombs were actually constructed. The trek up to the Monastery is well worth the effort. Spending the night in luxury accommodation in the desert (Wadi Rum) was also memorable and floating in the Dead Sea is a memory that will last forever.
Only negative was the land crossing from Jordan to Israel for the "Israel & The Palestinian Territories". We were not provided with any documentation to confirm that we had paid for a VIP service. This led to much angst and confusion. This process will need to be reviewed and better explained on just how this process should work.
The "Israel & The Palestinian Territories" was well below expectations, while the sites we visited were amazing and the religious aspect of Jerusalem and Bethlehem were also very enlightening the Tour Director was not very good. I felt that he was complacent in his guiding (I have done this more than 20 times). In my opinion the Tour Director will either make or break the tour. Get a good guide and you will have a great tour. If the guide is not up to standard then the tour will be less enjoyable. Our guide was below standard. He did not provide us with any details to contact him if things went wrong. He did not stay in the same hotels as the members on tour, but elected to travel some distance back to his home.
We booked a Premium tour expecting the service to be above the standard tour but this was not the case. In one case we had been booked into a different hotel than was normally used but the Driver was not told of the change and we actually got lost and after driving around for more than an hour had to wait for someone from the hotel to find us and direct us to the hotel. This hotel did not have a kitchen and breakfast had to be brought in. Both these tours were Intrepid tours but the difference between the two was huge. I would recommend the Jordan Tour but would not recommend Intrepid for the "Israel & The Palestinian Territories". If you want to tour Israel look for another company.
The first tour "Premium Jordan" was all as expected we had a great Tour Director, great crew of tourists and amazing sites. There were 3 main highlights in this tour, Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea. There were also many other attractions ...read more but we thought these 3 were the pick. Petra was amazing, unbelievable on just how the tombs were actually constructed. The trek up to the Monastery is well worth the effort. Spending the night in luxury accommodation in the desert (Wadi Rum) was also memorable and floating in the Dead Sea is a memory that will last forever.
Only negative was the land crossing from Jordan to Israel for the "Israel & The Palestinian Territories". We were not provided with any documentation to confirm that we had paid for a VIP service. This led to much angst and confusion. This process will need to be reviewed and better explained on just how this process should work.
The "Israel & The Palestinian Territories" was well below expectations, while the sites we visited were amazing and the religious aspect of Jerusalem and Bethlehem were also very enlightening the Tour Director was not very good. I felt that he was complacent in his guiding (I have done this more than 20 times). In my opinion the Tour Director will either make or break the tour. Get a good guide and you will have a great tour. If the guide is not up to standard then the tour will be less enjoyable. Our guide was below standard. He did not provide us with any details to contact him if things went wrong. He did not stay in the same hotels as the members on tour, but elected to travel some distance back to his home.
We booked a Premium tour expecting the service to be above the standard tour but this was not the case. In one case we had been booked into a different hotel than was normally used but the Driver was not told of the change and we actually got lost and after driving around for more than an hour had to wait for someone from the hotel to find us and direct us to the hotel. This hotel did not have a kitchen and breakfast had to be brought in. Both these tours were Intrepid tours but the difference between the two was huge. I would recommend the Jordan Tour but would not recommend Intrepid for the "Israel & The Palestinian Territories". If you want to tour Israel look for another company.
There were 2 sections to this trip. Both were interesting perspectives of Mexico. I'm glad I did both but I much preferred the first half the best. Mexico City and all it had to offer culturally, historically, and it's accommodations was a pleasant surprise. The city is huge and for the most part seems to handle all our tourist needs. Our tour guide ...read more and cultural ambassador, Karla, was a wonderful, energetic human being. She knew so much about the country, you could tell we were only getting a small percentage of her total knowledge. Hotel accommodations were much better on the first half of the tour than the second half. The last hotel in Tulum should have never been.
The trip lived up to our expectations. We did the comfort level tour and it was very comfortable. The small tour group size is a real bonus. You get to know everybody, and there’s not too many people to wrangle onto a bus. We loved all the bucket list moments, the pyramids, the valley of the kings and Petra. The 2 L where fantastic and the organisation ...read more was excellent. Would highly recommend.
The size of the group was perfect. The two guides were great - quite different but a good mix. They were informative, flexible and friendly. The activities were a good range of difficulty, and you could do as much as you were comfortable with. My favourite spots were the more remote areas, which I wouldn't have attempted if I was doing my own trip.
We had a short break in Tasmania which was most enjoyable. As always Georgie had everything organized for us. Georgie at Global journeys has helped us organise a number of holidays over the years and we have never had any problems. Look forward to our next holiday.
4.4
Very disappointed in the organisation of this Topdeck tour. 0 Pamela & Graham, NSW , Australia, Feb 2023
Topdeck should take more care in who they use as their travel guides. Our daughter and the group were put into very dangerous situations in a country most have never visited and events (especially to girls travelling alone) are not up to me to list. Hopefully Topdeck do something about this! Woken up at 3am to get to a flight that we have since found ...read more out was cancelled 5 days beforehand but was not checked throwing the advertised itinerary into disarray. Contacted Topdeck Australia but was told to contact the UK office but never returned my emails. This tour should be thoroughly investigated, the groups reviews should be acknowledged and compensation should be offered as it was not near the standard you would expect by using a company such as Topdeck.
Fantastic trip, accommodation and travel were great and the team leader was amazing. Found it a great way to get an overview of Europe, though I think in retrospect more time in fewer places would have been better as at times it felt quite rushed. Ultimately though I was able to see and do what I wanted to do, though each day was fairly jam packed to ...read more do it all. Really enjoyed myself.
Bravo Italia was a fantastic tour that included 16 stops around Italy. This is not for someone looking for a leisurely holiday - every bus day had stops at towns with walking tours and then time for lunch along with a group dinner once you arrived in your location, and most free days had included walking tours or activities that took up most of the ...read more morning. If you are looking to see as much as you can in as little time as possible I would recommend this. Our trip leader was highly knowledgeable and always happy to help if you had a question about where to go, what to do, etc. The other people on the trip were mostly from Aus/NZ and were mostly age 25+, with a lot of couples. Booking through Global Journeys was easy and I would use them again.
This tour is great for someone who wants to get a taste of many different countries in Europe and plans on returning later for some more in-depth travel. The tour is very fast paced, as you are on the bus almost every day, but the trips go by quickly and before you know it you are in a new place. The accomodations were all of decent quality, the included ...read more meals were nice and there was a great mix of planned activities and free time. There was never any pressure to do any activities though, so you could always go off on your own accord if you wish. My tour leader Jass and driver Filipe made the trip fun and I will never forget this experience. If you are thinking about it and are not sure... just do it. It's the best thing I've ever done and as a solo traveller was a great way for me to make friends.
Juliet at Global Journeys was an excellent travel agent - she put through all my request efficiently and promptly and was happy to answer any questions. Would highly recommend booking through Global Journeys as they gave me the best price I could find on this trip.
Juliet at Global Journeys was an excellent travel agent - she put through all my request efficiently and promptly and was happy to answer any questions. Would highly recommend booking through Global Journeys as they gave me the best price I could find on this trip.
A very fast paced and exhausting tour but really worth it. I got to visit all of the places I only used to dream of visiting. The accommodation was lacking in some cities but generally pretty good. The Topdeck tour leader and coach driver were very professional and lovely people. Some of the optional excursions were disappointing but I'm glad that I ...read more got to experience them.
Booking through Global Journeys was a breeze and Juliet Scott was fantastic! I would definitely recommend this trip and booking through Global Journeys to friends and family.
Booking through Global Journeys was a breeze and Juliet Scott was fantastic! I would definitely recommend this trip and booking through Global Journeys to friends and family.
I really enjoyed the laid back pace of this tour. Unlike the usual Europe coach tours, this felt more relaxed, mostly as it was one county and main transport by ferry. The accommodation could be better, hotels usually not in central locations (apart from the really small islands we visited) and fairly dated/old. Also, a large chunk of the tour are very ...read more young, be prepared for lots of alcohol/late nights. I found the pairing of roommates quite odd (e.g I'm in my mid twenties and shared with an 18 year old, another was a 30 year old with a 20 year old). Otherwise the tour was very enjoyable and I really enjoyed the amount of free time. The optional tours were worth it as well.
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