Insight Vacations Reviews
The 600 Insight Vacations reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have traveled with Insight Vacations. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
My wife and I enjoyed this tour. The highlights were the Peles Castle in Romania, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Bulgaria, the place where Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, the coffee in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the beautiful sunset in Dubrovnik, the old town of Kotor in Montenegro, the Danube in Budapest, the dinner in the famous Gundel Restaurant including read more the New York Cafe in Budapest. The tour director 'Karl' was very helpful and efficient. All the hotel accommodation was excellent. The pace was enjoyable. We highly recommend this tour to anyone!
This was my first time on a bus tour, or any large tour. There were 40 and we all got on reasonably well. The tour leader Aine was full of interesting news information. The accommodation was very good. The tour included some evening meals which were of all good quality. The area we covered wasn’t too rushed and we saw wonderful scenery as well as interesting read more side tours. There were a few optional tours but they weren’t too expensive. I would recommend Insight and booking through Global Journeys.
WOW!!! Another great Insight! 7
Best of Eastern Canada & USA
Brian & Bernadette, VIC, Australia, Aug 2018
There were many highlights of this well-structured Insight tour. Our tour guide (Howie Geib) both inspired and amazed us with his knowledge of the history and geography of our track around North America. His boundless energy was infectious, and his eagerness to go the extra mile to keep us safe and incident free was amazing. We are happy to highly recommend read more this tour of Eastern Canada and the USA (and Howie).
It was relaxing and enjoyable knowing that we were being capably managed and all arrangements had been made. The accommodation was superb - quality and centrally located. The coach was comfortable and the wifi worked well (an improvement from our last trip). The driver was experienced and we had every confidence in his ability to navigate the more difficult read more roads encountered.
All cities chosen for stop-overs were good and provided variety. However, I would have preferred less time on the Costa del Sol and more time in Valencia. Some of the optional tours were disappointing and those that provided meals, these were disappointing. The travel directors are very knowledgeable as are the city guides. However, it would be helpful to receive written summaries of the background information, such as key historical dates. Overall this was a worthwhile tour and I would recommend it to others.
All cities chosen for stop-overs were good and provided variety. However, I would have preferred less time on the Costa del Sol and more time in Valencia. Some of the optional tours were disappointing and those that provided meals, these were disappointing. The travel directors are very knowledgeable as are the city guides. However, it would be helpful to receive written summaries of the background information, such as key historical dates. Overall this was a worthwhile tour and I would recommend it to others.
I have booked this trip at the very last minute and I am glad I did. Booking was a breeze. Great tour - visiting almost every corner of Britain and Ireland. Operator provides very comfortable coach with extra leg room, which makes the long journey much nicer. Accommodation was variable. I would say about 50% was great and remainder average. Always very read more clean - but some very old hotels.
Tour director was looking after us on daily basis. Everything well organised from wake up calls in the morning till after dinner. Some of the places I would love to stay a bit longer, but have to say the next day it was another wonder to admire. Great companions. We would stay friends forever.
Tour director was looking after us on daily basis. Everything well organised from wake up calls in the morning till after dinner. Some of the places I would love to stay a bit longer, but have to say the next day it was another wonder to admire. Great companions. We would stay friends forever.
Thanks Juliet for helping us book our Grand Scandinavia tour with Insight Vacations at such a great price. Our tour guide Maja was excellent, so knowledgeable about everywhere we went. The local guides were also great and we all loved the bus driver Arpad. It was amazing how he maneuvered the bus around the hairpin bends. The scenery was amazing and read more it was great being able to sit back and look out the window rather than driving ourselves.
A Closer Look at Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley 4
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley
Norma & Geoff, NSW, Australia, Jul 2018
The highlight of this one week tour was a better understanding of the D Day landings, the tactics involved and the unique advantage provided by the mulberry harbours. "Conquering" Mont St. Michel and relaxing in St. Malo were additional features we enjoyed. The trip was well conducted by Insight with Tour Director Shona providing high quality professional read more service and much comedy - all good fun. This was the seventh trip arranged by Global Journeys for us. Georgie Walpole has always provided excellent service and advice allowing us to proceed with confidence on our travels.
This was a great introduction to Greece, although it was between 30 and 40 C most days during the tour in July it was not too discomforting due to the low humidity, except for the last day when it was 42 C. Having two nights at each hotel, other than the first and last nights of the tour, made the trip more relaxing. Given the circumstances again, an read more extra night or two in Athens pre or post tour would have been worthwhile. Hotels were about 3 star and quite acceptable. All hotels had swimming pools, the one at Olympia was very nice. There was one optional experience - a meal out, this was expensive and very poor value - included a Greek salad padded with bread and poor quality wine out of cardboard casks.
A good pair of walking shoes is a must for this tour, given the many unpaved surfaces. Greece is very popular with tourists at present, but apart from some of the sites in Athens it did not feel overcrowded. Overall a great experience delving into the history of the Greek civilisation and adding modern Greece. Took a great photo from the top floor (pool floor) of the Athens hotel.
A good pair of walking shoes is a must for this tour, given the many unpaved surfaces. Greece is very popular with tourists at present, but apart from some of the sites in Athens it did not feel overcrowded. Overall a great experience delving into the history of the Greek civilisation and adding modern Greece. Took a great photo from the top floor (pool floor) of the Athens hotel.
Great, stress free experience 1
Marie, New Zealand, Jul 2018
Global Journeys booked my Gems of Britain 5 day tour with Insight Vacations and provided me with excellent personal service.
Hannah Campbell managed our booking at short notice, it is our 4th tour booked with Hannah & Global Journeys. Well done yet again. It was a busy tour, travelling over 5800klm, long days of driving, early starts, and one night stop overs, some places with little to do or see there. For example there wasn’t a lot of choice when we had to find our own read more dinner in Narvik, there were only two restaurants an Asian and an Italian Pizza Parlour!
Our wonderful friendly driver Joseph kept us safe, especially on some scary fjord roads. Lena our Tour Director was knowledgeable of all the 4 countries we visited, and kept the tour on time. The Baltic Cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki through the archipelago was spectacular, but do question the brochures description of “High class sea-view cabin”. It was in fact a small cabin with bunks; it was a commercial ferry so extremely busy. The larger city hotels were adequate, linen and beds were of a good standard and some rooms offered robes and slippers. Although the quality of the bath towels in some of the hotels was most disappointing. I questioned one city hotel at the lack of soap; to be informed they had run out!!! As we travelled north the hotels became pretty basic, some double rooms plus luggage left little room to move around. Others lacked a safe, or tea/coffee facilities, which would have been welcomed after a long day of travelling. Another problem was the concept of a shower over the bath, difficult for older people.
Hotel breakfasts and dinners were varied, with something for everyone. When three or more coach tours were booked in at the same hotel, meal times often became a ‘bun fight’. I did not pay Insight prices to stand in a queue with an empty plate, only to then have to search for a vacant table. Alcoholic drinks i.e. beer in the hotel bars were very expensive. Believe discrimination was shown to coach tour guests, over regular guests. Especially in The Union Hotel at Geiranger, where guests were told they could not drink a cup of tea on the terrace, as it was for hotel guest only!!
The Geiranger Fjord is magnificent, with the Union Hotel built above the lake. Be prepared if you need to go down to the harbour to catch a cruise boat or do some shopping, you can walk down the roadway which extremely narrow and busy, or attempt the steel stairway. The Danish and Swedish optional dinners were acceptable but nothing out of the ordinary, the Russian dinner was very good. We had to leave the venues soon after dinner, leaving little time for a chat or to get to know other guests. The visit to the North Cape to view the midnight sun was totally disappointing, owing to the inclement weather which set in earlier in the day, and therefore should have been cancelled.
Favourite Included Experiences: Puijo Tower, Alaskan Husky farm with dinner, Viking Ship Museum, Geiranger Fjord, and Santa Claus Village. Favourite Optional Experiences: The Arctic Experience – Arctic Cruise, Fjord St Dalsnibba, Wilderness River Adventure, Vasa Galleon, Traditional Lapland Dinner and Reindeer Farm. Took 10 of 15 Optional Experiences, this cost Euro 1186 which exchanged to approx $3000!! So be prepared for this on top of the tour price. Scandinavia was an incredible tour, but also worked out very expensive.
Our wonderful friendly driver Joseph kept us safe, especially on some scary fjord roads. Lena our Tour Director was knowledgeable of all the 4 countries we visited, and kept the tour on time. The Baltic Cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki through the archipelago was spectacular, but do question the brochures description of “High class sea-view cabin”. It was in fact a small cabin with bunks; it was a commercial ferry so extremely busy. The larger city hotels were adequate, linen and beds were of a good standard and some rooms offered robes and slippers. Although the quality of the bath towels in some of the hotels was most disappointing. I questioned one city hotel at the lack of soap; to be informed they had run out!!! As we travelled north the hotels became pretty basic, some double rooms plus luggage left little room to move around. Others lacked a safe, or tea/coffee facilities, which would have been welcomed after a long day of travelling. Another problem was the concept of a shower over the bath, difficult for older people.
Hotel breakfasts and dinners were varied, with something for everyone. When three or more coach tours were booked in at the same hotel, meal times often became a ‘bun fight’. I did not pay Insight prices to stand in a queue with an empty plate, only to then have to search for a vacant table. Alcoholic drinks i.e. beer in the hotel bars were very expensive. Believe discrimination was shown to coach tour guests, over regular guests. Especially in The Union Hotel at Geiranger, where guests were told they could not drink a cup of tea on the terrace, as it was for hotel guest only!!
The Geiranger Fjord is magnificent, with the Union Hotel built above the lake. Be prepared if you need to go down to the harbour to catch a cruise boat or do some shopping, you can walk down the roadway which extremely narrow and busy, or attempt the steel stairway. The Danish and Swedish optional dinners were acceptable but nothing out of the ordinary, the Russian dinner was very good. We had to leave the venues soon after dinner, leaving little time for a chat or to get to know other guests. The visit to the North Cape to view the midnight sun was totally disappointing, owing to the inclement weather which set in earlier in the day, and therefore should have been cancelled.
Favourite Included Experiences: Puijo Tower, Alaskan Husky farm with dinner, Viking Ship Museum, Geiranger Fjord, and Santa Claus Village. Favourite Optional Experiences: The Arctic Experience – Arctic Cruise, Fjord St Dalsnibba, Wilderness River Adventure, Vasa Galleon, Traditional Lapland Dinner and Reindeer Farm. Took 10 of 15 Optional Experiences, this cost Euro 1186 which exchanged to approx $3000!! So be prepared for this on top of the tour price. Scandinavia was an incredible tour, but also worked out very expensive.
We were aware of Switzerland's reputation for its scenery but it is awesome! The country is easy travelling with relaxed starts and free time allowing us to absorb the beauty of this country of lakes and mountains. Travelling by both coach and train added another dimension of the engineering marvel of the Swiss railways. Although we had a full complement read more of 40 people the Tour Director Matt did a great job. Friendly, organised and professional, his communications, advice and directions on times and options were clear and concise. The result - 40 people on the coach, on time, every time the entire trip. A remarkable achievement.
There was more travel involved than I expected and was quite tired by the end. This probably was because it was the last of three tours I booked. I would have allowed for a break between Switzerland and Scandinavia if I had known or looked for a shorter tour.
Apart from that it was interesting. Found Finland intriguing and of course Geiranger Fiord read more was spectacular. The tour Director Chad Hardwick and driver Gabor were of the highest standard. Accommodation varied in quality from poor (Fru haugans Hotel, Mosjoen) where once again the single travelers were allocated the old small rooms, to excellent. Generally the further North the lower the standard. Once again the lack of blackout curtains was very inconvenient as we were in full daylight 24 hours in the North.
Apart from that it was interesting. Found Finland intriguing and of course Geiranger Fiord read more was spectacular. The tour Director Chad Hardwick and driver Gabor were of the highest standard. Accommodation varied in quality from poor (Fru haugans Hotel, Mosjoen) where once again the single travelers were allocated the old small rooms, to excellent. Generally the further North the lower the standard. Once again the lack of blackout curtains was very inconvenient as we were in full daylight 24 hours in the North.
Country Roads of Croatia tour exceeded our expectations; Croatia is a beautiful country with much history and beauty. Our Tour Guide Heinz and Coach Driver Dario were professional and excellent in their roles. Heinz was keen to impart as much knowledge and historical facts about areas we covered and made sure every persons needs were met. The optional read more excursions that we took were superb and good value. The tour coverage in itself was extensive and there was ample time to explore on our own. The included meals were of a high standard apart from the final dinner which was a little disappointing but a wonderful ambience.
There were a couple of early starts but the benefits of what we covered outweighed what some may have felt tiring. The travel day into Dubrovnik would be improved by having lunch prior to the walking tour. I would highly recommend travelling with Insight and booking through Global Journeys. Hannah was efficient, informed and professional covering all areas needed for stress free travel. We saved by booking through Global Journeys and at all times were made aware of all details needed to be covered. Thank you Hannah and Global Journeys.
There were a couple of early starts but the benefits of what we covered outweighed what some may have felt tiring. The travel day into Dubrovnik would be improved by having lunch prior to the walking tour. I would highly recommend travelling with Insight and booking through Global Journeys. Hannah was efficient, informed and professional covering all areas needed for stress free travel. We saved by booking through Global Journeys and at all times were made aware of all details needed to be covered. Thank you Hannah and Global Journeys.
Wonderfull trip in Country France and Paris 6
Country Roads of France
Simon & Lina, VIC, Australia, Jun 2018
Overall we had a wonderful time. Some of our highlights were Chamonix, Sarlat, Rocamadour, Albi but really enjoyed the tour and experience as a whole. Our wine tours were quite enjoyable and optional food was excellent. Was a good mix of travellers. Would definitely recommend Insight tours and book through Global Journeys. Very helpful and approachable.
Another terrific tour. Insight excel at employing exceptional tour directors, Sarah was superb. Hotels were of a good standard, a good mix of included tours but as with most Insight trips the most enjoyable were the optional excursions. The Fado dinner was a standout event, with front row tables and a good quality meal. Global journeys once again made read more the holiday experience easy to plan and good value for money. Yvonne was a pleasure to deal with.
This tour covers Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The brochure paints an exciting tour with really enjoyable optional experiences. So we were a little let down with what actually occurred. There is a lot of time spent on travelling to places. On a number of days you left at eight o'clock and did not arrive at the next place until after five. This read more was due to the 70-80km speed limit, driver rest periods and the winding roads. When arrived at our destination we wanted to unwind over drinks but the cost was exorbitant (AUD$18 for a small beer). The quality of the hotels varied a great deal depending on what town you staying at. Meals were generally buffet style with ample selection of dishes.
The optional experiences were costly for what actually occurred. The railway journey from Sweden sounded good but all you did was catch a normal passenger train from a nearby station and travel back down the hillside. We opted out of doing the traditional dinners after the Danish dinner as we found the quality of the food was not great. The overnight cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki was okay, The cruise is actually on a car ferry and the cabins were just adequate.The scenery was excellent and you saw many many fjords.
The optional experiences were costly for what actually occurred. The railway journey from Sweden sounded good but all you did was catch a normal passenger train from a nearby station and travel back down the hillside. We opted out of doing the traditional dinners after the Danish dinner as we found the quality of the food was not great. The overnight cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki was okay, The cruise is actually on a car ferry and the cabins were just adequate.The scenery was excellent and you saw many many fjords.
The company (Insight Vacations) was very professional, everything was taken care of. Mostly retired people that were well off. Most people mixed well, except one nationality. Would travel with them again if I could afford it. The accommodation was in a good location so it was easy to walk places.
We were looked after so well by Philip of Insight Vacations, the tour was fast paced and very informative. We saw so many sights in such a short amount of time, the Eiffel Tower, gondola ride just to name a few. The choice of hotels was excellent right in the heart of all the big cities, and were all of a high standard. We could not fault Jemma from read more Global Journeys, she looked after us and did a perfect job, thank you.
Other travellers were very pleasant. Tour was good. Tour guide spent most of her time talking up the optional excursions so people would buy them - obviously wanting her commission. This was a turn off as most were overpriced.
The first section of the tour is very busy but eases up once in Ireland. We had expected quite a bit of motorway driving so it was a pleasant surprise to find that the Tour Director & Driver did as much on 'country roads' as practical, and even in parts when passing other vehicles was 'tight'. Scenery was great. The weather was well behaved. Tour Director read more and Driver were excellent and worked well as a team. Some people didn't do any of the optionals and I think they missed out on some good opportunities for seeing, learning more about the countries we were in and meeting some locals. A few of the hotels were BA's (best available) but that is part of the experience :)
