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.
We had an excellent time travelling from Athens, through Italy and Switzerland to France. The sights we saw were well planned and our tour director was a fountain of knowledge. Most of the tour guides in the places of interest which we visited were easily understood and spoke English well. Most of the optional extra tours available were very good, read more but the Moulin Rouge was exceptional, something not to be missed. This tour had all two night stops in the hotels which was a reason why we chose it, as we find one night stops too hectic. We went in June 2016 and had mostly very good weather and the other 38 passengers on the coach were very good company. We thank Emily Cran for all her help with organising this tour for us and will not hesitate to get in touch with her again when we book our next tour. Thank you Global Journeys. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)
A taste of north east Americas 5
Best of Eastern Canada & USA
Lyn Arnold-Tuttle, QLD, Australia, May 2016
Everything was handled with perfect smoothness, from the initial booking with Global Journeys, and the actual organization by Insight , to the wonderful care and entertainment given by our tour director and driver. It was all a class act. Our 16 day tour gave a taste of this large area and everywhere we went I want to go back to. Our time was organized read more well though, and we did see a lot. A lovely bunch of fellow passengers was the cherry on top.
Spectacular indeed. 8
Spectacular Scandinavia & its Fjords
Brian Caller & Ann Rheinberger, NSW, Australia, May 2016
We have travelled with Insight before and have always enjoyed their tours, even with the occasional glitch. Spectacular Scandinavia was overall very good, particularly the time spent in Norway. Accommodation was generally good and some were very good, particularly for location and ambiance,particularly (again) in Norway. There were some long days of read more driving, for example from Copenhagen to Stockholm, which were tiring but it is hard to see how this could be avoided, given the long distances to be covered. The tour started with 3 nights in Copenhagen and we think this is too much. We would prefer one fewer day there and an extra day in Geiranger or Bergen, or maybe one in each,spent as free days to allow us to wander. Overall a most enjoyable trip. Norway was the highlight.
Beautiful scenery 12 day Country Roads of Bavaria, Switzerland and Austria 1
Country Roads of Bavaria, Switzerland & Austria
Angela Athas, NSW, Australia, May 2016
The first of our two tours with Insight on this holiday. Excellent tour with beautiful scenery. Well organised. Booking with Global Journeys was an easy experience, would use both Insight and Global Journeys again.
Northern Spain was very different from the South of Spain. A bit wetter and greener. Places visited were excellent with many unexpected pleasures. Timing between stops and lunch breaks were a bit erratic as there were 2 coaches following each other and tried to stay at least 30 mins apart. Highlight being Santiago and San Sebastian. But the coach read more timing didn't stop it being a great tour. And as usual Global Journeys (Yvonne) was very easy to book through.
Great whirlwind holiday but some areas need reconsideration 4
Michelle & Bob, SA, Australia, May 2016
Overall, the holiday was fantastic. However, there were a couple of areas that we found a bit disappointing. For instance, for the Edinburgh to Liverpool leg of the journey we spent too long in Gretna Green as there was ample time to have lunch at Windemere. This would have allowed us to get to Liverpool around an hour earlier than we did. Furthermore, read more I would suggest that you reduce the amount of time spent in both Chester & Ludlow on route to Cardiff. Two hours in Chester was way too long - 1 hour would have been ample - and reduce the time in Ludlow by 30 minutes. This would permit your guests to have some time to explore Cardiff around the hotel and do some shopping. As it was, we arrived in Cardiff too late to do any shopping as the shops were all closing by the time we arrived and checked into our hotel. This was disappointing as we would have liked to purchase some souvenirs in Cardiff to take back home with us. If these points were adjusted, then the tour would be 5 star!
Thoroughly enjoyed the tour especially Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, Materas extraordinary 'Sassi' - troglodyte dwellings, the Puglia region including the Trulli of Alberobello and Ostuni with its stark, white-washed buildings, narrow cobbled streets and arched stairways. A highlight was the vist to Maratea and the drive up to the Christ the Redeemer read more Statue, apparently it was the first time the bus has actually driven up there. Then on to Sicily and the Greek theatre at Taormina. At Syracuse we visited the Archaeological Park of Neapolis which was a disappointment as it was quite dirty and overgrown with weeds etc. However the island of Ortigia is definitely worth the visit. Also the optional visit to Mt Etna was also great. Agrigento and the Valley Of The Temples was a favorite, great sights and the local tour guide was brilliant. Palermo was everything we hoped for so much to see and do but not enough time. We stayed an extra 2 days in a B&B in the Old Quarter and had a fantastic time exploring all the alleyways and street food outlets at night.
Accommodation was generally good although the Hilton in Giardini Naxos was a disappointment mainly because it was not in a very central location and appeared to be due for an overhaul. The Grand Hotel La Chiusa Di Chietri, Alberobello was also some distance from the town (approx 6-7kms) however the accommodation was good. The Grand Hotel Di Maratea Pianetamaratea, Maratea although a little dated was great especially for the views and being a slightly older hotel the room was actually one of the larger ones we had. Our tour guide (Chris Beck) was great and very knowledgeable and our driver (Sabatino) was fantastic. The places he maneuvered the coach through were amazing especially through the very narrow streets. What ever he is paid it is no where near enough. (GJ: I'm sure he'd agree! :)
Accommodation was generally good although the Hilton in Giardini Naxos was a disappointment mainly because it was not in a very central location and appeared to be due for an overhaul. The Grand Hotel La Chiusa Di Chietri, Alberobello was also some distance from the town (approx 6-7kms) however the accommodation was good. The Grand Hotel Di Maratea Pianetamaratea, Maratea although a little dated was great especially for the views and being a slightly older hotel the room was actually one of the larger ones we had. Our tour guide (Chris Beck) was great and very knowledgeable and our driver (Sabatino) was fantastic. The places he maneuvered the coach through were amazing especially through the very narrow streets. What ever he is paid it is no where near enough. (GJ: I'm sure he'd agree! :)
Amazing & beautiful Spain & Portugal 4
Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco
Lynette Hazelwood, NSW, Australia, May 2016
Insight were great, really enjoyed the extra leg room in coach but no facility for charging iPads above seats as in previous bus. Tour director and local guides were great for the most part, just two for the optional tours that I couldn't rate well. One more interested in his phone and the other more interested in promoting sales at demonstration. read more The scenery and attractions were breathtaking. Hopefully the facilities at the port when catching ferry to Morocco will be upgraded to facilitate easier baggage handling in the future. Triple share was good value but often extra bed just jammed in and no additional towels etc. provided. Felt spoiled when we got a room with three beds. Fast train from Barcelona to Madrid was efficient and user friendly with taxis at either end to and from hotel not expensive. Global Journeys did a great job and were very helpful.
From the very start everything was so well organised & efficient. Michelle White our Global Journeys travel consultant assisted us at every turn and answered all our questions promptly and courteously. Our holiday with Insight was even better than we thought it could be! Every detail had been thought of to help us enjoy our journey and make us feel read more safe and secure through Europe and the tour director & accommodation were excellent. We will definitely use Global Journeys & Insight Vacations again. With heartfelt thanks.
Great tour with a great company. The pace of the tour was a lot more relaxed than other tour companies due to many 2 night stays. The extra leg room in the Insight buses is worth the extra cost alone. The unexpected highlight for us was Budapest. What an amazing city and the 5 star hotel was a treat. The online service that Global Journeys offers is read more hassle free with excellent communication. I highly recommend Insight Vacations and Global Journeys and will be using them again in the near future.
This tour was all inclusive with no options added. Both the Tour Director and Bus driver were excellent and enhanced the experience. Tour pace was good and places visited excellent. Would highly recommend to anyone wishing to see Greece. The 4 day/3 night cruise was enough to get a feeling of the Greek Islands. One of the best Insight tours we read more have done. Will definitely use Insight again and book thru Global Journeys as it was extremely easy and very professional.
We really had a great visit to Spain and Portugal - hotels in great locations - coach very comfortable - more spacious than some others we saw - great inclusions and we would recommend taking up all the optional additional excursions
the tour guide was able to provide great historical commentary on all locations/regions visited. Booking through Global read more Journeys was efficiently handled - we have used them before and they've always been effective.
the tour guide was able to provide great historical commentary on all locations/regions visited. Booking through Global read more Journeys was efficiently handled - we have used them before and they've always been effective.
This trip provides a great overview covering from the northern lakes, to Sicily in the south. It was 40 years since my last visit, but the country was even more beautiful than I remembered. We were particularly impressed by the beauty and tranquility of Sicily. The tour group included people from Australia, Canada, US and NZ, and all got along well. read more We had an inspirational tour leader who clearly loved her adopted country of Italy.
It was a good 'taste' of what makes Portugal special, from Fado in Lisbon to Port in Oporto. Also a good 'taste' of local food, from cod to Iberian ham to Portugese tarts and other specialist deserts. Great scenery such as old fortified hill top villages and cork tree groves. Booking through Global Journeys was refreshingly efficient.
Wonderful trip through the Country Roads of France 4
Country Roads of France
Joyce Hunter, QLD, Australia, Apr 2016
This tour was the best! I enjoyed the lovely countryside of France in spring with our wonderful guide, Laura, who kept us all happy and smiling! The hotels were all good with some that were truly special. Optional tours were generally good value and if you just felt like relaxing you could stay near the hotel and do your own thing. Booking with Yvonne read more from Global Journeys was easy using the online system. Yvonne always got back to me right away if I had any questions and I would certainly book any future trips with her as she was very helpful.
Global Journeys were wonderful and I would not hesitate to book with them again. Michelle White was our agent and she could not have been more helpful. The Insight tour was very good and our tour guide Tim Pendellbury was excellent, very organised and took care of all details giving us a worry free time. The main things that we did not like were the read more factory/shop stops and the long days in the bus and very early morning starts ( be prepared to be very tired), however considering the distance that we travelled and countries we visited it is understandable.Some of the hotels that were supposed to be central were definitely not and a few of them were also not of the standard I would have expected from this tour, The insight heritage 33 day tour is a very good way to sample many countries in one trip and despite these issues we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)
An exquiste taste of the UK and Ireland 4
Britain & Ireland Discovery
Alan & Sandra, NSW, Australia, Apr 2016
Our Britain & Ireland Discovery tour with Insight has been the most enjoyable trips we have done so far in our touring experiences. The tour guide with his enlightening stories, the places that were visited, the comfort and extra room of the Insight Coaches. The trip had a great mix and a pace that was just right of the beautiful countryside and historic read more places of the UK and Ireland, thanks Global Journeys and Insight we will be back!
Another Fabulous Insight Vacation 4
Country Roads of France
Penelope Fogel-Watkins, NSW, Australia, Apr 2016
Firstly, booking this wonderful trip through Global Journeys was the best decision my husband and I made, because they were always available, organized, helpful with advice, and offered constant updates on our trip. Additionally, we also received a great discount on that particular trip. Because Global Journeys' portfolio contains many travel companies, read more we will have no problem finding another trip to enjoy, without the worries of making the arrangements ourselves. (GJ: Thanks Penelope!) Our Insight Tour of Country Roads of France was magical, and just what we wanted for our first trip to France. Looking at the brochure, it offered an opportunity to visit a number of smaller cities and towns that would provide an intimate experience of the French way of life and history that is seldom discussed at a relaxed pace. The tour visited a number of places off the beaten track ( Sarlat la Caneda, Rocamadour, a vineyard and dinner in Fixin, Les Baux & Olive Mill and Pont du Gard ), that allowed us to savour the true French country lifestyle. This experience was enhanced by the knowledge and attention to detail of our tour guide, along with the safe driving of our bus driver. This was our second Insight Tour, and we will continue to travel with them.
Hassle free holiday. Booking was straight forward and kept informed throughout process. In the time saw some great sights in both Spain and Portugal. Some long driving days but these were broken up with lunch stops in beautiful villages. Travelling during winter was a bonus as avoided summer crowds. Insight Tours are a very professional company.
Wonderful experiences in Spain, Portugal and Morocco 2
Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco
Bev Showers, QLD, Australia, Dec 2015
Insight was extremely comfortable on the coach, wasn't full with only 23 passengers, good mix of ages. Hotels were really lovely and quite a full on itinerary with mostly early starts. The tour director Daniel was fantastic, as were other guides in the locations. We had a great variety of experiences and we elected to do all the optional tours. Wasn't read more crazy about the food in Spain, found it quite bland. We really loved it.
