Insight Vacations Reviews
The 608 Insight Vacations reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have travelled with Insight Vacations. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
The 608 Insight Vacations reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have travelled with Insight Vacations. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
Small bus tour of Spain Portugal and Morocco 1
Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco (Small Group)
Alison, New Zealand, Aug 2023
A great group of travellers. 13 of us on a 48 seater bus so we all had a window seat! Our tour guide Scott was very well organised, and knew the history of the countries. Nothing was a bother. Our drivers were very experienced. The hotels on the whole were very good with big rooms. One hotel had smaller rooms but as I was on my own it wasn't a problem.
Wonderful tour through Normandy 2
Normandy, Brittany & The Loire Valley
Robyn, NSW, Australia, Aug 2023
I couldn’t fault this tour. From the tour guide to the accommodation. It was my first Insight tour but it won’t be my last. More expensive than other tours but more inclusions and 5 star accommodation.
I don't have the words to describe how wonderful this trip was every day brought a new highlight. Our tour guide (Matt) was every engaging and insightful. Only downside was it is VERY expensive more so than I expected but even that didn't spoil the experience nor beauty.
We have just completed the 20 day Grand Scandinavia tour with Insight Vacations which departed Copenhagen on 13th Aug 2023 and ended in Oslo on 1st Sep 2023. It was an amazing trip with a good mix of everything in it. Be prepared with a good pair of walking shoes - but well worth it. The weather was great with some rain on only one day. It's still summer read more up there so don't overdo it with the woolies. The hotels were of a high standard and very comfortable except for the Hilton Stockholm. The included meals were good as well. The Optional Extras were good as well and well worth it. Some did not happen due to logistical issues but was not the end of the world as there were plenty of other things to gawk at. Overall a great trip and definitely a MUST DO.
Eastern Canada with Insight Vacations 1
Best of Eastern Canada & USA
Bill and Kaylene, QLD, Australia, Aug 2023
We enjoyed the tour, our first with Insight Vacations in Canada and America. I feel that Insight Vacations standards have dropped - not totally but no airport pick up or drop off's, then a hotel change at the end. We paid months earlier, then came the notification about the change from a $700 night hotel to a $168 night hotel.
This was our 9th Insight Vacations trip. On the positive side we saw some great places and TD was very informative and insightful.
There were places like Nice that were big cities and not necessarily the country roads charm we expected. A bit slower paced than what we're used to and some hotels were disappointing.
There were places like Nice that were big cities and not necessarily the country roads charm we expected. A bit slower paced than what we're used to and some hotels were disappointing.
This was truly an escapade! You see a LOT of Italy in a very short span of time. It is true that there is a good amount of time spent riding on the coach, but the views and scenery are worth while. Our tour guide was excellent and our driver was simply fantastic, even on the narrow roads. We did visit in the summer, which is not the optimum time read more to visit Rome due to the very high temperatures. The day we toured Rome it was 97 (36) degrees!
The local experts were very good and helped to make each place come alive. A few seemed to be less about the history and culture and more about making sales, but I guess that is to be expected. The hotel accommodations were small but functional and it is true that the Italians don't really care for air conditioning, so if you are accustomed to an icy cool room, you need to rethink! The breakfasts were ok but nothing to write home about and stopping at the truck stops for lunch was less than exciting in terms of Italian cuisine! Global Journeys was easy to work with and I had excellent correspondence with Rachael, who patiently answered each of my questions and concerns.
The local experts were very good and helped to make each place come alive. A few seemed to be less about the history and culture and more about making sales, but I guess that is to be expected. The hotel accommodations were small but functional and it is true that the Italians don't really care for air conditioning, so if you are accustomed to an icy cool room, you need to rethink! The breakfasts were ok but nothing to write home about and stopping at the truck stops for lunch was less than exciting in terms of Italian cuisine! Global Journeys was easy to work with and I had excellent correspondence with Rachael, who patiently answered each of my questions and concerns.
Unforgettable tour through Normandy Brittany & Loire 2
Normandy, Brittany & The Loire Valley
Joy & Lou, QLD, Australia, Jul 2023
Another fantastic adventure with Insight Vacations, this one through historical Normandy and Brittany, and the magical Loire Valley. Our professional tour director, Laurent, was outstanding as was our driver Stefaan. We choose Insight Vacations for their great itineraries, exceptional tour crew, choice of accommodation, and their comfortable, extra read more leg room, coaches. This booking is our 8th with Global Journeys, who we choose because of their ease of booking, service, and prompt response to enquiries. We have already recommended Insight Vacations and Global Journeys to a number of our friends.
We really enjoyed the sights of Scandinavia…this tour was amazing and Norway is a very beautiful country. Hotels were great and very central, the guide informative, the other passengers were great fun and we would recommend this tour to everyone.
Our follow-on tour with Insight (prior trip was the Country Roads of Croatia) met with our expectations, albeit Europe is very expensive and will impact on our decision regarding future travel. Asia looks more attractive. Meteora was a stand out. The coach trips were at times, quite long. The cruise on a mid sized ship was terrific, not overcrowded read more and you could enjoy cruising. The islands were very nice. Insight needs to be more upfront with excursion costs pre booking so travellers know the real cost of the tours upfront. Further, we recommended to Insight that travellers wear name tags. It’s to difficult to remember 35 names in a short period of time.
Great experience UK Ireland 2
Britain & Ireland Discovery
Lynn and Bruce, Feilding , New Zealand, Jun 2023
Great trip. Well organized by Georgie and Global Journeys. Insight ran a very good tour and Jim the Director was very good. Made the trip. Alf the driver was fantastic. Real gentlemen and a very good driver. We will be booking with Global and Insight again - Europe next trip!
Great trip well organized and great tour guide. Our coach driver was also fantastic. Great options and we had a good mix of travellers with us.
We were happy with the tour albeit Europe is very expensive and will impact on any future travel to Europe, Asia looks more affordable going forward. Insight managed the tours well. The tour director for Greece David Price is the best Tour Director we have ever had. He was very organised, professional and extremely knowledgeable. Insight management read more of both tours were good, but they need to be more transparent with representation of excursion costs. We recommended to Insight name tags for people on the tour as it’s difficult to remember names of 35 people in a short period of time.
Global Journeys made booking my first tour with Insight seamless. Rachael, our Travel Advisor with Global, was always helpful, available to answer questions and responded promptly. The Country Roads tour was a great mix of experiences that enabled us to enjoy the history and geography of Scotland. Our Insight On-Road team (Travel Director Ian, and read more Driver Arthur) were friendly, knowledgeable, and made sure things ran smoothly. The combination of the great customer service and beautiful country, made my vacation a wonderful one.
I would certainly recommend this tour. It covers the whole country and it is a country of contrasts, from the Algarve in the south to the Duoro valley in the north. They are two very different geographies. The hotels were comfortable and there was plenty of food. There was also plenty of walking. Bring comfortable walking shoes with you.
There were read more many highlights, even if some were a bit of a challenge: try wine tasting at 9.15 am. The three that stood out for me were the Capela dos Ossos with its skulls, bones and the mummified remains of a young women and a child; the cork factory; and the Templar Castle and Convent of Christ in Tomar. The local guides were excellent, especially the local guide in Tomar.
Criticisms are few. The time in Lisbon was limited and our tour director probably spent more time talking about his real estate adventures and the unreliability of Portuguese tradesmen than was necessary. And if you use a face washer (or face cloth), bring one with you, because they aren’t supplied in the hotels.
Jemma Rosen, as always, provided the service I’ve come to expect from Global Journeys, but excelled when it came to a major problem with Lufthansa’s cancelled flights and difficulties with alternative flights. She had the problem sorted in a very short time.
There were read more many highlights, even if some were a bit of a challenge: try wine tasting at 9.15 am. The three that stood out for me were the Capela dos Ossos with its skulls, bones and the mummified remains of a young women and a child; the cork factory; and the Templar Castle and Convent of Christ in Tomar. The local guides were excellent, especially the local guide in Tomar.
Criticisms are few. The time in Lisbon was limited and our tour director probably spent more time talking about his real estate adventures and the unreliability of Portuguese tradesmen than was necessary. And if you use a face washer (or face cloth), bring one with you, because they aren’t supplied in the hotels.
Jemma Rosen, as always, provided the service I’ve come to expect from Global Journeys, but excelled when it came to a major problem with Lufthansa’s cancelled flights and difficulties with alternative flights. She had the problem sorted in a very short time.
It was my first Insight Vacation and it was even better than I thought it would be. Exceptional accommodation, an awesome tour director and for me, just long enough at 11 days. It was more full on than I thought, we were shattered by the end of each day but will know to really study for next time. Our tour group were fun, from across the globe and read more for many it was their 4th, 5th or more tour. I will definitely book again!
This trip is a combination of two tours, basically the south of Spain (starting in Barcelona and finishing in Madrid) and the north of Spain (starting in Madrid and ending back in Barcelona). This gives you plenty of time in Barcelona and Madrid. The southern portion of the tour is highlighted by the big attractions of Spain including Barcelona, Granada, read more the Toledo optional day and Seville, which were absolutely fantastic. The local your guide in Granada and Toledo was just fantastic, bringing alive the Alhambra and Toledo history. The time in Madrid includes a changeover of groups (although the tour director Maria, who was very experienced, was the same). The northern part of the tour is not quite as spectacular , but still very interesting, Santiago and San Sebastian were delightful, as was the optional tour to Biarritz. If you are looking for a comprehensive tour of Spain, at a reasonable pace, with very good accommodation, then consider this tour.
Overall the trip was amazing. 1
Land of the Prophets (Winter)
Nancy and Judy, NSW, Australia, Mar 2023
Overall the trip was amazing. Probably better than we had even hoped for. There was so much to see every day and it never got old. The guide in each country was excellent. Each had an amazing knowledge of each place we visited and could answer almost any question. The accommodation was good and the coach travel was comfortable and we felt safe and read more well cared for. Highlights for us were Bethlehem in Israel, Petra in Jordan and Karnak Temple & Abu Simbel in Egypt.
We felt the Egypt section could have been improved with some changes to schedule. On day one we arrived at the hotel at 6pm and had to be packed, ready to leave at 3.30am to catch the 6am flight to Luxor. The optional flight to Abu Simbel was more than 7 hours later which meant a rushed trip to the site and arrival back at the boat at 10.30pm for a buffet dinner! On our last day in Luxor, we toured all day then returned to the boat for 2 hours before catching the 10pm flight to Cairo. It ran 90 minutes late, the coach was not waiting for us in Cairo and we finally got to the hotel at 2.30am. People were tired and still had 2 days of touring in Cairo.
We felt the Egypt section could have been improved with some changes to schedule. On day one we arrived at the hotel at 6pm and had to be packed, ready to leave at 3.30am to catch the 6am flight to Luxor. The optional flight to Abu Simbel was more than 7 hours later which meant a rushed trip to the site and arrival back at the boat at 10.30pm for a buffet dinner! On our last day in Luxor, we toured all day then returned to the boat for 2 hours before catching the 10pm flight to Cairo. It ran 90 minutes late, the coach was not waiting for us in Cairo and we finally got to the hotel at 2.30am. People were tired and still had 2 days of touring in Cairo.
Travelling with Insight for the first time was a joy; our accommodation was of a high standard and all were centrally located. The tour director Gwen was very personable and did a great job, and our tour companions were also very friendly and a mix of nationalities.
Our main goal was to see the fabled Aurora Borealis and we managed to see it once read more (at North Cape), which was satisfactory. Most of our fellow travellers however were disappointed there weren't many more sightings despite having necessary favourable weather conditions a few times (clear, cloudless skies and sufficient solar activity), but Mother Nature was not cooperative. Just going to the northern parts of Norway above the Arctic Circle was special enough for us, as Honningsvag, Alta, and Tromsø were all unique and spectacular places to be, especially in winter (or close enough to it) with a snowy landscape.
Overall, I would recommend this tour, but don't have too many expectations of seeing the Northern Lights night after night. Just enjoy this part of the world for all it has to offer, and it's a lot!
Our main goal was to see the fabled Aurora Borealis and we managed to see it once read more (at North Cape), which was satisfactory. Most of our fellow travellers however were disappointed there weren't many more sightings despite having necessary favourable weather conditions a few times (clear, cloudless skies and sufficient solar activity), but Mother Nature was not cooperative. Just going to the northern parts of Norway above the Arctic Circle was special enough for us, as Honningsvag, Alta, and Tromsø were all unique and spectacular places to be, especially in winter (or close enough to it) with a snowy landscape.
Overall, I would recommend this tour, but don't have too many expectations of seeing the Northern Lights night after night. Just enjoy this part of the world for all it has to offer, and it's a lot!
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?
