Insight Vacations Reviews
The 613 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 613 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.
This journey covers long distances. There are places we could miss and places that we could stay longer e.g. we got into Yosemite late afternoon and left early next morning. There was hardly time to explore. This tour caters to big age range and fitness level range so there is some limitations to activities. On the whole, the tour covers all the places I want to go to.
Eastern Discovery 1
John & Jocelyn, New Zealand, May 2019
Travelled on the Eastern Discovery tour with Insight and can recommend it, as a introduction to eastern Europe. Coach and hotels lived up to expectations, except an older hotel in Corfu, however the location of this hotel more than addressed its short comings. Highlights would be the Walled city of Dubrovnik, and the Greek Islands. Would recommend including read more the optional post tour cruise.
Enjoyable and well organised tour 5
Best of Spain & Portugal
Jean & Vanessa, VIC, Australia, May 2019
The tour was very well organised. We enjoyed it very much. The tour director was the best we have ever experienced, we have done many. All the people got on very well, not always the case. There were no problems. Thanks Yvonne you did a great job.
This was a very good tour of Switzerland. The pace was good, not too rushed and the tour guide Helen was excellent. The hotels were all very good and well positioned. All the places we stayed were interesting and the scenery was spectacular. One point to note though, Switzerland is quite expensive. Be prepared to pay about 50% more for food and drink read more than you would pay in Australia.
My only criticism of this tour would be the coach. There were a few seats which did not have the Insight Vacations signature Business Class legroom. I would suggest these few seats were barely Premium Economy so at 6 foot 2 inches I had a couple of slightly cramped days on the coach. I suspect they use a smaller coach on this tour due to the narrow and winding roads taken on the tour.
Otherwise Switzerland is a beautiful, safe and clean country, albeit a bit expensive.
My only criticism of this tour would be the coach. There were a few seats which did not have the Insight Vacations signature Business Class legroom. I would suggest these few seats were barely Premium Economy so at 6 foot 2 inches I had a couple of slightly cramped days on the coach. I suspect they use a smaller coach on this tour due to the narrow and winding roads taken on the tour.
Otherwise Switzerland is a beautiful, safe and clean country, albeit a bit expensive.
A wonderful tour that covered a lot of area in a brief time frame. Our tour guide Vince was amazing, and went out of his way to make our holiday such an enjoyable experience. The bus driver was also highly skilled, and we always felt very safe whilst travelling on the bus. All accommodation was of a high standard, and located in the main cities, not read more on the outskirts. I would highly recommend booking through Global Journeys . Their service from the first phone call I made to request a quote was extremely professional, friendly and punctual. Thank you Global Journeys for an amazing holiday.
Discovering Russia 1
George & Linda, SA, Australia, May 2019
We absolutely loved this tour of the two major cities (St Petersburg & Moscow) with Insight. It was a fantastic experience that we would thoroughly recommend. The tour guides were superb and brought to life the culture and history of these fascinating cities. The hotels were exceptional and the breakfasts were the best we have ever had. Thank you to read more Global Journeys for making the bookings so easy.
Hannah as usual made our booking process very easy. She promptly answered our questions and queries. We loved the trip. It had a great variety of food and wine experiences combined with a variety of beautiful scenery and historical villages. Elizabeth our tour director took care of all our needs in a professional but caring manner.
Accommodation was not as good as expected for a 5 star operator. Extra legroom on coach was appreciated. Included restaurants were a treat. Rest stops were better then expected. Travel director Maria was well organised, approachable and very likeable.
Well organised tour of Britain & Ireland 2
Britain & Ireland Discovery
Jenita & Shayne, QLD, Australia, May 2019
We had a super time on our trip. Insight Vacations were great, a massive thank you to Howard our tour director and Alf our driver. Thank you to Georgie at Global Journeys for organising our holiday once again. The accommodation was excellent and so was the food. We enjoyed the special treats that we received from Howard along the way.
I loved the read more quaint little towns which made our lunch stops really special and plenty of time to check out the shops. Another highlight was the amazing scenery and the castles too. Travelling in May was good except I would suggest to pack extra warm clothes. We even had snow in Scotland. We look forward to our next trip.
I loved the read more quaint little towns which made our lunch stops really special and plenty of time to check out the shops. Another highlight was the amazing scenery and the castles too. Travelling in May was good except I would suggest to pack extra warm clothes. We even had snow in Scotland. We look forward to our next trip.
Insight Vacations took care of every detail! We stayed in amazing 5 star hotels, had great food and saw unbelievable sights, all arranged through our tour! Highly recommended! :)
We walked the walls of Dubrovnik, had dinner with survivors of the war in Sarajevo, went into Dracula's castle, saw the Shoes on the Danube in Budapest... sooooo many highlights! read more And everything was arranged through our tour director. She was incredibly knowledgeable and organised! A wonderful way to see the Balkans :D
We walked the walls of Dubrovnik, had dinner with survivors of the war in Sarajevo, went into Dracula's castle, saw the Shoes on the Danube in Budapest... sooooo many highlights! read more And everything was arranged through our tour director. She was incredibly knowledgeable and organised! A wonderful way to see the Balkans :D
Not really expecting much, we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty, history and scenic places. It was rather daunting to travel 9 countries in 18 days but the border crossing did not pose a problem at all. Our tour director was superb in her planning and management of the tour. We were also a special group in the sense that almost everyone was travel read more savvy. No one was late and no one was a nuisance at all. It was truly memorable.
Although the weather wasn't as perfect as I expected it to be, this Insight Vacations tour was excellent in all other ways. Great tour director and driver, very friendly fellow travellers too. Being the youngest in the group, we felt like we were well looked after.
Croatia is beautiful in general, it’s a good time of the year to visit Croatia as read more it’s not overly crowded, but expect some not-so-great weather (cold and rainy). Booking the tour through Global Journeys has been hassle free and easy. Thanks for the great experience.
Croatia is beautiful in general, it’s a good time of the year to visit Croatia as read more it’s not overly crowded, but expect some not-so-great weather (cold and rainy). Booking the tour through Global Journeys has been hassle free and easy. Thanks for the great experience.
The trip included everything on my Irish bucket list (Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, Giant's Causeway) and took me to more sights in Scotland to add to a previous visit. Accommodation was all 4 star hotels. I still occasionally had the problem of a room which was too warm for the bedding (duvet only) and no way to adjust the temperature.
Of the read more 36 on the coach 5 were Australians, 2 Singaporean, while all the rest were from the US or Canada. As a consequence the Australians tended to find the coach temperature too low. Everybody seemed to be experienced travellers and we had very few problems with people being late at any time.
The landscapes traversed are marvellous. Included in the tour were several optional experiences, which did cost extra, but generally should not be missed. And gratuities are not included and will cost more also. The weather was a little brisk at times (April 2019) but by no means impossible. Our indispensable Tour Director's advice was very sound - dress like an onion with detachable layers.
I have seen tour groups bond together before, but must admit to being a little surprised at how well this one did so. No name tags were used, but by the second week we all knew one another's names.
I should also mention the musical experiences - the Irish and Scottish evening performances (and dinners) were a highlight. The most difficult part was the stretch where we only stayed one night in each hotel, but the porterage was excellent. I enjoyed the trip very much.
Of the read more 36 on the coach 5 were Australians, 2 Singaporean, while all the rest were from the US or Canada. As a consequence the Australians tended to find the coach temperature too low. Everybody seemed to be experienced travellers and we had very few problems with people being late at any time.
The landscapes traversed are marvellous. Included in the tour were several optional experiences, which did cost extra, but generally should not be missed. And gratuities are not included and will cost more also. The weather was a little brisk at times (April 2019) but by no means impossible. Our indispensable Tour Director's advice was very sound - dress like an onion with detachable layers.
I have seen tour groups bond together before, but must admit to being a little surprised at how well this one did so. No name tags were used, but by the second week we all knew one another's names.
I should also mention the musical experiences - the Irish and Scottish evening performances (and dinners) were a highlight. The most difficult part was the stretch where we only stayed one night in each hotel, but the porterage was excellent. I enjoyed the trip very much.
Canals, Windmills and Tulips in Benelux 5
Country Roads of Belgium, Luxembourg & the Netherlands
J & P, VIC, Australia, Apr 2019
What a wonderful tour! April-May is the time to go, as the weather is improving (we had many days in the mid-20s Celsius after a cool beginning), and the Keukenhof Gardens are open and, in our case, were included in the tour. Our wonderful tour director, Philip Orna, went out of his way to ensure we had the best tour possible, and our driver, Ludwig, read more was also excellent.
There were a few downsides. The accommodation in Bruges is a brand new Radisson, which is still teething, is understaffed and is not well located (next to the rail yards). Apparently chosen by Insight because they received a lot of bad feedback regarding the previous hotel.
The NH hotel in Amsterdam is also new to Insight, and is very tired. It is apparently due to be renovated this year (2019), so should be in good shape by 2020, but may not be so good this year.
The Chateau D'Urspelt is lovely, but it is a true country stay. It is a long drive from Luxembourg, so those who choose not to take the optional excursion to Trier will have to remain in Luxembourg until the excursion returns. Trier is certainly worthwhile, so we would recommend taking this excursion.
We went on the majority of the optional excursions and recommend doing the same. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and made many friends among our travelling companions.
There were a few downsides. The accommodation in Bruges is a brand new Radisson, which is still teething, is understaffed and is not well located (next to the rail yards). Apparently chosen by Insight because they received a lot of bad feedback regarding the previous hotel.
The NH hotel in Amsterdam is also new to Insight, and is very tired. It is apparently due to be renovated this year (2019), so should be in good shape by 2020, but may not be so good this year.
The Chateau D'Urspelt is lovely, but it is a true country stay. It is a long drive from Luxembourg, so those who choose not to take the optional excursion to Trier will have to remain in Luxembourg until the excursion returns. Trier is certainly worthwhile, so we would recommend taking this excursion.
We went on the majority of the optional excursions and recommend doing the same. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and made many friends among our travelling companions.
Tour of Portugal even better second time around 6
Country Roads of Portugal
Emilia, Australia, Apr 2019
I did a comprehensive tour of Portugal over a decade ago and thought it was time to revisit this beautiful country. I have travelled with Insight Vacations more than a dozen times, so choosing a tour operator was easy.
Although the itinerary was similar to the previous tour, this time there were new inclusions and a broader cultural focus, both read more of which made a difference. For example, in each region we tasted local delicacies: pastel de nata in Lisbon, doce fino in Algarve, ginjinha in Obidos, pastel de Tentugal in Coimbra, tibia in Braga, etc. etc. These are small touches, but were appreciated by all, since they and the stories behind them are all threads in the tapestry that is Portugal.
Accommodation was comfortable and very close to city centres and historic sites. Included food was excellent, particularly in the local restaurants Frade dos mares in Lisbon, Sem-Fim in Monsaraz, farm-to-table dinner in Quinta de Maroccos in Peso da Regua... Both included and optional excursions were excellent and were a real value-add to an already great choice of locations and sightseeing.
The local guides were superb - they were passionate about their cities, knowledgeable and entertaining. The tour director and the driver were great too: professional and attentive. The former was friendly, personable, well organised, able to quickly solve problems and displayed excellent attention to detail.
Overall, the tour was very well organised. If anything, I think it should be a bit longer- additional two days would have allowed for some more time to be spent in locations worthy of more exploration. My only criticism would be the stay in Almancil. While the stroll on the beach was nice, there really wasn't anything else to do in the afternoon/evening. Perhaps a different location for an overnight should be considered? Apart from that, the tour was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in gaining a deeper insight into Portugal.
On a separate note - this was the first time I've booked a tour with Global Journeys, an agency I came across accidentally while doing an online search. At first I was a little sceptical and concerned about whether I'd made the right choice of an agent. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Global Journeys provided service of a high standard: communication was timely, responses to questions prompt, information accurate. I have already recommended them to friends and would use them again myself.
Although the itinerary was similar to the previous tour, this time there were new inclusions and a broader cultural focus, both read more of which made a difference. For example, in each region we tasted local delicacies: pastel de nata in Lisbon, doce fino in Algarve, ginjinha in Obidos, pastel de Tentugal in Coimbra, tibia in Braga, etc. etc. These are small touches, but were appreciated by all, since they and the stories behind them are all threads in the tapestry that is Portugal.
Accommodation was comfortable and very close to city centres and historic sites. Included food was excellent, particularly in the local restaurants Frade dos mares in Lisbon, Sem-Fim in Monsaraz, farm-to-table dinner in Quinta de Maroccos in Peso da Regua... Both included and optional excursions were excellent and were a real value-add to an already great choice of locations and sightseeing.
The local guides were superb - they were passionate about their cities, knowledgeable and entertaining. The tour director and the driver were great too: professional and attentive. The former was friendly, personable, well organised, able to quickly solve problems and displayed excellent attention to detail.
Overall, the tour was very well organised. If anything, I think it should be a bit longer- additional two days would have allowed for some more time to be spent in locations worthy of more exploration. My only criticism would be the stay in Almancil. While the stroll on the beach was nice, there really wasn't anything else to do in the afternoon/evening. Perhaps a different location for an overnight should be considered? Apart from that, the tour was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in gaining a deeper insight into Portugal.
On a separate note - this was the first time I've booked a tour with Global Journeys, an agency I came across accidentally while doing an online search. At first I was a little sceptical and concerned about whether I'd made the right choice of an agent. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Global Journeys provided service of a high standard: communication was timely, responses to questions prompt, information accurate. I have already recommended them to friends and would use them again myself.
We both thoroughly enjoyed our seven day Italian adventure. The tour company was excellent and the tour guide was an extremely well organised person with a wealth of knowledge and anecdotes, The standard of the hotels was very good and in great locations. Top marks to everyone involved in our package holiday.
Toured Spain and Portugal with Paddy and Insight Vacations. Paddy is the best tour director we have ever had. He went above and beyond anything we had ever experienced before and always with a smile on his face and a geniune warmth in his heart.....our next Tour director will have some big shoes to fill. Some days were long drives but that's what's read more required to get to see different places. Accommodation was good. We felt safe and well cared for the whole journey, which is important travelling overseas. If you want amazing memories just jump into everything on offer. Yvonne from Global Journeys was fantastic and organised our holiday to perfection.
Love Insight. They really make you feel safe and looked after. Worries disappear once you're on the road with them. And Global Journeys takes the worries out even before you start travelling - and keep the cost down.
I would travel with Insight Vacations again. Nice group of people. Tour Director was great and coach driver amazing. Some of the meals on the optional excursions were below my expectations.
We travelled with Insight Vacations again ... to Morocco this time. Pretty well perfect as usual. Some days were long drives but that's what's required to get to see different places. Accommodation was good. We felt safe and well cared for the whole journey, which is important in a strange country. So much colour and life to see in Morocco, so different read more to our western world. We learnt how to haggle quite well after a while and how to say "no" politely but with authority. We went for a camel ride in the Sahara to watch the sunset. If you want amazing memories just jump into everything on offer. Yvonne from Global Journeys was fantastic and organised our holiday to perfection.
