Trafalgar Reviews
The 1,011 Trafalgar reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have travelled with Trafalgar. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
The 1,011 Trafalgar reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have travelled with Trafalgar. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
Trafalgar - Spain, Portugal and Morocco 5
Spain, Morocco and Portugal
Amanda, NSW, Australia, Jul 2018
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco. We booked the tour with the understanding of the distance we would be travelling in the coach. Trafalgar planned the stops along the way very thoughtfully taking into account the passengers' needs and government requirements for drivers' rest breaks. We have been independent travellers read more for years and have taken tours recently with other tour companies. We were very happy with the itinerary and pace of the tour. The included highlights were very good however there appeared to be quite a number of optional tours offered, more than anticipated. Our group of travellers, mainly from Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada connected from the first day and had a great holiday together.
There were many positives in this tour however there was also some negatives that need to be mentioned. Firstly the fact that Trafalgar was unable to secure tickets to enable our group to visit Alhambra Palace in Granada. For us Alhambra was to be one of the highlights of Spain, and to receive a letter (dated three days earlier) on the coach seat to announce this was such a disappointment. This tour had been a guaranteed departure since the brochure was printed, so who didn’t secure the tickets? Of course another tour was substituted in another city, however we didn’t get to see Alhambra Palace.
Secondly we must make mention of our tour guide Philip Rogers. Philip was very knowledgeable on the history of the countries visited and a fluent linguist. Apart from those attributes Philip did not attempt to connect meaningfully with his guests at all. His timing of pointing out highlights along the road was poor, by the time he mentioned the highlight we had passed it, or there was no mention at all until a guest asked. We were also quite concerned about the way Philip handled the situation when one member of our group collapsed on the bus and appeared to be very ill, especially in regard to Philip’s and Trafalgar’s duty of care to the guest and group. Philip's religious preference heavily swayed his commentary and he engaged more with our Moroccan guide Nile than his guests.
In closing, we would suggest that Philip has lost touch with the expectations of guests on what is a high end tour. This was our first Trafalgar tour and after speaking with fellow passengers, many of whom are regular Trafalgar travellers, by far the majority agreed Philip was disinterested and probably past his best.
There were many positives in this tour however there was also some negatives that need to be mentioned. Firstly the fact that Trafalgar was unable to secure tickets to enable our group to visit Alhambra Palace in Granada. For us Alhambra was to be one of the highlights of Spain, and to receive a letter (dated three days earlier) on the coach seat to announce this was such a disappointment. This tour had been a guaranteed departure since the brochure was printed, so who didn’t secure the tickets? Of course another tour was substituted in another city, however we didn’t get to see Alhambra Palace.
Secondly we must make mention of our tour guide Philip Rogers. Philip was very knowledgeable on the history of the countries visited and a fluent linguist. Apart from those attributes Philip did not attempt to connect meaningfully with his guests at all. His timing of pointing out highlights along the road was poor, by the time he mentioned the highlight we had passed it, or there was no mention at all until a guest asked. We were also quite concerned about the way Philip handled the situation when one member of our group collapsed on the bus and appeared to be very ill, especially in regard to Philip’s and Trafalgar’s duty of care to the guest and group. Philip's religious preference heavily swayed his commentary and he engaged more with our Moroccan guide Nile than his guests.
In closing, we would suggest that Philip has lost touch with the expectations of guests on what is a high end tour. This was our first Trafalgar tour and after speaking with fellow passengers, many of whom are regular Trafalgar travellers, by far the majority agreed Philip was disinterested and probably past his best.
I was saddened for the trip to end as I made good lasting friendships and saw everything I needed to see in France. I would rate it better than the last trip with Trafalgar in the UK in 2013. Congratulations to Trafalgar's organisers. I also want to thank Global Journeys including my organiser Madeline from the start to finish, a special salute to her read more for keeping in touch throughout the booking and journey.
Wonderful Scottish Holiday 12
Scotland's Highlands, Islands and Cities
Leigh, ACT, Australia, Jul 2018
Trafalgar Tours was exceptional. The tour guide Kate was a Scot blessed with a sense of humor and a vast knowledge of her country which she delivered in an entertaining and lighthearted way. The pace of the tour allowed free time and the optional tours were excellent value. What set this tour apart was the opportunity to visit Northern Scotland, The read more Orkneys, The Isle of Skye as well as the islands of Mull and Iona. Definitely one of the highlights for us.
Best of Finland, Russia & the Baltic States 4
Terry, WA, Australia, Jul 2018
Great trip overall but at times it was a little rushed especially through the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia. The Tour Director and Driver/s were excellent and the weather stayed perfect for all but a couple of days.
Enjoyed the trip and saw many interesting places 8
Inessa & Gdalia , VIC, Australia, Jul 2018
The itinerary was suitable for us and we thought it was very interesting. The coach was very good and director knew his stuff. Our only issue is that the age group was very old (between 65 - 75 years old mainly). I understand there is a range and that there will be some older people but most were much much older and it makes it hard to socialise and read more also in regard to speed at tours etc. We do think both Global Journeys and Trafalgar need to advise people so we can make a decision. Or maybe go at another time on the same tour with more appropriate travellers.
A few of the hotels were much further out and if you didn't do an optional tour you were stuck in the hotel with no transport. It's like we were being punished for not taking an optional tour. Trafalgar should at least offer those people to drop them in the centre and pick them up when the tour is over. Other companies do this.
A few of the hotels were much further out and if you didn't do an optional tour you were stuck in the hotel with no transport. It's like we were being punished for not taking an optional tour. Trafalgar should at least offer those people to drop them in the centre and pick them up when the tour is over. Other companies do this.
Feeling happy to travel with Trafalgar especially with great help from Hannah at Global Journeys who did everything to make the trip of our dreams come true.
We booked our trip through Jemma at Global Journeys and we were more than happy with the booking processes and the helpfulness of Jemma. We were a group of 6 adults and booked a Trafalgar Best of Britain tour commencing 14/7/18 seeing the hidden gems within England, Wales and Scotland.
We travelled during Britain's heatwave so it was extremely hot read more in England. We did have a problem with the hotel in York which had no a/c. Despite the hotels best efforts to obtain a pedestal fan for all rooms we missed out. Trafalgar is aware of this problem. If we were to go to Europe again we would probably go 2 months earlier or later to avoid the crowds in peak season and possible heat.
Despite this minor issue we had a great tour. Our tour director Anya and driver James were exceptional. Anya knew her job well and her personal attention to everyones needs and problems was first class. We were in a group of 48 consisting of 18 Aussies, 16 Americans, 12 Canadians and 2 South Africans. Everyone mixed well together and thoroughly enjoyed hearing the stories of our friends from other countries over a beer, wine and food.
My personal highlight was Scotland especially the spectacular scenery of the Highlands and the optional dinner show in Edinburgh. Thank you Jemma for booking us a wonderful holiday.
We travelled during Britain's heatwave so it was extremely hot read more in England. We did have a problem with the hotel in York which had no a/c. Despite the hotels best efforts to obtain a pedestal fan for all rooms we missed out. Trafalgar is aware of this problem. If we were to go to Europe again we would probably go 2 months earlier or later to avoid the crowds in peak season and possible heat.
Despite this minor issue we had a great tour. Our tour director Anya and driver James were exceptional. Anya knew her job well and her personal attention to everyones needs and problems was first class. We were in a group of 48 consisting of 18 Aussies, 16 Americans, 12 Canadians and 2 South Africans. Everyone mixed well together and thoroughly enjoyed hearing the stories of our friends from other countries over a beer, wine and food.
My personal highlight was Scotland especially the spectacular scenery of the Highlands and the optional dinner show in Edinburgh. Thank you Jemma for booking us a wonderful holiday.
Our holiday is definitely one to remember. Jemma was excellent in responding to our enquiries. The tour was amazing in every way, we would not hesitate to recommend Global Journeys or Trafalgar Tours to others.
Past travels with Trafalgar were very ordinary to say the least. This tour was a complete turn around. It was fantastic. The good time started by booking through Global Journeys and Juliet Scott. Good value when compared to other travel booking agents. Trafalgar provided a great tour. Bad planning on my part by choosing to travel this area during the read more local annual holiday period.
We enjoyed exploring Southern Ireland and seeing the amazing scenery. Ring of Kerry and Killarney were highlights. We had very early starts most days (5:30am/6am) and bus travel was often around 2 hours before a stop. It was great to have someone look after our luggage from point A to point B. We found the Irish places the tour stayed in weren't very read more well prepared for special dietary requirements even though they had been given advanced warning. The Ashling hotel in Dublin which we stayed in prior to the tour was fabulous though.
We seemed to spend longer than necessary at some stops and not long enough at others. We also found the tour specifically catered for the American market. Don't get me wrong we have nothing against Americans, it was just that most of the sights we visited were related back to Irish/American history more so than anything else. We visited a JFK Memorial and a cemetery where the guide spoke about all the links to America rather than other countries.
We found it challenging to find locals to chat to because we visited very touristy areas rather than places off the beaten track. The majority of tourists were American (even our tour group was 90% American) so everywhere we went we heard American voices more so than Irish accents and Irish custom. Our tour director was very nice and she did her best to look after us and help us to have fun. We didn't do any of the optional excursions as the dinners were pricey and we had seen enough castles.
We seemed to spend longer than necessary at some stops and not long enough at others. We also found the tour specifically catered for the American market. Don't get me wrong we have nothing against Americans, it was just that most of the sights we visited were related back to Irish/American history more so than anything else. We visited a JFK Memorial and a cemetery where the guide spoke about all the links to America rather than other countries.
We found it challenging to find locals to chat to because we visited very touristy areas rather than places off the beaten track. The majority of tourists were American (even our tour group was 90% American) so everywhere we went we heard American voices more so than Irish accents and Irish custom. Our tour director was very nice and she did her best to look after us and help us to have fun. We didn't do any of the optional excursions as the dinners were pricey and we had seen enough castles.
We had a wonderful trip around the UK with a fantastic tour guide, Christian. There was a good mix of people and ages on the trip and everything was very well organised. We saw so much in 3 weeks and the pace was pretty fast, wished we could have had more time in some places but we would still be there if that was the case. Most of the optional experiences read more were well worth the money though it would be nice to know a little more about them before agreeing and paying to do them. We had fantastic weather and the trip overall was excellent and great value. Would have liked to know about the about of gratuities expected to give the tour guide and bus driver with more notice before we left as we hadn't included this in our spending money budget. I would definitely book with Global Journeys again as it was a very pleasant and trouble free experience.
First booking through Global Journeys. Hannah looked after our booking expertly and I would not hesitate booking with her again. It was also our first Trafalgar experience. We had a large group of people, 52 in fact who all got on very well. Our hotel accommodation was excellent and the included meals were exceptional. Our bus driver Ron was perfect. read more The places we visited were breath taking, especially Niagara Falls. Would have liked more time in Ottawa. Unfortunately we did not have the best of tour directors, for this reason I would be hesitant to book another Trafalgar trip.
Scotland had spectacular scenery and the Scots turned the weather on for us. We had perfect weather every day - no rain. Although we saw pretty much the whole of Scotland in a week, it highlighted the areas we would like to go back and visit and spend more time at. Our Tour Guide looked after us well, organising meals for special dietary requirements read more and allowed us to skip the tour for a day to MTB on the world cup track at Fort William, then catch the group up in Glasgow.
The starts were pretty early each day but the stints on the bus between rest stops were not too long. Would have loved to have known a little more detail about some of the stops before we chose to do some optional excursions as we wouldn't have explored some townships and chatted with the locals in some places instead.
We were surprised to see that 80% of the group were Americans, with only one other Aussie couple, a South African Couple and a Canadian Couple. So much of the discussion was American based about American things, American places and Trump.
The starts were pretty early each day but the stints on the bus between rest stops were not too long. Would have loved to have known a little more detail about some of the stops before we chose to do some optional excursions as we wouldn't have explored some townships and chatted with the locals in some places instead.
We were surprised to see that 80% of the group were Americans, with only one other Aussie couple, a South African Couple and a Canadian Couple. So much of the discussion was American based about American things, American places and Trump.
Beautiful Switzerland 2
Switzerland and Austria
Adrian, Kathleen, Fuschia & Matthew, NSW, Australia, Jul 2018
This trip left us with sweet memories of beautiful sights. 5 star Mt Cervin Palace in Zermatt was amazing. Have to go there again and enjoy the piano serenade while having something to drink. Stephanie the Tour Director was able to give us great tips of where to get affordable meals in world known expensive country. Yes she has connections! We were read more lucky we had only very minor glitches and yes Stephanie accommodated our needs and we got to Zurich airport on time despite of a 25 minutes bumper to bumper 8 km out of the airport.
Wonderful, scenic experience 5
Spectacular Canadian Rockies with Alaska Cruise
Liz, WA, Australia, Jun 2018
Fantastic trip. We saw amazing scenery in both Alaska and Canada, walked on a glacier and through a canyon, spotted bears and whales in their natural environment, visited unexpected places and had an overall wonderful experience. Whole trip was extremely well organised and everything worked out as it should, including the great weather we were lucky enough get.
Overall the tour was very good, went to all the cities and places we wanted to go to and the weather was pretty good across most of the trip. In the main Trafalgar was quite good but there were hiccups along the way.
Iconic Rockies and Western Canada 2
Iconic Rockies and Western Canada
Diana & Wayne, ACT, Australia, Jun 2018
Amazing views, amazing time... made better by our tour director Robina and our bus driver Bill. All hotels were of high value. The weather ranged from snowing in summer to rain to sunshine .
Highlights of Spain & Portugal 2
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
Benjamin, Wiphada & Natasha, QLD, Australia, Jun 2018
Fantastic trip through southern Spain and Portugal. Both Tour Director Jorge and Driver Marcos were excellent and professional in their approach. We really enjoyed the culture, food and places we visited across these two beautiful countries. Learnt a lot of the history that we were previously not aware of!
This is the first train journey we have done and we weren't disappointed! It was amazing! Our tour director Agnes managed our group of 48 on and off trains without loosing anyone which was a feat in itself. The accommodation was of a high standard and it was great that we would put our bags out and they would be transported to our next destination and read more be waiting for us in our new room when we arrived. Finally, Switzerland scenery is amazing and we got to enjoy it from the comfort of our specially reserved train carriages gently rocking through the countryside.... it doesn’t get any better then this!
Three cheers for Trafalgar's Nordic Adventure! 8
Nordic Adventure
Harwood & Avril, NSW, Australia, Jun 2018
Aptly on Mid-Summer's Day we started our Nordic Adventure with Trafalgar Tours together with 35 new friends from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and South Africa. Our tour director was brilliant - informative, caring, humorous and unflappable. Likewise our coach driver - his first time on this 5000+km itinerary and not one scary moment.
We read more had excellent weather for most of the time though the North Cape of Norway and Arctic Finland were shrouded in mist but this had its own atmosphere effect. Highlights are difficult to choose as there were so many, but the Geiranger Fjord area with its nearby Dalsnibba, Eagle and Trollistgen roads challenge anything the Alps can offer in mountainous scenery and hair-pin roads. Turning the street corner in Helsinki and seeing the gleaming white Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral was breathtaking. The booking through Global Journeys was easy and with very rapid responses to questions - thanks to Madeline.
We read more had excellent weather for most of the time though the North Cape of Norway and Arctic Finland were shrouded in mist but this had its own atmosphere effect. Highlights are difficult to choose as there were so many, but the Geiranger Fjord area with its nearby Dalsnibba, Eagle and Trollistgen roads challenge anything the Alps can offer in mountainous scenery and hair-pin roads. Turning the street corner in Helsinki and seeing the gleaming white Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral was breathtaking. The booking through Global Journeys was easy and with very rapid responses to questions - thanks to Madeline.
