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.
Well worthwhile trip 5
Britain and Ireland Grandeur
Gary & Holly McLaughlin, SA, Australia, Sep 2016
A very good value and we'll paced tour. All persons connected with the tour from booking with Global Journeys to all Trafalgar staff could not be faulted. Great tour can only recommend to all travellers.
Fascinating trip through East coast United States and Canada 5
East Coast USA and Canada
John & Cindy Henderson, Qld, Australia, Sep 2016
We loved the trip and our tour director Adrian was great fun and very well informed as he had been doing this for a very long time We particularly loved Washington DC and were glad we had two nights there. We were a little disappointed in the hotel in New York but the rest of the hotels were great. Hannah from Global Journeys was extremely helpful and read more answered my emails promptly.
10 day Tastes & Sounds of the South (Trafalgar) 3
Tastes and Sounds of the South
G & P Coleman, NSW, Australia, Sep 2016
The accommodation was excellent except in New Orleans - hotel was just OK - although location was excellent. Too many "free" days, nothing to do in Nashville or Memphis on these days. Maybe tour options could be added here. Tour guide was great - tour on the whole was very enjoyable. Large number in group, some didn't bother to interact, nice to have read more people from other countries in group. Global Journeys was excellent, Hannah was always there to answer any questions - great service.
Tastes and sounds of the South 2
Tastes and Sounds of the South
Dianne Walsh, VIC, Australia, Sep 2016
I really enjoyed the relaxed tour to the USA. I had a trouble free booking experience with Global Journeys handling everything in a expertly fashion. Any queries were quickly dealt with so I was able to relax and enjoy my holiday. The coach travel was very comfortable with on coach wifi a bonus. Our tour director Gary was friendly, very knowledgeable read more and on hand for any queries. My only problem for the trip was my accommodation. Although the rooms were very nice my view was always to the back of the hotel with views of the car park. I expressed my disappointment on this and my view was quite different at our last hotel. I'm not sure just how the hotels relegate rooms, but this was the only drawback and was rectified once I mentioned this to our travel director. All up a great relaxed tour.
This tour of amazing Italy with its surprises around every corner was fantastic and the following comments are intended to be constructive. Leanne Duffield (our Global Journeys agent and website were A1! Tour Director - Federica - A1. Special mention here; She is so experienced, flexible, competent and lovely. Federica had to accommodate rearrangements read more of our schedules as there was another bus of 42 Concerto tourists and some of the places could not accommodate 84 people at once. She did this with ease, no disruptions and give us extras because of the changes. She was lovely to every one. Federica spent a lot of time on the first evening explaining Italian culture including hotel room size etc so as not to raise expectations. There were 42 or 44 on our tour (Americans, Australians and Kiwis). We all got on extremely well and on our last evening gathered to have drinks together.
Our Coach Driver was an excellent, careful driver and we felt very safe. The coach was just the best and we appreciated having Wifi. Re Gratuities - We did not know if we had pre paid these as all the other kiwis on tour had paid the gratuities when they booked their tour. It was embarrassing to find out on the last morning ours hadn't been. Federica was so nice about it (another story for another time!) The optional extras were the high lights for us and are must dos. It does make the tour much more expensive but we had budgeted for this before we left NZ. We were aware of others who just could not afford them and missed out on amazing experiences. This tour is definitely not 'at leisure'. Most days are full on and early starts. Definitely needs more time in Florence. We had just one day there. Suggest making the tour 11 days so two days in Florence.
Our Coach Driver was an excellent, careful driver and we felt very safe. The coach was just the best and we appreciated having Wifi. Re Gratuities - We did not know if we had pre paid these as all the other kiwis on tour had paid the gratuities when they booked their tour. It was embarrassing to find out on the last morning ours hadn't been. Federica was so nice about it (another story for another time!) The optional extras were the high lights for us and are must dos. It does make the tour much more expensive but we had budgeted for this before we left NZ. We were aware of others who just could not afford them and missed out on amazing experiences. This tour is definitely not 'at leisure'. Most days are full on and early starts. Definitely needs more time in Florence. We had just one day there. Suggest making the tour 11 days so two days in Florence.
The trip was set at a good pace and everything was extremely well organised. Our bus driver (Radik) was amazing - the best we have had. Loved Berlin, Budapest and Prague.
A wonderful journey that highlighted the major sites of Europe, made even more enjoyable by the amazing group of people I travelled with. Definitely gave me a taste of what Europe has to offer and plenty of ideas of where I would like to return to in the future.
Eastern Europe adventure 2
Highlights of Eastern Europe
Janelle & Richard Lamont, ACT, Australia, Sep 2016
We saw wonderful things and learnt a lot about that part of Europe. It was a fascinating and enjoyable adventure. Trafalgar staff were very professional and all we had to do was to enjoy the trip. Visiting beautiful Lake Bled in Slovenia was a real highlight for us.
We thoroughly enjoyed our Grand European trip! The pace and the itinerary were perfect for us. Absolutely everything was taken care of, and we'd definitely do another Trafalgar tour. Our tour director Emile was fantastic and he really made sure everybody had not just a good time, but an amazing time. His dedication and passion for Europe really shone read more through and his stories and knowledge of the areas visited were exceptional. We booked our tour through Global Journeys and our consultant, Hannah Campbell, was wonderful! She answered all our questions promptly and took care of everything. Thank you Hannah!! We wouldn't hesitate to book our next tour through Global Journeys.
Overall it was an excellent tour, saw so much in 18 days, pace was a little tiring at times, not always enough time in some of the cities to just wander around and soak in the atmosphere. The 2 night stops made the pace better. Hotels were excellent, good size rooms and meals, only negative with accommodation was same people always got the rooms with read more a view, not just any view but of the grand canal in Venice, Mt Vesuvius in Sorrento, Lake Lucerne in Lucerne. Needs to be a fairer way to ensure these rooms are shared more equitably, it wasn't only us that missed out but it was the same 8 or so names at the top of the list that got the view rooms.
Optional excursions made the tour price expensive, 17 optionals is a lot, and these cut into any free time you might have. Night time optionals were good fun though. Thought the Galleria Academia was very expensive when we really only wanted to see statue of David, local guide was informative but really didn't need all that. We didn't do 2 of optionals as had done them on a previous tour. Tour inclusions were excellent, tour director was diligent in getting us to Sistine Chapel and Pompeii early before the crowds which made things much easier. Would certainly book with Global Journeys again, prompt efficient service.
Optional excursions made the tour price expensive, 17 optionals is a lot, and these cut into any free time you might have. Night time optionals were good fun though. Thought the Galleria Academia was very expensive when we really only wanted to see statue of David, local guide was informative but really didn't need all that. We didn't do 2 of optionals as had done them on a previous tour. Tour inclusions were excellent, tour director was diligent in getting us to Sistine Chapel and Pompeii early before the crowds which made things much easier. Would certainly book with Global Journeys again, prompt efficient service.
Really great trip through Portugal, a country with very varied landscape. Travel through cork plantations to grapes for the famous port, then down the coast to fishing villages. The hotels were close to city centres.
This tour was an ideal introduction for us as 1st time travelers to Europe. It covered all the major landmarks and attractions that we were personally interested in. Anyone with the slightest interest in European history, art or architecture will not be disappointed. For those that aren't, the scenery is spectacular - particularly in Switzerland and read more Austria. Our tour director Stephen Pearce was outstanding. His insider knowledge and attention to detail was first class, Our trip ran like clockwork. Even when weather and traffic threatened to derail our planned activities he still managed to get us where we needed to be on time. I would suggest that you take all or most of the optional experiences on this tour. Those of our group that didn't were pretty much left to their own devices while the rest of us were away.
It needs to be noted that there is a lot of walking on this tour and quite a few stairs to take to see the best views in some locations. The Colosseum in Rome and Mt Pilatus in Switzerland being just two sites where you will need to climb several steep staircases. I was disappointed with the so called "luxury" coach. Although it was practically brand new it was not my idea of luxury. It was no more comfortable than the average council bus. It certainly did not live up to the dictionary definition of luxury i.e. "conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity". The overall accommodation was very good however the pretour accommodation at the Euston Thistle was less than satisfactory for the price that was charged. The Premier Inn Waterloo is right next door to the Trafalgar Departure Centre and is a much better option in my view. In spite of these few minor complaints I would definitely recommend this tour for fit, able bodied 1st time Europe tourists. It was a hassle free way of seeing Europe and well worth the price.
It needs to be noted that there is a lot of walking on this tour and quite a few stairs to take to see the best views in some locations. The Colosseum in Rome and Mt Pilatus in Switzerland being just two sites where you will need to climb several steep staircases. I was disappointed with the so called "luxury" coach. Although it was practically brand new it was not my idea of luxury. It was no more comfortable than the average council bus. It certainly did not live up to the dictionary definition of luxury i.e. "conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity". The overall accommodation was very good however the pretour accommodation at the Euston Thistle was less than satisfactory for the price that was charged. The Premier Inn Waterloo is right next door to the Trafalgar Departure Centre and is a much better option in my view. In spite of these few minor complaints I would definitely recommend this tour for fit, able bodied 1st time Europe tourists. It was a hassle free way of seeing Europe and well worth the price.
Generally pretty good trip, except for LA Airport and Las Vegas Airport. We visited some fantastic places, our favourites were Bryce Canyon, and the Arches National Parks. Although a very demanding trip the breakfasts were all good, except we did get a bit sick of the 'scrambled eggs'. The other food was not quite what we would eat at home, and some read more places just seemed to pile the food on the plate (too much for us). Most of the accommodation was excellent, however we did not like Denver City itself as we were approached twice by 'beggars' in the street.
We would have liked a bit more time to relax after arriving at our hotels and going to dinner. We were very disappointed that we did not get to explore the Cliffs Dwellings at all, as was on the itinerary, only looking across at them. Trafalgar knew that access to the Spruce House had been closed since Nov 2015, and no alternative was sourced. Also, on the following day at Monument Valley we only got to have dinner with the American Indians at 6.15 P.M. and no tour the next morning. Both these items missed were one of the main reasons for booking the trip. We also felt that 50 people on the coach was too many, as it took at least 5 min to get off at each stop, and often we were there for only 10-15min.
We would have liked a bit more time to relax after arriving at our hotels and going to dinner. We were very disappointed that we did not get to explore the Cliffs Dwellings at all, as was on the itinerary, only looking across at them. Trafalgar knew that access to the Spruce House had been closed since Nov 2015, and no alternative was sourced. Also, on the following day at Monument Valley we only got to have dinner with the American Indians at 6.15 P.M. and no tour the next morning. Both these items missed were one of the main reasons for booking the trip. We also felt that 50 people on the coach was too many, as it took at least 5 min to get off at each stop, and often we were there for only 10-15min.
The Best of France tour by Trafalgar was incredible. We visited beautiful cities like Paris, Lyon, Nice and Bordeaux and also smaller historic towns like Beaune, Biarritz and Carcassonne where we stayed within the impressive castle. The evening meals throughout were top class and were three courses including wine. These meals were either at the hotels read more or at historic buildings such as in Carcassonne and Paris where we dined in one of the oldest and most prominent in the city. The tour was made even more enjoyable by our tour director who was incredibly knowledgeable and a very caring but also efficient person. The other travellers mainly American, Australian and Canadian were great fun to travel with and everyone enjoyed each others company immensely. It really did became a family away from home. Global Journeys were also a great company to deal with regarding booking and ticketing. Always available and very responsive.
Hot and not bothered in Spain & Portugal. 4
Highlights of Spain and Portugal
Dennis, NSW, Australia, Aug 2016
Hola! We had never been to Spain or Portugal before and had only a remnant memory of long forgotten history lessons. Fortunately Krista, our young, dynamic tour guide and our “mother” for the trip, gave us timely history lessons and all the relevant information along the way. Our fellow passengers were an interesting and friendly bunch from a variety read more of countries and cultures and ranged in age from 18 to 86 with the majority in their 60’s . They came from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, USA, Bahrein and South America and Krista was soon able to meld us into one happy family. Immediately after our Trafalgar Tour we caught the train to Barcelona then boarded the Norwegian Spirit for a cruise on the Mediterranean stopping at many iconic ports for shore tours.
After the cosy family feel of the coach trip I felt lost in a sea of strangers on the ship. The staff looking after the shore tours seemed to lose interest in travellers after they had signed up for their expensive shore excursions and had little customer focus. Sure they had large numbers of people to get off the ship to go to a variety of destinations and they were successful at doing this but they seem to overlook that every single passenger has different expectations and physical abilities and each needs special treatment. But maybe Krista had set such a high standard of customer care that any other treatment would seem very ordinary.
We were in Spain in late August early September and it was hot! It was 35 degrees every day but everyone quickly became acclimatised, drank plenty of water. There was one occasion, however, when one person collapsed from dehydration when we went to a bull farm for a BBQ. He was quickly attended to by a kiwi nurse and Mexican doctor from our group until the ambulance arrived and quickly re-joined the group. While it was hot during our tour we had only 5 minutes of light rain and even that was more than usual for the time of year. So if you are travelling at this time of year leave your jumpers and raincoats at home. All of the walking tours were conducted at Spanish pace and every bit of shade was utilised. The air conditioner on the bus was good and our driver, Sergio, had plenty of water available.
The good news about travelling at this time is that the locals are on holidays and, while there are lots of local and international tourists, the roads tend to have less traffic and we encountered virtually no traffic delays.
We saw so much on this trip that it’s hard to pick favourites without listing everything mentioned in the Trafalgar brochure. My favourite town was Lisbon but there is always something to see and do in most towns and, naturally, there is never enough time to see and do everything. We were reminded about Spain & Portugal’s rich and varied history from the Moors to the Spanish Inquisition and the days when both countries explored and dominated large parts of the world. We heard lots about Christopher Colombus and saw his final resting place and went to Cadiz where Columbus set off to see the world. We were reminded about Vasgo De Gama and other fearless explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries and saw various memorials to them. I was a little disappointed then, considering the importance of the sea in the history of these countries, that we didn’t go to any maritime museums. We did go to yet another church when in Lisbon which I later learned was immediately adjacent to the maritime museum. We had free time the following day but we were advised by someone that the museum was closed on Mondays.
We were happy with all of the hotels although there was crowding on two occasions when several different tour groups all descended on smallish dining rooms at the same time for breakfast. While some of the hotels were a little way out of the city centre they were usually close to public transport and the hotel staff generally gave good advice on its use. We find that it is always a good way to immerse oneself in a new place by using public transport.
Sergio, our driver, gave us a smooth and safe journey.Our guide Krista was always cheerful and available to help anyone with problems and certainly did all she could to ensure that everyone got the best holiday. We loved this trip and would recommend it to our friends. I have booked several holidays through Global Journeys and it is always the first website that I look at when planning a trip and have advised many friends to do the same. Georgie at Global is a pleasure to deal with and is always prompt with her correspondence and good advice.
After the cosy family feel of the coach trip I felt lost in a sea of strangers on the ship. The staff looking after the shore tours seemed to lose interest in travellers after they had signed up for their expensive shore excursions and had little customer focus. Sure they had large numbers of people to get off the ship to go to a variety of destinations and they were successful at doing this but they seem to overlook that every single passenger has different expectations and physical abilities and each needs special treatment. But maybe Krista had set such a high standard of customer care that any other treatment would seem very ordinary.
We were in Spain in late August early September and it was hot! It was 35 degrees every day but everyone quickly became acclimatised, drank plenty of water. There was one occasion, however, when one person collapsed from dehydration when we went to a bull farm for a BBQ. He was quickly attended to by a kiwi nurse and Mexican doctor from our group until the ambulance arrived and quickly re-joined the group. While it was hot during our tour we had only 5 minutes of light rain and even that was more than usual for the time of year. So if you are travelling at this time of year leave your jumpers and raincoats at home. All of the walking tours were conducted at Spanish pace and every bit of shade was utilised. The air conditioner on the bus was good and our driver, Sergio, had plenty of water available.
The good news about travelling at this time is that the locals are on holidays and, while there are lots of local and international tourists, the roads tend to have less traffic and we encountered virtually no traffic delays.
We saw so much on this trip that it’s hard to pick favourites without listing everything mentioned in the Trafalgar brochure. My favourite town was Lisbon but there is always something to see and do in most towns and, naturally, there is never enough time to see and do everything. We were reminded about Spain & Portugal’s rich and varied history from the Moors to the Spanish Inquisition and the days when both countries explored and dominated large parts of the world. We heard lots about Christopher Colombus and saw his final resting place and went to Cadiz where Columbus set off to see the world. We were reminded about Vasgo De Gama and other fearless explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries and saw various memorials to them. I was a little disappointed then, considering the importance of the sea in the history of these countries, that we didn’t go to any maritime museums. We did go to yet another church when in Lisbon which I later learned was immediately adjacent to the maritime museum. We had free time the following day but we were advised by someone that the museum was closed on Mondays.
We were happy with all of the hotels although there was crowding on two occasions when several different tour groups all descended on smallish dining rooms at the same time for breakfast. While some of the hotels were a little way out of the city centre they were usually close to public transport and the hotel staff generally gave good advice on its use. We find that it is always a good way to immerse oneself in a new place by using public transport.
Sergio, our driver, gave us a smooth and safe journey.Our guide Krista was always cheerful and available to help anyone with problems and certainly did all she could to ensure that everyone got the best holiday. We loved this trip and would recommend it to our friends. I have booked several holidays through Global Journeys and it is always the first website that I look at when planning a trip and have advised many friends to do the same. Georgie at Global is a pleasure to deal with and is always prompt with her correspondence and good advice.
A holiday not to be missed! 6
Best of Ireland and Scotland
Josh & Joanne Rodrigues, NSW, Australia, Aug 2016
I never allow the hype to get to me but the beauty of both the Irish and Scottish countryside is simply stunning. We intend to return and do it at our leisure perhaps in Spring to capture different colours - such is the allure of this magical place. Thanks to Trafalgar and the excellent team of tour director, Dan and drivers Nial and Tom, we were given read more a great insight to the places we visited.
Great tour with Trafalgar Tours of Uk and Ireland and booked through Global Journeys. Highlights for me included the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Stonehenge, kissing the Blarney Stone, Lock Ness, Ring of Kerry and Glencoe.
Global Journeys is a good company to buy a holiday from and Yvonne Brooks was very helpful. Our 21 days Grand European trip was very good, the only thing that was not good is some of the hotels that we stayed in were 3 star not as promised all 4 star hotel.
The trip was excellent, the program was run smoothly. Our tour director and driver as well as local guides were very friendly, very professional and full of knowledge of the places we visited.
Tour was very good value, Iceland was wonderful, bit expensive. My accommodation as a single was very average. Hotels provided excellent meals and service. The days were a bit long but there was a lot to see. All included trips were wonderful, but some of the extras not up to scratch. Overall a place not to be missed.
