Trafalgar Reviews
The 1,795 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 1,795 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.
Outstanding organization and planning from Global Journeys - they booked the Insight tour around Iceland and then also got me the best airfare deal of all. The booked flights were all on time and my luggage followed me everywhere!
Insight have the best tour guides and the Iceland trip was no different - an extremely informed guide whose expressive read more and receptive English skills were of a very high level. She was a very proud Icelandic woman whose knowledge of her country's history and landscape was complete and up to date. Iceland is beginning to cater for tourists much better and hotels were of a standard to very good quality as we toured around the whole of the island. I would recommend the mix of using Global Journeys and Insight as these two companies have a complete service which delivers on its promises!
Insight have the best tour guides and the Iceland trip was no different - an extremely informed guide whose expressive read more and receptive English skills were of a very high level. She was a very proud Icelandic woman whose knowledge of her country's history and landscape was complete and up to date. Iceland is beginning to cater for tourists much better and hotels were of a standard to very good quality as we toured around the whole of the island. I would recommend the mix of using Global Journeys and Insight as these two companies have a complete service which delivers on its promises!
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.
I absolutely loved this tour. It was just the right length of time and the accommodation was great. We had a fabulous tour director – Daniel Ferguson who was so knowledgeable and such a great guy – he even took us to a couple of extra places to visit which I really loved. I would definitely book an Insight Tour again and booking on line with Global read more journeys was easy and my contact was very helpful always getting back to me quickly. Morocco was amazing I just loved the experience and as I was travelling alone it was a great way to see the country safely and comfortably on the tour. I met some really lovely people, it was a good mixture of singles and couples, some of which I will definitely keep in touch with. Loved the food especially in Morocco (see photo of the tasting plate). Overall I would really recommend this tour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco. I am now looking at doing another couple of tours of Portugal as I would love to see more of that country and Northern Spain. Thanks again Lauren for all your assistance in organising this trip.
Our trip began perfectly; temperature in London was in the high20's on our arrival & the weather remained perfect for the whole tour - even though we had a wet coldish day in the Orkneys, it was still perfect. Our guide Mark was excellent, knowledgeable & such a "people person" going beyond to make sure all guests were happy. The destinations gave a read more areal taste of the UK & we now have plenty of options for return visits. Accomodation was excellent, clean & comfortable & although some were a little less opulent they were the top hotels in areas where there are just you & the sheep. Our two coach drivers, King Arthur & Grant were both excellent & helpful. We felt completely safe the whole journey.This was our first Insight tour & it definitely won't be our last - we had the time of our lives.
Back to where our ancestors came from 6
Best of Ireland & Scotland
Solo Traveller, QLD, Australia, Sep 2016
Insight did a great job. We had a lovely tour guide who wasn't bossy or intrusive and who was musical. The drivers were efficient in carefully negotiating the narrow roads. We only had 31 people on the coach so we had loads of room and plenty of leg room. The hotels were probably the best available. We had enormous breakfasts and just about all hotels read more served black pudding which is only found on special menus here. I loved the company of my fellow guests who came mostly from mid-Canada and Middle-America. They were very friendly nice people even if their political views seemed to favour someone the rest of the world finds not worthy to lead them. I liked Scotland more than I thought I would.
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.
Athens especially the Acropolis and the museums were wonderful. Meteora, seaside towns and the islands were very picturesque. The tour director was knowledgeable, organised and amusing. The journey by coach was smooth thanks to the driver. All the hotels suits over needs. The food was delicious and we had a great time participating in Greek dancing. Highly recommended.
A great experience from booking to the end of the tour!! Georgie from Global Journeys was very helpful when I had to change the tour date last minute - thanks again. Then the tour: A wonderful way to experience France: it’s varied landscapes, history, culture and food. Laurent Millet, our tour guide was outstanding , he has a great sense of humour, read more knowledge of history, politics and his explanations of ‘French attitude’ was always very entertaining. He spoilt us with special treats of macaroons, even a delicious wine after one outing. Almost all hotels were excellent and breakfast was always delicious. Tex our driver did a marvellous job navigating narrow and dangerous roads in a big bus, always staying calm. I can recommend Country Roads of France to anyone who would like to experience France without having the stress of driving oneself and finding good hotels.
We felt the whole experience was brilliant. As first time travelers to Europe we were somewhat apprehensive of what we had let ourselves in for, however within a few days we knew we had made the right decision. Global journeys provided excellent professional service and given the short notice for our trip (less than 2 months) they took a lot of stress read more out of our lives. The tour operators (Insight) were brilliant, the bus was very comfortable with legroom to burn. We always felt safe in the bus in some very precarious and sometimes narrow roads, the driver was excellent. The tour guide was a wealth of information, was totally organised and she had a great sense of humour. The hotels were mostly well located and reasonably roomy and well kept. Our holiday was right in the middle of the holiday season and the temperatures were on occasions a little on the high side, however because we were a tour group we were able to get priority into the various tourist attractions without having to wait in queues. We bonded well with our fellow passengers and have made lifelong friends as a consequence. We will do it again using Global Journeys and Insight tours.
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.
The only way to see this part of the world 18
Britain & Ireland Discovery
Peter Tutty, New Zealand, Aug 2016
What a trip! 22 days of amazing sights, castles, cathedrals, and some of the best scenery you can find outside of New Zealand. From the efficient work completed by Leanne from Global Journeys to the inspiring guidemanship from David at Insight Vacations, this holiday was without fault. Some of the personal highlights were visiting a 5000 year old village read more in the Orkney Islands, to a presentation by a modern day Curling player, to a visit to Stonehenge - it really was a journey both through countries and histories across 5000 miles and 5000 years. If I was asked to find fault, I was a little underwhelmed by the accommodation at times, but then so much of it is hundreds of years older than what I am used to in New Zealand. The accommodation was all clean, with good rooms, delicious breakfasts and dinners, and the service was always of a high quality. As far as excursions, we were visiting something new every morning and every afternoon, and the occasional evening too! I handled the pace fine, and I have Multiple Sclerosis and walk with a cane. We travelled a long way by bus but never for more than a two hour stint, then we would stop for 15 minutes to 3 hours and take a break. Do this. Stop thinking about it and do this. You will not be disappointed.
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.
The drivers and tour director were excellent. The tour took in highlights of Ireland - the south from Galway through Dingley Peninsula and Blarney Castle were fantastic areas. Jordy, the tour director went above and beyond to ensure our desire to explore areas by foot. The drivers also went above and beyond - in particular to ensure we attended a read more banquet despite a massive highway disaster caused by a truck! It was a really fun experience though - thanks to both Jordy and Tony the driver. Downside was accommodation was outside city centres and meals at some of establishments was mediocre, however this is a CostSaver tour. The tour dates fitted with our annual leave dates. In the future we would not select a Costsaver tour and would prefer to pay more for better standard of city accommodation and more active tour for sightseeing. Lauren from Global Journeys did an excellent job in promptly arranging our requested tour and providing updates and documentation efficiently. We will return to Lauren with Gobal Journeys for our annual trip in 2017 - Scandinavia. In future I would request Lauren from Global Journeys also book flights to correspond with our choice of tour - this worked beautifully the previous year, 2015 with our first tour of England, Scotland Wales with Global Journeys. (GJ: Thanks Leanne!)
Overall we thought the tour was excellent, although we would have liked a bit more time in Sweden. Our Insight Coach Driver, Arpad, and Tour Director, Chad were excellent. We had a good mix of age groups and a variety of nationalities USA ( 5 different States), Canada, New Zealand, England, one from South Africa. and Australians from all States except read more Tasmania. The scenery was varied and enjoyable and Norway was stunning with the fjords. Although we rated the tour pace as excellent there are some big days and a number of one night stays due to the distances involved. North Cape as the most northern part of Europe was a highlight and we enjoyed excellent weather (only 2 days of rain and they were travel days). We also rated the accommodation as excellent however, this did vary given the location and size of some places however seemed to be generally the best available. We were well looked after.
Having followed the Insight Tour with a Cruise (and whilst this was also very good) the Insight Tour had some significant advantages in being able to visit places and highlights without the crowds.
Having followed the Insight Tour with a Cruise (and whilst this was also very good) the Insight Tour had some significant advantages in being able to visit places and highlights without the crowds.
