RSD Travel
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Feel like I wasted a week of my life
I’m giving 2 stars because the company actually exists and the holiday “technically” actually happened BUT I would NOT recommend booking a tour with RSD travel. The majority of your time is spent in the bus and you hardly see anything authentic about the country you are visiting. I booked the BALKANS tour since I wanted a nice trip for my partner and I to go on without worrying about organising accommodation and activities but I highly regret going on this tour. I felt like all I did was get on a plane then on a bus, drive around for a few days and then fly home. We spent a very short amount of time actually doing anything tour related, the itinerary is VERY misleading and highly exaggerated. Don’t be fooled into thinking the holiday is “Cheap” because you can very easily spend less than what they’re charging you (especially in the Balkans) Also, be VERY careful when you are taken to any shops. We had a very scary experience where we were suckered into buying something only to realise we had been scammed and incredibly overcharged. We complained to our “local guide” who wasn’t a local and he begrudgingly told us that the company is paid by local businesses to take tourists to their shops. Do NOT buy anything from the tanzanite jewellery store or the leather company in Montenegro. Overpriced and misleading!!! Plus excessive pressure tactics! We asked to leave and were kept there against our will. Beware of “all inclusive” offer which is very disappointing and inconsistent in quality and isn’t “local cuisine” as advertised. You will easily find local restaurants nearby and get better quality. The accommodation is not up to standard and also very inconsistent. One day you will be in a half built 1 star accommodation with dirty towels and unmade beds, the next day you will be in a 3 star hotel but in a tourist area which is a cookie cutter replica of any other and nothing special. The tour groups are very large and ours was divided up into 4 buses. Not all people went to the same hotels, so maybe you will get lucky and go to all the good hotels. Unfortunately we got a few bad hotels, plus we made friends on the tour and were unable to swap tour buses and kept separated. Avoid!!!! Tourist trap!!!! My partner and my experience of the Balkans itinerary Day 1: you literally arrive, get on the bus and drive about an hour to get to a hotel. That is all you do. Day 2: no city tour of Skopje. Drive 2 hours to the monastery and then spend only 30-40min there. Then drive again for about an hour to get to the second monastery only to be told we have to decide to either see the monastery or get lunch because we’re only there for 1 hour. What stone bridge? We had something mentioned in passing but nothing more. We didn’t visit a mosque or a cathedral in Shkodra, we were just taken straight to the hotel. Day 3: The only day I actually enjoyed and the description is fairly accurate. Day 4: You are taken to a jewellery factory and a leather factory and spend the majority of the day there. My partner and I requested to not go shopping but instead go straight to Budva to enjoy more time in the old town. We were denied and taken to the shops against our will and the doors of the shops are closed behind you so you’re locked in until the tour group departs. Day 5: You again spend the majority of your day in the bus travelling. When you get to Tirana you are given less than 2hours to get lunch and see the city before leaving for Lake Orid (we did not choose the all inclusive option and never battled to find food near the hotels at night, actually our favourite times of the trip were when we were walking the streets like locals in the evenings and going to local restaurants) The only redeeming thing about this trip is the fact that the local scenery and heritage of these countries is absolutely beautiful. I would definitely encourage everyone to go visit these countries and take the opportunity to truly enjoy the experience, instead of being rushed from 1 location to the other with RSD travel.