Trafalgar Travel has room for improvement based on customer feedback. Customers particularly appreciate service and professional, though some mention concerns about customer service and expensive.
This tour was exceptionally well planned. Our tour director was knowledgeable and organized. The coach was new and comfortable. We hit all the highlights from the brochure and so many wonderful additional surprises. It was a good experience all around.
I booked a trip and got my invoice with 3 days to pay the full amount. I got an email from compny that they can not honor the invoice. Request to speak to customer service i got no response. Very very poor customer service. I got an automated email from customer service stating that some one from their team will reach out to me to dicuss my concern. No one reached out. How can you possibly issues an invoice with full travel information and yet less than 24 hours not honor it. What if I had purchased my air line ticket in the mean time. I have never experienced anything like it. The thing is that i booked directly through Trafalgar not a third party. I was ready to make full payment on the day of booking. Surely this is not the way to start your vacation. 6 days has passed and still not a word from Trafalgar. Words are cheap what is important and counts is action and deeds!
First, our trip to Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums was cancelled which was only one of a couple tours included because of modified museum hours. I had to pay $350 to get tickets to go myself. You ride on a coach alot and when they say you see things, it is from the bus window. Small seats, provided no water and discouraged from using toilet. We were supposed to clap for driver because he did his job and not leave anything for him to clean. We were TOLD where to sit each day, they wanted luggage out an hour before departure time which means you had to get up two hours before breakfast. one hotel was 4 stars, rest were 3. Plan on spending ALOT of money to see things; everything costs more money spent $500 on tours. Food was OK at best. went on leather tour and glass blowing tour. These were sales pitches from store. We did see glass blowing 5 minutes then sales pitch for 15, same with leather store and gold store was not demonstration at all, it was them showing you pieces you can buy. Travel director sent out messages on whats app each day and was reachable. I got an attitude at first because I questioned vatican being closed but could get tickets. She told us we would go back to hotel so we could change, then said no, she changed her mind and so e were gone 12 hours from room and not prepared for day no apologies, just more like...that is that
My family and friend stay at a London hotel, the River park plazq here for a big family celebration, when I came to wait for them in the reception with my wife who not feelinng well. There were no seats, but a girl asleep on a chair. Who look like she just had food. She was with a sign saying Trafalger, is this hotel staff or the hotel agent? I went and told a staff. even if not hotel staff, we were very shock to see this.
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This is not a relaxing holiday. It is full on every day. Out at 0800 each morning occasionally 0730 and once at 0700 for Petra. Generally back at hotel at around 1800 – 1830. Dinner is usually at 1900 so dash to room drop off luggage / day packs and dash back to bar / restaurant. There is no free time on this tour at all. Our guides give an almost nonstop commentary which can be an information overload at times. The guides spent an inordinately long time at some of the sites and could have been briefer. However, their knowledge was comprehensive and very informative. All transport was in motor coaches. Our first coach in Jordan was terrible. The coach was too small for 22 people as not all luggage could be fitted into the luggage compartment. Some of it had to be brought into the coach and placed on empty passenger seats. The coach was definately vintage and had a rear suspension issue. So much so that we were bounced about and suffered headaches from the severe vibration. I complained to the tour guide and she arrange a larger more comfortable coach for the rest of the tour. Trafalgar preached the unnecessary use of single use plastic bottles and that they would not be available on the coach. Untrue, 500ml water bottles were freely available on the coach, although we were charged $1 per bottle on the coach in Israel. Free in Jordan. In all hotels breakfast and dinner were buffet style, breakfast being the better experience. There was usually a reasonable number of choices for dinner but be aware, the majority were luke warm at best and as the plates were stone cold, so was the dinner by the time we got back to our seats. All lunches were at road stops and chargeable, on average about £10 – 15 per person. These were disappointing as the same fare was on offer at most of the stops. Chicken Schinzel in pitta bread, falafel, shawarma (turkey / chicken) in pitta bread. We were herded into, sometimes crowded restaurant style establishments, most associated with a “shopping opportunity”. At one such stop we were directed to the “pay before you eat counter” and I picked up a second set of cutlery as we planned to share ours. The person behind the counter shouted at me “no sharing, no sharing” and became quite rude. If this range of fare is not for you, a better option is to take a large ziplock bag to breakfast with you and make up your own packed lunch. The hotels in Israel were of UK 3/4 star standard and the beds were quite comfortable and usually king / queen sized. Bathrooms left a lot to be desired. Jordanian hotels were UK 4 star and a night in a Bedouin tent in the desert, complete with en-suite and air-con, was a surprise, quiet and comfortable. All the showers worked fine and hot water was always available. The “cruise” on the Sea of Galilee was a blatant self-promotion and selling opportunity to a captive audience. We sailed out for about 10 mins and stopped and then the captain “serenaded” us with religious songs and provided details on how to purchase his merchandise and donate. However, our tour guide arranged a birthday celebration onboard for one of the group, which was great. Almost an hour later we sailed back to the jetty seeing virtually nothing of the Sea of Galilee and be expected to tip the crew! We wanted to float in the Dead Sea but Trafalgar could not provide much formation about access, changing and showering facilities. We went to Kalia Beach where the floating area is quite small and cordoned off from the rest of the sea. Access is down a slippery muddy bank and there was a small salt crystal reef as you enter the water. Beach shoes are a must. There are outside showers to rinse off the worst of the salt and mud, changing rooms with lockers, hot showers, the Lowest Bar in the Word to rehydrate and shops / eateries. We took disposable, swimwear, towels and beach shoes. Scenic Desert Drive, Wadi Rum. Avoid this if you do not like to sit in the back of a “modified” Toyota Hilux. Seats had been added, longitudenly to the rear flat bed of the vehicle which were crudely welded frames with thin padded cushions. Climbing on board was difficult as there were no steps to get up and over the closed / welded tail gate. It was a struggle to hold on as the driver increased speed over very rough ground. There were dozens of these vehicle dashing all over the desert. We were at the rear of a convoy of a dozen or so and had the pleasure of inhaling dust and partially combusted diesel fumes. Suggest wearing a mask to breathe and gloves to hold on with. Before embarking on the drive I mentioned the condition of these vehicles to our guide who responded by saying that they had not lost anyone yet! Unfortunately we could not opt out as the drive terminated remote from where we started in order to rejoin our coach for the drive to the overnight stop.
Date of experience: November 30, 2022
US
I consider myself seasoned traveler, with visits to 75 countries so far. I travelled with all major travel companies either by car, bus, or boat/ship on river/ocean cruises. I travelled with Trafalgar many times in the past. I do a lot of research before deciding which travel company I shell spend my money with. Itinerary is THE most important point in my decision making. Many travel companies promise heaven and deliver hell! Here is my experience with Trafalgar promises and advertisements: Let’s start with pre-departure info and requirements. Israel entry form, Jordan declaration form, Canada ArriveCAN and Mandatory health insurance WERE NOT REQUIRED NOR NEEDED! After we met Trafalgar car/shuttle driver in Tel Aviv, he took off, started walking faaast... and we schlepped our luggage behind him…. even in Africa or India, drivers ALWAYS HELPED WITH LUGGAGE! Not this one!! Welcome to Tel Aviv and meet your Travel Director welcome reception was delayed more than two hours, because travel guide was late. We were given “smokers room” which reeked/smelled like a pig stay/bar. Change was not possible; hotel was fully booked. I requested at least the air freshener, deodorizer, they promised, never delivered! Originally, we requested 2 beds, however, one queen bed was provided! To add an insult to injury, when I complained in the morning about that horrible night, hotel manager offered a “free glass of orange juice for my trouble??! Bus for Journey to Sea of Galilee didn’t have WIFI because it was not set up! Later we spent an hour in front of Jaffa Whale, trying to get whispers working, exchanging batteries, headphones, microphone. Guide didn’t bother to test/prepare equipment beforehand! Driver sold drinking water for 1$ and after I question it, guide explained that water is free and 1$ was the tip for driver!? Sail on the Sea of Galilee was the most embarrassing, pathetic experience. Boat sailed for about ten minutes into the sea and then captain started to sing, kept singing for more than hour, ship was not moving, sun was blasting. After more than an hour of his horrible singing, one traveler plucked up the courage and asked him to start sailing the bloody boat, instead of singing. He obliged and took us immediately back to shore! Next day the bus WIFI didn’t work again, and promises were made to have it fixed tomorrow... yada, yada...we We didn’t get to see Dome of the Rock up close because gates to Dome of the Rock were to close at 2pm and we wasted our time strolling thru market. Guide spent more time talking with bus driver than narrating history, sightseeing etc. Allenby Bridge to Jordan Crossing was a total disaster. We started early morning and after arriving at the border, guide couldn’t locate her Jordanian counterpart, our bus kept cruising back and forth in front of border crossing, we were told that we shall have to shlepp all our luggage by hand!… finally, we arrived at the passport/visa/fee payment building... nobody knew what to do... how to verify the passports. There were many lines for passport verification, visa payment, crossing fee... thanks god there were very few other travelers... so, after couple of hours of mayhem, we were cleared, and learnt that our luggage was actually transferred to Jordanian bus, but bus was too small for 23 people and unable to stove all luggage into the compartment hold of the bus, so some luggage was loaded into the bus itself! Intriguing problem was the repeated situation with drinking water not being included with quite amazing, sumptuous dinners. Guide explained that it was the confusion of hotel personnel with her requests?! I inquired three days before end of our trip about airport transfer and was told it was too early... then day before departure I was told that I was not on transfer list! Later I was told that I should join travelers leaving at 5am for their 9 am flights, but my flight was at 12:05pm!! After frantic e-mails to Trafalgar, I was assured that all should be ok. And it was. But I found it very unprofessional and petty to throw me under bus! Then the guide inquired about TIP!? OMG! Well, this trip was an adventure and exercise in stupidity, amateurism, and lack of professionalism! AC worked on and off, after repeated requests, driver obviously hated AC. His window was opened all the time. He was speeding and passing other traffic over speed bumps, run red lights, sneezed, coughed without covering his mouth and was quite annoyed when travelers begged to stop for washroom stop!
Date of experience: November 9, 2022
US
We were with a group of primarily older couples guided by a much younger marathon runner tour guide for our Exploring London Tour. 1. Daily activities schedules were not provided to members of the group but were posted only in the hotel lobby. Guide provided updates once by email at 11:27 p.m. while most were sleeping. 2. No rating of difficulty for daily excursions whether included or paid additional excursions was provided. Our guide was much too fast making the excursioins either moderate or difficult at best. 3. Much too long on busses with inadequate convenience stops for older people. Parking was an issue at many venues where significant distances had to be covered just to get to the area that was of interest. Routes were changed with little or no notice and one venue on a paid excursion was closed. 4. No effort to provide transportation to closed venue the next day nor was any refund offered, however, on other days the bus was re-routed to accommodate drop-offs of others near venues not included in our tour. 5. One older gentleman was left behind because our guide did NOT count those on the bus prior to telling the driver to go ahead and depart. Gentleman had to take a cab back to our hotel. 6. Hotel accommodations were much less than expected. Tower Hotel, located near the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, is very dated with bath tubs that were literally unsafe for seniors. No air conditioning or heating control available in individual rooms. Rooms were much too warm to sleep well at night. Hotel offered a fan which we accepted but no fan ever showed up at our room. Expected a much better and well prepared overall tour package from a tour company as old and experienced as Trafalgar.
Date of experience: October 22, 2022
I used Trafalgar for the Contrasts of Italy and it was an amazing experience. I travel host was wonderful and had no issues with Trafalgar. This was my first time using them and I can say it was the absolute best time of my life! I am planning another trip with them for next year.
Date of experience: October 10, 2022
US
I along-with my wife took a trafalgar’s tours - capitals of scandinavia.. i would like to share that though trafalgar charges a good amount of money for the tour, the rooms provided by trafalgar were like dormitories / hostel rooms. Very small with sagging mattresses. Not even air cooled.. very uncomfortable. And no redressal even after repeated observations by travelling passengers. I raised up the issue. My review has not been put up on their website despite my repeated requests.. Thats why writing here now.. Reply recd after one month and that too is very diplomatic and unreasonable. I was told very good abt them by makemytrip.com when i was booking my trip but unfortunately, had a bad taste.. guys be aware..
Date of experience: September 30, 2022
A despicable and terrible experience. I booked their Best of Israel tour and paid $4,000 up front. Four days before departure my mother was rushed to the hospital and had emergency surgery. She is now in critical condition with a second surgery scheduled for the day the tour was to start, and I cannot leave home at this time. I contacted Trafalgar to tell them I needed to reschedule the trip due to these circumstances, and I would happily take the trip later. Trafalgar told me they "cannot reschedule the trip" but only cancel it; refund me 10%; and KEEP 90% OF THE MONEY AS A CANCELLATION FEE! They want to keep $3,600 for DOING NOTHING!!! These people are complete pigs. I travel two or three times a year and this was my first -- and last -- experience with this company. There is zero justification for a policy like this. Trafalgar brags about how it's been around for a hundred years and gives tours all over the world, and maybe their tours are good. I'll never know. The Best of Israel trip looked good, but this kind of despicable business practice amounts to thievery and I personally will not tolerate it. Yes, I can and will put in an insurance claim for the money but I'm going to sue them anyway. Please do not patronize a company that treats people like this. If we don't insist on an end to these kinds of predatory business practices, they will only get worse. I mean think of it: would you do this to a customer in my situation? Only a depraved company would act this way.
Date of experience: September 13, 2022
It is very very doubtful that I will ever travel with Trafalgar again. I took my first trip with Trafalgar last month (Aug 2022). Many of the overnight stops could be provided in hotels that are closer to the centre of the cities/towns. I did not see some cities that were on the agenda. The chosen outer suburb hotels were not near any shops or noted historical sights. Nor were there any nice views from the hotel windows. And the 'added extras' were too expensive. I have done tours with other agencies and had plenty of time to walk around and view the central areas of the visited cities.
Date of experience: September 8, 2022
Our first Trafalgar travel never happened. Plane trip was cancelled( not their fault) and the airline had no way to get us to our tours for days. Trip was cancelled and we are still waiting almost 3 months to see if we are getting a refund. Airline refunded money to Trafalgar 2 months ago and we are still waiting. Any travel system who says phone hold for 3 hours possible is scary. no word from company and still waiting
Date of experience: September 2, 2022
We booked a tour with Trafalgar back in 2019 for travel in 2020 and paid $7911.00 in full. The tour was cancelled of course because of COVID. We were offered no refund only a credit. We rebooked the same tour in 2021 for 2022. In June, two weeks before our trip, Trafalgar cancelled the tour. Offered a full refund this time. Great! Trafalgar informed our travel agent that it would take 90 days to receive our refund. It has been 111 days plus the 2 years since they received our payment in full. We have been more than patient and have received no communication from them directly, in spite of our reaching out. Might be time for the BBB?
Date of experience: August 23, 2022
So far my experience has been awful. I paid upfront the full fare of our tour and I’ve canceled way before time to no avail so far. No reply to my emails and I have emailed a handwritten letter as well. For the first four months every time I had a query they couldn’t find me in their system and yet I was holding the paperwork as I communicated! It’s been hideous. Now we want to cancel as the trip so far is not going and I don’t trust it to, and they are not replying to me! When they did reply before I emailed to cancel, their assistance wasn’t thorough at all. I will go to the ACCC as I’ve read below that they don’t refund and can’t afford the delay of $7k returned. We need to make other arrangements and other bookings. They want us to give 100 days notice but they’ll only give you 45 if the trip doesn’t happen. That’s not fair or helpful.
Date of experience: August 20, 2022
