How was your goaheadtour trip to Iceland? I am thinking of booking this tour, but would love some feedback first. Thanks!

Thank you for review. I am planning to take their Australia and New Zealand tour in mid Nov. Anything I should be aware of before I sign up?

Thanks

Malti

I went on a safari with Go Ahead to Nairobi and Tanzania and it was first class. Organization was great, accommodation good even the "clamping" (glorious camping) was fun. Everything ran to schedule and the guides were excellent and all kept in touch as to where the best places to look for wildlife. I appreciate this is not the place you are visiting, sure yours will be a great but with this company you will be well looked after. Enjoy.

posters like Scriffulady are always interesting. They join to post a complaint. I've done multiple trips to Europe with GoAhead and have always found their guides to be some of the best. When I researched them its honestly hard to find many negative reviews. There is always the one-off type experience but some of your statements just don't ring true. In regards to Cuba especially a little research would tell you that USA tour operators work under a People to People license with the Cuba Govt. US tours are guided by Cuban tour guides but an American tour guide accompanies the group, not to do commentary, but to ensure that the components of the trip are provided, and to put out any issues should they occur. Sorry your first trip was disappointing.

During the past 18 years, I have traveled with Go Ahead Tours on five different tours: Northern Italy & Cinque Terre (1998), Walking Tour, Amalfi Coast (2006), Sicily (2010), Croatia & Slovenia (2012), and Puglia (2016). All were professionally handled, with tour guides I considered very good to outstanding. Most went out of their way to accommodate the people traveling with them. No complaints come to mind at all. The office staff were quite helpful with any questions I might have had, and I always have many! And in 2015, when a health-related issue came up a few months prior to a planned trip to Puglia, a woman in that office helped me through a very stressful time, assuring me that I would be able to take the trip at another time, for a small charge. I took that wonderful trip in 2016, happily and in good health. I also like the fact that, when planning extended travel on my own after a tour (which I usually do), someone from Go Ahead works with me to get a flight home from wherever.

Just say NO to Go Ahead Tours, and here's why.

I spent well over $4,000 on a trip to Scandinavia, and the tour guide was from SPAIN. She knew nothing about the four countries that we visited (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland), and she even told our group that SHE DIDN'T WANT TO LEAD THE TOUR, but she just couldn't say "no" to Go Ahead Tours.

If you talk to Go Ahead Tours, they'll assure you that you'll have local guides from the countries you're visiting. Don't believe them.

For each of the four countries, we had a local guide for JUST ONE OR TWO HOURS TOTAL--NOT SATISFACTORY, ESPECIALLY AT THOSE PRICES. Other tour companies that offer similarly priced tours promise local guides from the moment you land at the airport to the moment that you leave to go home.

I even decided I'd give Go Ahead Tours another chance, this time regarding a trip to Cuba. When pressed, the representative admitted that "sometimes we have to use a guide from the United States"--and they can't (or won't) tell you in advance. Why would I want to go to Cuba (or any other foreign destination) and have an American show me around???

Another problem with the trip was hotel selection. In Denmark, Go Ahead Tours put us in a hotel IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, AND I MEAN NOWHERE--not even a coffee shop in sight. The tour guide (the one from Spain) suggested that we take a city bus from the hotel so that we could see the sights on our own. Maybe that was acceptable to those who were travelling with others, but I was travelling solo, and frankly, I did not want to take a city bus by myself in an unfamiliar city.

Also, not included in the tour was Tivoli Gardens, one of the must-see spots in Denmark. Some of us ended up going on our own.

In short--just say NO to Go Ahead Tours. You'll be glad you did.

David, you've jumped to a false conclusion--it wasn't my first trip with Go Ahead Tours, it was my third. And the whole point of TripAdvisor is for real travelers to post HONEST reviews. That's exactly what I did. This site isn't the marketing department of the various tour companies. If you want to hear the company line, just believe anything the tour operators tell you. ScruffyCityIndeed

I've traveled with GoAhead to Italy, Budapest & Prague, Croatia & Slovenia and Germany. Every trip has been great. The hotels are clean and comfortable. They're not the most expensive, but not the lowest either. Their guides are the best - well informed. Willing to go out of their way to help their travelers get the most out of their time abroad. I can highly recommend GoAhead from more than 5 trips I've taken with them.

I am sorry, but Tivoli Gardens is a very low class attraction.

I had 3 tours with Go Ahead and really enjoy them, except for travel arrangements.

All 3 times - travel itineraries were quite poor.

But tours itineraries were more interesting than other travel companies.

In Brazil we're went to Ouro Preto and small colonial towns, that no other tour does.

In Northern France we spent more days that others tour companies. Tour guide in France was American woman living in France, one of the best guides I ever travel with.

In Brazil one guide was German and I did not like him, but other people enjoyed his company.

All hotels were OK,not luxury, but OK.

You have to check hotels locations before you book.

Go Ahead is a good travel company, comparable to Globus, GATE 1, Trafalgar, I did travel with them also.

All tours companies have some flaws, just be realistic and enjoy!

One more thought. I've found it best to book your own flights. This way you can ensure you get a direct flight or at least the shortest layovers. The tour company will try to get the lowest price fare which isn't always the shortest or most convenient. All the tour companies do this. if you book your own flight GoAhead will tell you you'll need to get your own transportation to the hotel but more times than not you're landing around the same time their booked flights. So you can ask Go Ahead to contact the guide a day before your travel and ask if you can be picked up with the others. Doesn't always work out, but often does. And if not, its just one taxi ride.