G Adventures

Don’t do YOLO. Just don’t go with G adventures. Over priced. You’ll plan it better and meet people on the way. That is the best adventure and you’ll save money. Believe me.

Reading through the other reviews, I’m surprised to see so many poor comments related to people’s experiences on the trip, and with customer service. I took a trip to Morocco a couple years ago through the company and it was amazing. Accommodations obviously vary depending on the countries you visit; but they were very reasonable at all stops along the way (including our night sleeping in tents in the Sahara!). If you’re looking to travel in five star hotels, this isn’t what you’re looking for. But, I was in it for the adventure! And all the rooms were clean and spacious. I especially liked that I could purchase my own room while traveling with the group. I’m a strong introvert, so a little quiet at the end of the day was important to me. Our CEO (Chief Experience Officer — cheesy but who cares) was spectacular. He always kept us well informed, made great recommendations, and made us feel safe the entire time. Many in the group were single females like myself; so I think we all appreciated the company and the tour for this reason. It was easy to get around as transportation was provided the entire way. I especially loved all the unique little homes we visited and people we met, thanks to our CEO, that I definitely never would have experienced while planning the trip on my own.
Being so happy with the first experience, I’ve now booked my second with my boyfriend to travel to South East Asia for two weeks. For me, the customer service has been spectacular. I called to book the trip over the phone, and was done in less than five minutes (it’s almost TOO easy to book the travel, says my poor credit card). They follow up with information regarding their required travel insurance, but aren’t pushy about it. I’ve called a few times with questions (regarding getting visas) as well as adding additional nights in Bangkok, and each time the person on the phone was friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and efficient. I booked our flights separate from the company only because I wanted to explore different airlines and wanted more flexibility on the flights I chose. So, I can’t speak to booking flights though the company. But, every other corner of my experience with G Adventures has been great and I actively recommend them to friends and family.

One star is too many… worst customer service ever!
I’ve travelled with Gadventures several times and all but this last time were very good experiences. However, my last experience was so horrible that I’m compelled to leave a negative review of their customer service, how they manage their trips, and overall bang for your buck. I will never again use this company and will again recommend them to others.
First the customer service — their office staff is more focused on sales than customer service. They will provide you with great service until you book, but once you do — you’re on your own. They have your money and they could care less if you have issues. My husband and I recently booked a trip to Italy. We were unaware that his valid passport was just a few days shy of the validity requirements for travel to Italy. We had wrongfully assumed that by booking a tour through a travel company like this that they would have notified us of the issue with his passport — since from the beginning they had his passport number and expiration date. THEY did not. As a result we were not able to board the plane and were delayed at home until we could get an expedited renewal for his passport. We feel that they could have prevented this issue by simply letting us know at time of booking, but they did not. On top of having to miss the first few days of a trip we had paid for we were surprised by how horrible their customer service was in providing us information we needed in order to catch up to the group. We had to call and call and email so many times just to get the name of the hotel, and contact info to the tour leader (which they never provided). And when we arrived home and wanted to discuss our dissatisfaction, we were welcomed with nothing but a delayed, cold, impersonal email from a rep that summed up the poor customer service this company has to offer.
Second issue we had was with how the tour was managed. During this trip there was a group member that was extremely abusive to the tour leader and the group members-​including us. Instead of eliminating the source of the issue G adventures catered to this man because of threats he made to sue them. They had no concern for the discomfort the rest of the group members felt being around this sort of behavior… they only cared about their bottom line. The man was abusive, volatile, and demeaning an we were forced to travel with him and be in his presence. WHile we understand that the company can’t control group dynamic and the group members, they can certainly control how long abusive and disruptive behavior is tolerated. They only finally kicked this man off the trip more than halfway in after the guy physically assaulted a hotel owner. Gadventures did not show any care or concern for the wellbeing of the rest of the group members.
Finally the value… our trip was nearly $ 2700 each, which did not include airfare. This amount was for two weeks in Italy and only included train/​bus transport in between cities and double occupancy hotel stays. We felt this was entirely too expensive for the level of accommodations provided by the company.
Three great experiences in the past with this company will not make up for the one terrible experience we just had. The level of care and customer service we received were utterly horrible and we will never travel with Gadventures again.

Please note I have not gone on my Timeless Vietnam tour with G Adventures yet. I booked it several months ago and will be going this December.
Be careful and proactively check your flight status online, because it might change and they won’t bother to tell you about it. Our friend booked the same tour for the same date as us and noticed three days ago that the departure flight date had changed to one day earlier. I called their customer service today to verify, and they confirmed that yes, it had changed.
I didn’t receive an email, phone call, or any notification of this change. What if I couldn’t accommodate the flight change with my schedule and found out too late on my own, had I not checked? The customer service agent said that their flight agents don’t work on the weekend and I would have received an email notification on Monday, but I don’t buy that, since my friend checked three days ago on a THURSDAY. And if that truly is how they function, they should change and have these «flight agents» available over the weekend as well, because people in society don’t just travel on weekdays.
Wish they notified us of this important trip change.

These guys are crooks. I booked a trip to Costa Rica and it said nowhere in the incredibly long packet about it being the rainy season nor did anyone tell me in 3 different occasions when I spoke to them live. I realized a few days later on my own and they refused to let me book a different trip or refund my money. These guys should be shut down for fraud– why are they even running trips with outside activities during the known rainy season except as a scam to make more money? I spoke to managers twice and they both refused to connect me to someone more senior to help me. Horrible customer service.

I took the tour of Paris to Rome 14 days in July 2015. The tour guide was wonderful no complaints about her. If you are the type of person that believes the accommodations are part of the vacation experience travel with these guys is not for you. First, public transportation was used to go from town to town. So it meant lugging you bags up and down steps in the railroad stations, the first one or two times, not bad but after that it sucked. then you walked from train station to your hotel. Then when you get to your hotel, you may or may not have air conditioning or elevator (90+ degrees). Flat pillows, lopsided beds. The accommodations could be described as dorm room, motel six, just above a hostel. It ruined a part of the trip that was important to me. Call me whatever, spoiled, pamper etc., I paid a lot of money and did not see it being spent on my accommodations. The locations that I went to were interesting, but you have two weeks you want to be comfortable, and if just enjoy your accommodations.

We were very disappointed with our Svalbard trip with G-​Adventures.
As per their marketing materials, the focus of the trip was supposed to be on nature and wildlife, whereas arctic history was supposed to be covered in lectures on board the ship. Instead, the expedition staff spent significant amount of time visiting historic sites. As a result, we lost valuable time and didn’t end up seeing polar bears which are the main attraction of this trip and Svalbard.
A few of us raised this issue with the expedition leader and asked her to head north to the drift ice to look for polar bears instead of visiting historic sites, but she didn’t agree with us.
We asked them for a partial refund for the days wasted on visiting historic sites, but their response was that wildlife viewing is not guaranteed which didn’t even address our main complaint of misleading advertising.
Never trust a company that doesn’t deliver on what they advertise.

I traveled solo on the 11 day YOLO Serengeti Safari to Zanzibar as my first trip with G Adventures and I couldn’t have been happier. The whole trip was well organized and communicated well from the beginning, including comprehensive pre-​departure trip details and very helpful packing list. The tour leaders really made it what it was for us. They knew the Serengeti area extremely well and exactly where to look for each animal, so that we were successful in seeing the Big 5 animals and more! They were also a blast to be around and made the participation camping experience a smooth one.
I can see how everyone’s experience will differ based on the ultimate mix of people in the group but that’s the risk you take with any tour group (ours turned out to be a great group of people). Based on the things that were within G Adventures’ control they really excelled and made the trip a great one.
I would definitely book another G Adventures trip again and will likely do so within the next year to a new destination!

If I could give 0 stars I would. Went on «the best of Greece tour» last year. «adventure tour»?! You must be joking. So many things went wrong on this trip and were customer service based i.e. not having booked enough tickets for transportation/​lodging. One resolution was that 3 of us had to walk our bags to another hotel (that was more of an unsafe shack) about a mile away from the original hotel, where all the other people in our group stayed and we were expected to meet back there the next morning for an early departure. I’d be ok with all the crappy things that happened because sometimes that’s just what you get NBD, but… WORST OF ALL they allowed a woman to go on the trip that was 6 months pregnant and out of shape, she brought a heated electric blanket, she was constantly holding the whole group back, had a crush on the tour guide soaking up most of his attention because he was constantly helping her, carrying her bags (to help the process along) and made so many many excuses/​accommodations for her. Although whenever she went to bed or stayed back on our long treks, we had a great time! Our tour guide was great whenever crazy was gone.
Clearly stated in the description of the tour «must be able to carry own bags» I did, however, receive a BS generic ” I am very sorry that your experience with G Adventures was one with such disappointment.” e-​mail after I completed a reviewed of the tour to the company. Thanks that makes up for the thousands of dollars I spent.

Group travel depends completely on the make-​up of the group and your CEO (tour leader). I’ve traveled with G Adventures on 7 tours since 2008, just returning from my favorite tour in Jordan. Primarily because I am American and do not have an unlimited supply of vacation days and it is the most convenient way to get around. Secondary, because some of the countries I choose to travel to, I would rather go with a group as a solo female.
I have to say if I based my opinion on my first G tour, I may not have gone back. The group was «just ok» but I was there to enjoy a country and that is what I did. The tours I did subsequently were fantastic and I have kept in touch with people from all over the world from that point on. It’s the luck of the draw, but I have been pretty darn lucky!

Doesn’t pay it’s employees enough to live on and it shows! CS, marketing, booking, and the adventure travels all suck. Beware!

Sigh, I read a lot of reviews about this company and hesitated. I was particularly interested in the YOLO trips and emailed a few times asking about a few departures. I received the WORST customer service ever.
I was willing to give this company a shot but after my initial experience it really tells a lot about the company. If they can’t even treat you decently before you book then how are the trips managed? I don’t want to take the risk and it appears the reviews Ive read are spot on. Im not spending over $ 1,000 per person to experience a company that doesn’t seem to want bookings in the first place.
So, I moved on to Intrepid and Explore Worldwide! Both have been amazing and responsive to all my questions.
I ended up booking an Eastern Europe tour with Intrepid and feel very comfortable and confident that they will provide an excellent tour.
G Adventures missed out on a huge booking!

So… two days before I was leaving for Antarctica with G Adventures… they cancelled the trip. During the Thanksgiving holiday. They didn’t order the right parts of the engine in time. Yup, that’s right. Engine Failure.
Can you imagine me being stranded out in the middle of nowhere… not I. I still want to go. It’s on my bucket list. The bad part is… the best they could do is reschedule me for a trip a year later. Crazy part? They actually have ROOM on the March trip in two months… but they won’t let me have it unless I pay $$$$. The lowest cabins that I bought are already sold out. Disappointed. Don’t use them. Go with another company.

Took three trips with them but never again. Last trip to canyon de chelly was robbed (of cash) by the guides that they subcontracted out to. Reached out to both gap and the contract guides for help in resolution and both refused to help resolve. No reputable travel business should be exposing their travelers to thieves and then washing their hands of responsibility for the results. Shame.

I went to Morocco trip this past September. The only good experience was the awesome tour guide (CEO) we had.
If I was to write this review before the trip, I probably would have given them a 5 Star for the email response to sell me and collecting money.
If you purchase the Insurance, Air ticket etc. from G Adventure, make sure you have enough money with you to deal with any issue arise during your trip on your own, G Adventure sub contract all there services and it will be your responsibility to deal with the company they have contracted with, even if your stuck in a third world country.
During the trip our group experience medical issue and airline cancellations.

Just returned from a 14 day Turkey Explorer trip with G. I’m very happy with the experience and would take another trip with them again in the future. Our guide was fabulous, full of enthusiasm, knowledge and love of her country and for showing it to foreigners (in perfect English, but a somewhat heavily accent).
I took the comfort tour which was definitely worth the extra $$ for a private A/​C bus, flights between 2 cities vs driving, small group (12 max) and better accommodations, most of which were good or outstanding (a few were just ok). The itinerary was designed to maximize the sightseeing experience and minimize wait times in order to see as much as possible in a short timeframe. Our guide got us into popular and crowded places during less traffic times (between giant tour busses of people) and allowed us some free time for exploring, shopping, photo taking. Also some of the downtime activities (boat rides, beaches) were a welcome contrast to seeing ruins and historical sites.
All in all, I’d recommend G Adventures. The reservation system wasn’t perfect. I thought I booked a private room, but there was no record of it when I arrived (my guide resolved the problem so that I paid for a single only when I was scheduled to share so I actually saved money), and the airport shuttle driver took me to the wrong hotel, but these weren’t huge problems.
Note: be sure you budget additional $ for 2 meals a day on your own, plus tips (hotel, driver, guide) as well as additional costs of optional activities (whirling dervishes, performances, baths, etc). They add up to at least $ 500, closer to $ 700 extra. Other tours include some of these costs (trip insurance, 3 meals/​day, even water).

This is review for the trip to Peru and Machu Picchu.
I read all Unilocal reviews AFTER I came back from my trip and then noticed that several reviews (mostly negative reviews) were not factored into overall grade of this company. One review caught my eyes because it was almost identical to experience I’ve had and apparently G Adventures is not taking any action to correct this. The review was from (Alexandria, VA made on 8÷29÷2014).
I have had minor issues with booking prior to the trip. During the trip there were minor logistical issues. Hotels and accommodations were clean. Cooks were good, porters were good, and array of activities was good.
However, several events overshadowed entire experience, all of them dealing with medical issues that group hikers experienced. Medical issues ranged from injuries to respiratory infections. We had one hiker who was a physician and who stated that medical equipment provided by the guides was not functional; he was also appalled by medical «advice» that group lead, who does not have medical training, was «dispensing» to other hikers — some of the «advice» was outrageously primitive. The group lead also disclosed personal information about hiker’s conditions to everyone else in the group — unacceptable.
By the way… if you ever wonder what G Adventure employees think about the company they work for visit glassdoor [dot] com. The reviews of employees are eye-​opening.

My heart broke when I learned about a reviewers experience with the mule dying in front of her. I can’t imagine watching an animal die like that without proper care and learning that G Adventures exploits people and their services in developing countries. Shame on them.
I on the other hand only just learned of that review. And I am glad that I didn’t become a customer.
I am an unsatisfied almost customer of G Adventure.
About two weeks ago, i learned that I would be going to Germany for a work related event. This seemed like a wonderful opportunity to join a tour while in Europe. I have not been on a group tour before and my work week is too packed to find time to create my own travel on such short notice.
To make a long story short, in the confirmation I was sent, therein lied one sentence. The room that I was going to be booked in was a private room, not a shared room. I didn’t need a private room and stated that in my initial call. The confirmation email was very long (probably at minimum one full page plus of text) and this message was buried in that text. I hadn’t asked for a private room; the single supplement was $ 1200 more than than a shared room and I knew that I was okay with sharing. That is quite expensive given that Rick Steves offers $ 700 additional for a private room and if they can’t find a person to share with you, you still get the private room at no cost.
Almost six days later, when I was about to book, and had made arrangements to coordinate with business travel, to have someone watch my home, to make plane arrangements from Germany to italy, and all during an extremely swamped stressed work week.. .and I was in constant communication with G Travel, I learned about the private room on the day I wanted to pay for the tour. They said, it was in the email.
Huh? I literally had to look hard for the sentence. I asked them to accommodate. They didn’t want to and probably thought that they’d find someone that would pay the $ 2800, normally $ 1600 for shared. i asked if they could find a room near where the group was staying, etc.; they simply would not accommodate.
I was disappointed with my experience and the lack of customer service. It was their mistake, not mine, and they didn’t want to take responsibility. The solutions they provided for me were a) I could share the bed with a stranger b) I could go on another tour that was in the same timeframe (none of which were interesting or active enough) or c) pay the single supplement. They lost me as a new customer.

I’ve been on 3 gap, it’s still gap right?, tours. Peru, Costa Rica, and Nepal. These tours aren’t really for the luxury traveler, and if this is what you want, this ISN’T for you. The word adventure should give that away. The accommodations aren’t always the best, but if you’re not traveling with someone pampered or with children they’re usually just fine. The only time that we had an issue with the hotel was in Kathmandu, Nepal and this was primarily because I had my 10 yr old with me. I spoke to the guide and since we were the only persons on the tour and I was willing to change hotels at my own expense, we worked it out. Otherwise most all were just fine.
The price is right. Usually the cost of the tours are excellent, mind you that they don’t include airfare, and gratuity. Gap (?) required trip and medical insurance with proof to be purchased for each person, I believe this to be a great idea.
The guides are absolutely fantastic. On every one of my trips he/​she was excellent, well informed and knowledgeable about the areas. Gap in general seem to pride themselves on service before, during and after the tour, OK, not so much after, but I’ve always been very happy with the entire experience.
It’ll be some time before we can go with gap again, my girls are only 2 and the minimum age is 10, but when that time comes I hope to be able to travel with them again.

I’ve wanted to go to Peru and see Machu Picchu for quite some time. I didn’t want to go by myself, so I decided to book a trip to go along with a tour group. There are so many options for tours in South America that I was initially very overwhelmed. After researching a bunch of companies that offered tours, I chose to go with G Adventures because of one thing… their website (I know, that’s not very logical).
G Adventures offers a variety of different tour types. They have classic tours, active tours, family tours, volunteer tours, and a few other types. Each tour has a different level of service (basic, standard, comfort, and superior). Each tour also has a physical rating. The ratings go from 1 to 5 with 5 being the most active and physically demanding. Some tours have guaranteed departure dates while others need a certain amount of people before they can be confirmed. What about food? Some tours include all food, while others include no food. The tour I chose did not include meals. On the tour description, there is an estimated cost displayed for tours that do not provide meals. Information abut the types of overnight accommodations and types of transportation are also given on the tour descriptions (along with a detailed itinerary).
I decided on the «Machu Picchu Adventure» tour. After purchasing online, I was put in contact with a G Adventures employee (they are called Chief Experience Officers or CEOs) through email. This was to confirm payment and get information required for the trip (passport info, medical, trip insurance, contact info, etc). It took about 4 days to completely confirm the trip. I had no problems with the booking process and the CEO was available by phone for a few random questions I had. If you’re traveling alone, then you will share a room with another person. If you would rather stay alone, there are «My Own Room» options on some tours that allow you to have you your own room. I got lucky since a few other people on the tour booked their own room, so I also got to have my own room. Thanks guys!
Upon arriving at your destination city, you are on your own to make it to your departing hotel, unless you purchase an airport transfer beforehand. For the «Machu Picchu Adventure» tour, the first day of the tour only consisted of a group meal and introduction. My flight got in very late so I missed the introduction, but there was information posted in the hotel lobby about the schedule for the morning. Everything at the hotel was already set, so I just had to give my name and picture ID to the front desk, and was given my room. Similarly, for the flight we had in the morning, I just had to show my passport to receive my boarding pass. International flights are not included in the price, but flights during the tour are included.
Beyond having all transportation and lodging taken care of by G Adventures, the other important thing was the tour guide. There is no way to know who your guide will be or if they will be an awful (or good) guide. I think our group had the perfect tour guide. Knowledgeable about everything and one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I’ve read some people’s experiences with tours and many say that their tour guide were awful. I guess I got lucky because an awful guide would have ruined the trip. The different tours all have estimated tour group sizes. The average size is 10 people, but some tours can have as many as 15+ people. My tour group was 10 people, with ages in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.
There was only one minor annoyance with the tour. On arrival back to Lima, our driver for the airport to hotel transfer took us to the wrong hotel. By the time we realized we were at the wrong hotel, the driver was no where to be found. The hotel front desk staff helped us to contact G Adventures, and we eventually were transferred to the correct hotel. If you are going to book a tour, make sure you carefully read the itinerary. The first and last day seem to consist of nothing so the trip may not be as long as you think it is. Also, some trips look like they involve lots of all day traveling, so there may be some wasted days counted in the total number of days. Beyond that, I’d recommend G Adventures, but getting a good guide may be all about luck.