Gate 1 Travel

Prior to booking a trip, I spoke with a Gate 1 travel agent and was told of a discount for returning customers. I didn’t have my booking # on hand and they couldn’t find it in their file. But when I found it and called today, and spoke with the supervisor, he said there was nothing of the kind. And told me that it would have been done at the time of booking. When I explained the circumstances of the situation of not having the booking # at the time, he would not even listen. I asked for a corporate contact; he would not give it to me.
Unfortunately, I already paid in full for my trip. Why save $ 500 and get this kind of treatment. I’m sure there are better deals with other agencies. I don’t think I would use this travel agency in the future.

Let’s just put it this way. If I could post a negative star I would. We paid for a trip to Jordan and due to their unbelievably bad arrangements we missed an entire day. That’s out of four days, one quarter of the trip. Yet they refuse to accept any responsibility for what they did. I am now disputing this with my credit card company, will file with the Better Business Bureau, and post negative reviews everywhere because of their absolute refusal to acknowledge what they did and make good on it. Quite literally, Gate1 Travel steals from you.
In addition they provided no help when I had questions after we booked the trip.
Shameful, absolutely shameful.

First class all the way! The best way to see the Greek islands. I usually travel by myself and find my way around but it was so nice to have Gate one take care of everything. For example our ferry to Mykenos broke down but before we even got to the gate they had already booked us on another ferry. And every where we went we had a Gate One agent in case we needed anything. Our last day in Athens the metro and the buses went on strike but we didn’t have to worry about anything because they took care of everything. I’ve been telling everyone. It was a great experience.

This travel agency has really bad customer service. It is true what the other reviewers have said that they are quick to take your money but once they take it, you’re on your own. I mean, really. They will not take care of you once they get their deposit and get you tied into their rigid cancellation/​change policy. They are not going to work with you, but rather try to get more of your hard-​earned money.
Customer beware. They will respond when they want and convenient for them (delay tactics) until it is too late for you to make changes without penalty.
This is my 3^rd trip with Gate1. And it would definitely be my last. I definitely see a pattern with all my trips– they «bait» you with the «best» price then something comes up (whether a hotel reservation no longer available or a flight, or any other things that they can make you feel responsible for). The problem is: due to a lack of customer service (and greed) they immediately tell you you need to pay this and that, and the airline would not do this and that, without, again– working with you– the passenger who hired them to make things easier for you. They are supposed to coordinate things in order for your travel to be less stressful and more enjoyable. Well, if you are lucky– you may be able to dodge the bullet.
I booked a package for 3 passengers to Peru. Within 24 hrs of reserving the package at gateone, I realized one of the passenger’s name does not exactly match his full last name on his passport. Again, within 24 hours, I attempted to correct the misspelled passenger’s name on the website. It said the change I made with the reservation is saved. I checked hours later and to my dismay, it has not been saved. I repeat this about 3 more times and it gave me the same result every time. The next day, I received an email saying they need passport information for all the passengers. Then I received a call from one of the agents– finally– and said she noticed the changes I was trying to make on their website did not go thru. Then she gives me the roundabout that they might not be able to modify the name of a passenger as they had already booked it with the airline.
Really? This is very fishy. I thought: Did you even try to contact the airline? And why would you tell me you have already booked the flight when you are still trying to confirm the passport information? Your email even said that Gate1 cannot release your travel documents until you receive the passengers’ passport information? Where is the proof that the passenger with a misspelled name has been booked and confirmed with the airline? You still have not released me my travel documents. I have been trying to make the changes from day one and you wait until day 4 to contact me, claiming it is too late and been «confirmed with the airline».
To make matters worse, 5 minutes later I spoke to this male agent. Very rude and unprofessional. He immediately jumped into selling me another airline ticket full price (for over $ 600) for the passenger-​whose-​last name is slightly misspelled, frightening me that the flight has been booked with the airline and there is «nothing more Gate1 can do» and that my «best option» is to buy a second ticket and the other ticket is gone. Really? Can you show me proof that an airline ticket has been booked with the passenger’s name? If I have to buy a second airline ticket– full price– will I still receive the first ticket? After all, I will be paying for 2 full price.
And of course, they said «somebody will get back to you». Been waiting all day for that somebody. Meantime, I worry (and lose some sleep) over more things they could potentially charge me on.
Overall, the lack of efficient communication and zero helpfulness of the «travel consultants» can make one conclude that the customer’s business is better off with another travel agency.
Avoid the stress that could arise from booking a trip with Gate1. Buyer beware.

A friend and I purchased an 8 day Paris/​Barcelona trip through Groupon via Gate 1. Overall, it was an excellent experience, all was organized well (travel-​wise); flights and hotel check-​ins were smooth. We altered the departure location from NYC to DFW and added the travel insurance as we booked just before or after the attack in Paris. These changes added about $ 240 per person.
The trip was an excellent value — the only thing I wish we would’ve thought to change was the hotel location in France. Our hotel was located in Acrueil. Being from Texas, 25 minutes from city center did not sound problematic but in Paris, it was. It was 90 euros each way from the air port and taxis would not come from Paris to Arcueil so we had to master their metro system which was quite confusing and time consuming. Especially when particular stops were closed or under construction… We were able to survive by downloading the Paris metro app. We also, certainly experienced life more like the locals…
Our hotel in Barcelona was centrally located (a 10 minute walk to The Familia Sagrada) with restaurants and grocery stores in close vicinity. Via taxi from the airport it was only about 37 euros. Both hotels were nice and clean with relatively great customer service.
All in all, I would travel with Gate 1 again and would recommend to others! I am grateful to have found such seamless travel at such a great price!

*Just a note, if you want the referral credit, my email is
and name: Lisa Wynn… you can get $ 100 off on your first travel. Msg me if you have questions!
12 days Vietnam Trip:
[More like 3.5 stars]
2^nd Gate1 tour. My 1^st was Peru &I thought I had a good experience, but this trip was even BETTER. So why not the ⁴⁄₅ stars & the 3 instead? Even though the tour was excellent I felt Gate1 kinda cheap out on some hotels and dinners for this tour. But I would still recommend Gate1 tour b/​c it’s so easy. I’ve planned & traveled many countries by myself or w/​a sig other & I’m glad I found a company that will relieve me of the stress of planning & getting lost. Also, Gate1 really does provide you w/​a nice kaleidoscope of all that you need to see and do within that short amount of time. I wouldn’t be able to do this w/​o getting lost, ripped off, fighting w/​a sig other about getting lost & stressing. I wouldn’t use Gate1 for safe first world countries such as American, Australia & some European countries, but more for 3^rd world countries that I’m fearful of– like some Asian countries, Africa, So. America & Eastern Europe. Gate1 is safe, especially w/​the local tour guide and the transportation. You do save money and time. No, I’m not their spoke person and they don’t give me jacksh*t for this. I do this because I really do believe Gate1 is a good tour company. We will use them again for our next trip.
Tour Mgr: We got Vu Truong. Vu aka «Buffalo» was an enthusiastic young tour guide. He is very passionate for his job and country. He wanted to show and tell us everything about Vietnam and the culture. He prepared some of his own materials about the culture. I thought my last tour guide in Peru was good, but he got nothing on Buffalo. Even though I’m Vietnamese & born in VN, I learned a great deal from Buffalo. You can’t get that kind of info from traveling on your own!
Transportation: Very comfortable with AC. Bus drivers & helpers were awesome.
Hotels:
–Saigon (Hotel Palace): Nice hotel, located on a busy street w/​a balcony. Very noisy at night. AC worked well, had clean beds/​sheets. The worst thing was the shower/​tub wasn’t built logically, so every time you showered, expect to flood the bathroom. Hotel pool was under construction. Safe to brush teeth w/​water and they provided free water bottle daily. Breakfast was awesome! Mostly Vietnamese and had Western style.
Hoi An (Mercure): Somehow we got stuck w/​the furthest back room & overlooked people’s houses & balcony… so we couldn’t open our window unless we wanted the locals to see us. Wifi did not work well since we were so far back. The shower drain was very slow to drain, it was old and gross! Room was nice though, AC didn’t work well at first then when you got it to work it was good. Location wasn’t the best, it should be closer to town (1mile). The resort style pool was amazing! We loved it & felt like we were finally in paradise. Breakfast kinda sucked… mostly Western style and limited option.
–Hue (Huong Giang): This was the worst hotel from the rest. It was old and dirty. The carpet was filthy, balcony was dirty, sheets were clean but the door to the balcony had a huge crack on top so all the mosquito flew in and bit my BF overnight.
–Ha Long Bay (Royal Lotus): The best hotel! We wish we could have stayed here longer. It was new & modern, everything worked well. Very clean, nice showers, modern bathrooms. Breakfast was okay.
–Hanoi (Chalcedony): 2^nd worst, somehow again, we got stuck w/​a weird room where there was a window that opened to the hallway. We were fearful that our room was gonna get broken into. It was also a small room. Our toilet had a leak, so we put a towel there and they left it there b/​c they knew that it leaked. It was pretty gross and bad. We didn’t complain because we just need to get through 3 days of Hanoi. Hanoi was a shitty city to be in. Breakfast was okay.
Tours: You must do the Nguyen Dynasty optional tour!
Food
–Ha Long Bay lunch: Good
–Hue tour lunch: Vegetarian meal cooked by monks, pretty good for no meat
–Hoi An Dinner: Decent, nice view but decent food.
–Ha Long Bay Dinner: Food was meh, nothing stood out.
–Hanoi Dinner: Worst meal ever in VN. There was this orange chicken, it tasted like chicken w/​some orange kool aid. And the eggplant was disgusting. Our worst meal in VN. Nobody ate! Gate1 definitely need to rethink about bringing their guests here as a last meal in VN… b/​c it left a pretty bad taste in our mouths. We had to wash it down with beer. I don’t even know what the restro was called but it was walking distance from our Hanoi hotel.
Demographics: This time we got a good batch of people from all over the world! They were cool and we hung out. My Peru trip we got stuck w/​3 annoying Chinese family from Jersey that complained about every single thing. Demographics were mostly older retired couples, families, and a few younger couples.
We had a good time besides some hotel & food

dont ever book with them flights. They book the cheapest flights and refuse to take responsibility for any thing that is happening during the flights.
They are also not involved with changes in the flight and have no idea if there is a problem. You simply can’t get their help.
When you buy a flight through an agent, the agent is responsible for every thing.
They simple refuse to do it. You are on your own. Our flights converted from American to Iberia airline which recieve the lowest rating. We didn’t get yet to the destination, but flights can deterrent your mood for the rest of the trip.

Just came back from our 9day Thailand trip and I must say it’s the best trip I’ve ever had. Our tour guide Mike was amazing and knowledgeable. It’s an understatement when I say he’s a great tour guide, because more than anything he treated us more like family. From day one it was just an amazing experience. Our layover flight was delayed due to bad weather in Shanghai and I was almost sure we would be waiting forever for Gate 1 to pick us up from Bangkok airport since our flight would be delayed but sure enough they were there to greet us. He even gave me the chance to some extra time in the airport so I can purchase a SIM card so my phone would work there! When he made sure sure I got everything we needed he escorted us to our taxi who was patiently waiting to take us to the hotel. The whole experience was just amazing and I would gladly do it all over and over and over again. Thank you!!!

I recently came back from a trip to Thailand and had a great time. I purchased my trip through groupon, I was skeptical at first but it was the best decision I made. The whole process was smooth. Booking and their on line portal was great.
I missed my flight due to my mistake. I was traveling alone, but gate 1 was supportive w their 24 hour customer service .I incurred an additional cost, but it was my fault. Advice if your flight leaves at 1 am, that means you have to be at the airport the pervious day. After talking to customer service, it seems a lot of ppl make my mistake. I would advice gate 1 to add this tip to their already help travel document.
The hotels, excursion and the tour manager were great. My only compliment is i should have stayed longer.
Like i said i went on the tour on my own but never felt alone because there were other traveling alone and I made friends.
I will be definetly book another trip w Gate 1, I’m not afraid to travel alone, thanks to Gate 1.

UPDATE: After I wrote my review, their customer service wrote some message back of this Unilocal review. Its so interesting that I had no mention that my review was based on my recent trip to Iceland, yet they mentioned it… Hmmm so YOU HAVE been getting my several emails but you CHOSE not to reply? I also answered two of their surveys. HMMM this makes total sense for me to contact you guys again to be ignored… and no action to take by your customer service. That makes sooo much sense.

Just returned from an 8-​day Thailand trip. We purchased it on Groupon and it ended up being with Gate 1 Travel. From the time that I redeemed the vouchers, planned the travel, and received the travel documents, we were excited, but still didn’t know what to expect, as this was going to be our first ‘group’ travel experience. The pre-​trip items were easy as could be.
The travel date finally arrived and we were off. We had an AMAZING time with even more AMAZING people. Our tour guide, Nu, was so much fun. He has a great sense of humor, is full of knowledge, and shared so much information with us.
For our air travel, the United Airlines crew on the way to Tokyo were rude and hated their jobs and the customers, but the flights on ANA between Tokyo and Bangkok and the United return flight were wonderful and full of customer service. Of the three hotels, only one had WiFi issues, but we managed. Top notched service, food, sightseeing, and fun!
We can only hope that the next group trip is at least equal to this one — it will be so hard to top it.

*** update #2. It has been 8 days since I contacted Gate 1 about this issue (per their request in the response to my review). I have yet to hear back from them .
*** update. Per the request of Gate 1, I have contacted them about my issues with customer service. I emailed them 5 days ago and no one has bothered to return my email. Their customer service is just horrible.
I will be travelling to Kenya in 1 month with Gate 1 Travel. The experience with customer service has been very unpleasant and has me wondering if I made a horrible choice.
When I first booked my package I was aware of the additional fee for flying out of Seattle instead of New York and I was aware of the single supplement. Once I found out I would be flying Emirates I was excited because they offered free stopovers in Dubai. The agent on the phone told me that was impossible. She said for me to do a stopover it was $ 1,000 extra. After she booked the flight with no stopover, I called Emirates. They informed me that they do allow free stopovers at no additional charge.
I then called back to Gate 1 a week later and was told that yes they do book free stopovers but since my ticket was already booked, it would now be $ 330! The airfare price was the same, and Emirates charges $ 200 for a ticket change so Gate 1 charged me $ 130 for something they should of done in the first place. In the scheme of things $ 330 isn’t that much, but it was the unpleasant customer service and the unwillingness of them that put a sour taste in my mouth.
On top of it, since I did a stopover in Dubai and changed my itinerary by one day, my airport pickup is no longer included. They now want to charge me $ 79 to have an airport transfer to the hotel even though that was included in the original price. Of course I am going to have to pay it, since I am a female, travelling alone and arriving in the middle of the night.
I booked all my optional tours online so I wouldn’t have to deal with another rude and unhelpful person. Hopefully I can just go on my trip and not have to deal with them anymore. My advice, only book Gate 1 if you are booking EXACTLY what the itinerary states.

Gate 1 handled our trip to Rome and Paris. I traveled alone to Europe for the first time with my 13 year old daughter and I was afraid and very nervous. From the second of purchase the representative assured me that they would be there for me every step of the way. And she was right, everything went seamless. From the flights to airport transfers to check in in both cities. Even received correspondence after to see how our trip was. I will definitely be using them again and I tell all my friends it’s a no brainer.

This company was contracted when we booked through Virgin Vacations. Our previous family vacations through Virgin have been exceptional so while wary about this other company, I kept an open mind.
Our trip was strictly in France (Paris — Avignon — Nice), so we only had one tour guide, Ann. She was FANTASTIC. So lovely and accommodating, always looking out for our best interests like a mother hen. The hotels were always ideally located either by a metro stop or in the thick of a tourist area and very walkable to all the sights. All the group tour activities were scheduled before noon which left the rest of the day open for whatever you wanted to do or participate in the supplementary excursions.
The open schedule and hotel locations made one week trip to France the most chill family vacation I’ve ever been to.

We just returned from our first trip with Gate 1 Travel and could not be happier. We took the Northern Lights Tour to Iceland and it was amazing. We flew direct to Iceland from Boston (about 4.5 hours) on Monday night and landed early Tuesday morning. Our guide, Snorri, met us right at the airport holding a sign and wearing a green green hat. After the rest of the tour takers arrived, we were loaded onto our bus where we met our bus driver, Jonas. we rode for about 40 minutes into Reykjavik where we left our luggage at the Centerhotels Arnarhvoll and grabbed some breakfast.
Since we couldn’t check-​in to the hotel until 1p, Snorri and Jonas took us on a tour of the city of Reykjavik. We saw some interesting city sights and Snorri kept us all entertained with local tips/​info. After the tour, we checked in to our room and got some lunch upstairs in the SKY Restaurant & Bar (fantastic view). We had a couple of hours off to rest up before we met for a welcome reception at 5:30p. Then we grabbed a snack and met up with another tour guide and driver for the actual Northern Light Tour (I didn’t catch their names but they were awesome, too). We caused around outside of the city from 8p — 2a looking for the Lights and finally found them — they were glorious!
Not going to lie — with the time change, that first day was tough.
On the second day (Wednesday), we attended an optional excursion to the Laugarvatn Fontana Geothermal Baths. It was so cool to sit in a steaming hot pool next to a windswept lake while surrounded by snow-​covered mountains! We grabbed lunch at the Baths then headed back to the hotel. This trip was about 6 hours long and was definitely worth the cost. We had dinner that night at the Icelander Restaurant — right up the street from the hotel — where whale and puffin are on the menu in addition to plenty of fish. Then we checked out some local bars and eventually bunked down at The Lebrowski Bar (which was awesome).
On the third day (Thursday), we took the day-​long Golden Circle bus tour. This was a great tour that took us to places we didn’t even know about and probably wouldn’t have found on our own. We went to the Orka náttúrunnar — ON power station, the Kerið crater lake, the Gullfloss (Golden) Waterfall, the geysir, and the Mid-​Atlantic Ridge (where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet). It was a fantastic tour! That night, we went across the street to The Harpa and had dinner in the Kolabrautin Ristorante.
On our final day (Friday), we had the morning off to shop around town and then Snorri and Jonas picked us up for the transfer back to the airport.
This trip was such a good deal — it included airfare (no additional luggage fees), hotel, breakfast for days 2 – 4, the city tour on the first day, and the transfers to and from the airport. Snorri was an excellent guide — very nice and funny and full of good info/​tips — and Jonas was a hell of a driver — those icy roads are no joke! We really appreciated how well they took care of us and would be happy to travel with them again.
Tip for traveling to Iceland in January: It’s cold but it was warmer there than it was in Boston during our visit. Back stuff you can layer and don’t forget your hat, scarf and gloves. Also, it was much winder there that we expected — it can take you off of your feet!
Iceland is a beautiful country. If you have the chance to visit with Gate 1 Travel, definitely take it!

This review is for the Miami to Peru 10-​day affordable tour.
If it wasn’t because of our friend’s recommendation, I don’t think we would go for the Groupon deal that this company offered for our trip to Peru. This was our first time buying a Groupon Getaway and going with a new tour company. Without knowing what to expect, this trip turned out to be a 5-​star one!
The prices were still pretty reasonable without the Groupon actually. (Check out their website for all the tours they offer!) But with the Groupon, it was a steal! It cost us around $ 1800 per person (double occupancy) for the 10-​day Peru tour including airfare from Miami to Lima, Lima to Cusco, Juliaca to Lima and Lima back to Miami, most meals, all accommodation and ground transportation, porter service, admission to some attractions, etc. Honestly, if you’re on a super tight budget, that $ 1800 plus tips might just be what you need for the trip because most expenses are included already.
Most importantly, they did not sacrifice quality for their affordable prices. Most of the hotels were comfortable. (One in Puno had leaking bathtubs and one had uncomfortable beds.) All the food was amazing, including the recommendations that the tour guides suggested.
We had Juan de Dios Castillo and Yuber as our tour guides. They were both very pleasant, knowledgeable and kind people. The driver didn’t interact with us much, but he was very skillful and took us to many places safely and on time. We encountered a short farmers’ strike in Cusco that delayed our trip a little, but Juan made quick judgment to make sure things still run smoothly.
Honestly, we’re so glad we went with this tour. The people were all fun and we all became friends and friends on Facebook too. We can’t imagine how different it would be if we didn’t share this trip with this group of wonderful people!
Thank you Gate1 for such an amazing trip!

For my 11^th trip with Gate 1 I opted to take the 11 day classic Ecuador & Amazon adventure. Disclaimer: If you are NOT in good health and have problems breathing, walking, hiking, or keeping balance, please do NOT do this tour. My tour group consisted of older people that complained the entire time about the activities because they were too strenuous. The Gate 1 itinerary specifically states that this tour is VERY ACTIVE. My friend and I are 35 years old & the hikes on this tour were TOUGH for us. The physical activity mixed w/​the high altitude & thin air in Ecuador caused us to have difficulty breathing. Please keep this in mind before considering booking this trip.
On the day of our departure, the volcano Cotopaxi decided to erupt with ash. This delayed the flight for 5 people in our group (delayed till the next day) & also caused their luggage to be delayed for 2 days. Keep this in mind if you decide to travel to Ecuador. I suggest packing a small carry on bag in case this happens to you.
Our tour guide was Pato. He was FANTASTIC. Anytime we had an issue, he was there. There were a ton of activities for us to do. I’m glad we brought altitude pills because otherwise we would have been very sick. After getting sick on my trip to Peru, I learned I needed these pills because I don’t adjust well to high altitude areas. The amazon was extremely humid. I love humidity but the bugs really bothered me. I don’t mind bugs in their natural setting – outside. In the amazon lodge that we stayed at, the room we had didnt really have any windows, just screens. The doors also had large gaps underneath the floor that allowed bugs to enter through. I have never killed so many bugs (moths, large spiders, large creepy crawlies) in my bedroom in my life until this trip. It was my worst nightmare come true. Traumatizing! Thankfully it was only a 2 night stay.
While in Papallacta, we signed up for the optional Papallacta spa package. There is not much info on the Gate1 site about this optional. I highly recommend doing it. If you decide to do it, make sure to book your package before you leave for Ecuador. Some people in our tour group wanted to book spa packages the day we arrived in Papallacta but the hotel was fully booked and could not take any additional reservations. The cost was so worth it. We dipped in the thermal pool for 20 mins, then did the steam room for 20 mins, then had a 20 – 30 min massage. There are lockers there for you to store your things and they provide robes and slippers for you.
Quito was cool/​warm in August w/​overcast and the amazon was blazing hot & humid but everywhere else in Ecuador was very cold. Be sure to pack layers w/​combinations of long sleeve shirts/​pants as well as short sleeve shirts/​pants. Most of our rooms had a little fireplace to keep us warm at night but it burned out by morning. We also had hot water bottle pads (but those also got cold after a while).
There was a lot of great shopping on this trip. I’m not a big shopper but I bought A LOT of stuff here. Ecuador had a lot unique items that I enjoyed. The Otavalo market was fantastic.
We were surprised at how few people spoke English in Ecuador, even those employees that worked in the tourism industry did not speak English. Thankfully the menu in restaurants had English translations.
While other Gate1 people I’ve talked to have said this tour was their favorite, I would say this tour was not my favorite. It wasn’t because of the activities or the tour manager but because Ecuador was more primitive than I’m used to. I’m more a city girl. Due to the delicate ecosystem in Ecuador, we weren’t allowed to flush any toilet paper in the toilet. I never relied so much on a «poop bag» than I have in Ecuador. So, FYI, bring extra plastic bags per person per day (except for Quito – you can flush toilet paper there).
Tips & things to bring for this trip:
1. Ecuador’s currency is USD; vendors use cash & hotels/​restaurants have a credit card minimum (also optional tours @ amazon: $ 15 zipline; $ 4 animal rescue; $ 4 butterfly farm; other areas: waterfall $ 1.50; cable car ride $ 2; ziplining $ 20)
2. toilet paper – many rest stops do not have any toilet paper or charge $ for it
3. bug repellant – you will get bitten here, even w/​repellant
4. sunscreen – the sun is fierce here
5. leave the malaria pills at home – this area of the amazon does not have malaria; I never took it and didn’t get malaria
6. imodium pills for traveler’s diarrhea
7. leave your hiking boots at home – Gate1 requires you to wear their books for the jungle hikes. the hikes are SUPER MUDDY so you need Gate1’s boots. bring extra socks for the boots so you don’t get blisters
8. travel blanket – can get cold on the bus
9. swim suit (& water shoes if you want to raft in amazon)
10. refillable water bottle
11. umbrella
12. a fan for jungle hike
13. electric outlets are the same as the US-​no converter or adapter needed
14. poop bags per day
15. comfy shoes

I’ve been waiting for Gate 1 to offer me $$$ for a positive review (as mentioned by another reviewer). It’s been over a week since my wife and I returned from their 15 day tour of Cambodia and Vietnam. No such offer made! Darn, I was hoping to apply it towards our next Gate 1 trip.
We’ve been on several escorted tours before (my first time with Gate 1, wife’s second) and I must say that the guide (s) make a difference.
Our tour manager was Thang from Vietnam. Thang was excellent, he always went above and beyond. He also provided «extras» that he paid for personally to ensure the comfort and safety of the group. Thang was also there to help us resolve any issues that came up (some of the local vendors tried to take advantage of foreign travelers). My wife and some others in our group had special dietary needs and he made sure everyone was taken care of and enjoyed the included meals. He also had great suggestions for meals that weren’t included. I could go on and on…
The Cambodia local guide was Sophea, he was also exceptional. He too exceeded our expectations.
Based on our overall experience on this trip, I’m already looking forward to traveling with Gate 1 again in the near future (and hope that our future guides will be just as awesome as Thang and Sophea).

Two stars for the gate 1 office in Washington.
5 stars to our tour guide Alessandro in Italy.
Gate1 office in Washington is extremely
Unprofessional. That pretty much sums up the people who work there. Every time I inquired about my itinerary no one could give me a straight answer. It sounded like I was speaking to high schoolers on the phone who had very little customer service experience. It did not sit well with me after having paid thousands for the trip.
Only positive note was our tour guide Alessandro who was very informative and passionate. Very nice guy. I would love to have him as a tour guide again if possible.
I will not use gate 1 in the future not will I recommend them to anyone.
If you like being treated like trash over the phone and being placed on all the cheap old planes use them.

Our first international trip and tour was with Gate 1 to Italy for 8 days. I have to be perfectly honest and say we were nervous and didn’t know what to expect. We had never heard of «Gate 1» and it seemed too good to be true. The prices were reasonable and the trips flexible so we took the dive.
Well the trip from day one to the last was just spectacular. All of our flights, hotels, transportation and accommodations were pre arranged and accurate. Our tour guide «Remo» was organized, knowledgeable, funny and most of all patient. The trip is well balanced between local tours and free time. Everything is well thought out and planned. All you are required to do is sit back and enjoy. This was perfect for us, being our first trip to a foreign country and unfamiliar with language and customs.
There were a handful of our tour mates that had been on a half dozen or more vacations with gate 1 and now we know why. There was just one spectacular experience after the next and our only regret is not staying longer. We are already planning our next one and can’t wait.
Thanks to Remo and Gate 1 for a wonderful time and great memories.
If you decide to use Gate 1, please put us down as a referral. You will receive $ 100 off your trip as well as us on our next one. This is our email address to use and the name is under:
Aimen Mouton
Feel free to ask me any questions and thanks!