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What travelers are saying

"My daughter and I were repatriated because she contracted dengue fever. Though I do not hold Intro responsible for acts of nature, I do hold them responsible for the way they respond to acts of nature. Our 30-year-old guide could not handle an emergency and was busy with the other guests taking them on the prescheduled tours and taking care of his needs like going to the gym. My daughter had a fever on Saturday morning, which was reported to our Intro guide. We left Mexico on Monday and on Thursday the Mexico tour manager finally got back to me. It falls on Intro’s corporate policies and systems of support to help guests during emergencies. Their current systems at best are abysmal. Intro cannot expect a guide to deal with emergencies and manage the tour at the same time. They should have a support team for situations like this instead of leaving guests out to figure it out in a foreign country while the rest of the tour group is out having a fabulous time and the guide is unreachable my phone. I am in shock that Intro mishandled such a serious situation with 15 years in the business. The company dropped the ball multiple times but it is inexcusable to provide zero support during a medical emergency. I purchased the best insurance and I arranged and prodded and called and hussled to get my daughter care. In the meantime it was radio silence on Intro’s end. I had to pay over 1000$ usd out of pocket just to get basic care. I am appalled at the lack of care, compassion, and customer service. The only reason we stood a chance is because I made all the arrangements and I had excellent insurance. Intro endangers the lives of the people they are paid to serve through negligence and dereliction. My mistake after traveling to 28 countries on my own was thinking we would be safe with a tour company based in the U.K. and Australia. My daughter will be hospitalized for four days and three nights in the United States. She has had ongoing medical care because of the severity of the illness which Intro has minimized. There’s a reason why I took her out of Holbox immediately. The care she received in Mexico pales in comparison to what she is getting in the United States. During a tropical storm, Intro decided it was best to take us to an island that was on the coast, flooded, and remote. The conditions on the island were abysmal. Most of the island was in accessible by foot or vehicle because of severe flooding. Their drivers leave much to be desired in terms of safety. The accommodations are hit and miss as is the food offered. Some of the accommodations were great. Some of the accommodations were subpar. I brought my concerns to the guide multiple times only to be told that I needed to have requested an upgrade."

What travelers are saying

"Our 8th OU tour was to Switzerland. We visited many sites in Switzerland, Austria and also a quick stop in Germany. O.U. takes all the stress away by using outstanding Tour Directors who handle everything. Our T. D. Kiara was fantastic! She worked flawlessly throughout the tour, even when we were stuck in Zermatt after a flood. I highly recommend O.U."

What travelers are saying

"Μου αρέσει πολύ και θαυμάζω τα υπέροχα καταπληκτικά τοπία τις πανέμορφης Australia’s I love it and admire the wonderful amazing landscapes of beautiful Australia's"

What travelers are saying

"Great tour company, and our guide, Marisa was excellent - so knowledgeable and considerate. Bus comfy, food great, itinerary varied and Marisa had flexibility to change it depending on what the weather was doing. I did the day tour to Mt St. Helen’s which was so awesome. Loved it. Only wish I’d gone for longer- so much to see and lots of amazing trails. Will be back!"

What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."

What travelers are saying

"Guides that Roar Africa provided were phenomenal, Our guide in Cape Town, Tim Meadows quickly picked up on what me and my travel companion enjoyed and how we liked to travel and went out of his way to accommodate those needs."

What travelers are saying

"We had an excellent experience on the Salkantay trek. I would highly recommend Aspiring - they go above and beyond. Thank you to Katy, Steve, Victor, Zacarias, and the whole team at Aspiring for an unforgettable trek."