"Traveled to Greece June 2023"

Traveled to Greece June 2023. The 20+ page itinerary made no mention of the actual length of the bus tours and the actual set up of the tour days. The bus tour occupied about 8-11 hours of our day with 630am wake up calls to get the day started. They should really mention an estimated bus travel time because that may be a deal breaker for some people especially those with back ailments, tall people, or people with leg issues. This would not be conducive for anyone that has these problems sitting in confined spaces for long periods of time. My husband, who is 6’6, his legs were swollen everyday on the bus with the length of the rides and the cramped spaces. My back was on fire due to my back issues. There was assigned seating on these buses which constantly put us next to the same couple who were not at all fresh and it was nothing we could do about it because the seats were ASSIGNED! 8-11 hours daily stuck on and off a cramped musty bus is not my idea of a good time. I did ask if our seats could be moved but this request was not taken seriously until we decided to bail on the tour Friday June 16th after 3 days. We could not take two more days of that and from hearing the same complaints from some of the other travelers the feeling was mutual. When gate 1 rep was told of our plans to leave and called us to ask why we were leaving the tour and I told them there was no accommodations made and we were told that there would be no refund even though I hadn’t asked for any refund at the time. I paid out of pocket to book a shuttle to go back to Athens ahead of the tour then had to book an additional last minute hotel stay. On top of that the tours we experienced were very boring. It was Athens, Olympia, Kalambaka, Delphi. However, The tour guide, ViVi, was very knowledgeable and thorough in explaining the sites. This did not feel like a vacation and unless you’re into forced early wake ups, all day rides on cramped smelly buses, forced interactions (because you get the feeling you can’t even break off from the group if you want to) assigned seating like you’re at summer camp, and learning all about rocks, caves and olives..pick another trip! Gate 1 needs to be more thorough and up front with the explanation of the tours/trip!

"We had a great trip to Nova Scotia and…"

We had a great trip to Nova Scotia and Geoff was a wonderful guide!

"I have traveled 18 times with Gate One"

I have traveled 18 times with Gate One, have referred dozens to them, feel they are a terrific value ,
BUT….
Their discovery tours you pay more for, and get a higher level of service.
Booked Patagonia trip for 2, in March, called them in October with airline question, was told, all our flights were cancelled. Really? When were you going to tell me?
Spent total of 5 hours overs 2 days trying to rebook. Asked for manager, too busy, they’d call me back, never did. I tried repeatedly to get manager involved, never could. I had to pay $3200 for new flights. I paid for the trip in September in full. So I paid for flights twice!!!!!! Many emails even to owner of gate one, no resolution.
At the very least I am owed $950 x2 ( the original difference if booked land only price), so $1900 due to me for buying flights twice.
Gate one has asked me to be patient, well, now I need money back!!! Not patience left!!!!
Stop avoiding me, do the right thing for a loyal long term always happy customer. This need’s resolution now!!!
If they treat someone who travels with them this much, this way, would you be confident booking with them????

"Buyer beware about Gate 1 travel…"

Buyer beware about Gate 1 travel insurance company, Arch Insurance. And beware of Gate 1 for selling it and collaborating with them on denying my claim. I have used Gate 1 in past and totally loved and recommended. Never had to use the insurance before though. You can look up Arch's BBB complaints, and I see some here also. I have appealed several times and am very angry, not only about my issues, but all the others who are being billed by Arch...and Gate 1. I have never written a bad review on a company before. Update: Gate One sent me an email in response to this and just said - yes, Arch insurance had denied my claims. Thanks, I already knew that ! Help me get the money owed!

"Buyer Beware - ZERO Insurance Incident Protection"

My $3000 Peru trip was interrupted due to nationwide strikes/civil and political unrest which happened after our arrival where we were held against our will in the Urubamba sacred valley for multiple days and were awaiting the National Military to take control of the region and reopen local airports which had been overtaken by protestors. Our original airport we were supposed to depart from in Juliaca did not reopen until the following week as strikes and riots were more violent in that region, so we had to make alternative arrangements to fly out of the Cusco Airport once it reopened so that we could get back to Lima International Airport in order to fly to the US from there. This took 4 days of negotiating with local strikers involving the mayor and local police at times which did not work and finally we had to depart under the cover of night, physically remove road barriers, bribe strikers to let us pass and not throw rocks at our bus in order to make our flight. We made it through luckily but some other busses that left the area after us that evening did not and were held hostage by strikers 30 minutes outside of Cusco city. It was a treacherous trip which caused me and others on the tour much duress, many sleepless nights and was far from anything that could be considered a vacation, which is what I thought I was paying for. I also had to change my flight back to the US because the new flight departure time from Cusco was later than the original one from Juliaca and I could not make my original flight. I arrived in the US a day later than originally scheduled and had to cancel travel I was supposed to make for a job interview. We were told by our tour manager that we would receive a refund and it would be better if we had insurance (I did). After 7 months of trying to get this matter resolved with Gate 1 (including contacting the president directly) and their sham Arch insurance company, I was given back $270 and an insulting $200 credit which I will of course not be using. Please be wary that you will be offered ZERO coverage and protection in the event of an incident while traveling and should consider that money gone when booking whether you take the trip you paid for or not.

"Make better informed choice"

Gate One has been my go to tour company in the past for international travel of many years. Unfortunately, I was totally disappointed of the most recent trip. The company has tripled the size of people in a group. To accommodate the large number of people in a group by one tour guide they added a teenager as assistant of the trip. You have to pay tips for the tour guide, bus driver, local guides daily of different sites and the assistant. If you think the tips are voluntary, you are giving reference of how much you should tip throughout the trip as frequent reminder. You think Gate One has better discount. It is not the case. You are dealing with hidden costs and crowded bus with every seat filled with people. I am glad I did not go when it the weather is really hot. Can you imaging how uncomfortable it will be in the summer and peak season. I am sharing this with everyone who is interested of Gate One tour to be aware of the situation first so you can make informed decision. I will definitely stay away from Gate One after my recent experience unless the condition is improved.

Thanks of Gate One response! I already submitted my feedback to the link you provided. They basically defended themselves of what happened. I believe that is what they are taught to do. This is why I am going through outside reviewer so it is more transparent by the public. And, the reviewers of the site can make their own decision of what they think.

"My mom and I traveled to Italy this…"

My mom and I traveled to Italy this past April. We had a great time although it was a bit too busy for us, but we did cover almost all of Italy you could possibly imagine. The breakfast was fair, not good but not bad. Dinners were good but not great and lots of fun. My biggest complaint is we were on a tour in Florence with Gate 1 travel and taken to a jewerly shop were we were than given a short talk regarding their products and than instructed we would receive a discount for being with Gate 1 travel. My mom and I both purchased 1 piece of jewelry each. When we went to purchase the products, we were told our discount was in the form of a tax credit and we had to turn the paperwork into customs to receive this discount. I was skeptical and questioned the process a few times but was reassured by the staff that it was very easy and if we had any problems to contact an email that was written on the instructions we were to follow. We followed the instructions as written and verbalized to us by the jewelry shop staff but were unable to complete due to our flight being delayed from Naples into Munich and we had to literally run to our next flight. I contacted the email 3 times with no response and I double check both my spam and the address given. I than contacted Gate 1 and were told in simple terms, there is nothing they can do. I believe this is a scam!!! I believe this is a way for them to make more money off of you. My mom and I are out 300 dollars. Which isn't a ton of money but I am sure we are not the first ones this has happened too! The Jewery shop is called "The Gold Market" and address is 50122 Firenze. I have also submitted this review to the BBB to further investigate this.

"Company Lies and Has HORRIBLE support!"

This company lied to me about being able to add travel insurance the day after I paid for my trip after I had a chance to check with my travel partner (my elder mom). I called the next day to add insurance after my mom said she wanted it, and was denied. Then they told me I could do a name change if my mom couldn't travel and after she ended up in the hospital, I spent hours booking new flights, and then was denied a name change by Gate 1 on my land only reservation. HORRIBLE customer service! Avoid! Their response suggesting they addressed my concerns is a complete lie too. No integrity at this company!
Absolute nonsense that my concerns were addressed!

"9 Day Classic Japan"

This 9 Day tour should actually be called 7 Day Classic Japan - Gate 1 needs to revise / review since 2 of the days you are actually in transit. Our tour guide Ichiro was phenomenal- kudos to him for his patience & handling the hiccups. Loved the country, it's people & the culture. Only disappoinmet was that Japan has so much to offer but the Gate1 itinerary focussed on way too many shrines/temples.

"Don’t bother getting trip insurance"

Don’t bother getting trip insurance, they don’t help. We used to love Gate One and took many trips with friends, neighbors and relatives. I will not use them again.