This tour was wonderful. It was the first organized tour I have taken and my first visit to Costa Rica. Saw much and learned a lot. It is impossible to pick one thing as my favorite. Our guide Alonso was fantastic. He was so knowledgeable. He shared info on environment and ecology, flora and fauna, history and culture, and the everyday life and philosophy of the Costa Rican people. It is all those things that makes it such an amazing country. He did a great job of making sure all went smoothly with a full schedule and 20 different personalities. Accommodations and food beautiful and plentiful. He also generously gave helpful suggestions to me and my friend for the days that we did a week of independent travel after the tour. He scheduled our COVID tests to accomodate our own travel dates making himself available to us as a “lifeline” even after the tour! Kudos also to Harold the bus driver. You couldn’t pay me enough to drive a bus through those narrow twisted steep roads and tight parking spaces! I strongly recommend this tour for seeing wildlife and some very amazing places in Costa Rica as well as having great first hand experiences to see and learn about many aspects of this unique country under the guidance of Alonso. Pura Vida!
GREAT trip so far!!! Tom is a fantastic tour guide!! Great weather, hotels, food, and just everything! Train had issues but Tom handled it well and helped us all to get where we needed to be. The local guides have been really good but the lady at Dublin was pretty dry. Saturday…another great day with great views. The meal at the hotel was good last night. The hotel has so much character! Tom is knowledgeable on every subject. All of our bus drivers have been fantastic…..glad they were driving and not me! I am so glad I took this tour! It was fabulous! I did miss air conditioning in the fanciest hotel but a fan made it bearable. Tom was the best tour guide ever!! Dan the bus driver was amazing at handling the Small roads! Thank you! The jaunty cars were an added plus! The flight was good but the 6-7 hour lay over in Atlanta is a bit much especially when tired already. By the time we drive the additional way home after flights we will have been up about 24 hours. Not sure if there is anything that could have even done but the 5:00 flight would sure have been better than the 8:30. Thanks
My first trip abroad was amazing and everything I had hoped for. Suzy, our Tour Director, was awesome. She is very knowledgeable in every aspect, including history of each country, languages spoken there and the culture. I don’t think she was ever stumped by any questions asked and there were a lot! My hotel rooms at each location were superior. The breakfasts each morning were good and the group dinners were also very good. I went on every excursion EF offered and was not disappointed. There were many moments of awe and wonder. I highly recommend this tour. The only reason I gave four stars was this: I am an active 68-year-old woman. When I signed up for the tour, I specifically asked what the activity level was. I was told “moderate” and “1-3 miles of walking per day”. I walk 2-3 miles four times per week on my treadmill or at the track field. I believe it should have been strongly emphasized that it is walking on cobblestones, very old walkways, stairs and uneven terrain. Also, there are many different modes of transportation and that was mentally taxing. I do not regret going on this tour, I absolutely loved it. I plan to book another European tour in 2025. But, beware of the “moderate activity” rating by EF Tours.
Dear Francis Tour guide Tom was the best ! Knowledgeable, imparting info in a smooth , appropriate, fun way . Gave good suggestions on where to eat , drink, and get around. We did have to fill him in about Wyatt Earp. Except for a couple of outlaws all 37 of us are from lamar , MO. Pop 5000. Our fabulous bus drivers, Ian and Dan kept us on the road in spite of some tricky situations. Local guide In London,Stuart, was great! So was guide in Windsor. Local guide , Kay, in Edinburgh not so great. She seemed in a hurry to get us out of there. Hotels: NHow In London was ok. Funky. Indigo in Edinburg was nice and cozy. Helpful staff. Novotel in Liverpool. I do not remember much about it other than it was hard for the cab driver to locate. Hampton by Hilton Dublin City center was not great. Tom as always expedited check in . Rooms were difficult to find .badly marked. and small. No room for luggage . My sister and I were in a two bed room . Sister got locked in the bathroom. Took 2 visits downstairs to get someone to free her. Then no hot water to shower . Really like where we are tonight- Meadowlands in Tralee . To be continued…
Vanesa , our tour director , went above and beyond with her job ! Not only was she Extremely kind and helpful, she was by far the most knowledgeable historian I have ever listened to !!! She also tells you stories packed with humor , as to keep you interested , because the amount of history she teaches you is mind blowing ! The only thing I would suggest is double checking with the group in the hotel lobby ( before we get on the bus ) to make sure everyone has their passports (if necessary that day ) . Also , making sure (if passports are need that day ) to post it on our guide sheet. One day when passports were mandatory, it was not posted at all on the guide sheet , but it was posted on the app . There is probably always one idiot in the group that forgets to look at the app!!! In conclusion , Vanesa was by far the best tour director we have Ever had ! She is absolutely the best !! We love her and hope to do future tours with her !
Hello, this was my first trip out of the states, love many countries, the first one I was able to visit was Sicily Italy, I knew it was a beautiful country, but didn’t expect such a wonderful experience with Gabriele as our tour guide. The passion and knowledge that he told and showed us was far more than I ever expected. Everything made sense after he finished speaking. The stories that he told us along the routes and the knowledge of the country made it so interesting and fun. On our future tours, I know you have knowledgeable and experienced tour guides, we would loved to be able to book Gabriele as our tour guide in the future, so if that is ever possible we would love for that to happen, Thank You. Gary Stemm
This was my first time traveling with EF Go Tours and could not be more pleased about my decision. I was joined by 26 others from all across the States. We immediately bonded over food, drinks and sometimes long van rides. The many featured sites in different cities were all fabulous! Kong, our tour guide, was key to making everything work! His personality, friendship, humor and knowledge made for a totally relaxing as well as adventurous trip. I added most of the extension trips and was never disappointed. We were all prepared for the possibility of rain but got lucky. Also the daily 80+temps and humidity were very easy to handle. The selected hotels and van/air travel were seamless in providing great transitions between sites. After 13 FULL days and a 1,000 photos later, I can say that this was exactly the tour I imagined! Lastly, my only negative was the flight time to get there and back. It’s far,….. but worth it!
Traveled to Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Our tour guide, Sebastian was great. He was knowledgeable and handled any issues that rose. Which we did have a couple of problems. First my wife and I had to have our room changed due to a bad smell and our daughter had to have her room changed due to the power not working. Our bus driver did an excellent job as well and I felt safe on the bus. Really enjoyed Switzerland. The stay in Lucerne was great. The local tour guide there was knowledgeable regarding the history of the area and provided a lot information. The scenery was fantastic. I would enjoy seeing Switzerland again. Stopped in Liechtenstein on the way to Germany. Not a lot of things to do there based on time issues but it was nice just being in a different country. The stay in Germany was nice. The old section of the town was full of history. Going from place to place was tricky at times not speaking or reading German. The first night in Austria was really enjoyable. I attended the Dinner with Mozart with my wife and daughter and it was great. I would highly recommend this excursion. The next night and day I was sick and could not go on that days tour. A Go Ahead tour representative checked on my status by phone and text message. All in all, we had a very nice time.
Our name as Raj Reddy duplicated for both passenger names . THIS HAS BEEN POINTED BY CHAT AND PERSONAL PHONE CALLS. This was not corrected . When we arrived at Airport AMERICAN AIRLINES will not give Boarding pass on 2nd passenger NIRMALA REDDY . We called emergency # and not corrected on time to catch the Flt on time . Therefore I have to buy NEW TICKET to arrive Denver on time and meet Tour Director as per schedule .. I am yet to hear from you guys nor reimbursed for the Ticket I paid for . After talking to Tour Director return ticket was corrected and we reached home 1. Air line Ticket issued RAJ REDDY name twice on the same name instead 1. Raj Reddy 2. NIRMALA REDDY 2. No response from customer service . 3.We went through lot of trouble to get a a 2nd Ticket in the last minute. 4. Our UPGRADED TICKET CANCELED 5 . They accommodated us at last minute in very different seats .( This happened based on my being AMERICAN ADVANTAGE MEMBER ) 6. The planned pleasant trip turned out to be night mare till we reached Denver. Tour Director ( Brandon Smith ) understood and extremely helpful to correct the issue and made rest of the trip pleasant. We travelled all over the world with different Travel agents . This is the worst experience and will not book another trip from your Travel services. I expect to be reimbursed for the Ticket I bought. Thank you Raj Reddy. kuraparti @ gmail. Com.
When i booked the trip I made a request to fly as direct as possible and offered to drive to larger Cities to catch our flight. They put us on a horrible flight schedule with Delta that had us checkerboard the East Coast before even leaving for Greece. When I called to request a much quicker flight schedule that I did all the research to find and was available at a reasonable price they said it would take 3 weeks to get back to me. Then I received an email on the weekend telling me I had only 24 hours to respond after fares had increased simply because at this point We were only 2 weeks from departure. Now I have been instructed to wait 5-7 days for this “internal flight team” to make the change but when I opened the App I was already being billed. We haven’t even packed yet and are already sorry that we booked with this travel company, and certainly do not let them handle your flights.
All your communication from EF was excellent. Our tour guide Rami Abu Hanna was superb. I can’t imagine anyone knowing more than him. He cared so much about us and simply made the trip for us. Our bus driver was incredible. The hotels were really nice with a large amount of food selection. The only negative for me was the fact that there was a minor change needed on my wife’s ticket. United Airlines charged us $920 to do this. As a partner airline of EF Tours, I would have thought that someone in the company could have gone to bat for me. That was very disappointing. I’m upset that the airline would feel okay about doing this to someone that was already paying a lot of money to fly with them. It’s just not right.
Ireland was everything we hoped and much we could never have expected! Our bus driver, Tommy was perfectly skilled and charming. Cathal, our tour director, was the best of the best. His love for his country, people and culture was contagious. We came away feeling an affection for all the things he shared with us. He answered questions after questions patiently and thoroughly. A great mixture of big city and country side, I especially enjoyed the sheep farm and being treated to the local singer at lunch. There were too many thrills to mention! We met a bunch of strangers in Dublin on day one and left a great group of friends in Belfast on our last. Thank you for an experience we will never forget!
This is our 5th tour with GoAhead Tours! With every tour we want to go again. Unfortunately, time is at a premium. We have to fit so much in and taking a tour is the best way. Artemis was our main guide. He handled everything with our group. Three islands in one week. The bus drivers on each island got us to our hotels, ships, and tours. Most of our group had big check-in, plus carry-on luggage. We had packed light with a carry-on only. We bought olive oil at our first stop, and had to check in that bag with the rest of our group. Everyone was wonderful. We would recommend taking the catamaran excursion for a fun swimming party. Love you ❤️❤️❤️
I must start with congratulating David, he was a superb tour director. His knowledge and sense of humor made the sightseeing very enjoyable. I was very dissatisfied with the location of the hotels. They were all so far away from all the sights there was absolutely nothing to do when we went back to them. You could not even get a snack or drink at neither of the hotels in Venice or Florence. They had no room service and most nights the restaurant did not even open. While I enjoyed the tour very much I felt it could of been much better if our accommodations were more centrally located.
My week with Mike as our travel guide and Ray our driver was a terrific experience. All aspects of this excursion went extremely well including the hotel accommodations, meals, and information provided by local guides. The scenery was spectacular and the friendliness and warmth of the Irish people was remarkable. (I wish more people were as welcoming.) I was also pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the cities and villages. I’ve been to Ireland previously, but this was the most memorable trip. Mike, our tour guide, was very thorough in sharing the history and culture of his homeland. Bravo!
This has been the best tour of a life time. Although I had a hard time waking I was so pleased with my tour director and fellow travelers who were extremely patient with me. My husband was tested positive for Covid on the last day and as soon as I found out, I informed our tour director immediately. We were both quarantined for 5 days, making sure all other travelers were safe. Our flight home was delayed however, the travel agency made arrangements for us to leave on the 6th day. I will definitely take another tour with EF in the future.
Food and Wine : Campania, Puglia and Amalfi coast September 5-18
One of the best tours I have taken. Anna is an awesome tour guide. She was engaging and attentive. She took care of every detail, even when the water was too rough for our excursion by boat, she managed to come up with an alternate plan. The small size of the group was great as it allowed for everyone to get to know one another. All of the sites we visited were wonderful. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone interested in visiting southern Italy. I would consider another trip if I was assured that Anna could be my tour guide.
Met Pascale today. Tired from the flight but she was super patient with everyone as she communicated all the important information we needed. (And the fun information we also needed.). Check in was easy. Absolutely loved the attention we had from the airport to receiving our rooms. Very much appreciated the chance to catch a nap before dinner with the group. Very much appreciated the opportunity for last minute excursion decisions and bookings. Looking forward to a wonderful time with everybody in Greece!
Our Costa Rican part of the Central American Go Ahead Tour in January of 2024 was guided by Gerardo L. He was an excellent guide in that he knew the historical country origins well and gave us a great education forthwith. Gerardo was also humorous and very flexible as he was able to accommodate the weather and specific needs of fellow travelers. To our delight he spontaneously and in a timely manner was able to avoid crowds and make sure we that experienced the extraordinary biodiversity of the region. We highly recommend going on tour with Gerardo. Andy and Julie
A friend and I just returned from your Iceland tour. A beautiful country with lovely people. We went two days early. Perfect. Go Ahead uses nice hotels in good locations. Our guide was knowledgeable and flexible. Were it not for her we would not have seen the lights. The food was always well done. On the con side. The first day is awful. Go ahead needs to change that, as many have suggested. Their flights are usually the least expensive they can find , with no frills airlines, so I suggest booking your own. There were 35 people on this tour. Way too many. A good value but I would prefer more from my tour company. I would not recommend this company/tour to my friends. It just is just too basic.
I just completed an EF tour of Portugal. It was my first group travel experience, and I was somewhat skeptical at first because I have always travelled alone or with just one other person, but I found it satisfying, stimulating, and fun. Every step was well planned, under expert guidance, with enough free time for individual exploration. I enjoyed the company of my fellow travelers while learning a great deal from the guides who gave us a fascinating overview of each major site along the route. I enthusiastically recommend this tour!
I have been using EF app for a three trips, what a great app. One of the main reasons I travel with Go Ahead tour due to the app. Please engage the tour director and other tourist in the group to use it too. Two of the trips I took , only hall of the tourists in the group are actually using it, that is a shame and defeated the purpose. One of the beauties I really appreciate the app —my old trips are still in my account that I can always go back, even to chat with old friends👍
My experience with EFGoaheadtours has been very disappointing, to be kind.
Terrible business practices all around. Difficult to get refunds on trips canceled by EFGOAHEADTOURS, and flights not booked in a timely fashion so impossible connecting flights only option. Charged me for asking them to book earlier. Increased price on trip booked last year which had to be bumped out to this year. I will never recommend this company based on my experience so far. I travel a lot & have never encountered this kind of attitude or incompetence in basic planning & and taking responsibility for decisions made by them.
I was recently on a tour and this app was so helpful! They have a daily itinerary which helped remind me what we were doing. Our group had fun sharing our favorite pictures through the photo album. We were traveling through several countries and were dealing with 3 different currencies. The app has a currency converter that — IS EVEN AVAILABLE WITHOUT BEING CONNECTED TO WIFI !!! When I discovered this I literally told everyone on the bus. Super helpful!
I was in the middle of a trip when the app updated and it gave problem after problem at that point. Now that my trip is completed, it messed up my evaluation so I couldn’t answer all the questions and submitted incomplete. I can’t find my wish list for future trips from the previous app versions. It is frustrating and that frustration was amplified since we were in the middle of a trip. Since the update I have removed and redownloaded the app once and updated the app another three times and it still isn’t working correctly. Frustrating.
Go Ahead has served us well with all the trips we’ve taken with them. The tour guides are top notch; friendly, very knowledgeable and go above and beyond to make the trip fulfilling and enjoyable. We’ve been pleased with the accommodations, as well as any included meals. It’s always worth taking the extra excursions as they add so much to the trip. I love it that they take care of everything! All we need to do is show up!
Our Tour Director, Olly M, is an incredible person! He absolutely made this trip worth taking. Olly is highly intelligent and kind-hearted. He made everyone in our group feel welcomed and appreciated. Olly exceeded his usual Tour Director duties to ensure everyone had a great time. The thought of our next trip with him as our Tour Director fills us with anticipation and joy. I cannot say enough nice things about him and our experience with Go Ahead Travel.
This was my first trip with EF and it was the most fantastic experience. The group jelled like family and we laughed and enjoyed every minute even with all the bumpy roads! We were so lucky and saw so many amazing animals some very up close and personal. Some of us also did the the extra experience of the balloon ride over the savanna ( an experience of a lifetime). I highly recommend this tour.
I don’t appreciate listening to the political opinions of Tom Fin, nor do I appreciate the pejorative references to women. When he references the Prince and Princess of Wales and refers to his opinion of how Kate Middleton “catches” William by wearing a see-through blouse, is insulting to all women, suggesting, that the only way to any man is through seemingly sexual advances of women. He also referenced in derogatory terms Meghan Markel’s very real concerns of threats to her physical person and her children’s safety, as does Prince Harry. I’m an American and understand the real threat of racial violence to people of colour, not only in the US, but throughout the world. Britain has a marked history of violence towards people of colour. He needs to quell his personal opinions.
How green can you be? Green with envy that my property doesn’t look like I saw in Ireland? Wonderful trip although far to short to take in so much history and historic places. Many great solo travelers that made the trip so pleasant. The people in Ireland were so kind and informative. Already making plans for a revisit so I would have more time to spend at historical venues and less time shopping .
It was helpful that Mike, the guide, was aware of our need to rest after the all-night flight. And having the substantial meal after the introductory meeting was pleasant. I wish there had been some excursions planned to cover the ones that had to be cancelled. It was a disappointment to have not had any excursions in London due to the group travel technicalities. As a new comer to European travel, the excursions are important especially when promised at the get go.
We really enjoyed the historical details and stories given by our Tour Director Nicola and each city and area we stopped at were really interesting and beautiful. I loved the drive around the Adriatic Sea and the greenery that we saw. Pero, our driver, was great at getting out of tight spaces. Don’t miss the tour if you want to see an unspoiled country with a history of many invaders.
Love being able to not just dream but plan future adventures. Then, once booked and then on tour, I can see the full itinerary add optional excursions easily, connect with the others on the tour, share pictures with my group, and chat with my tour director. After- I live I can stay connected with my group, pool pictures, and do it all over again!!!
From start to finish this trip was exceptional! Our Italian group guide Alessandra was One of the best parts of the whole experience! She is a great communicator and made sure all 21 of us had our needs met. The places we explored were the highlights of the area. All the travel arrangements were well thought out and ran so smoothly. This was a trip of a lifetime I will never forget!
My experiences with EF Tours have included 3 trips to Europe with middle and high school students. Besides the incredible sites and sounds that we were introduced to, the EF guides took us to another level of travel with their knowledge, expertise, and ability to entertain and engage young people (and adults) in the history and interesting stories of the places we visited. I’m thankful to continue my travels with EF Go Ahead Tours.
What a wonderful trip to Spain. Our tour was guided by Ana. She lead us with a lot of knowledge and interesting facts that let know about Spanish local customs followed by great food and wine. Our hotels were lovely and our group was small and fun. Ana also looked after us so well and had a lot of information. We also had great bus drivers and guides. We will go again!
My first tour with EF It went wonderful! In 10 days we visited so many new places, meet amazing people, tried delicious food! The Tour Director Kurt who took care of every details along the way made this tour very pleasant and memorable! The local excursion guides were knowledgeable and friendly, the special thanks to amazing drivers! I am planning to book more tours with EF Maggie Azadova
I wouldn’t travel with any group but EFTours! So many trips to choose from and plenty of opportunity to fine tune it to your personal choices. The absolute best representatives to answer questions and keep you abreast of current news. I’m ready to see Paris again. How about you? Even if it’s a first time! Don’t wait!
Ione Kerr, our tour director, was superb. Knowledgeable and well spoken, she described things with an unusually articulate eloquence and precision. Humorous and generous as well. Our tour was impacted by Covid. Nine of us had to spend five days in isolation in our hotel. Ione made all the revised arrangements so as to make us as comfortable as possible. We regret to have missed so much, but remain impressed by EF Tour’s’ efficiency and excellence.
I gave it a one star because the staff was so nice and friendly. The hotel was not prepared for an entire tour bus and the elevators were not working and we were in the 4th floor and being 64 it was a challenge. Another tour bus came the second day and the hotel was unprepared for breakfast the next day they ran out of coffee and jelly and the poor staff was so overwhelmed… lots of people on our tour were not able to eat due to lack of time and too many people … both busses had to eat and leave between 7:30 and 8:30.. this hotel was NOT up to EF Tour normal standards
Tom was superb and extremely knowledgeable. He seemed to anticipate our needs and addressed them accordingly. I have traveled many many places and I can honestly say that he is the best guide I have had the pleasure to travel with. Patience, humor and respect combined with knowledge is quite unique. Hope I’ll have the honor to travel with him in the future.
They are terrible I keep looking for the details of the tour that I have already booked and all I get is information on all the future tours. It’s frustrating. I know the travel industry is all about sales but what about service and support for those of us who are traveling with you? All I want to do is log in and get information about my current tour The chat bots are a nuisance. They are fine if you are looking for general information but they just add extra steps for those of us who have specific questions.
I went on my first EF Go Tour the end of October. I went to Egypt with cruise on the Nile. I had Hala as my guide, I was a single traveler. It was the best!! They thought of everything. It was so much more than I could have imagined! It would not have been 1/2 as good without our excellent guide. She was so informative and friendly. I recommend this tour to everyone!!!!! Love it!!!
So many things wrong, it would take a whole day to mention. Ef tours seriously scraped the bottom of the barrel with the accommodations for our kids. I’ve done at least a dozen trips with Ef and although the hotels were basic at best, I have never encountered a hotel with exposed electric wires wrapped around the shower head, no safety bars on the upper bed bunks, no water knobs on sink and only 1 towel per person for a 2 day stay. I’m not even going to mention what passed for food! Horrible experience in every single aspect! Time to change company.
Wed., 16 May 2024 Dimitri gave an informative introduction about our tour. We had a welcome drink and then walked to La Carabaccia for a delicious dinner. Hotel Joy is somewhat lacking. Our room safe was not working and we had to ask for it to be repaired which was promptly completed. The room shower is in disrepair. The shower head is not easily adjustable and it leaks down the hose. Room maintenance should be taken care of before guests arrive. Sharon Norfleet & Gary Baxley
I love how everything is organized in one easy spot! This is especially helpful while on tour since you can see the itinerary everyday, review things directly on your phone and it even has a helpful money converter! If you’re traveling with Go Ahead Tours (which you should) this app is a must have!!
Love this app and I love the fact that I get a notification that someone knew has joined my trip. However, I have several trips running and it would be great if you could tell me which one they joined? Just wondering if that’s on a list for development. Thank you! Keep up the good work!
Travel is different these days, but Go Ahead is there every step of the way making your trip the best it can be. While in Scandinavia last week, there was a SAS pilot strike, my incredible tour director chartered is a bus and even found a quaint little town to stop for lunch 🥰 no words can describe how perfect it turned out. ❤️✈️🌍
For anyone traveling with Go Ahead Tours, look no further: this is the king of apps. Being able to access your tour info while offline and traveling is so convenient. Before tour it was so easy to make payments, buy excursions, and prep for my trip. Would recommend.
They were very quick to book my trip and get my business but when I went to check my first payment they are charging a bank card I don’t even own. Not even my card. I am literally still on hold after nearly an HOUR as I write this review. Very disturbing that not only would they make such a critical FINANCIAL ERROR but that they obviously do not care about their clients enough to offer adequate customer support with the millions they make on selling trips. Not impressed right now.
Say hello to the essential app for travelers. The EF Go Ahead Tours app supports and connects our global community. (Love to travel? You’re in!) Here’s how we make world travel easy. PLAN - Get inspired with the latest travel guides, tips, and stories from our team - Keep a travel log of your adventures - Make a personalized map of where you’ve been and where you want to go - Build your profile so your group can get to know you - Organize and manage tours as a Group Coordinator - View perks you’ve earned with our rewards programs PREP - See who’s going on your tour - Swap tips, ask questions, and chat with your group - Customize your trip with excursions (even while you’re on tour) - Make payments quickly and easily, plus manage your AutoPay plan - Receive helpful notifications and status updates as you get ready - Review entry requirements for countries on your tour - Sign pre-tour travel forms GO - View your flight, hotel, and itinerary details—even without WiFi - Stay connected to your group and Tour Director in the tour feed - Use the global currency converter while on-the-go - Get easy on-tour support access - Post photos to a shared group album - Complete your tour evaluation We're always dreaming up ways to give our (amazing) travel community an even better experience. Keep an eye out for updates as new features are released.