3,510 reviews
AI reviews summary
The overall sentiment for TripADeal is highly positive, largely driven by the exceptional performance of local tour guides and the perceived value of the packages. While many travellers praise the seamless organisation and immersive itineraries, a significant segment of feedback highlights a disconnect between the "on-ground" experience and the company’s Australian-based customer service. Recurring complaints focus on inflexible refund policies, poor communication regarding flight disruptions, and the remote location of hotels.
Pros
- Exceptional Tour Guides: Guides (notably "Dragon", "Miyaki", "Edna", and "Yoyo" in Japan, and "Hesham" in Egypt) are frequently described as knowledgeable, professional, and going "above and beyond" to handle medical issues or itinerary changes.
- Strong Value for Money: Many travellers report that the packages offer a cost-effective way to see major bucket-list destinations, with flights, accommodation, and transport included at a competitive price point.
- Comprehensive Itineraries: The tours are praised for covering significant ground in a short time, providing a high-quality "taster" of countries like Japan, Egypt, and China.
- Professional On-Ground Logistics: Local bus drivers and tour operators are consistently commended for safety, punctuality, and managing luggage effectively.
Cons
- Inflexible Customer Service & Refunds: A significant number of users report "disgraceful" customer service when trips are cancelled or modified, citing long refund delays (up to 2 months) and a refusal to acknowledge Australian Consumer Law regarding "major failures."
- Poor Hotel Locations: Multiple reviews across different countries complain that hotels are often located in industrial areas or far from city centres (up to 90 minutes), limiting independent exploration and increasing transport costs.
- Communication Failures: Travellers frequently flag that TripADeal is slow to notify them of flight cancellations or schedule changes, often leaving passengers to resolve accommodation and transport issues themselves.
- Hidden Costs & Tipping Pressure: There is recurring frustration regarding "optional" tours that feel mandatory, and a lack of clear, upfront information regarding the high daily tipping expectations for guides and drivers.
Verdict
TripADeal is an excellent choice for budget-conscious travellers who prioritise a well-organised, fast-paced itinerary led by high-quality local guides. However, prospective customers should be prepared for potential "red-eye" flights, small hotel rooms in remote locations, and a customer support system that is reportedly difficult to navigate if the trip does not go exactly as planned.
If I could give zero I would. We had a family emergency and needed to cancel our Srilanka trip. We were told we would get a partial refund but are still waiting for it 4 months later. Customer service does not follow up or call back when they say they will. We would have transferred to another trip, at anytime in the future but there was no… Read more
options for it. I would never book with them again as ‘life’ can happen unexpectedly and they can’t accommodate for it, make it more stressful.
Highlights of Vietnam. 13 days Ho Chi Min: Muong Thanh LUXURY Hotel. The name should have been the indicator. If the hotel is luxury the don't need to state it. Sold to us by Trip a Deal as 4 star. This is a gross over estimation. The staff are unfriendly, rude and unhelpful. The rooms are unclean, and in our case containing defective services,… Read more
despite upgrading to a much more expensive room. When reported to management it was met with silence. Internal flights: Lower baggage allowances, massive lines and having your party split up all over the plane. Hoi An: Great hotel, amazing staff, extremely helpful front desk. Da Nang Airport: Horrible experience. Hanoi: The Chalcedony Hotel helpful staff, but the hotel is clearly a 2 star hotel at best. No pool. Moved to another hotel during our nights in Hanoi. Bus Trip to Hoa Long Bay: Waited until we got on the bus before being told that we were stopping at a workshop for disabled workers for a drink. Everything very expensive and a lot of guilt used to try to get tour participants to buy. Felt like it was sprung on us. Disappointed. Moved to Hanoi and on to the Chalcedony Hotel. What a disappointing hole this is. 2 star at best. The staff were accommodating but the facilities were so tired and old that they could not help. Trip a deal tour guides then questioned us on numerous occasions even following us to another hotel that we booked to enjoy the rest of the trip. We chose to travel to Ninh Binh in a private car rather than travel on the tour bus to avoid the stopping at another factory for a tour disguised as a toilet break. This also was questioned with repeated harrassment. On returning to the Chalcedony Hotel one of our tour group was greeted with blood stained sheets, dirty pillows and ineffective airconditioning. As we sit waiting to leave Vietnam I reflect on the trip and can guarantee I would not use TripaDeal again even if the trip was free.
On our tour to South America there are multiple complaints made as the tour Valencia travel stated we have no breakfast on the first day after jetlag and start by coffee at 4.30 am and leave at 5am. Not in the itinerary. Guide stated it's 4-6 hours hiking and you shouldn't go. The monkey island tour was cancelled. We emailed a complaint at 9 pm… Read more
and the tour changed to 8am leaving dropped us off at a long boat area that had only gang planks 25cm wide to board a boat across the water of about 4 metres. Our itinerary to the oldest cathedral in Cusco the guide arrived too late resulting in the cathedral closed. He kept our tickets. On the day travelling by bus to Titicaca lake the bus broke down for 4 hours, our seat was in the back by the toilet with diesel fumes photo. Making us sick with head aches after 3, different busses. Lunch was at 3.30pm. missed a tour to a museum.and arrived at 9.15 pm at the hotel. To shower, find food for dinner ECT. The tour on the next morning leaving breakfast for 6 am we could not attend from the sickness from Diesel and missed the day tour on the titicaca lake including lunch and both tours of going to see the floating island community. The hotel of dangerous power and heating for the room were emailed to trip a deal, and there response was you broke the heater! Another mini bus while driving to the Spanish monk accommodation also has no air-conditioning and only 2 small window at the front for air. The majority disappointment was inappropriate transport with trip a deal wile they used Valencia Travel and your guides not taking us to the daily itinerary.
Reviews with attachments
- +1
Thank you “V” for a wonderful experience and sharing your knowledge with us on our Vietnam June 26 tour. You made the trip very special .Jo P Show details
- +1
Our TripADeal to Japan was absolutely fabulous. Aiko our tour guide was enthusiastic, and extremely knowledgeable, and helpful. She gave great tips on where to eat and shop. Aiko made each place we visited more interesting by sharing the history. Exploring Japan with Aiko made it truly memorable. Bus driver was A1 and accommodation top notch.
- +7
Warriors of China Fantastic trip that delivered all that it advertised and more. The Great Wall needed more time there 3 hrs would have been more appropriate, Terracotta Warriors amazing, Forbidden City needed more time exploring but depends how long it takes to get through the lines. Beautiful anyway. Xian City Wall, Everbright City highlights.… Read more
The Jade is amazing , Pearls okay if you like Pearls and the Silk interesting but not factories they are showrooms. Guides Echo and Peter were great fun and all accommodation was great. No complaints everything was well organised and interesting, food was lovely and Chinese people friendly and everything was clean and so green Loved it
- +1
We just returned home from the 12 day Warriors of China tour and have to say this was a really good deal we thought we would give it a go. It was absolutely amazing. It actually surprised us and exceeded our expectations. From our wonderful tour guides, Leo in Beijing, Richard in Xi’an and Ivy who all went above and beyond to make our holiday one… Read more
we will never forget.
TripaDeal were very easy to deal with. We found that everything was laid out and well planned. If there were any questions that we had it was very easy to ring up (and no long waiting ) and speak to somebody that you could understand. They were polite and very helpful and answered any questions that we had very easily. We loved how everything was organised and we didn’t have to do anything when booking this holiday. Also we will point out all the hotels were stunning, as per our pictures.
Guide Leo : Leo ensured we were fully informed every day on what was happening, the local history, geography and all things Beijing. Leon had us all thoroughly engaged , he was always happy and easygoing.
Richard in Xi’an : We thoroughly enjoyed his bright bubbly personality, and who was always happy to share his local knowledge and ensure we knew as much information on the local areas ie like what to expect, where to go, this made it very easy and we felt very comfortable.
Ivy in Wuxi/Suzhou/Hangzhou/Shanghai: Ivy is extremely knowledgeable. She knew her history and she knows her facts. We felt very comfortable & relaxed and we loved our interactions with her. She really made us feel like family too. Ivy certainly knows her history & her local knowledge of all of these towns, and certainly went above and beyond in helping us get around - ensuring we knew what to expect and how to navigate our way around each town and city etc. having Ivy as our tour guide on the last leg of our trip was really the icing on the cake. She’s a credit to your company/ She couldn’t do enough for us.! Very good guide!
Thanks for a wonderful holiday!
If you are reading the reviews wondering should you do a trip. Do it, it was so remarkable, all the hassle taken out of touring as it's done for you. You'll meet lovely like minded people. And Japan was so family friendly, take the kids. My 12 year old and I had a great time building memories. Thank you Leslie the amazing tour guide. Show details
My sister and I travelled on a tripAdeal Grand Japan package in October/November 2025 with our guide Yoyo-san and our two bus drivers Fushi-san and Ishi-san and it was brilliant! I was accidentally on this trip as my sister‘s friend was very sick and could not go. I had been to Japan three times before but not ever thought of doing a tripAdeal… Read more
kind of holiday.
With every trip I learn more about Japan and Yoyo’s commentary during our tour was personal, informative and fun. I cannot believe all the facts she holds in her head, it blew my mind. Everything was so well organised and she took care of us all. Even with one unexpected trip to the hospital. She is empathetic, professional and has the best laugh.
Our bus drivers Fushi-san and Ishi-san were both so friendly and welcoming and navigated us safely during our tour. Fushi-san even gave us an up close and personal view of a magnificent stag that was stopped in the middle of the road (I think on our way to visit Fuji-san) and everyone enjoyed his daily English lessons.
This TripAdeal tour changed my mind about how you can travel around Japan. The two weeks we were together flew by and with all the optional extras, you could choose to see extra locations or events or just relax. This trip gave everyone an informative and delicious taster to what Japan has to offer.
Arigato gozaimasu Yoyo-san, Fushi-san, Ishi-san and well done TripAdeal. xox
- +5
My wife and I just did the Grand Japan tour. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and what we saw in the 12 days. Our tour guide Miyaki was exceptional and if you have him on your tour you will be very lucky. Our bus driver the captain was an excellent driver and made our trip very safe. Paul & Kim Davie Show details
- +3
I've been studying the Chinese language and wanted to go there for a holiday. I'd never heard of TripADeal until I started looking in to travel packages to China. The Warriors of China package looked good. I honestly thought it seemed too good to be true and was sceptical so I looked in to it quite a bit but the reviews seemed good and the… Read more
information checked out. I booked the trip and went with my wife and my father. All the information provided was accurate, and the timing was adequate, though I would have perhaps liked getting the travel details a bit earlier than we did. All of the travel arrangements were great. Good accommodation for the whole trip. The tour guides in each part of the trip were all knowledgeable and friendly locals with good English. And my toy kangaroo I took with me got lots of photos with lots of locals in lots of places ;). For anyone wanting to see China's standard bucket list locations it was the ideal trip. The price was the main reason I was sceptical about the package since the price was surprisingly low. There were many additional experiences each day that weren't included in the overall tour price but those extras were also cheap and worthwhile enough that pretty much everyone on the tour did them all. These included things like a performance of the famous Shanghai acrobat circus and night time river cruise in Shanghai. Good guides, transport, accommodation, food. I'd highly recommend the package. I'm now looking at TripADeal's other China tour packages as I'm keen for more.
Wow! Japan has absolutely amazed us! Such a sensory experience in the best possible way! The Grand Japan itinerary gives you a “beginner friendly” way to see the all key sights on the main Island. The bus provides a nice rest and opportunity to see days-to-day Japan pass you by and the incredible scenery! Our travel Miyaki (Mickey) is what really… Read more
made this a 5-stars experience!! Not only was he knowledgeable about the locations, he was also very passionate about helping us understand Japan from a local perspective. Mickey’s english was excellent and his genuine personality and enthusiasm to ensure we were all safe and happy each day was what made our group so fun! Mickey kept us on schedule without feeling rushed and went over and above to ensure we all got to experience our own individual moments, whilst still being part of an inclusive group. Highly recommend this tour and if Mickey does any other tours for Trip-a-deal please let us know as we would love to join the fun again!! Thanks Mickey and Trip-a-deal for the most incredible memories!!! Kirsty & Andrew
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- +1
What an excellent tour and Ayumi was amazing highly recommend Show details
Fabulous way to see so many places in Japan! Ayumi, our tour guide was knowledgeable, kind, and very caring about us all. I have been here many times but it was awesome to make so many stops in such a short amount of time! I have wonderful memories now I will carry for life! Show details
- +7
We did the Southern Japan Discovery recently - our third TripADeal trip - and it was fabulous! We packed so much into the 12 days, and saw so many amazing places, including Mt Aso on Kyushu, the beautiful old town of Ozu on Shikoku, and the Iya Valley. The hotels were very nice, the bus was immaculate and Abe-san such a safe driver, and our guide… Read more
Dragon was very knowledgeable, helpful and pleasant. The optional tours were also excellent, with no pressure to do them but we are so glad we did: the Nagasaki day tour and Naoshima art island were really interesting, and Dragon was able to organise Nara Deer Park and the Iga Ryu ninja museum at short notice on the last day in Osaka as most of our flights left very late. I would highly recommend this tour.
Hi just sitting at airport having a beer reflecting on our trip a deal to Japan . First time to Japan a very pretty clean place . Very busy with a lot of travel to a lot of places which I don’t think we could do that on our own. The buses were clean and great with good drivers. Our host was very welcoming from the start and went beyond to make our… Read more
trip memorable. Ayumi our host was informative , generous with her time and quite funny If all trip a deal host are as good as her I would do it again no problems
Fantastic trip Ayumi was a wonderful host very caring and informative nothing was too much trouble highly recommend her for future travellers. The tour itself was amazing so many wonderful places and memories to cherish l will recommend to my friends and hopefully you end up with this wonderful guide Ayumi. Show details
Ayumi was a really good tour guide and explained all tours properly. Ayumi was very helpful when some of the guests weren’t well. I highly recommend Ayumi as a tour guide. Maree and Arron Show details
Latest follow-ups
All that Glitters is NOT gold! – A friend & I bought a package with Trip a Steal. Flight was changed & Trip a Steal issued A new ticket to my friend but not to me. When questioned, we were told 2 people can board on 1 ticket. This is unheard of! We missed our flight and were unable… Read more
to go on our holidays. We were unable to get a refund on our tour because of their “ no refund” policy. Upon checking with the airline, we found out that it was not true that 2 people could board on 1 ticket.Airline only received request for re-issue of 1 ticket instead of 2. The airline has done the honourable thing by refunding the full cost of my ticket via Trip a Steal and despite several attempts, requesting the release of the fund, they have refused to release the funds to me. They have used every conceivable arguments to block a refund. Missing my holidays was a result of Trip a steal’s error and failure to issue me with me a new ticket. An honourable agent would not only release money held by them as trustee/ custodian but would have refunded the whole cost of my tour, with a sincere apology. Instead, they have relied on an “agreement with their suppliers where they are apparently not allowed to refund”. Their supplier, the airline has refunded the full cost and I have documents to prove it. The supplier has no problem with the refund and have asked to get the money from Trip a Steal. However, Trip a Steal decided to keep money that does not belong to them. Buyer Beware! Watch out!
Follow-up · My room mate & I did not get a refund. Tripadeal kept my money & also the refund from China Southern Airline. They double dipped. The person I spoke to openly challenged me to take them to court. Their aim is to "exhaust" you. Being a senior you do get exhausted. I just hope they are more ethical now that they are fully owned by Qantas.
TripADeal does not appear to take responsibility for bookings it makes on behalf of its customers. I booked a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia through one of TripADeal's advertised deals. After paying TripADeal, I received confirmation that my booking… Read more
had been completed.
Before my departure, I attempted to check in online with Vietnam Airlines. Although I had provided TripADeal with the correct telephone number, and Vietnam Airlines had it recorded correctly in my booking, the airline's online check-in system repeatedly rejected the check-in, stating that the telephone number was invalid.
I then tried contacting Vietnam Airlines through its Melbourne office, Sydney office, and call centre for assistance, but none of the published telephone numbers were operational.
Since I had booked and paid through TripADeal, I contacted them expecting they would help resolve the issue. Instead, I was told that once they had completed the booking and provided the travel documents, they were no longer responsible for any booking-related issues and that I would need to deal directly with the airline.
I found this response disappointing. When a travel company accepts your payment and makes a booking on your behalf, it should also be prepared to provide reasonable assistance when problems arise with that booking. Simply referring customers to the service provider after the sale does not reflect the level of customer service I expected.
Based on my experience, I recommend that prospective customers consider the level of after-sales support they may receive before booking through TripADeal.
Follow-up · A manager from the TripADeal Customer Service team resolved my first issue only after I posted my experience on ProductReview. The manager acknowledged that the problem could have been resolved by the original consultant without requiring escalation. Unfortunately, when our tour began, we encountered a second issue. During the booking process, we… Read more
My wife and I recently completed the Grand Japan tour. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and everything we saw over the 12 days. We learned a great deal about Japan along the way. We stayed in eight different hotels—five for one night and three… Read more · 1
for two nights. Some of the hotel rooms were quite small, which is common in Japan. We did wish we had a little more time in certain places, especially the one-night stops, so we could explore them more fully. However, we understand that this would have increased the overall cost, as the tour is designed to remain competitively priced.
Our tour guide, Hirohito, was exceptional. Anyone who has him as a guide will be very fortunate. Our bus driver was also excellent and contributed greatly to making our journey safe and comfortable.
Wagieh & Rajaa Elsewaisy
Follow-up · The food was actually a problem for us, and mainly because of the lack of Halal food. There wasn’t much activities, we spent considerable long time on the bus. Our Grand Japan tour had 8 hotel spots, 5 of them were for just one night, and the other 3 stops were for 2 nights. It was very tiring and we can’t recommend such tour to anyone. The… Read more
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Positive reviews
I wish to express my complete satisfaction when booking a trip with Jasper Suprain. I have booked 5 Tripadeal trips with Jasper and I am now about to embarking on my 6th trip. He has the patience of a saint as I am not tech savvy and Jasper guides me through all the procedures. If I have a query, or need advice, he has been more than helpful. … Read more
I don't feel that I am alone in making these comments as Jasper is a sheer delight to deal with. I will always seek him out if I make further bookings with Tripadeal. Tripadeal should be very grateful to have Jasper in their employ.
We did the ultimate Japan in May 2026 with tour guide Janice. Fantastic trip and we were certainly kept informed. Saw so much of Japan and nothing was ever too much trouble at all with caring support and guidance. Loved it. Show details
Hi was on Tour 5385 Japan and South Korea Our Japan tour guide was very poor with his communication and organisation skills and I think he was unwell and not up to doing the tour. On the other hand our tour guide in South Korea Heni was excellent and was the best guide that we have had in the 11 tours that we have done .Henis communication and… Read more
organisation was exceptional and she was always there to help everyone.She made up for the Japan guide and would highly recommend her for any tour in South Korea.Her knowledge and experience showed out in everything she did.Thanks Heni for making our South Korea experience amazing.
Negative reviews
We traveled throughout the whole night and arrived in Tokyo early in the morning. The tour guide took us to the hotel, but the rooms were not available until 3:00 pm. We were all very tired, so we sat and slept in the reception area until 3:00 pm. There were 28 travelers in our group, all booked on the same tour, and everyone was exhausted. Some… Read more
people even slept in the hotel hallways until the rooms became available. The hotels were not very safe because the bathrooms were either lower or higher than the bedroom floor level, which could be a safety concern. The daily tours started between 8:00 and 9:00 am and usually finished by 6:00 pm, making them around 10 hours long. However, more than 6 hours of that time was spent driving from one city to another, leaving only around 4 hours to actually see the city. Even then, we first had to find something to eat before we could explore the city.
Booked TripADeal tour to Sardinia & Sicily for Sept 2026 in Oct2025. Paid $6,700 deposit for 2 persons. Received flights bookings with Qatar in Feb - able to log in and confirm adjacent seats with wife - no extra charge. Then mid east war started. - Qatar changed flights to Virgin - wanted $200 to book any seats. TripADeal said we pay. - TripADeal… Read more
booked flight from Rome to Sardinia. Could not log in to confirm or track booking. TripADeal said they would email fligt details if they changed on the day. - Middle East got worse and decided to cancel in April. TrioADeal stated refund between $4499 to $5399 with 60 day pay out. - 60 days later no refund. Despite reminder before and after 60 days - Now 90 days and only received partial refund of minimum amount. Despite more emails Hopefully this review may get at least minimum contracted email amount of $4499. POSTSCRIPT: Finally after posting this review and threaten legal action, 90 days+ - received balance of $4499 refund
Extremely unhappy, Poor customer service when I had an issue with my ticket( both my husband and my ticket was issued under my name). Communication was slow, unclear, and resolving the problem took far longer than it should have. They charged me half the amount of the whole tour to fix the issue. The experience was stressful and disappointing. I would think twice before booking with TripADeal again. Show details
Recent reviews
We recently returned from the Trip A Deal Ultimate Japan tour, and while we saw a great deal in a short amount of time, the overall experience was let down by poor group management and an overbearing tour guide. With 40 passengers of varying ages and mobility levels, simple logistics like boarding and disembarking the bus, or toilet stops, ate up… Read more
huge amounts of time each day. Our guide, Leia, dealt with this by frequently shouting at the group to keep everyone together — a "militant" style that visibly upset several elderly guests and drew uncomfortable attention from bystanders at some sites. Despite the mobility differences within the group, every sightseeing stop was treated as an all-or-nothing group activity. This meant visits were rushed, with little opportunity to actually learn about the history or significance of the places we'd travelled so far to see. The handling of tipping was also frustrating. From the start of the trip we were told an expected daily tip amount, collected at the end, but it was never made clear this was a suggested figure rather than compulsory. Combined with a barrage of information about meals and optional extras sent days ahead, this left a lot of passengers — particularly older guests — confused about what they had or hadn't already paid for. There was also regular pressure to buy prepaid meals at stops where we were told there were "no other restaurants nearby," which in several cases simply wasn't true. The good: an efficient, packed itinerary that covers a lot of ground in a short time. The bad: a guide who manages large groups by shouting rather than organising, rushed visits that undercut the sightseeing, and unclear, upsell-heavy communication around costs. We'd think twice before booking this particular tour again, and would especially caution anyone travelling with elderly family members or those with mobility concerns.
We booked a tour with TripADeal 2 years ago and honestly couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. From the moment we made the booking, the communication was clear, and the itinerary was incredibly well-organized. The flights, accommodation, and scheduled tours all ran smoothly without a hitch. We felt we got incredible value for money… Read more
given everything that was included. It took all the stress out of planning a holiday. Will definitely be booking our next getaway through TripADeal again!
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Hi Karen N Thanks for taking your time to share your… Read more (+1 reply)