Travel Department Reviews 

We're just back from Egypt - Nile river cruise incl. Cairo and Hurghada, organised by TD. Overall great trip, Egypt in a nutshell - lots of beautiful sites visited, leisurely Nile cruise, Emad (Dodi) was a great guide, and the 2 hotels were nice. Boat Radamis II, as many people already said, is a bit tired, and bathrooms and bedrooms could do with some refurb and deep clean, but staff are nice and food was excellent (some people ended up with stomach issues, I was lucky while I enjoyed fresh salads and fruits, and ice in drinks was fine too).
Despite asking TD upfront what excursions are available on the tour and at what cost, I was not given this information until we were in Egypt - no reason for it. We wanted to do a balloon flight over Luxor (taken out of TD itinerary but still available), but due to weather it was cancelled - it would cost 130e p.p. Trip to Abu Simbel was 150e p.p. (TBH I expected both to be cheaper, when googling I was getting 60e prices). Some other activities included snorkelling for 120e, quads in desert 55e, Light show in Philae temple 55e (mixed reviews, we skipped it). I thought in Hurghada there would be a water front with lots of options available for boat trips, but no - hotels own the beach strip, and they have excursions on offer, nothing on the main street (promenade). Also do not count on shopping to be done at the end - no nice shops with original products in there, just same souvenirs/ papyrus etc. stalls everywhere. So when you see something nice and at good price on the way, buy it!
I expected locals to be in your face but this was something else. Can't look at anything without being approached, and you'll hear 100 times a day 'where are you from?', which turned into 'Russian?' in Hurghada - self-explanatory...
Overall it was a great trip to explore Egypt - we saw pyramids, tombs, temples, Nile, cities (if you can, do go inside the great Pyramid!). Based on my experience I wouldn't be rushing back to Egypt, but this is due to people rather than anything else.

The professional and courteous of tour guide along with the tours,accommodation was first class.

Very enjoyable and informative. Discover Ancient Greece has a good mix of ancient, historical Greece and a relaxing, leisurely beach break. Rania, our guide, was amazing and so knowledgeable. I've been on many Travel Dept. trips. This is up there with the best.

My first time using the Travel Department and they will certainly be my first choice for holidays in the future. We were met at Milan airport by our guide who looked after us 100% all the way through the holiday, so comforting to have such an experienced and friendly guide. Our trips/tours were well planned and the destinations were appropriate. A boat trip on lake Como, St Moritz, Lugano, Milan, and the town of Como, excellent. The hotel was fine, staff were pleasant and helpful, best service customer service I’ve experienced for sometime. Breakfast was great, evening meal was a little hit and miss with mains, but great anti pasta and desserts.

Excellent trip on Douro. The boat staff food and excursions were wonderful. However using Lisbon airport was a disaster .
Transfers were too long.

I love that all is pre arranged for the trip. You have your itinerary and basically all you have to keep in mind is turning up on time. People are friendly, all seeking the same experience.I have travelled many times with The Travel Department and will do so again and again.

We just completed a wonderful 12 day Egypt tour with Nile cruise, newly built Cairo museum, temples and finished with a few days in the Hurghada resort. Overall, we would highly recommend The Travel Department and, in particular, our assigned guide, Dodi. He is an expert Egyptologist but a lot more besides. He made a good holiday and great one.

Great knowledgeable guides, lovely garden tours.

Sent my review one week ago, thank you

The company looked after our group remarkably well. The hotels in Antequera and Granada were fine. We had a wonderful guide: Alex was very well-informed, amusing and patient. Don't let him go. Give him a bonus.

Great value for money and food really great at hotel

Just returned from a 12 day tour of Egypt covering the Great Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum of Cairo, 7-day Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan and back and a 2-day stay in Hurghada Red Sea Resort. The tour, led by our amazing tour guide Dodi, was informative, interesting, never a dull moment, and most of all fun. Everything went smoothly and highly recommend the staff, food and accommodation at all stages of the tour.

Our trip to Egypt was a fantastic experience. Everything was excellent, the hotels we stayed in, the river cruise where the staff and the food were exceptional.
And we were blessed to have an outstanding guide in Dodi. He is extremely knowledgeable, patient and best of all great fun. We had a tremendous trip.

We have just returned from a fabulous and very memorable holiday Highlights of Vietnam with The Travel Department. From the beginning right up to the end the entire trip was brilliantly organised. Everything worked like clockwork. Our guide Jimmy Chung was superb from the moment we met him until we said Goodbye to him at Saigon airport. We were with a terrific group of people who all contributed to making the experience even more special. We are looking forward to booking our next holiday with The Travel Department.

Egypt Ciro 2 days, 7 days Nile cruise ,the 3 day beach resort. Very well organised on all levels and events. Tour Guide Aimen (nickname Dodie) was engaging, exceptional well informed on subject matters and friendly (5*)

Great trip, well organised and run by the great and knowledgeable Dodi. Surely the best guide we could have had. The only flies in the ointment were the fact that, due to a wait of over an hour in Cairo passport control, the coach left without us. Resulting in us having to pay €40 for a taxi to the hotel. No apology or refund. The cruise boat, while comfortable was very old and dated. The food on board wasn't very good, although there was plenty of it. Almost everyone in our party of 40 had stomach upsets (or worse).

Our hotel was huge set in beautifully maintained grounds with well appointed swimming pools. The beach was very accessible and the town of BUDVA was within walking distance on a beautiful coastal walk. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Good choice of food for all meals.

Very good guide Ingrid from the first meet up and throughout the week, she was a great guide. The hotel was very nice, and very cental, lovely staff especially the staff in the breakfast room, who were funny and jolly. I was very happy with my accomodation. The daily tours were fabulous. I would have preferred more time in the Rothchilds gardens than Nice, but that is my opinion. All went swimmingly as usual with travel department. I shall be back on tour with TD soon.

Our trip to Egypt was amazing.
It was faultless start to end.
The guide, Dodi, was friendly, helpful and extremely knowledgeable. He took great pride in his county and his work, he couldn't do enough for us.
The optional trips are well worthwhile.

Dad’s Army !
We recently completed a 3-city tour of China with Travel Department, and I can honestly say it exceeded all expectations. The entire trip was exceptionally well organised from start to finish, with every detail carefully thought out.

A special mention has to go to our local representative, Jack. He truly made the experience seamless. Everything was arranged perfectly—no long queues, no confusion, and every day ran like clockwork. He ensured everyone was ready and comfortable for each excursion, and there were absolutely no hiccups along the way.

On the rare occasion that a small issue arose, Jack handled it with complete professionalism and efficiency. He was also great company during longer journeys, keeping us entertained and making the travel time pass quickly.

His dedication, organisation, and warm personality played a huge role in both the smooth running and overall enjoyment of the trip. It’s clear he takes great pride in what he does.

I would highly recommend this tour and Travel Department to anyone considering a similar holiday. I’m already looking forward to my next trip—and fingers crossed, I’ll be lucky enough to have Jack as our rep again!