Odyssey Traveller

Asked for my deposit of $2000 to be refunded and was promised on 8 April 2025 that I shall receive it within 10 working days. Today is the 29th April 2025 and still no refund and no explanation as to the delay.

History of Ireland tour – This was a very comprehensive and enjoyable tour of Ireland, doing a full circle of the island of Ireland and included the Aran Island of Inish Mor. The small size of the group was wonderful as we could hear local guides and ask questions without holding up others. The tour had the right balance of touring and free time and included many meals.… Read more

The accommodation was satisfactory but in a number of places was a long way out of town. The tour leader had been to Ireland many times but things had changed since before COVID and the driver/guides did very little actually guiding other than getting us to a site. Like others, this tour was postponed due to COVID from 2020 to 2024 which was frustrating but it was worth the wait.

Odyssey Traveller (Australia): Buyers Beware – In 2023, I booked the Odyssey Traveller Mediterranean Four Islands Tour for which I paid over AUS$19,000 because it was advertised as an educational tour for seniors and because there was a specified activity level which I thought I could meet. I now realise that there are no travel industry standards that distinguish a tour as educational rather… Read more

than touristic, and seemingly no standards that ensure suitability for seniors.

Hotels on the Odyssey tour were of variable standard. Some were spartan and many were poorly located leaving little opportunity to self-organise personal time. Included meals were often in restaurants up to, and over, a kilometre from hotels, which was quite a hike there and back for seniors after a day of touring.

Self-porterage was expected and agreed to, but I hadn’t anticipated that some hotels would be in streets too narrow for the bus. As a consequence, we had to tote suitcases some distance along narrow and uneven pavements – on one occasion blocked by rubbish bins. Steep steps to hotel reception also a presented a barrier. So, before you book this tour ask some very specific questions about what the company means when it advertises tours for seniors.

The level 2 moderate activity was frequently exceeded with rough and steep terrain that went beyond the advertised uneven ground. Further, one guest clocked 23,600 steps which exceeded the expected eight kilometres a day.

The highly qualified tour leader had zero input into the educational quality of tour guiding. He had never previously visited the four islands. He behaved more like a guest than a tour leader. Following client complaints to Head Office, he announced, mid-tour at 4am, on the way to the airport, that he would no longer serve as a tour guide after this trip because he didn’t have the requisite skills or personality. I thought this an unprofessional announcement to a group of guests who had paid expensively for the current tour.

Hoping to salvage the last two weeks of the tour, I contacted the Odyssey Traveller Head Office. They refused to speak with me and would speak only with my travel agent. They were so rude to her that she had to bring the call to an end. I wrote a detailed account of changes that would improve the educational quality of the tour and make it suitable for seniors. When my travel agent mentioned my report, they told her to send it across to them because they could do with a good laugh. I found their treatment of clients disdainful.

I have now looked at other online reviews of this company (See TripAdvisor and Product Review). Given what I read, I see little point in seeking compensation for a tour that did not meet advertised standards. However, I remain concerned that seniors with the time and money to travel may be misled by advertising that is not supported by travel industry standards specifying what it means for a tour to be classified as educational and for seniors. In the absence of such standards: Buyers beware.

A memorable trip through England – We enjoyed nearly 3 weeks of what England looks and feels like outside the large cities. All accomodations were what we hoped for, authentic, cozy and welcoming. Our guide was always ready for questions and could improvise the itinerary when the weather did not cooperate. Thumbs up! Show reply

OUR TRIP WAS WELL PLANNED, THE LEADER WAS OUTSTANDING AND WELL WORTH THE COST – Rob, our tour guide was communicative and always ready to resolve any issues. The accommodations were excellent value clean and neat. The only issue was taking luggage upi multiple flights, but rob helped everyone. Odyssey lived up to their promise for sure. Show details ·  1

Shocking customer service – I have had two tours cancelled by Odyssey Traveller. One due to COVID, the other by Odyssey due to NSW floods in early 2023 - although this was nearly three months before tour was to commence. Emails and phone calls seeking a refund of the outstanding credit note are going unanswered. Attempts to speak with management are met with “management… Read more

doesn’t speak to customers”. This experience has destroyed many fond memories of previous travel through Odyssey.

Scottish Island Odyssey - “It’s a must”!! – I concur wholeheartedly with the comments made by Helen, given that my wife and I were part of the Australian contingent that participated in this Scottish odyssey. Being a small group of 12 “likeminded” travellers we bonded well, helped by our tour leader Michael, who endeavoured to cater to everyone’s individual interests be it Neolithic… Read more ·  1

Standing Stones, weaving, photography, historic castles and manor houses and whisky tastings; but unfortunately failed to “deliver” Jimmy Perez, at the Lerwick ferry terminal, much to my wife’s disappointment!!. Michael was a mine of information relating to “all things Scottish” and ensured that our group thoroughly enjoyed ourselves throughout the tour. Ross, our driver throughout most of the tour was a most competent and entertaining driver (though his Glaswegian accent was at times difficult to decipher) - he daily displayed his agility driving the bus along some “rugged highways and byways” that we encountered on some of the islands we visited. Helen, has adequately described the accommodation and food we experienced on the tour. In conclusion, unlike Helen, my wife and I had waited “patiently” for the past two and half years (surprisingly, due to Covid), to visit this historically fascinating and magical part of the British Isles, and “we” would have no compunction in thoroughly recommending this Odyssey Traveller tour. “It’s a must”!!

So glad I found Odyssey! – I have just returned from the Scottish Isles, Orkney and Shetland, which I had looked forward to for over a year. I originally signed up for the July trip, but when I told Elizabeth I was concerned the trip would be canceled, she immediately moved me to the September trip. Later, only a few weeks before departure, my friend asked if she could… Read more ·  1

go along. Odyssey made all of the necessary changes to include her and refunded my single supplement. Michael was a fabulous trip leader. He spent bus time providing background information and even sang to us once. He gently kept us organized and on time. We were always where we were supposed to be when we were supposed to be there…with tickets. This is also a tribute to our Scottish driver Ross, who became a part of the group after only a few days. The group of 9 Aussies, one British Canadian and 2 Americans was very compatible. After a few days of friendly ribbing, this American felt completely included. Did I say we were arriving when the Queen died and on Lewis Island for her funeral? Michael made adjustments, we missed a couple of museums that were closed, and we continued on. Some accommodations bordered on luxurious. The ones that were in more rural areas were always clean, if more basic. And the beds were comfortable. Food was good. We drove through impressive mountainous areas, bucolic green pastures, fantastic beaches and along wild and rough coastlines. We saw a broad range of ancient and more modern sites. We learned about ancient and modern customs. One of my most memorable experiences was sitting in a hotel bar being entertained by a young award winning piper. I was surprised to learn about the involvement of both Orkney and Shetland in WWII. What a fabulous trip! And worth every penny. I have already identified two future trips that I plan to sign up for. Thank you, Odyssey!

Excellent tour – My wife and I recently participated in Odyssey's Oberammergau and Contemporary Germany tour. It was excellent in nearly every way. Our tour leader was VERY good, our vehicle was always immaculate, our two drivers were each very professional, our hotels (with just one slightly unfortunate exception) were absolutely top-notch, and the tour program was well designed and thorough. Two VERY happy customers. Show details ·  1

Very poor experience for an expensive outlay - Mediterranean Islands – A very poor experience for an expensive outlay and what was promised as high quality. Incompetent tour leader who had never been to any of the 4 countries and could not speak the language. Seemed to see it as a quasi holiday. Tour leader resorted to asking participants to use google maps to find museums and restaurants! Poor quality hotels -… Read more

often out of town and food which was bland or unpalatable; long periods of idle time where you are stuck and mismanaged time eg only one night in Palermo the capital city or a day lost in airports as a cheap option to a boat. Local guides when available were sound but often focused on their comfort so long lunch stops which flowed to restricted time on the real reason for the tour to see the countries. Highly variable coach experience with no facilities on the bus and one driver getting lost and another going to the hotel in lieu of the designated key attraction because of poor comms with tour leader. Cannot recommend and a real feeling of "being got at" and let down on what should be a very memorable experience in a fascinating part of the world.

Worst tour Malta Sicily – I have opted out early on the Malta Sicily tour. This was the most disorganised tour I have ever been on. Why would you send a Tour Leader and his wife to countries they have never visited and who cannot speak Italian? One bus ride of 148 kms took over 6 hours to reach the destination. The bus driver was lost. The Tour Leader could not… Read more

communicate with him. 2 passengers were using GPS which the driver would not look at. One passenger had a map and the others were looking for road signs. Sounds comical? It was serious when the bus driver spent most of the time on the phone. Odyssey will not acknowledge the emails sent to them. Never again with Odyssey Traveller.

DON’T TRAVEL WITH THEM – I was in danger of being stranded in transit because of booking problems with my flight that they don’t even acknowledge … how can one have any trust in a travel agency, let alone one for seniors, that doesn’t even attempt to acknowledge that there is a problem that they need to investigate and find a solution. And they don’t open 24/7 so if the… Read more

problem arises out of their 9-5 M-F Australian opening hours you’re on your own. Actually what l’m saying is your on your own anyway. They won’t help! Don’t believe what they say on their website. They’ve told me not to contact them about the problem with my booking. They say it is beyond their control. Before this current problem which after many email they ignore, l was awaiting a refund which repeatedly failed to turn up, l think it was the third time that the refund failed to arrive, so l was verbally abused by the CEO [Name Removed] and so that’s the sort of customer service they offer! There is nothing special for seniors in their trips. You still have to manage your own luggage etc. They won’t collect you from the airport etc. lt isn’t like some travel tours where there is a medical professional on the tour. In fact l haven’t been advised if the tour leader has first aid qualifications. If you’re a Senior you wouldn’t want to get stuck somewhere trying to sort out a problem yourself would you! And check out if they have professional membership with the Australian Federation for Travel Agents- l can’t find any reference to a professional affiliation.

Never book with this company – I would never recommend using this travel agency. I have had two tours cancelled by them. This was after I had to confirm booking myself a couple of weeks before the tour was due to begin. They have had my full tour payment for two years after I agreed to the second tour with a credit. I am still waiting for my refund in full.

Hard work has paid off and our clients are happy – So, thank you so much for all of your work on this group. From Bill K professor at Lee University The journey has been amazing, Sue. My only concern at this point is that several have decided they don't want to leave NZ. I might have to drag a couple kicking and screaming to the plane once it is time to depart. But until then we are going… Read more

to soak up every minute. The two suppers so far, by the way, have been extraordinary!

Thanks so much for your role in making this happen.

Thank you Aline for your patience with me in the planning stages J

Sue

This not for profit educational travel company booked a group of College students on Educational Study tour of New Zealand. Odyssey Traveller managed the entire trip for the group who travelled in April 2017.

Avoid Odyssey Travellers – I would suggest that you avoid Odyssey Travel Australia. I have found their customer service is really very poor. I am a seasoned traveler (50 years!) and have never before been treated the way Odyssey has. They are unresponsive--emails and phone calls go unacknowledged and unreturned for days. When response is received is curt to the point of… Read more

rudeness. This seems particularly so if the customer is dealing through a travel agency, I sometimes do and sometimes don't but on this occasion in the hopes of making it simpler for Odyssey I used the same agent as my proposed travel companion who lives in another country. Odyssey appear to so dislike dealing with travel agents that they are prepared to offer incentives and discounts to get a customer to not use an agent! They are also incompetent, they lost my deposit for a month despite the fact that I had made a bank-to-bank transfer directly to their account exactly as they had instructed on their invoice. The same thing happened to my proposed travel companion, so this was no isolated mistake. Odyssey then demanded that we each obtain proof from our banks that the money had been transferred. When that was obtained at our own expense Odyssey replied curtly and rudely that in future my money should not be sent directly to their bank (despite that being printed on their invoice for payment) but should be sent to the travel agent my travel companion was using. This would entail me incurring two sets of bank fees and suffering two exchange rate changes.

Scotland island hopping more than we expected – This would be one of the best trips we've ever been on, the leader Peter was very knowledgeable and went out of his way to make this tour exciting and educational. Accomodation was excellent, program was well organized and with many meals included quite economical. company was great and George the bus driver from Rabbies Tours was also excellent. … Read more

We will certainly be booking with Odyseey in the future. Excellent well prepared leader who even rang us at home to intoduce himself before the trip. Some times we didn't have quite enough time in some towns/villages to look around.

not happy with company – My Mother was all prepared for her trip with Odyssey to Greece. This WAS her trip of a life time, and had all ready been paying on it for almost a year. She opted out of the $900 travel insurance as she had already pushed her budget. 3 weeks out she broke her ankle and had to have surgery. Odyssey made no effort to give her any options, they could… Read more

not accommodate her with crutches, would not change her flight, or allow her to transfer the name of her stay to a friend who could take her place. Nothing. We heard a lot of CAN'T, which most of us know as wont. We felt if she had opted to travel with a smaller company, this experience would be different. They are after all they are making plenty of money on her, couldn't they have made some effort? I am blown away a the lack of human warmth of this company.

Not as good as we expected – Two of us took the 24-day Grecian Odyssey tour with cruise in 2010. The tour was less enjoyable and less informative than a comparable tour we had taken to Turkey using a competing agent the prior year. Not too expensive. We went to all the sites and locations advertised. The tour was lead by a person who had not lead this tour many times before… Read more

and who did not know the country well. They did not speak any Greek. The local guide was accredited and experienced in Ancient Greek history, but had tunnel vision about other periods and about non-Greek history. Some of his advice proved to be faulty on examination later.