Home > Compare Tour & Adventure Operators > Insight Vacations vs Tauck
Insight Vacations vs Tauck
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Insight Vacations and Tauck.The Low Down
Upmarket coach touring, with 4.5+ star accommodation, maximum group sizes of 40 on a full size coach and more leisurely paced touring itineraries. The pricing of Insight's trips tends to attract travellers in their 60's and 70's. If you're tall, then you should seriously consider Insight, as their coaches been reconfigured to allow up to twice as much legroom as on a standard coach. Insight have recently launched trips through South America, and expanded their range of Gold Luxury Vacations, where you can expect the ultimate in luxury and refinement.We find that the feedback we get back from past clients is sometimes a little critical, and we feel this is because of the very high standard some of our clients are expecting due to Insight's positioning in the market. On every multi-day journey, there will always be little annoyances, but as a whole package the team here definitely recommend Insight worthy of your consideration. If you've travelled with any of its sister brands like AAT Kings, Trafalgar or Uniworld further savings are available.
New to the Australian market in 2017, Tauck began operations in the US over 90 years ago. Offering premium river cruises, land tours, small ship cruises, family adventures and small group journeys around the world. You won't find too many Aussies and Kiwis on their trips yet, as they have only recently opened an office Downunder, but Tauck are renowned for the quality and inclusiveness of their trips, whether they are on land or water. Stats
No. of Trips
419
No. of Departures
5,148
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$684
Accommodation
4 - 4.5 Star
Budget
Premium
No. of Trips
205
No. of Departures
3,741
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$1,244
Accommodation
4.5 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
At Insight Vacations we have been creating magical travel experiences for over 40 years, showcasing the most outstanding destinations and curated experiences in Europe and North America.
Why are we different to any other operator? It’s our unique Insight experiences. It’s our authentic and varied dining options, it’s travelling in smaller groups on customised coaches with twice the legroom, it’s staying in the right hotels in the right location, all brought together seamlessly by our exceptional travel directors. In essence: All the sights, and the insights….up close and personal…in comfort and style.
Travel is such a joy and a personal passion for myself and every member of our team. We’re so proud of the quality, service and value we provide and invite you to try it for yourself. Talk to Global Journeys to find out more about travelling in style and booking your next holiday with Insight Vacations.
We believe that when you travel, you should never settle for ordinary. You deserve to travel in good company, with someone who cares. We believe that good value sells itself – you should get what you pay for, and then some, in one upfront price with virtually everything included. Leave your worries at home; we take on all the planning, all the logistics. To you, it’s peace of mind travel, to us, it’s 90+ years of integrity.
Wherever we travel, we’re all about taking you to explore the world’s treasures….discover people and cultures you may not have known existed…and experience extraordinary, life-changing moments. Since 1925, we’ve built our company on the personal referrals and recommendations of our guests. We can think of no higher testament to our journeys and commitment to customer satisfaction – and no better way to tell you what we do than through their words.
Recent Reviews
4.5
Winter Wonderland tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland 0 Elizabeth and Daniel, NSW, Australia, Dec 2024
Booked through Global journeys for our Insight Vacation Tour and did not disappoint. GJ were so helpful with answering questions and helping get us organised. The tour with Insight was a winter wonderland snapshot. It snowed and the scenery and experiences were magical. The accommodation was excellent. We made friends with other people on the tour. ...read more Lots of experiences to cherish.
This tour is a great way to see the wonders of ancient Egypt. The Valley of the Kings excursion was a highlight for us, plus the (optional but worth the $$$) trip to Abu SImbel. Cairo and its traffic are chaotic but the Marriott was an excellent respite. Internal flights were OK, but the security setup at airports can be challenging so make sure you ...read more allow lots of time before departure. Georgie and GJ were very helpful prior to our journey.
As per our last trips with Insight Vacations the East Coast USA was another winner. From the beautiful vistas of Bar Harbour and Arcadia National Park, the charm of Boston, the eye-opening hustle bustle of New York, to the historical places encompassing the majestic Washington DC the trip filled all our expectations. The tour director and coach driver ...read more met all our expectations built from previous Insight trips, the chosen sites for touring and the included dinner meals locations were both 1st class and iconic. We only had 16 travellers on our trip which made it a delightful personal experience.
This tour of Germany was absolutely delightful. The tour included a great variety of interesting historical sites and quaint, picturesque fairy tale towns. Thought Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Heidelberg were particularly special. The schedule was full as there were so many wonderful places to visit but did not feel rushed. Carl our Travel Director ...read more was outstanding! Highly professional, responsive, organised, knowledgeable and attentive to our every need. He ensured everything ran smoothly and was clearly explained ahead of time. Johann our driver also did a great job.
On most mornings, we departed the hotel at 8am which was perfect - not too early to wake up and also meant we arrived at the sites before the crowds. Regular and well-timed rest stops were also beneficial. Most hotels were located right in the centre of town so we were able to explore and have dinner in the town without having to worry about catching public transport or a taxi into town. All hotels included a full buffet breakfast. Coach was spacious and had free wifi and sockets to charge our mobile phones. Recommend doing this tour if you want to explore a variety of Germany towns and regions.
On most mornings, we departed the hotel at 8am which was perfect - not too early to wake up and also meant we arrived at the sites before the crowds. Regular and well-timed rest stops were also beneficial. Most hotels were located right in the centre of town so we were able to explore and have dinner in the town without having to worry about catching public transport or a taxi into town. All hotels included a full buffet breakfast. Coach was spacious and had free wifi and sockets to charge our mobile phones. Recommend doing this tour if you want to explore a variety of Germany towns and regions.
Touring the National Parks was brilliant. The tour guide was great as was the driver of our coach. Insight did not disappoint, To see the abundance of wild life so often was an added bonus that we did not anticipate. And of course booking our tour with Global Journeys was brilliant, just like all our previous dealing with them.
Everything about this tour was excellent. Coach was very comfortable, only 1 hotel in Rome was very tiny the rest were good. Tour guide very knowledgeable and caring. The itinerary was just right and not rushed. Global Journeys "Georgie" did an excellent job of our selection process, we'll be going with her next time we book. Insight vacations of course. ...read more They're the best.
4.7
The poor weather (rain, cold and wind) was a distraction throughout the tour which, unfortunately, had a negative effect on many of the venues. It made the tour guides jobs particularly difficult. Not Tauck's problem but, nonetheless, it was unfortunate as it negatively impacted the tour. When we booked this tour, we compared it to another Tauck Eastern ...read more European tour referred to as a Jewish Heritage Tour. As we are are not of Jewish faith, we felt that this tour would not be meaningful to us. In hindsight, we are not sure that the tour we chose would have been much different from the Jewish Heritage Tour. Most of the members in our tour group were in fact Jewish and the focus of the tour definitely was on the Jewish faith and the Holocaust. I would like to suggest that Tauck make more of an effort to differentiate between these two tours. There is much to consider in an Eastern European tour that does not focus so highly on the Jewish heritage.
On a very positive note, the local tour guides were excellent, very knowledgeable, courteous and friendly. Our Tauck Tour Guide was also excellent with extensive experience in Eastern Europe. One final negative comment, unfortunately. Even though we realize that Tauck does not make hotel room assignments, we feel that they can do a much better job of influencing the hotels on our stay to provide rooms that are more comparable to the cost of our tour. We have not once during our Tauck tours been assigned a hotel room with a view of anything but rooftops of adjacent buildings or a view of another section of the hotel itself. That's not what we feel we deserve for the money we pay for these tours. On a closing note, we are booked on our next Tauck tour to Portugal in October and plan to book a follow-on Tauck tour to New Zealand on 2024.
On a very positive note, the local tour guides were excellent, very knowledgeable, courteous and friendly. Our Tauck Tour Guide was also excellent with extensive experience in Eastern Europe. One final negative comment, unfortunately. Even though we realize that Tauck does not make hotel room assignments, we feel that they can do a much better job of influencing the hotels on our stay to provide rooms that are more comparable to the cost of our tour. We have not once during our Tauck tours been assigned a hotel room with a view of anything but rooftops of adjacent buildings or a view of another section of the hotel itself. That's not what we feel we deserve for the money we pay for these tours. On a closing note, we are booked on our next Tauck tour to Portugal in October and plan to book a follow-on Tauck tour to New Zealand on 2024.
Denali was spectacular and thoroughly enjoyed the plane ride up over Denali. The trip into the park was also great and we did see some bears and Dall sheep way off into the distance. The Lodges were all Princess Lodges and were very crowded. Quite a number of us caught COVID so didn't make the cruise which was very disappointing but enjoyed what we ...read more did see.
Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We had a great Tour Director and everything was well organised. She gave very informative information on the places we were visiting and had a great sense of humour. The accommodations were fabulous and there was a great group of people on the tour.
Overall, a wonderful experience. We must start with kudos to both Jemma and Hannah for all the support, help and advice you gave us throughout the booking process. Yes, we will book with you again and are now looking at Tauck tours to Australia, New Zealand and or Tasmania in 2023.
Our tour to Ireland was number one on our Bucket List and we were ...read more not disappointed. Vincent, our tour guide was a treasure of information on Ireland's history and overall knowledge of the political, economic and societal struggles that have plagued Ireland's history. Also, his knowledge of each of the sites we visited on tour was extraordinary. He truly deserves to be a "Keeper" for Tauck.
There are, however, two recommendations for consideration that would change our overall rating to five stars instead of four. First, the Westin Dublin was not what we expected of our accommodations. It was below the standard of other Westin hotels we have used over the years. Unfortunately, we had complaints that we registered with our tour guide and the hotel management. Compared with all other hotels we stayed in during our tour, the Westin was at the very bottom.
Secondly, the amount of time we spent on the limousine bus was excessive. We covered a huge amount of The Republic of Ireland's and Northern Ireland's geography and transit times to each destination were often at times too long. Due to the necessity to keep on track with our itinerary, we felt that the amount of time we were allotted at some of our stops was minimized. Again, a wonderful experience that took Bill back to his Irish roots!
Our tour to Ireland was number one on our Bucket List and we were ...read more not disappointed. Vincent, our tour guide was a treasure of information on Ireland's history and overall knowledge of the political, economic and societal struggles that have plagued Ireland's history. Also, his knowledge of each of the sites we visited on tour was extraordinary. He truly deserves to be a "Keeper" for Tauck.
There are, however, two recommendations for consideration that would change our overall rating to five stars instead of four. First, the Westin Dublin was not what we expected of our accommodations. It was below the standard of other Westin hotels we have used over the years. Unfortunately, we had complaints that we registered with our tour guide and the hotel management. Compared with all other hotels we stayed in during our tour, the Westin was at the very bottom.
Secondly, the amount of time we spent on the limousine bus was excessive. We covered a huge amount of The Republic of Ireland's and Northern Ireland's geography and transit times to each destination were often at times too long. Due to the necessity to keep on track with our itinerary, we felt that the amount of time we were allotted at some of our stops was minimized. Again, a wonderful experience that took Bill back to his Irish roots!
Fantastic company and nice staff on board. We never had to ask for anything... it was all offered on a plate. Very good service and Global Journeys handled the booking and delivered all the required paperwork.
Our experience was an intriguing and memorable holiday on our Portrait of India tour. From the moment we arrived until we boarded our plane to leave, we didn’t have to worry about a thing as everything was taken care of. The accommodation was superb and we visited some magnificent places and sites along with a couple of real surprises. The Taj Mahal ...read more and Varanasi were highlights along with lunch cooked cooked by a famous local in her home. Our tour guide was very interesting and informative throughout our journey and we would recommend this trip to our friends.
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