TripADeal Reviews 844

We’ve just returned to Melbourne after what was supposed to be a relaxing 9-night family getaway at Ramayana Suites & Resort, booked through TripADeal. Unfortunately, it turned out to be anything but relaxing.

The property — advertised as 5-star — was in poor condition. Our room had visible mould on the walls, tiles, curtains, and in the air-conditioning unit, which caused our daughter to develop allergic skin reactions, requiring daily antihistamines. The towels were torn, the sink was blocked, the shower barely functioned, and the smell in the room was musty and persistent. No family should have to endure these conditions, let alone in a place marketed as luxury.

We raised our concerns with TripADeal while still in Bali, calling nearly every day, and were assured the matter was being looked into. However, no real action was taken. Instead, we were later told that a refund wasn’t possible because we had “used the services” — a claim we’ve since disproven with evidence of unused meal vouchers that have been returned.

To make matters worse, the meal voucher incident was humiliating. After initially offering them as a goodwill gesture, the hotel retracted them without explanation, only to return them again. When we went to redeem one at the restaurant, we were told after placing our order that it only covered two people. A staff member asked me to leave the table in front of others to “sort it out” at reception, which was completely unnecessary and embarrassing.

I underwent a surgery on 8th May, and this was our one and only holiday this year — a time we’d hoped to unwind and recover as a family. Instead, it added more stress and health issues than any of us deserved.

Whats even more shocking is that TripADeal continues to list this hotel as a premium property, and yet they’ve shown little urgency or responsibility in addressing our complaint. We’re now formally pursuing a refund and compensation, and escalating this to ATAS and the ACCC

Updated response to your reply -

Absolutely zero effort from your team to resolve this. The offered $200 voucher towards the next booking is downright embarrassing.
Stop replying here as if you can even remotely resonate to our issues!

This trop was well planned and carried out. Hotels were acceptable and some very acceptable. Guides were also there to please and gave us extra activities along the way. However, at one if these extras in India, I was taken for a ride costing me $700. I was quoted a price in Australian dollars and of course shown it in rupees. Not being truely conversant with the exchange rate I proceeded. In fact they had inflated the amount by $700. Arts and Life in Agra were the company. BE WARNED!!

My daughter and I travelled with TripADeal to Japan and South Korea in November 2024. Overall, it was a fun experience and a great way to see both countries, especially as it was our first time visiting them. The itinerary was a little rushed at times, but that's understandable given how much there was to fit into the schedule.

However, one important issue stood out: the physical demands of the tour were not clearly communicated beforehand. Many of the excursions involved walking up and down steep hills and navigating uneven terrain. Unfortunately, some elderly guests struggled to keep up and even had to miss parts of the tour. I feel that TripADeal should have informed travelers in advance that a reasonable level of physical fitness would be required.

While I enjoyed the trip overall, I am disappointed with the handling of the Qantas Frequent Flyer points promotion. The tour was advertised as offering 3 Qantas points for every dollar spent, which was part of the appeal when booking. However, after returning home, I never received the points. Despite several emails and phone calls, I was informed that it could take 8–10 months after lodging an enquiry to process the points. This was never mentioned when booking, and I feel it is both unethical and unfair to advertise a promotion without properly delivering on it in a timely manner. I have been told the delay is due to Qantas Frequent Flyer, but shifting the blame does not excuse the lack of clear communication.

TripADeal has potential, and the tours themselves are enjoyable if you're prepared for the pace. However, based on this experience, I would advise others to be cautious about relying on advertised promotions and to inquire thoroughly about physical requirements before booking.

Grand Japan with cherry blossoms. We loved the trip and will be doing future tours with TripADeal. Our guide Eddie was amazing- calm, organised, so knowledgeable. Accomodation was satisfactory, with small rooms but it is Japan so to be expected- could have a bath every night to relax after busy days. We did most optional tours except for in Kyoto where we did the same for about $20 AUD (if you’re happy to navigate local trains). Our group were all lovely, punctual and respectful. Only negative was so long driving stretches but you do get to see beautiful scenery from the bus. We added on 4 nights in Tokyo at the end and I highly recommend this. I’m tempted to go back in autumn one day and would use TAD for sure.

I asked for a quote for a tour in Kenya, then asked to add a tour in Egypt which commenced just after the Kenya tour finished. I was quoted full price for each tour, each tour having 'flights included' component. I questioned why I was being charged for the flights in the Egypt tour and was told it was a package deal. After some to and fro emails I was offered a $1200 flight credit against the Egypt tour. This was only about half of what the flight cost component would be. Trip a Deal were keeping the rest. Something very wrong here, perhaps illegal in some way?

Disappointed there was a difference in the initial ‘tour inclusions’ document received to the final itinerary provided. The change in the tour plans meant we missed a visit to Genoa city which was disappointing. Overall the trip was enjoyable and ran smoothly. The MSC excursions were well worth the extra $$.

Appreciated the response on return from Trip A Deal, to acknowledge the inconsistency in the tour details provided.

I have just completed the Spirits of South America (25 days) with an extension of Galapagos islands (7 days) with Trip A Deal between 03 Mar and 04 Apr 2025. I will honestly review the package based on the following criteria: tour organisation, flights, hotels, and optional tours.
In terms of tour organisation, Trip A Deal did a good job. At every destination, regardless of the time of arrival, a Tour Leader will be there to greet you and collect you to the hotel. They are spot on with time. All Tour Leaders are good and courteous.
Flights are not good though as Trip A Deal used many stopover flights as possible and the departure time mostly was in the early hours of the morning (1:30-3:30AM), and the transit time was awful. For example, our trip from Sydney-Santiago-Lima-Quito had 8h waiting in Santiago (and during this 8 h waiting we had seen at least 2 flights from Santiago to Lima were scheduled and we did not understand why Trip A Deal could not get us on those flights so we could get to the destinations earlier to rest), 3h waiting plus 1h delay in Lima and we arrived in Quito 2:30AM. All up, from door to door from Sydney to Quito, almost 31 h !!! At the destination, people slept through their breakfast time as they were so exhausted. I wish Trip A Deal will have this into considerations when organising tours for their customers who are in their 60-70s and who are most likely to be able to pay for escorted tours more than other group ages.
Hotels on the other hand is good. They are 3- to 3 plus stars as advertised. I don’t have any issue with their chosen hotels.
Optional tours on Free days. During our entire trip (32 days) we had 6 full free days and 4-5 half free days where we could do optional tours, When I was in Sydney, I was explained that if I paid for the tours at the time pf booking, the prices would be cheaper than at the destinations, also the availability will be guaranteed. However, in reality this is not the case. The tours at destinations were plenty to choose from, and the prices were only ½ or 1/3 of the advertised prices in Sydney. So future travellers, bear this in mind and you will save LOTS of money ($$$$$) !!! Also, Trip A Deal please consider quality tours as some are not worth for their money at all (for example Quito City Tour of US$ 75 is not worth its value at all, where visited the cathedral but could not enter !)
So overall, I will travel with Trip A Deal again provided that the flight issues will be fixed (less stopovers and shorter transit time, YES, you can do that easily). I gave you 3 stars generously !!!!

Stay well away from this company take heed of the bad reviews. We did Grand Japan and they falsely advertised the fitness levels and do not assess their third party suppliers adequately. I know they have to make a buck but you are thrown to the wolves with these so called tour guides. Dreadful experience very rushed. Japan is not suitable for a bus tour you are better off using bullet trains and avoid this company

This was our 1st Trip A Deal and overall it was much better than expected. We had good flights with Singapore Airlines and were able to pre -select seats. Our guide Jeremy spoke good English and was a wealth of knowledge about the country and its people, and he was always willing to assist and to ensure we had a good trip.
We had a spacious bus with good driver and assistant. Hotels and breakfasts were excellent except for The Hill Club - the food there is not good and there are much better options a short walk away. We were disappointed we didn’t go to The Grand Hotel as listed for high tea - the high tea we had at Jetwing St Andrew’s was disappointing - the location was ordinary and the food wasn’t fresh. We also had a high tea at the Shereton Kosgoda (not included) and it was amazing -fresh and beautifully presented with great attention to detail.
Of the listed hotels we only got one - the rest were similar and very good, but the one we got Heritance Kandalama we absolutely loved. We had a lovely group and saw and experienced so many things. We covered everything on the itinerary and more, despite having a week of rain showers and some very hot days in the 40’s.
You need some cash and it is easy to exchange Australian dollars for Rupees at the airport, or use an ATM in Kandy or larger towns.
We swam in the ocean at Yala, Galle and Kosgoda and in most of the hotel pools which were clean and lovely.
The only negative was trying to contact Trip A Deal with a question prior to the tour and not getting an acknowledgement of your question or a response.
On tour it was the opposite - our leader would willingly assist with any question or request!
Overall great value for money and a wonderful country to visit, and we loved our trip.

Looked at making a booking South America and was sent a quote, then went back and asked for international flights to be deleted, trip a deal flight team internally advised the agent $4,150 to be deducted
4/4 I received a quote
8/4 I went to pay and quote stated expired
quote says subject to price change or missing out.
when I called 9/4 I am now advised they made a mistake and it is now only $2075 off as they made an internal mistake
now they say they will give me $200 to acknowledge their mistake.
Note it was their mistake and they will not honour the price

even their response to trust pilot was dismissive and factually incorrect and a changing story to suit themselves .

My 3rd with Trip a Deal. What a fabulous trip. So many amazing experiences saunas, ice water plunge, Northern lights, husky sled ride, reindeer sled, snow mobiles, sleeping in the glass topped igloos, Santa's village, dancing in the snow fall and the ABBA museum!!. phew so many adventures. The Sami experience was very informative &
moving. The beautiful soul Anna will always hold a place in my heart. Highly recommend. Marcello was a gem, informative, funny and knew how to read the crowd. He loves to share lollies!! Our driver was fantastic. Thanks trip a deal for arranging a special gift in my room for my Birthday. It's those things that make it extra special. Not forgetting Marcello with the candle cup cakes and the Birthday song on the bus. I meet the most entertaing, fabulous people on this trip and we all hope to travel together again. Off to research my next trip.

My trip to Lapland was truly amazing from the get go. Met Christina at the airport and then met Marcello at the hotel, who I must say was polite, funny and knows what he’s talking about. Our driver was very friendly, hotels were centrally located, the food was top class and the cinnamon buns were delicious. Thank you TripaDeal for a fantastic holiday.

This tour was an over the top bucket list trip for me and it delivered ten fold. From being met in Helsinki by Christina and then meeting our tour guide Marcello, I knew it was going to be a great trip. The accommodation, the food, the bus driver and the excursions were excellent. Marcello knows his stuff and is very knowledgeable and very funny. I could not fault this tour at all. A fantastic time had.

I booked a trip to India and Sri-Lanka!
From weather organisation and group harmony!
It was perfect!
A big contrast between India and SriLanka!
Very good price!
Thank you very much!

Fabulous experience. Great group of people. Tour guides were great especially Hi North Vietnam and Bounny in Cambodia. Itinerary was excellent even though long bus trips to new destinations but all well worth it. Vietnam History was hard to comprehend. Cu chi tunnels an experience. The resilience of Vietnamese people is nothing short of admirable. Loved all the places we visited especially the eco resort in Pulong, the walking tour. Great party night across the road would recommend this restaurant. Ninh Binh fabulous rooms and breakfast. Ha long bay cruise a highlight. Saigon and Hanoi were fab, old market place experience. We stayed in great areas. Beautiful lighting at night, very colourful and fun night life. Hà Nội amazing, resort even though 5 ⭐️ was old but still very comfortable and restaurants round the corner - beautiful food. Have a drink at a beach bar, relax around the pool and fabulous Tailors for clothes. My Son amazing - 12th century temple. Ba Na hills very touristy, cable cars and architectural brilliance, golden hands bridge - just WOW!
We loved Cambodia, Siem Reap was relaxed and chilled. Beautiful people. Angkor Wat a must as is walking through the killing fields memorial. Khmer Rouge very cruel, inhumane treatment, atrocities hard to believe, part of Cambodian history that can’t be forgotten. We had an amazing trip, fast paced, but would thoroughly recommend. Trip a Deal was well organised. We have given only 4 stars because we felt the food was too westernised given the group we travelled with and would recommend options for spicy traditional Vietnamese food. Thank-you for a wonderful experience.

My first and last tripadeal trip.
I did not receive the package until 2 weeks before departure. I then had to scramble to get a visa on time.
My flight had me departing from Brisbane to Sydney??? to then take a flight from Sydney to Vietnam.
The return flight was to Melbourne?? and then Brisbane. I live on the Gold Coast, so this was a real inconvenience.
The trip to Halong Bay would be better if it could be on day 3 instead of day 2, especially as the flight does not arrive until late in the evening.
Guides happy to tell us about the tips we have to pay them. They actually come around and collect it from you in the bus. We don't normally tip in Australia, but I am happy to tip where I think it is deserved, but these guides expect it.
There are many extra excursions not listed in the package that Tripadeal send out. So, expect to need a lot more money than what you have budgeted or taken with you.
And finally, I flew back on March 10, just at the tail end of the cyclone that devastated the Gold Coast.
I would have expected any travel company to reach out and offer to adjust my flight so that I could get back home as soon as possible. But of course that was wishful thinking. When I got to Melbourne, I went to the Virgin counter and pleaded with them to send me straight to the Gold Coast and not to Brisbane (trains were not running from Brisbane to the GC).
Big shout out to Virgin who got me home probably a day earlier than my scheduled flights.

Dear TripADeal Customer Service,

I am writing to formally express my deep disappointment with my recent holiday booked through TripADeal. Having previously enjoyed four wonderful trips with your company, I had high expectations. However, this experience was nothing short of a nightmare from start to finish, filled with poor service, misleading information, and an overall lack of value for money.

1. Poor Cruise Experience
Despite being advertised as recently refurbished, the cruise ship was far from what was promised. The entire ship was permeated with a strong sewerage odour, making it an extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant experience. The conditions on board were unacceptable, and the so-called refurbishments did nothing to improve the hygiene or atmosphere.

Additionally, we paid extra to upgrade our meals, expecting better dining options. However, we were served the exact same food every day for five consecutive days. This was not only disappointing but completely unacceptable given the upgrade fees.

2. Misleading Tour Guide & Deceptive Charges
Our guide, Molly, misled us into purchasing an optional tour of an ancient town, costing 280 RMB per person. She specifically assured us that the tour included an exclusive lunch in the middle of a garden. However, what we received was entirely different:

We were taken to a substandard restaurant instead of the promised scenic garden setting and served with pathetic food. Every one of us lodged the protest with her.

Upon arriving at the ancient town, we realized that entry was free and that even those who did not pay for the tour were able to enter.

This was a clear case of misrepresentation and deception, as we were charged for an experience that was freely available to all travellers. Please refund this money otherwise, we are planning to lodge a class action against Tripadeal to recover our money.

Furthermore, Molly’s behaviour regarding mandatory tipping was both aggressive and inappropriate. Despite TripADeal advertising that tipping is discretionary, we were forced to pay a fixed amount of $72 per person. Molly insisted that it had to be exactly $72 and not $70, intimidating passengers and maintaining a list to ensure compliance. Such coercion is unacceptable, and if tipping is, in fact, mandatory, it should be transparently included in the advertised tour cost so customers are fully informed in advance.

3. Wasted Days & Poor Itinerary Planning
Out of our 8-day tour, 2 days were completely wasted due to inefficient planning:

Instead of an unnecessary 7-hour train journey, a short flight to Yi Chung could have been arranged, saving valuable time.

On the final day, we were dropped at the airport at 9 AM, despite our flight being scheduled for 6 PM. This meant that an entire day was wasted when a city tour or another activity could have been included to maximize our experience.

4. Overall Experience & Future Travel with TripADeal
This trip has left us feeling frustrated, misled, and disappointed. While our previous experiences with TripADeal were wonderful, this holiday was the worst we have ever had, and it has made us reconsider ever booking with your company again. The lack of transparency, poor service, and misleading practices have severely damaged our trust.

I strongly urge TripADeal to:

Investigate the deceptive sales tactics used by the tour guide Molly and ensure future travellers are not misled.

Reconsider how tipping is advertised and implemented, ensuring travellers are not forced into additional hidden costs.

Improve itinerary planning to ensure customers receive value for their time and money.

Provide a refund or compensation for the misrepresented ancient town tour.

I expect a prompt response addressing these issues and outlining what steps will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.

Ashish helped me for the cheapest tickets

Our Tour - 2 for 1 Warriors of China was very well organised, and very busy. Be prepared to do the optional excursions as the accommodation is too far away from the locations. Another point is to be prepared for the hard sell when attending the included activities. If travelling on the bullet train, in your luggage do not carry any aerosols over 150g/ml, and any scissors with longer than 60mm blades as they will removed.

Went to China last week. Hotels and guides were superb. Only hotel breakfasts were included. Gratuity was not optional, just a late payment. There were regular on the spot extras for cable car, head phones etc
Significantly, for the Hangpu Night Cruise (280RMB Option) where trip a deal provided standing room only. We could pay an extra 50RMP on the boat and buy a seat. That was disappointing.