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Odysseys Unlimited   Reviews

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Reviews 3.3.

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Date of experience : November 06, 2023

This was our second tour with Odysseys

This was our second tour with Odysseys - Egypt ( the first being Peru and Machu Picchu). Both excellent. Well organized with knowledgeable tour directors. Any questions we had were answered promptly and effectively. Happy to recommend and use again.

Date of experience : March 15, 2023

Reply from Odysseys Unlimited

We greatly appreciate your recommendation - thank you. We look forward to welcoming you on tour again.

Excellent travel experiences

We have traveled with Odysseys Unlimited several times, most recently Costa Rica Dec 2022 and Croatia May 2023. Highly reccomended.

Date of experience : May 20, 2023

Thank you for the vote of confidence. We appreciate your patronage and hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again.

My tour was delayed almost for a month

My tour was delayed almost for a month. First and last tour with Odysseys. Delay is only problem. But still a big one

Date of experience : July 12, 2023

Hello, If you could please provide more information, we'd be happy to look into this for you. At this time, there is no record of you having traveled with Odysseys Unlimited. Thank you.

We had an excellent tour with them

We had an excellent tour with them to Türkiye. Great service, great tour guide, good price.

Date of experience : May 21, 2023

We're delighted that you enjoyed your tour. Thank you for your review.

Worst company I ever used

I am 77 years old and have been travelling for over 50 years and taken over 100 trips. I have made 3 complaints and 2 were about Odyssey. I took their Africa Wildlife tour in Nov. 2022. There were hundreds of bugs in our tent and I took pics and sent them to Odyssey. That was the 1st complaint. They gave me a credit of $150 and because I loved the tour itself and because they changed the bug lodge, I took it again in Nov. 2023. This was the 2nd complaint. 1st trip 14 hour thru NY then non stop to Africa, great. 2nd trip 36 hours in airports and on planes. They sent me, 77 years old on a 12.5 flight to Doha, with a 10 HOUR LAYOVER, then 8.5 more to Africa. I tried to change this flight but they refused and told me, rudely, that I could get my own flights if I didn't like it. I literally could barely walk when I got off the plane and had to be lifted into the van to the hotel and could not even go on the tour the next day. The first trip the guide was great. The second trip - NO. He encouraged bullying among the women, mostly against me since I do not engage in that behavior. The tour was 10 people, mostly elderly women. This 2nd guide just sat there and let people bully others. Disgusting man. Then he tried to leave the tour early and told us he would leave us in a hotel day room and someone would pick us up and take us to the airport. I found this out because I asked why I would get a day room at the end of the tour for 2 hours in Zambia but no day room for a 10 hour layover in Doha. He said the Zambia airport was easy to get around - this was not true. Others complained so he decided he better stay but he was going to abandon elderly travelers in a strange airport in a foreign country. One of the women had already fallen down a moving escalator and had to call paramedics but in spite of that, he was going to leave us. I cannot walk thru airports and have to have a wheelchair because I have plates and screws holding my foot together. This guy left me to fend for myself while he helped everyone else check in. On the 1st tour in 2022 I gave the tour guide $150 tip. I gave the 2nd guy nothing. And I know that the 6 old ladies only gave him a $25 tip each. Karma. hahaha abandon us in Excuses excuses excuses. You would think they had sense enough not to send a 77 year old woman on a 36 hour trip and not provide a day room for the 10 HOUR LAYOVER. When I called they rudely told me I could buy my own ticket if I didn't like it. And the director only stayed with the tour because everyone complained that he could not abandon us, mostly older women, in an undeveloped country where very few spoke English. And if the guide was so great, why did they only give him a $25 tip when you recommend $10-15 a day. AND, even if you did send the flights in August, I had already paid the full price of the trip and you would not refund my money. Again, WORST COMPANY EVER.

Date of experience : November 02, 2023

We are glad to hear that you enjoyed our Africa’s Wildlife tour when you first took it back in 2022, though regret that you had a difficult experience during your most recent trip. We would again like to extend our sincere apologies for any dissatisfaction caused by the included flight arrangements. As we discussed with you, we work with tour operator tickets that allow us to provide excellent value to our guests. However, these contracts do come with restrictions regarding the flights that we are able to book. We always do our best to obtain the most direct routing with sufficient connection times within the limitations of these contracts; the availability of certain routings ultimately varies between airlines. Flight arrangements are sent to guests approximately two and a half months prior to departure. These arrangements are, however, preliminary. If guests are unhappy with their flight schedule, we can explore other options. That said, we confirmed that your preliminary airline was emailed to you in August, but we did not hear from you until a month and a half later; by that time, we were no longer able to make changes within our airline contracts. Additionally, we do offer a “land only” option for our tours, knowing that guests may prefer to make their own air arrangements. We do highly recommend this option for guests who wish to have any aspect of the flights guaranteed or have flight itineraries released in advance of our schedule with the airlines. In regard to your comments regarding your tour director, please be assured that, in the past, his performance has been superior; otherwise, we would not have entrusted your group to him. That said, one of our senior staff has addressed your concerns with him to ensure that guests receive the highest level of care throughout the duration of their tour. I would be remiss if I did not note though, that your tour director did remain with the group for the scheduled tour; it is customary to part ways at the Lusaka airport before the return flight home. Individual flight arrangements vary, and the tour director remained, as planned, to bid all guests farewell. However, certainly you should always feel cared for and have everything you need prior to departure. Thank you for all of your feedback. We regret that you did not have a more positive experience.

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by Margaret Backenheimer and J.D. Brown

eFlyer Reviews

After a lifetime of hardscrabble independent travel, of finding our own way in distant places and wasting long hours wandering and lost, we decided to treat ourselves to a guided group tour of Egypt. We would take it easy this time and be led from pyramid to sphinx, tomb to temple, without the least bit of stress or strain. We assumed group travelers were like spoiled children, seeing the world in comfort — how wrong we were.

Our first hint came when we discovered we were the only tour members arriving in Cairo a day early to recover from the long flight. Everyone else in our group of 20 landed the evening before activities began — one couple as late as midnight — and yet there they were, early the next morning, fresh and ready to take on the mummies of the Egyptian Museum and the mosques of the high Citadel of Saladin.

Our guide, Tarek Morsy, was driven by a relentless love for his country, ever eager to show us as much as possible in as great a detail as possible, and his brood of travelers was more than up for an ironclad itinerary. Rising and arriving early at sights was part of the regime. Our troupe boarded the bus at dawn to be first to reach the Giza Plateau for a photo opportunity at the Great Pyramid of Cheops and an up-close look at the Great Sphinx, followed by a camel ride through wind-driven sands.

Our first day of sightseeing was just getting started, though. The afternoon found us winding through the maze of streets in Old Cairo to visit Ben Ezra Synagogue — Egypt’s oldest — and St. Sergius Church, where legend says the Holy Family found shelter in a cave. We were already far ahead on the list of must-see sights we would have covered on our own, and the next morning we faced a 4 a.m. wake-up call for our flight to Aswan. Little enough time for repacking and sleeping, but our travel arrangements were taken care of and we saw plenty in short order, with an expert guide making sense of the exotic attractions as they whirled by.

Landing in Aswan, we headed immediately to the Temple of Philae on an island in Lake Nasser, one of the world’s largest manmade lakes, created by the construction of the Aswan High Dam (1960–1971). This temple and all others we visited over the next four days, including the monumental Abu Simbel complex, were moved to higher ground as water levels rose. To view the transported tombs and temples, we boarded one of a small handful of Lake Nasser riverboats, the M/S Prince Abbas . We selected this Odysseys Unlimited tour because it included two separate Nile cruises — this one on Lake Nasser, the quiet upper reaches of the river, and then a three-night voyage down the more popular and populated Nile from Aswan to Luxor.

When we weren’t taking in the sights, Tarek regaled us with detailed lectures on pharaonic history, hieroglyphics and mythology, as well as stories of his own life in present-day Egypt. It was an education in a complex culture we wouldn’t have acquired traveling on our own. After our first cruise, we crossed the desert sands to begin a second the same day aboard the M/S Royal Lily . For three days we sailed the Nile in luxury from Aswan to Luxor, absorbing a myriad of wonders, fending off zealous vendors at each stop, with Tarek deftly clearing the way and making sure we got the best shopping prices possible.

© J.D. Brown

Docked at Luxor, we immersed ourselves in a place surpassing even Cairo in the number and importance of ancient sights, including the vast grounds of Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings, where we saw Tut himself at rest in his celebrated tomb. In Luxor we indulged in the sort of activities independent travelers relish: a ride along the lush banks of the Nile in a felucca (the traditional small sailing boat of Egypt); a farm lunch at a local home with all products, from potatoes and eggplant to chicken and beef, grown or raised on the family’s four-acre plot; and a harrowing horse-and-carriage ride through Luxor by night. Then it was a morning flight back to Cairo for two more intense days of sightseeing, from the city’s markets to the giant Sphinx at Memphis to the Step Pyramid at Sakkara — once the largest stone structure ever built.

After this 12-day marathon with 19 temples, innumerable monuments and mazes of markets, we were satiated with the sights of Egypt. Would we return to Egypt on our own next time, spending less, meeting locals and experiencing an exotic culture in more depth, but no doubt seeing less of the splendors? Perhaps. But Odysseys Unlimited showed us traveling in small groups offers a multitude of sights and pleasures we wouldn’t have the resources to experience on our own.

Odysseys Unlimited

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Odysseys Unlimited Egypt tour

By Tbird Gal , October 16, 2022 in River Cruising

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Going on our first trip with Odysseys Unlimited and doing the Egypt/Nile river cruise.    Trying to figure out about evening wear on board and if it's very casual or more like smart casual.    We have travelled on several Viking river and ocean, as well as Oceania, Celebrity, etc.   Just trying not to pack clothes I won't use.     The ships are M/S Premium on the Nile and Steigenberger Omar el Khayam on Lake Nasser.     Does anyone know if it's the same evening dress as a Europe river cruise?

Many thanks!

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I don't have an answer, but I would love to hear about this trip. We've travelled with Odysseys a couple times and were just looking at their Egypt offering last night.  

Have you tried posting on the Odysseys forums?  

https://odysseys.forums.net/board/6/africa-middle-east

You'll probably have a better chance of getting specific information there.

Thanks for the forum info!   I didn't even realize there was one.   Just checked and have asked my question.   I'd be happy to let you know about the trip after we return.   There are some excellent reviews and summaries in the Odysseys forum for Egypt.    Not a bad review there!

Did you feel your other Odyssey trips were very casual evening dress?    For dinners out?    Or similar to what you'd wear to a nice restaurant in the US?

We've only done Peru and Provincial France, and both time it was nice but not dressy.  On those trips there is always a mix of meals on your own or group meals -- if they provided lunch (it was normally casual), then you may have been on your own for dinner.  Group dinners tended to be in the (very nice) hotel restaurants when we were outside of a city or town with other options.  Even in Paris, at a restaurant we may have cleaned up but it was still a casual evening.  Egypt may be different.

We have traveled 3 times with Odyssey (not Egypt) and dress has always been casual. I typically wear khakis with a knit shirt.

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OAT vs Odyssey Unlimited - Senior Travel Forum

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We are planning a small group tour to Colombia next year and are trying to decide on a tour company.

We have done a couple of trips with GCT and it appears Odyssey is a little bit more higher end.

Would be very interested in comparisons and recommendations.

We have traveled on several tours with Odysseys Unlimited (OU); good friends of ours have traveled to some of the same countries but with OAT and I agree with your assessment that OU is higher-end. In China, our friends stayed overnight one night in a private home; we visited a private home in a hutong in Beijing for an hour or so and learned about the owner's life there but stayed at a Sofitel. The hotels OU chooses are usually 4-star, occasionally 5-star and, where there is nothing of those classes, "best available". We have had some fine experiences with OU; they employ outstanding tour guides and the itineraries are very thoughtfully constructed. Some tour companies keep costs down by offering optional events at an added charge but OU does not; everything on the itinerary is included. They do, however, give you an afternoon or morning off here and there to explore on your own and also usually only 2 meals/day are included with either lunch or dinner "on your own". We like that as group meals get tiresome for us and we are more adventurous eaters than some. I don't think you'd make a mistake traveling with either company.

Thanks, CV. I appreciate the input, especially about the meals.

My husband asked that I mention one additional thing: he's hard of hearing so the fact that OU uses "Whispers", those radio-frequency hearing devices you hang around your neck w/a small earbud, on all their tours makes it possible for him to hear the commentary of the guide in outdoor settings.

I’m throwing this question out there again with the hopes of getting more feedback by others who have done both OAT and Odyssey. We did Morocco with Odyssey this past spring. It was a fabulous trip with an excellent guide and very high end hotels. Our biggest issue was that it was very educational with very few people to people interactions. We had one lunch with a countess or such and a peek into a classroom. It was a really good tour but, after years of touring, we want more cultural interchange and fewer museums and churches/mosques/stupas/temples!

We are trying to book northern India and really debating between the two companies. We do love the high end but want local interface too. Any thoughts?

Dear CultureVulture60657,

Thank you for your recommendation of Odysseys here - we greatly appreciate it. Thank you, too, for your patronage. We look forward to welcoming you again on a future tour.

Both are very good.

Look at 2018 and 2019 travel schedule.

We plan our trips 12 -16 months in advance

We have traveled to Italy and Iceland with OU and enjoyed both trips. We are going to Costa Rica with OAT this coming March and I have a question about the coaches used. With OU, we enjoyed very spacious buses where most people had two seats to themselves. Can someone describe the smaller buses used on OAT tours? I wonder because on a Road Scholar tour of Cape Cod we were stuffed into tiny 4/4 vehicles when touring the sand dunes. It was extremely difficult to climb over a folded down center-row seat to get into the 3rd row seats. And all seats were 3 across. I hope the OAT buses have at least a center aisle with access to all rows of seats. Thanks for any advice or opinions.

Hello, I travelled with OAT in Costa Rica two years ago. The bus was very comfortable with a center aisle and most of us had two seats to use. I enjoyed that trip very much and learned a lot. I hope you have as much fun!

Thank you very much for your feedback. I'm very excited about the trip.

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My odyssey tours, overseas adventure travel.

Odysseys Unlimited   Reviews

In the Travel & Vacation category

Visit this website

Company activity See all

Write a review

Reviews 3.3.

Most relevant

Read other review sites before you book…

Read other review sites before you book with this company … Just go to Better Business bureau website. You can google BBB - odysseys unlimited

Date of experience : 06 November 2023

This was our second tour with Odysseys

This was our second tour with Odysseys - Egypt ( the first being Peru and Machu Picchu). Both excellent. Well organized with knowledgeable tour directors. Any questions we had were answered promptly and effectively. Happy to recommend and use again.

Date of experience : 15 March 2023

Reply from Odysseys Unlimited

We greatly appreciate your recommendation - thank you. We look forward to welcoming you on tour again.

Excellent travel experiences

We have traveled with Odysseys Unlimited several times, most recently Costa Rica Dec 2022 and Croatia May 2023. Highly reccomended.

Date of experience : 20 May 2023

Thank you for the vote of confidence. We appreciate your patronage and hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again.

My tour was delayed almost for a month

My tour was delayed almost for a month. First and last tour with Odysseys. Delay is only problem. But still a big one

Date of experience : 12 July 2023

Hello, If you could please provide more information, we'd be happy to look into this for you. At this time, there is no record of you having traveled with Odysseys Unlimited. Thank you.

We had an excellent tour with them

We had an excellent tour with them to Türkiye. Great service, great tour guide, good price.

Date of experience : 21 May 2023

We're delighted that you enjoyed your tour. Thank you for your review.

Worst company I ever used

I am 77 years old and have been travelling for over 50 years and taken over 100 trips. I have made 3 complaints and 2 were about Odyssey. I took their Africa Wildlife tour in Nov. 2022. There were hundreds of bugs in our tent and I took pics and sent them to Odyssey. That was the 1st complaint. They gave me a credit of $150 and because I loved the tour itself and because they changed the bug lodge, I took it again in Nov. 2023. This was the 2nd complaint. 1st trip 14 hour thru NY then non stop to Africa, great. 2nd trip 36 hours in airports and on planes. They sent me, 77 years old on a 12.5 flight to Doha, with a 10 HOUR LAYOVER, then 8.5 more to Africa. I tried to change this flight but they refused and told me, rudely, that I could get my own flights if I didn't like it. I literally could barely walk when I got off the plane and had to be lifted into the van to the hotel and could not even go on the tour the next day. The first trip the guide was great. The second trip - NO. He encouraged bullying among the women, mostly against me since I do not engage in that behavior. The tour was 10 people, mostly elderly women. This 2nd guide just sat there and let people bully others. Disgusting man. Then he tried to leave the tour early and told us he would leave us in a hotel day room and someone would pick us up and take us to the airport. I found this out because I asked why I would get a day room at the end of the tour for 2 hours in Zambia but no day room for a 10 hour layover in Doha. He said the Zambia airport was easy to get around - this was not true. Others complained so he decided he better stay but he was going to abandon elderly travelers in a strange airport in a foreign country. One of the women had already fallen down a moving escalator and had to call paramedics but in spite of that, he was going to leave us. I cannot walk thru airports and have to have a wheelchair because I have plates and screws holding my foot together. This guy left me to fend for myself while he helped everyone else check in. On the 1st tour in 2022 I gave the tour guide $150 tip. I gave the 2nd guy nothing. And I know that the 6 old ladies only gave him a $25 tip each. Karma. hahaha abandon us in Excuses excuses excuses. You would think they had sense enough not to send a 77 year old woman on a 36 hour trip and not provide a day room for the 10 HOUR LAYOVER. When I called they rudely told me I could buy my own ticket if I didn't like it. And the director only stayed with the tour because everyone complained that he could not abandon us, mostly older women, in an undeveloped country where very few spoke English. And if the guide was so great, why did they only give him a $25 tip when you recommend $10-15 a day. AND, even if you did send the flights in August, I had already paid the full price of the trip and you would not refund my money. Again, WORST COMPANY EVER.

Date of experience : 02 November 2023

We are glad to hear that you enjoyed our Africa’s Wildlife tour when you first took it back in 2022, though regret that you had a difficult experience during your most recent trip. We would again like to extend our sincere apologies for any dissatisfaction caused by the included flight arrangements. As we discussed with you, we work with tour operator tickets that allow us to provide excellent value to our guests. However, these contracts do come with restrictions regarding the flights that we are able to book. We always do our best to obtain the most direct routing with sufficient connection times within the limitations of these contracts; the availability of certain routings ultimately varies between airlines. Flight arrangements are sent to guests approximately two and a half months prior to departure. These arrangements are, however, preliminary. If guests are unhappy with their flight schedule, we can explore other options. That said, we confirmed that your preliminary airline was emailed to you in August, but we did not hear from you until a month and a half later; by that time, we were no longer able to make changes within our airline contracts. Additionally, we do offer a “land only” option for our tours, knowing that guests may prefer to make their own air arrangements. We do highly recommend this option for guests who wish to have any aspect of the flights guaranteed or have flight itineraries released in advance of our schedule with the airlines. In regard to your comments regarding your tour director, please be assured that, in the past, his performance has been superior; otherwise, we would not have entrusted your group to him. That said, one of our senior staff has addressed your concerns with him to ensure that guests receive the highest level of care throughout the duration of their tour. I would be remiss if I did not note though, that your tour director did remain with the group for the scheduled tour; it is customary to part ways at the Lusaka airport before the return flight home. Individual flight arrangements vary, and the tour director remained, as planned, to bid all guests farewell. However, certainly you should always feel cared for and have everything you need prior to departure. Thank you for all of your feedback. We regret that you did not have a more positive experience.

Insight Vacations vs Odysseys Unlimited

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Small group travel is all that we do – just 12 to 24 guests on our own custom-designed tours. And it’s all we’ve ever done, from the day we opened our doors in 1998.

*Prices below are per person based on double occupancy and include airline taxes, surcharges and fees of $0, which are subject to change until final payment is made. All tour prices (excluding airline taxes, surcharges, and fees) are guaranteed.

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Small Group Highlight: Balsamic Vinegar Tour and Tasting

Traditional balsamic vinegar originated in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, where locals have been manufacturing it for hundreds of years. Known for its viscosity, dark brown color, complex flavor profile, and high price tag, traditional balsamic vinegar bears little resemblance to the bottles of balsamic vinegar on sale at your local grocery store in the U.S.  On Italy’s Classic Cities , our newest small group journey, we tour a family-run acetaia , or traditional balsamic vinegar production facility, to see this time-honored manufacturing technique – and sample the goods – for ourselves.

As we approach Antica Acetaia Cavedoni by motorcoach, we can’t help but marvel at the beautiful vineyards surrounding the acetaia . The finest traditional balsamic vinegar calls for the freshest locally sourced ingredients, and the Cavedoni family has grown the grapes used in their balsamic vinegar since they first opened the acetaia in 1860.

As we make our way inside, we’re greeted by rows of wood barrels of varying sizes, each containing traditional balsamic vinegar at a different stage of the natural aging process. The tour ends in a room housing the two oldest batteries of barrels at Antica Acetaia Cavedoni, one dating back to 1900 and the other to 1860.

Once we finish touring the vinegar cellar, it’s time for the main event: a traditional balsamic vinegar tasting. Our guide leads us into the tasting room where we sample some of the vinegar produced here, starting with the youngest and working our way through to the oldest.

Experience this intimate and authentic acetaia tour – and so much more – on our new Italy's Classic Cities small group tour, now booking for 2025.

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