AITO: The Association of Independent Tour Operators
Discover the World

Discover the World Traveller Reviews

Reviews of Discover the World

Overall Company Rating
89%
Excellent 35
Good 4
Average 0
Poor 2
Terrible 4
Reviews Submitted: 45
Reviews Accepted: 44
Reviews Rejected: 1
44 reviews
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Discover the World by unhappy rob, 11 Mar 2017
Holiday Rating:

Trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina in November 2016

We arrived after an overnight flight on a Friday morning and got to our hotel, NH 9 De Julio Hotel just after 11.00am but they did not have a room ready for us. There was no safety deposit facility at reception and so we had nowhere to leave valuables, etc. The very harassed receptionist told us to come back late afternoon. We were just a 100 yards from the hotel entrance on the main thoroughfare at 1.30pm on a bright sunny afternoon when we ...

We arrived after an overnight flight on a Friday morning and got to our hotel, NH 9 De Julio Hotel just after 11.00am but they did not have a room ready for us. There was no safety deposit facility at reception and so we had nowhere to leave valuables, etc. The very harassed receptionist told us to come back late afternoon. We were just a 100 yards from the hotel entrance on the main thoroughfare at 1.30pm on a bright sunny afternoon when we were attacked, assaulted, injured and robbed. Discover the World accepted no responsibility for our plight and were unhelpful and said that we should have read the Foreign Office advice: we had actually already taken that precaution and it makes no mention of Avenue 9 de Julio as a potentially dangerous area. We are well travelled and streetwise but were left in a vulnerable situation because Discover the World had not offered us the option of booking a day room or even an extra night to ensure that we had a room at the hotel on arrival. Another (better) tour operator had made just such a suggestion when we arrived in Tehran, Iran several weeks earlier and we had followed their advice. Discover the World were dismissive of our complaint, unhelpful and offered no or no adequate compensation. We would not entertain travelling with this very poor outfit again and suggest you look elsewhere.

Rating for tour operator:

We arrived after an overnight flight on a Friday morning and got to our hotel, NH 9 De Julio Hotel just after 11.00am but they did not have a room ready for us. There was no safety deposit facility at reception and so we had nowhere to leave valuables, etc. The very harassed receptionist told us to come back late afternoon. We were just a 100 yards from the hotel entrance on the main thoroughfare at 1.30pm on a bright sunny afternoon when we were attacked, assaulted, injured and robbed. Discover the World accepted no responsibility for our plight and were unhelpful and said that we should have read the Foreign Office advice: we had actually already taken that precaution and it makes no mention of Avenue 9 de Julio as a potentially dangerous area. We are well travelled and streetwise but were left in a vulnerable situation because Discover the World had not offered us the option of booking a day room or even an extra night to ensure that we had a room at the hotel on arrival. Another (better) tour operator had made just such a suggestion when we arrived in Tehran, Iran several weeks earlier and we had followed their advice. Discover the World were dismissive of our complaint, unhelpful and offered no or no adequate compensation. We would not entertain travelling with this very poor outfit again and suggest you look elsewhere.

Discover the World responded to this review on 13 Mar 2017:

We take the safety and security of our clients extremely seriously, but sadly crimes against people are a fact of life and can occur anywhere in the World. Discover the World respectfully feels that both the Foreign & Commonwealth travel advice and its own travel advice was sufficiently clear and necessary precautions advised. In particular specific advice was given to be extra vigilant and avoid drawing attention by wearing or displaying any extremely high valuable items. Further, a recommendation to leave any such items at home especially when travelling to a destination you are unfamiliar with, especially where such advice exists. As soon as Discover the World were aware of the situation, contact was made with our customers immediately, so we very much regret if our actions were deemed dismissive or unhelpful. While this is just one of the many reasons why adequate travel insurance should be purchased, this is not a substitute for minimising one's own risk and not something that any holiday company would compensate for. We are though extremely sorry that this situation arose and regret our customers view of Discover the World as a consequence.

Discover the World responded to this review on 13 Mar 2017:

We take the safety and security of our clients extremely seriously, but sadly crimes against people are a fact of life and can occur anywhere in the World. Discover the World respectfully feels that both the Foreign & Commonwealth travel advice and its own travel advice was sufficiently clear and necessary precautions advised. In particular specific advice was given to be extra vigilant and avoid drawing attention by wearing or displaying any extremely high valuable items. Further, a recommendation to leave any such items at home especially when travelling to a destination you are unfamiliar with, especially where such advice exists. As soon as Discover the World were aware of the situation, contact was made with our customers immediately, so we very much regret if our actions were deemed dismissive or unhelpful. While this is just one of the many reasons why adequate travel insurance should be purchased, this is not a substitute for minimising one's own risk and not something that any holiday company would compensate for. We are though extremely sorry that this situation arose and regret our customers view of Discover the World as a consequence.

Discover the World by OUTOFBOUNDS, 15 Feb 2017
Holiday Rating:

Holiday to Iceland (wish i had never booked with them)

I booked a holiday in August 2016 to go Iceland with my father (a pensioner) And my young son 4 Years old. I explained to the advisor on the phone He put together a package (not considering the things I asked for) I asked for Gatwick because of the location where I live (he booked heathrow and a late night flight. All completely opposite of what I requested. I did not realise but they get commission on the hotels they recommend or book ...

I booked a holiday in August 2016 to go Iceland with my father (a pensioner) And my young son 4 Years old. I explained to the advisor on the phone He put together a package (not considering the things I asked for) I asked for Gatwick because of the location where I live (he booked heathrow and a late night flight. All completely opposite of what I requested. I did not realise but they get commission on the hotels they recommend or book you too. I read the reviews but was assured that they were good! Booked at a hotel that backed onto a main road (grand)! and my dad our rooms were over a main road and a car park that was used 25 hours for guest deliveries (you name it)! I paid top price for outings that were not what I was told. And was located a good distance from things I had asked for When I got to the city figured out there were plenty of hotels that were closer in the city(less cheaper) that they did not recommend) Do your research and do not soley trust these people. They work with these hotels to get good rates based on commission. I was cheesed off to say the least (read trip advisor) and do a little research (you can save yourself money) And I am so fed up! a good few thousand pounds paid for a few days in a rubbish hotel that did not facilitate to what I needed (and made the whole holiday awful. So disappointed in this company! Will never book through them again.

Rating for tour operator:

They provided as stated and the people were polite shame that the company that organised things (did not do as I requested) Paid a lot for things that I could have organised better myself! Put my trust in a big organisation too get nothing

Discover the World responded to this review on 16 Feb 2017:

We are sorry to receive this review given the various conversations you had with our staff prior to your departure. We provide detailed holiday quotations based on our understanding of customer requirements and would certainly not expect any of our customers to proceed with a booking if they were not entirely happy with the proposal. Both Gatwick and Heathrow flight options were discussed with you and we explained the best priced flights at the time, were those from from/to Heathrow (leaving Heathrow at 12.40 and arriving back at 19.30 hrs.), which you asked us to proceed with booking. Had we been aware that these were not convenient for you or you were unhappy in any way, we would of course looked at other options based on availability and cost. As no concerns were raised about your flight arrangements, or any other element of the trip, we had no reason to believe that you were not entirely happy with the arrangements and your request to proceed with confirming your booking was on this basis.

The hotel suggested in our quotation and subsequently booked for you, has been a very popular choice with both our clients, and many other visitors. We offer numerous accommodation choices in Reykjavik and would certainly not offer any accommodation if there were concerns regarding guest satisfaction and, despite many other positive reviews, are sorry this did not meet with your expectations. When you contacted us shortly prior to your departure, and some months after booking the holiday, to discuss possibly changing your hotel we looked at and discussed various other options with you, but at that stage there were issues with both availability and price as you were travelling at a peak time, and based on your requirements felt that the hotel you were already booked into would be best option and location for you. If you wish to provide further specific details regarding your excursions we will look into this, but having offered these trips to many other customers for a number years, we have no reason to believe they are not as described or offered.

Discover the World responded to this review on 16 Feb 2017:

As a tour operator we offer both pre-designed or bespoke packages, but in all cases the advantage of booking a 'package' trip is the benefit of financial and consumer protection, so the choice of whether to book through a fully bonded and licenced tour operator, versus booking independently is purely customer choice. It is not simply a case of only offering selected services based on commission levels - of course we have negotiated rates with the suppliers we work with, be it hotels, transport providers, excursion operators etc. - as do all tour operators and holiday companies. Despite the contact you had with our team, we're sorry you are overall disappointed with our company but appreciate the opportunity to respond to your review.

Discover the World by Rob, 16 Jan 2017
Holiday Rating:

Northern lights a must do!

The northern lights were spectacular! It was quite amazing to see nature put on such a show with the lights swirling around the sky. Dog sledding was great as well. The kids loved it and so did we. Food was always very good in Norway and everyone we met was very helpful and welcoming.

The northern lights were spectacular! It was quite amazing to see nature put on such a show with the lights swirling around the sky. Dog sledding was great as well. The kids loved it and so did we. Food was always very good in Norway and everyone we met was very helpful and welcoming.

Rating for tour operator:

Seeing the northern lights is a must do. Just do it with another tour company. Originally, they sold a trip that was too long with too much down time. We had to correct this. Stayed in Alta when more interesting places to stay where just outside the city. Wasted a full day due to a late pick up to next destination and arrival there after activities had started without reason. They sold us on snowmobiling at night. Only after did the person doing the tour say it was not a great idea given that it was with kids and at night with novice adult drivers. We asked about the ice hotel and was told it opened after we were leaving Norway. Instead, it opened the week before we arrived. I wrote an email to ask for a reply and no one has after 2 weeks. Overall, they don't know the area and missed many basics. The result was that we wasted time and could have done much more. Go to Norway (it's great) but do it with a different company or book your plans on your own if you have the time.

Discover the World responded to this review on 16 Feb 2017:

We have already spoken to you and resolved this with a positive outcome, but we are really sorry that the holiday did not live up to your expectations. Our client feedback in invaluable to us as it enables us to improve on our products and services, and we have been proactive regarding the issues that you have raised.

Discover the World by Mumsgonetoiceland, 16 Apr 2016
Holiday Rating:

Winter Wildlife and Aurora Self Drive

We had a fantastic week in Iceland. I was originally attracted by the possibility of seeing Orca and the Aurora. This didn't disappoint and we saw both in abundance. We saw so much in the week we were there, the car we hired was excellent and driving around was easy as there was so little traffic.

We had a fantastic week in Iceland. I was originally attracted by the possibility of seeing Orca and the Aurora. This didn't disappoint and we saw both in abundance. We saw so much in the week we were there, the car we hired was excellent and driving around was easy as there was so little traffic.

Rating for tour operator:

The advice they gave when we were planning our trip was excellent and we never felt under pressure to add on extras or upgrade. We did have a problem with our first hotel and rang Discover the World in the evening on a bank holiday, not expecting much help. The lady we spoke to was outstanding and sorted us alternative accommodation literally with in a few minutes. I can't recommend this company highly enough.

Discover the World responded to this review on 19 Apr 2016:

We're delighted to hear you had such a wonderful time and achieved your objective of seeing Orca and the Aurora, and much more besides. Iceland is a perfect destination for self drive holidays allowing you to explore and discover at your own pace.

Discover the World responded to this review on 19 Apr 2016:

We aim to provide personalised and specialised advice to our customers, tailored to their own trip objectives and preferences, so we're happy to hear this was certainly your experience. We're of course very sorry there was an issue with your first accommodation, but pleased that our 24/7 duty manager was able to resolve this swiftly, and appreciate your kind review comments. We certainly look forward to assisting you again in the future.

Discover the World by Mrs J C 15, 29 Dec 2015
Holiday Rating:

Australia & Tasmania Tailor-made

A fabulous holiday with everything going to plan. Discover the World organised everything that we needed for our 4 week trip in accordance with our requirements. We flew to Sydney where we spent a few days before taking the train to Melbourne where we stayed with family. From here we flew to Hobart where we had an exciting boat trip round Bruny Island. We enjoyed the variety of places we visited on our 2 week drive round Tasmania which is ...

A fabulous holiday with everything going to plan. Discover the World organised everything that we needed for our 4 week trip in accordance with our requirements. We flew to Sydney where we spent a few days before taking the train to Melbourne where we stayed with family. From here we flew to Hobart where we had an exciting boat trip round Bruny Island. We enjoyed the variety of places we visited on our 2 week drive round Tasmania which is a welcoming and delightful island with stunning scenery and wonderful seafood. This was our second holiday with Discover the World and we would not hesitate to use them again.

Rating for tour operator:

From our initial enquiries to our final plans, we were treated with consideration and professionalism and were given time to make up our minds. There was always someone to help us at the end of the phone and nothing was too much trouble. All the paperwork we received was clear and concise and travel tips and destination guides were also included which helped us plan what to see and do at each centre.

Discover the World responded to this review on 04 Jan 2016:

We are delighted to hear you had yet another enjoyable trip with us, and it was certainly our pleasure to assist you again.

Discover the World responded to this review on 04 Jan 2016:

We consider ourselves very lucky to have such a great team here at Discover the World, who have a passion for what they do and for providing great service to our customers. It is always appreciated when this is acknowledged, so your kind comments are warmly received and we hope we will have the pleasure of assisting you again in the future.

Discover the World by Jan, 22 Dec 2015
Holiday Rating:

Essential Iceland

Fantastic, Discover the World actually rang us whilst on holiday to warn us about some bad weather coming in, we thought they were great! I would use them again and again. Iceland is now my favourite country I loved it.

Fantastic, Discover the World actually rang us whilst on holiday to warn us about some bad weather coming in, we thought they were great! I would use them again and again. Iceland is now my favourite country I loved it.

Rating for tour operator:

Fantastic

Discover the World responded to this review on 04 Jan 2016:

Thank you for your review and kind comments. We are delighted to hear how much you enjoyed Iceland - it certainly is a fascinating and diverse destination.

Discover the World responded to this review on 04 Jan 2016:

We hope you may consider a return visit to Iceland in the future and that we may have the pleasure of assisting you again.

Discover the World by Jan, 22 Dec 2015
Holiday Rating:

Essential Iceland

Fantastic, Discover the World actually rang us whilst on holiday to warn us about some bad weather coming in, we thought they were great! I would use them again and again. Iceland is now my favourite country I loved it.

Fantastic, Discover the World actually rang us whilst on holiday to warn us about some bad weather coming in, we thought they were great! I would use them again and again. Iceland is now my favourite country I loved it.

Rating for tour operator:

Fantastic

Discover the World by Tommy F, 1 Jul 2015
Holiday Rating:

A well organised 14 Day Fly Drive tour of Iceland organised by Discover the World

The holiday plans went without a hitch from leaving home to arriving back with flights, car hire and accommodation all taken care of. The only complaint we have is the variation in standards of accommodation that were provided. As we were entirely in the hands of Discover the World in arranging our accommodation we assumed that it would all be of a similar standard within reason. Whilst most was excellent, there were 2 one night stays that fell ...

The holiday plans went without a hitch from leaving home to arriving back with flights, car hire and accommodation all taken care of. The only complaint we have is the variation in standards of accommodation that were provided. As we were entirely in the hands of Discover the World in arranging our accommodation we assumed that it would all be of a similar standard within reason. Whilst most was excellent, there were 2 one night stays that fell well short of what we would have expected in terms of facilities, standards and general appearance. In fact, had we not been pre-booked and committed to staying there we would have walked away and sought alternatives. We certainly would not have been prepared to pay for similar accommodation in the UK for the amount charged. Unfortuantely, as all the costs were hidden within our tour package it is difficult to see how the prices compared between the excellent and not so good locations. Overall, a disappointment but still an excellent holiday overall.

Rating for tour operator:

Discover the World are obviously good at what they do although they displayed a reluctance to change accommodation in the planning stage other than to places which they regularly use. We were disappointed that standards varied so much between locations and that the brochure descriptions were in some cases very different to reality. Perhaps greater scrutiny of standards should apply.

Discover the World responded to this review on 02 Jul 2015:

Thank you for taking the time to add a review of your trip. We are delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable time and hope you have returned with many wonderful memories of your experiences in Iceland. In many remoter areas, accommodation can be limited and itineraries may sometimes consist of various differing types of accommodation styles and grades, including simple guest houses or farm stays, but they should nonetheless offer a warm welcome and a comfortable stay. Individual accommodation prices may not necessarily be reflective, but we acknowledge the point you make.

Discover the World responded to this review on 02 Jul 2015:

As a tour operator we select the accommodation for our holidays and negotiate rates etc. and therefore would not necessarily offer other accommodation where we have no such relationship or arrangement. Since you have also sent additional information to us directly regarding your accommodation we will of course be happy to respond further to you, and very much appreciate you getting in touch. Thank you again for your comments.

Classic Antarctica Cruise by caliskan, 16 Feb 2015
Holiday Rating:

antartica

BE CAREFUL before book your holiday specially to Antartica trip check other companies because discover the world charged me extra. Dont listen to them when they say 'dont miss the discount' because other companies always have better deals. If you call 'Quark' company they always have better deals. Its best if you book your Antartica trip directly with 'Quark' or another company. When I started my cruise trip and made friends their, I found ...

BE CAREFUL before book your holiday specially to Antartica trip check other companies because discover the world charged me extra. Dont listen to them when they say 'dont miss the discount' because other companies always have better deals. If you call 'Quark' company they always have better deals. Its best if you book your Antartica trip directly with 'Quark' or another company. When I started my cruise trip and made friends their, I found out that I was given the highest price for the trip compared to all those people I met so I was really not happy with this company so dont make the same mistake I made.

Rating for tour operator:

BE CAREFUL before book your holiday specially to Antartica trip check other companies because discover the world charged me extra. Dont listen to them when they say 'dont miss the discount' because other companies always have better deals. If you call 'Quark' company they always have better deals. Its best if you book your Antartica trip directly with 'Quark' or another company. When I started my cruise trip and made friends their, I found out that I was given the highest price for the trip compared to all those people I met so I was really not happy with this company so dont make the same mistake I made.

Discover the World responded to this review on 23 Feb 2015:

We would like to take this opportunity to re-assure Mr Caliskan and our other clients that when booking any polar voyage through Discover the World, they will always pay the best price available to them from the voyage operator at the time of booking. Regrettably discounting is common in the cruise industry and polar voyaging is no exception. We make not attempt to hide the discounts offered – which include early booking and late availability offers – and our clients will find them on our website throughout the year. In this particular instance our client booked a voyage with an early booking discount (he later also received a free cabin upgrade) and then the operator, Quark, later came out with a last minute offer, closer to the departure date. It’s an unfortunate situation but one we have no control of. We would like to add that the majority of holidays offered by Discover the World are organised by us from start to finish and for these we do not offer discounts as we believe in setting prices at the correct level from the start. Unfortunately this is very much the exception in the modern travel industry. For passengers travelling on expedition cruises to the polar regions we advise that if they want a particular cabin type, on a particular vessel and departure date then we recommend booking early. Most ship operators offer an early booking discount. However if you’re happy to take a chance on availability and airfare prices, then you may be able to take advantage of late availability offers.

Discover the World responded to this review on 23 Feb 2015:

We would like to take this opportunity to re-assure Mr Caliskan and our other clients that when booking any polar voyage through Discover the World, they will always pay the best price available to them from the voyage operator at the time of booking. Regrettably discounting is common in the cruise industry and polar voyaging is no exception. We make not attempt to hide the discounts offered – which include early booking and late availability offers – and our clients will find them on our website throughout the year. In this particular instance our client booked a voyage with an early booking discount (he later also received a free cabin upgrade) and then the operator, Quark, later came out with a last minute offer, closer to the departure date. It’s an unfortunate situation but one we have no control of. We would like to add that the majority of holidays offered by Discover the World are organised by us from start to finish and for these we do not offer discounts as we believe in setting prices at the correct level from the start. Unfortunately this is very much the exception in the modern travel industry. For passengers travelling on expedition cruises to the polar regions we advise that if they want a particular cabin type, on a particular vessel and departure date then we recommend booking early. Most ship operators offer an early booking discount. However if you’re happy to take a chance on availability and airfare prices, then you may be able to take advantage of late availability offers.

Discover the World by Jill and Paul, 25 Jul 2014
Holiday Rating:

Wonderful place to visit and excellent hotels

10 days in Iceland touring the Western Fyords in a hired car. Fabulous scenery with so much wildlife and geology to see. Puffins and seabird chicks only a metre away, whale watching from the restaurant over dinner, geothermal hot tubs by the shore. Hotel restaurants tend to be a bit pricey but the food is good, especially the lamb and seafood.

10 days in Iceland touring the Western Fyords in a hired car. Fabulous scenery with so much wildlife and geology to see. Puffins and seabird chicks only a metre away, whale watching from the restaurant over dinner, geothermal hot tubs by the shore. Hotel restaurants tend to be a bit pricey but the food is good, especially the lamb and seafood.

Rating for tour operator:

2 small problems - 1. The I pod they supplied with the hire car was useless and did not provide any more information then we already had from them via e mail. The internet connection on it did not work. 2. The ferry connection they booked us onto did not leave enough time to get to the hotel for dinner. We arrived just as they stopped serving but fortunately they managed to fit us in. There was no where else at all to eat so should have been an earlier ferry to allow for delays.

Discover the World responded to this review on 28 Jul 2014:

We are delighted to hear how much you enjoyed the wonderful and spectacular scenery and wildlife. This really is a fascinating and diverse country and we very much hope that you and your travelling companions have returned with many good and lasting memories of your experiences in Iceland.

Discover the World responded to this review on 28 Jul 2014:

We are sorry to learn you had any difficulty with the ipad and iDiscover information. Connectivity should not have been an issue as this has been thoroughly tested around Iceland, so I am sorry you experienced any problem with this. We are though looking into it further to ascertain whether there may have been any particular issue with the ipad itself, as this is not something that has been reported to us previously. The iDiscover concept has only recently been launched and we are already working on the next development phase to expand further on the content to make this more comprehensive and a unique one-stop itinerary and information guide for Discover the World clients.

There are two ferries a day - one departing early in the morning (so involving a very early start), or the later afternoon ferry that was booked for you. Generally we reserve this later ferry for our clients and arrangements work well, with an approximate arrival time of 19.15 hours at the accommodation. What we will do in future though is to mention that if there is any delay with the ferry, that guests may wish to consider dining at a hotel restaurant nearby as an alternative option, rather than arriving later at their hotel after the dinner service has finished.

Thank you for taking the time to add your feedback and we sincerely hope we may have the pleasure to be of service to you again in the future.