Gate 1 Travel is a global tour operator offering affordable vacation packages, primarily escorted tours and river cruises, with destinations around the world. Focusing on Escorted tours, river & sea cruises, small group tours and recently launching new Family Tours there are a variety of ways to see More of the World for Less! Destinations include all seven continents including tours to Europe, Africa, Asia & the Pacific, South America & North America.
Gate 1 Travel (gate1travel.com) has 640 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 3.4 out of 5.
Also known as
gate1travel.com
Website
gate1travel.com
Category
Activities & Tours
Location
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
About these reviews
Replies
The company replied to 85% of reviews.
Latest
Most recent review: October 2026.
Edits
Reviews are shown as their authors wrote them. The company can reply, but cannot edit them.
Score
This company cannot pay to remove reviews or change its score.
Had to cancel trip to Italy because of Coronavirus. Spoke with Shannon Smith about getting a refund and was told over the phone the trip would be fully refunded except for a total of $600 in cancel flight fees. Moments after phone call received an invoice stating 100% cancellation fee and an amount well over $600.
Response from Gate 1 TravelMar 4, 2020
Without your reservation information we cannot advise specifics as to what your penalties were and what your refund was. If you have questions pertaining to the cancellation, please call us back.
EK
Elena K.
Connecting flights when promised straight flights
We had an excellent time on our trip to Portugal because of our trip manager Rui and a bus driver Pedro. Rui did go above and beyond. Local guides were excellent, especially Augusta in Lisbon. I am a travel lover and have traveled a lot. Gate 1 provides a very broad view of the cities. No museums or zoo or aquarium were covered on this trip. But the reason Gate 1 is getting 3 out of 5 stars is because of the flights. We were promised straight flights when we were booking the trip. Initial straight flight to Portugal was switched with connection. Then out return straight flight was switched with connection. Why do I want to fly 20 hours when its 8 hr flight to Europe from USA?
Unlikely the flights were booked right away when I payed for the trip.
Reply to Gate 1 reply:
We booked the deal with direct flights guaranteed as part of the deal, payed in full right away. Direct flights were changed to connecting. Gate 1 didn’t leave up to the promise.
Anyway, I do not want to argue. My rating will not change
Response from Gate 1 TravelFeb 21, 2020
We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your trip overall! Of course we are sorry to learn of the changes made by the airline. Unfortunately, as we do not own or operate the airlines, schedule changes are beyond our control but we certainly understand your frustration. We are glad that despite the airline issues you had a fun time in Portugal.
SU
Sunny
Fun People to work with
I have always made friends on their tours. For some reason they get friendly travelers. Was single when I used them. Fun people.
JF
Jarka F.
Our trip in January 2020 to Myanmar
Our trip in January 2020 to Myanmar did have many issues and bad experiences. After return we did contact Gate1 multiple times on the phone and e mails.No solution and respond.Be avare that Gate1 will not help you with any issue or problems after they get your money.This was very disappointing experience on our bucket list trip.
Response from Gate 1 TravelFeb 12, 2020
We are sorry to hear of your experience. However, please know we are currently still reviewing your claim. Sometimes, these matters can take time as we must contact various suppliers in order to fully investigate. As mentioned, we do appreciate your continued patience and we will reach out to you once we have more details.
MJ
Mark J.
Very bad service
Very bad service. Long wait time on urgent mails due to coronavirus. very big costs on wait time on phone support. And advisors dont know anything about their own job.
The customer service ended up costing us 100euro+ in fees. And their advice cost us 700 euro instead of helping us they made it worse. Plus our vacation is partly ruined.
Never again.
LU
luann
Gate 1 Travel The Worst Tour Company
We have traveled with Gate 1 travel on 5 exotic trips, India, Africa,Amazon, Peru, Croatia/ Europe and Costa Rica. We have spent tens of thousands of dollars with them. We were loyal customers, taking sometimes two tours a year with them. But when we booked our last trip to Greece in Jan 2018 for a travel date of Sept 2018 that is when the terrible service started. I booked the trip early Jan. We had a horrible family situation 2 weeks after booking. I told Gate 1 of this tragic event and was advised by them to cancel it. So I cancelled the trip with Gate 1 for Greece. I took out their travel insurance when I booked the trip. I paid over $3k for the trip up front and they told me to contact their insurance carrier. When I did and tried to make a claim with the insurance company, they said they had no record of reservation. I called Gate 1 and wrote them (Gate 1 )many times, that I couldn't put in a claim, because they told me I didn't have a reservation number. Gate 1 cancelled it, so therefore there was not a reservation. I went back and forth with Gate 1 to try to get my money back, and they kept telling me, contact the insurance company. After 4 weeks and 32 emails back and forth with Gate 1, I contacted my Credit card company and asked them to put it in dispute. When i told them I put the amount dispute they told me they couldn't help me. Well they weren't helping me before in the first place. My credit card company sided with me, and credited the full amount to my account. During this process, I got a call from Karen a manager of customer service at Gate 1 literally screaming at me that I had to pay for the $951 airfare or they would block my email address. It was insane. I have never been treated so badly by a company. Having to deal with Gate 1 travel after having the stress of my family emergency was over the top. They treat their loyal customer like dirt and are so unprofessional. It is really sad too, because my husband and I are retired and travel all the time, once again. I recently tried to book a trip with them, and they told me I was black listed. Black listed! Seriously? You are not a loyal customer to them, even if you spend thousands of dollars with them. Don't travel with Gate 1. Terrible Customer Service and once they have your money, they won't give it back.
Response from Gate 1 TravelJan 30, 2020
We regret if you felt there was any lapse in service. As explained when you contacted us in February of 2018, your tickets were already issued and fully non refundable as was your deposit. This was clear in the terms and conditions that you agreed to. Based on the emails in your reservation, we inquired if a claim was filed with the travel protection you purchased. We believe we provided ample support in how to utilize this benefit. You responded advising you disputed all charges and threatened us with social media postings if you did not receive your deposit back with your airfare. We advised that we could not review further with our suppliers with an active dispute. While you received your money from the dispute made with the credit card company, the airline still charged Gate 1 those fees. Our goal is always to provide value to clients and exceed expectations. That said, our relationship with our clients is a mutual one and requires respect and decency from both sides.
FC
Flacon C.
They Charge You for Everyhting
They charge you for everything and everywhere they can charge you. From a simple name change even if the fault was from their end, they will still try to charge you. So you better be checking everything you're paying for and make sure all info you gave them are correct. Or better yet, find another travel company to assist you.
Response from Gate 1 TravelJan 30, 2020
It is difficult to speak to your comments without a reservation number. We do believe we are upfront regarding what is included in your package and what( if any) additional fees may apply. The invoice sent when making your reservation asks that you review your invoice completely and advise us of any discrepancies. We are very clear regarding the importance that the names provided are accurate. Unfortunately, it is the case that most airlines will require change fees and possibly even a new ticket.
FL
Frank L.
Went to Israel on the 9 day Believers…
Went to Israel on the 9 day Believers Tour over Christmas. My family and I had a wonderful time and saw so much! We followed all the sites Jesus went to during his birth, ministry, and resurrection. We were even in Bethlehem at the site of Jesus birth on Christmas day. The guide was very good at explaining all the history and keeping us on schedule. The bus was comfortable and the hotels were excellent. Plenty of food at the meals but my 16 yr old was unaccustomed to anything but American food. We however were able to get Domino's pizza delivered while in Jerusalem.