Kristin
Don't, Just Don't
I recently went on a trip to Chile with Lost World Adventures to see the solar eclipse. The trip itself was a 3 - the hotel was terrible, the activities were ok, the eclipse was amazing. The reason for my 2-star rating is that the preplanning process a 0. It was a nightmare of unreturned emails and phone calls and poor communication which gave me lots of anxiety about trusting them with a big trip like this. Just a few examples - I signed up for the trip well over a year in advance, and was told that the final payment would be due 4 month before the travel date. That date came and went with no communication. I was hesitant to book my international flights without having some confirmation of the trip and dates, but my emails to them - even to the owner - went unanswered. I tried to have them plan an extension to the trip and got a 25-page proposal that was just a mess of cut and pasted information from hotel websites. Followup emails and calls to refine it went unreturned for over a week. Transfer information was given to me 2 days before we left. I was sent generalized pre-departure information and a packing list the day before we left. Really? My bags were already packed. What was the point? When we met up with the group in Chile, everyone had the same experience. Poor communication. Unresolved details. By contrast, another agent who I contacted to plan my trip extension had the whole 9-day trip planned, itinerary finalized, and paid for within a week of my contacting them - and every communication was returned within an hour or two. There are lots of travel companies out there. I would never recommend Lost World Adventures.