Gate1Travel

Gate 1 is unreachable for problems. I called the US and Spain "emergency" numbers twice each because we were unable to board our flight and needed to cancel the tour. No one answered any of the four calls. They then denied that they owed us any compensation for the tour because we failed to cancel it. They fail to support their customers, which is unfortunate because their in-country staff are hard-working and knowledgeable.
This is in response to Gate 1 indicating that they were going to "reach out to me:": It has been over 4 months since this dreadful experience, and they have not contacted me. In fact, they have actively avoided my repeated attempts at contacting them about this debacle. Their automated response to my posting on this site and the TOTAL lack of follow-through just reinforce my negative experience with the Gate 1 home office.

I will never travel with them again. As an avid traveler I have never experience such horrible treatment by their staff members and corporate customer service. They lie to sell a trip then you can end up losing your money like I did. They have lost my business forever.

After multiple events, and call backs, I was able to speak to a manager regarding my reservation and have them resolve my issue. I am looking forward to my trip hopefully with no more pain or frustrations.
Have had 5 good experiences with them and hoping this one will be too.
Thanks

We've traveled to Europe, Asia, and Africa with Gate 1 and have enjoyed each journey. Travel is our passion and we take independent trips as well, but a group tour with Gate 1 is very easy, affordable, and you see so much. Their guides are outstanding. Their hotels vary depending on the level of travel (Affordable, Classic, Luxury) but they are always clean and safe. Breakfasts are always included on the tours and they are quite good. Dinners vary from place to place. They usually don't include too many dinners on each tour and that's fine with me since I'd rather dine independently. Very trustworthy company and easy to do business with.

This travel company is so frustrating to deal with. They seem easy to negotiate with at first, as they listen to you and cater to all your travel needs, request and what not. But after you book your travel with them, then wanted to make some travel changes, It would be impossible to do so even if your travel dates are still some time away. They are not flexible with changes, and other requests can't be altered.

I had issues with my reservation and I contacted their customer service. I had already had a frustrating experience and the customer service ended up making things harder for me. How is she in the service industry when she cannot serve your clients well?

We have been to Spain/Portugal, Peru, Uganda, Morocco with Gate 1. Although there are some annoying issues with Gate 1, they provide a good tour at a reasonable price. You get to eat at local restaurants and they don't waste too much money on high end hotels. Hotels are clean. Restaurants are great. We have gotten to see a lot of amazing things with Gate 1. We also did a Dublin trip that was independent (just hotel and flights). That was our last trip before Covid. We have had two cancellations due to Covid in 2020 and 2021 and Gate 1 handled both of them appropriately. Next trip with them is Easter Island!

We recently traveled to Israel and Turkey with Gate 1 Travel. We had an amazing experience. We were well cared for by two excellent tour guides, one in Israel and the other in Turkey. The hotels were all high end, and our meals were excellent. The guides were well informed in all areas; history, archeology, sociology. Our days were filled with incredible experiences. We would recommend Gate 1, and we are currently planning our next adventure with this company.

This company's customer service is the worst after the sale is made. They are very responsive when you aren't customer, but when you are one, you have to wait a lot. I had to wait for my airline tax refund for months!

A week before our trip, we found out you need to be fully vaccinated. It's 2023 people and Covid is over. So if you got the shot two years ago your considered fully vaccinated. With! Because we were not vaccinated we were unable to go on our trip that we had booked 7 months ago. They told us a week before our trip that they sent us an email the same day we booked the trip stating their agreement and since we open it is considered a signed document. We never received it and they tell us that they can't resend that email showing date and time. That's BS too. How can they call that a legal document. A legal document is a two way agreement. If we would of saw that 7 months ago we would of cancelled right away and went through another company. Now we are out a lot of money.

We have loved Gate 1 and always sing their praises. We've been on 7 tours with another one booked for fall. We were supposed to leave for Ecuador this week, however the country is in a 60 day state of emergency with the escape of 2 infamous gang members. Tourists are advised to stay indoors and there is a daily curfew from 11pm-5am. (our flight was to land at 11:15pm). Our trip included stays in 2 of the main cities of unrest. There have been shootings, car bombings, hostage taking, closing of embassies, and other countries issuing do not travel warnings. Other tour companies have cancelled tours or offered refunds or rescheduling. Travel insurance does not cover wars or civil unrest, but we are clearly afraid to go there. Both we and our travel agent have reached out multiple times with our concerns and asked if we could reschedule or get some sort of credit. We continue to get the same reply either in person or via email...Gate 1 has your safety as our highest priority and we feel you are safe ("they are not targeting tourists") and your itinerary should not be impacted. What? Their highest priority is $ and not our safety. There is no way that's the tour we anticipated. We cancelled the trip and took a 90% penalty, loss of deposit, and $276 airline penalty. It's a LOT of money, but we would have been terrified, and it's not worth getting hurt or worse. Sorry, but it's not the company I want to do business with in the future.

What a complete and total scam this company is. First and foremost, they tried to say that by us OPENING AN EMAIL, it counted as us SINGING A DOCUMENT. In what world does opening an email equate to signing a legal document? We paid for a 'cancel for any reason' insurance and they still refuse to refund more than 75% or even let us reschedule our trip. Every single person we have tried to talk to has been BEYOND rude and unhelpful. I have never dealt with a sketchier travel agency in my life. Kicking myself for not listening to all other reviews, as no one in the last year has seemed to have a good experience. Please save yourself the time and hassle and headache and cost and go LITERALLY ANYWHERE ELSE.

Gate 1 tour company was my go choice in the past for internal tours. But, this has changed after my most recent trip. The size of the group has tripled. To accommodate the large group, they use assistant (inexperience young teenager) to help the tour guide and charge you additional tips for the assistant. And, use local guide for the visit of local sites and you have to pay additional to the local guide on top of the tips for the regular tour guide. So at the end of the trip you are paying for the bus drivers, assistant, tour guide and multiple local guides for the tips. Rest for sure, they will remind you how much your should pay many times so you don't forget. In addition, you are cramp in a crowded tour bus taking you everywhere. If you think you are paying for a reasonable tours with their published price, think twice! So if this is how you like to enjoy your dream trip after the long covid, go with Gate 1 tour and keep no expectation! I have to say I have met many very good tour guide with Gate 1 it is just how the company is running now really change my view of Gate 1.

Thanks Edward for all your help in making the arrangements for our first trip to Europe. Looking forward to it and many more.

Gate 1 would be the last tour agency I would recommend. I have been planning a bucket list trip for over two years to Isreal. Due to the pandemic it had to be postponed and when I tried to rebook it the borders were still closed in Isreal. We decided to change and wait to go this March 2022, there is now this Russia crisis going on and we do not feel comfortable to go in 3 weeks.
You have to wait for hours to get a live person and when you finally do they can't do or tell you anything only wrong information. They told me to call Arch because I took out insurance.
I waited on hold with Arch for an hour only to tell me I have double protection cancel for any reason that I paid for through gate 1.
GATE I WANTS TO PENALIZE ME FOR FUTURE CREDIT AND TAKE over 2,000 out of my money balance.
What in Gods name do I have double protection paid for.
This is big companies at work taking advantage of consumers during health and war crisis.
It is disgusting and needs to be stopped.
Please buyer beware, do not book with Gate 1.
Read every tiny detail, they never look to protect the consumer.

Gate 1 Travel is absolutely, positively the worst travel company for customer service. I booked an independent tour to Paris earlier this summer for my 70th Birthday. When we arrived at our hotel, the room was extremely warm. After dinner, upon returning to the room, the inside temperature was over 90 degrees. The Front Desk told me the air conditioning was not working. I asked for a fan and they gave me a space heater. I then decided to cancel the hotel reservation and leave the hotel prior to staying the first night. The hotel told me to contact
Gate 1 for a refund and was fully aware we did not stay one night at the property because of the extreme heat with no air conditioning. We booked and paid for another hotel for our entire stay in Paris. Upon our return I contacted Gate 1 and requested a refund. I got no response. I contacted the Better Business Bureau for help. I then contacted the Gate 1 Service Vice President. She refused to discuss my issue because I had contacted the Better Business Bureau. She was rude, insulting and refused to discuss the issue. I wrote a certified letter to the Gate 1 Senior Vice President who refused to issue a refund as she claimed the hotel denied we left the property! She reported the hotel claimed we stayed the entire time! She requested "Documentation to prove I did not stay at the hotel". I sent her a copy of the bill from my alternative hotel. Upon receipt she refused the refund, again asking for "Documentation" before she would consider anything. Gate 1 Travel failed to meet their fiduciary responsibility as agent for this hotel. Traveling to a foreign country one expects some level of support from the travel agency that booked your complete trip. Gate 1 does not.

Very professional & organizes. I & my family had such a great trip with them last year.