Re: Gate1 Travel

I used them for a tour of Egypt back in 2000. The guide was very good, the accommodation and food fine but not especially memorable, the group very small (I'm sure that's highly variable). I would say they were a good middle-of-the-road choice. I'm not sure how much guiding you get with some of their tours, they read more like hotel-and-transport only.

I took an escorted tour with Gate1 to Dubai last winter and was very happy with it. It was a great itinerary with an excellent guide. The hotel, while not deluxe, was quite comfortable and had a choice of a wide variety of international restaurants and was within 7 minutes walking distance of the metro station. My only "nit" was that the group size was a bit too large as I prefer travelling with small group tours. For many destinations Gate1 offers both an independent package and an escorted tour -- I had a choice of both for Dubai but chose the latter. Would travel with Gate1 again and am hoping they bring back their independent one-week package to Buenos Aires that they offered in 2011 but unfortunately not this year.

If Gate1 is the only company that you have investigated, you might want to see how their itinerary and prices compare with other economy-minded tour operators such as smarTours and Friendly Planet before you make a final decision.