Go Ahead Tours vs Trafalgar - Tour Companies Compared

Go Ahead Quick Facts

Age Range: All ages

Average Tour Price:  $2,000-$4,000

Average Tour Duration: 8-18 days

Travel Style: Cultural immersion and education with active experiences.

The world’s largest private education travel company, Go Ahead tours are designed for curious, adventurous travelers. Their itineraries balance planned activities and free time to quench your curiosity and specific interests.

What Makes Go Ahead Stand Out?

• Dedicated tour directors
• Local guides
• Flexibility

Go Ahead has dedicated tour directors that you can trust to help you have the best travel experience. They have years of experience and regional knowledge of culture and history that they are eager to share. These travel directors will be with you every step of the way, a friend to show you around one of their favorite destinations. Sit back and enjoy your trip, they’ll handle all the logistics.

Local guides are also a big part of Go Ahead. These guides will join you and your tour director to provide an even deeper knowledge of the region. They will help immerse you in cities, rustic villages, countrysides and cultural hot spots. Go ahead wants the right people to help you learn and explore the world.

Go Ahead tours are designed to be authentic, providing unique local experiences, and a certain amount of flexibility for travelers who like some independence during the tour. Typically, tours are run in small groups with a max of 38, which means your small group may not always be extemely intimate as 38 is still a lot of people.

Who Will Enjoy Traveling with Go Ahead?

• Cultural enthusiasts
• Adventure travelers
• Wildlife lovers

Go Ahead travelers love sightseeing but they greatly enjoy traveling off the beaten path. These travelers are curious about the world and are eager to learn about the local culture, cuisine and people. Go Ahead is perfect for the traveler who wants to really get to the heart of a destination.

Adventure is a big part of curiosity. Go Ahead travelers aren’t afraid to venture off a typical tourist sightseeing plan. They enjoy the freedom to explore on their own as well as picking the brain of their local guides to learn incite into the cities, rustic villages and countrysides they are visiting. These travelers enjoy seeing the destination through cultural immersion and active experiences.

Witnessing wildlife is a big part of Go Ahead tours. Travelers will get the opportunity to witness and learn about the luscious natural landscapes and the creatures that inhabit it. Seeing the Big Five and going on a safari through the plains of Africa is on the bucket lists of Go Ahead travelers.

Top Destinations

Go Ahead tours send travelers all over the world with trips going to Europe, US, Canada, Central America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, Asia and Antarctica.

Go Ahead Travel Style

Go Ahead is greatly focused on personalization and small group experiences. Each traveler will get the opportunity to personalize their trips when their itineraries are being crafted. There are additional excursions, tour extensions and any number of days that travelers can add to their trip.

Groups remain small, capped at 14 to 38 travelers. This small group experience allows travelers to really immerse themselves in the culture of a destination. Their experiences will be intimate both with their local guides and the local people.

Hotels are selected based on your comfort desires and location. You can rest assured that you’ll be staying in a safe, comfortable accommodation as the Go Ahead team personally goes to each property on the ground. 

Go Ahead, due to their relationship with EF network, are able to offer a wide range of flight options. Once in your destination, they will also handle all internal travel from motor coaches to additional flights. Go Ahead takes care of all the stressful logistics so you don’t have to.

Why Go Ahead?

If you are eager to explore and learn about the world through cultural immersion, wildlife watching and active experiences, Go Ahead is for you. No matter your luxury level whether it be high luxury or budget or what your interests are, Go Ahead can help personalize your experience to create the perfect trip for you.

Trafalgar is a name many seasoned travelers will recognize. A branch of the Travel Corporation, whose brands all enjoy stellar reputations, Trafalgar has been offering classic and affordable tours for over 70 years.

Trafalagar Tours - Quick Facts

Founded: in 1947

Group size: Large Groups, between 40-45 people

Mode of transportation: Primarily luxury air-conditioned coaches

Accommodation style: Unique 3 & 4 star hotels and guest houses

Typical age range: 50+

Single travelers welcome (single supplements are required, but often discounted)

Average tour price: $3,796

Top Regions: Europe, USA, Canada

Related TTC Brands: Insight Vacations, Uniworld, Brendan Vacations

What Makes Trafalgar Tours Stand Out?

• Great value for pricing and inclusions
• Comfortable, not physically demanding tours
• Largely focused on cultural immersion 
• Hand-picked accommodations
• Strong reputation 
• Dedicated to responsible tourism - Founding member of TreadRight Foundation
• Good balance of free time and inclusions

Trafalgar is a group tour operator and one of the world’s most awarded tour companies. With over 70 years of experience, they unlock the best of the world from iconic experiences you’ve always dreamed of to getting to know the locals all while having everything taken care of for you every step of the way.  

Tours with Trafalgar are comfortable, not too physically demanding, and offer the opportunity to meet, talk, eat and drink with locals. You’ll get to know chefs, artisans, craftsmen, historians, and farmers as you explore what makes each destination truly special.

Trafalgar has a strong reputation, having been around since 1947 - putting them right at the pinnacle of when many premier guided tour companies were established. You’ll meet groups of like minded travelers, enjoy cultural experiences, expertly crafted itineraries with local touches and experiences guides, while traveling in comfort and ease.

Who Will Enjoy Traveling With Trafalgar?

• Older travelers (but all ages are welcome)
• Families
• Mid to high range budget travelers
• Those who enjoy slow-paced itineraries and easy physical activity
• Those who favor historic sightseeing & cultural immersion over hard core adventure 

If you are an active traveler, perhaps recently retired, eager to explore the world in comfort, visiting a nice combination of unique local spots and classic sites, then Trafalgar could be a great choice.

Possibly you are new to group tours and packages, having been used to creating your own travel experiences at a younger age - Trafalgar provides the perfect introduction to group tours.

You'll have plenty of free time to explore on your own, for shopping, sightseeing, and meals away from the group. Optional excursions are available throughout the itinerary for when you want a bit more structure.

Families will also get a lot out of the Trafalgar travel experience. If you're seeking a family vacation and interested in introducing a new generation of travelers to your favorite country - but don’t really have the time or patience to worry about planning out all the logistics - Trafalgar could be a great choice.

While they offer many trip styles, suitable for travelers of all ages, their classic touch is popular among older travelers. Classic doesn’t mean old fashioned or tired - simply a bit less on the active adventure and more on the historic sights and cultural experiences. They have a number of family focused tours, as well as tailored trips for special interests.

Trafalgar trips are budget friendly, with most trips in middle to low range, including a “Cost Saver” feature that allows you to see more inexpensive trips broken down by ratings and cost clearly. They offer several deals on trips throughout the year.

Trafalgar is a British brand, so many of the attendees on your tour will be from the UK.  

Top Destinations

• Europe & the UK
• USA and Canada
• Australia & New Zealand
• Asia
• South America

With Trafalgar, you can find trips to Europe, USA & Canada, South America, Asia, Australia & New Zealand. While the destinations are widespread, Trafalgar trips explore the culture and their highly trained local guides take you to hidden local spots without venturing too far outside the comfort zone.

Tours in Europe and the UK are among the most popular itineraries, utlizing guest houses and even castles for accommodation! 

Their USA & Canada tours are extremely popular for outdoorsy travelers. National Parks are a common itinerary item, as are trips along the Rocky Mountaineer railroad.

In South America, Trafalgar travels to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. In Africa, they go to Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa. In Asia, it’s Cambodia, China, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

And in the Pacific, Trafalgar visits Australia and New Zealand - some trips in this region are more basic when it comes to accommodation so be sure to read the itinerary carefully!

Wherever you go, you can expect high quality guides, unique destination-specific accommodations, and smooth travels.

They also have a number of religious themed tours, including trips that include excursions to Oberammergau, Bavaria. Once a decade this small town presents a Passion Play, and Trafalgar has had special access since 1970. The next time to experience this unique event is 2020.

Trafalgar Travel Style

The Trafalgar travel style is all about getting to know the culture through activities and connecting with locals. Their main tagline is “Discover the Good Life”. On Trafalgar tours, you get to experience the real thing in a safe, escorted environment with knowledgeable guides there to help with the language and provide historical and cultural context.

"Discovering the Good Life" encompasses perks like skipping lines and private access to classic sites; and unique experiences that bring you to places and among people you’d never have the chance to meet traveling on your own.

This kind of travel is local immersion, but not in the same way a 25 year old might interpret that idea.

Rather than bunking at hostels, going out late at night, and enjoying potentially questionable street food, you’ll stay in premium, centrally located and culturally significant accommodations - everything from bed and breakfasts in Ireland to hotels right on the banks of Norwegian fjords.  

Learn cooking techniques in Italy, enjoy private winery tours at French chateaus, and touring a small olive farm in Spain are just a few examples of the kind of unique travel experiences you can expect with Trafalgar.

Groups are large, typically between 40-45 travelers, a max of 52 on trips in the USA and Canada. Primary transportation during the tour is in large coaches, equipped with WiFi (with the exception of Alaska) and featuring large viewing windows - ideal for taking in the scenery as you head to your next spot on the itinerary.  

Most meals during Trafalgar tours are included. Trips often include free time during which you can explore on your own, with suggestions from your expert guides.

Why Choose a Tour with Trafalgar?

• Well known company
• Culturally rich experiences in comfort
• Many activities included, plus some optional choices
• All guides are expertly trained
• Large groups of international travelers

Trafalgar has a solid reputation, and they stick to what they’ve done well for over 50 years. They focus on the classics, providing a culturally rich perspective as you meet locals along the way. Their experience has allowed them to cultivate relationships around the world with local businesses - quality control you can trust for every stop along the trip.

Niche tours based on specialized interests are also something they are proud to offer. Trafalgar is where you go to have the essentials and logistics take care of seamlessly while you sit back and enjoy. Do note that these tours can be quite large - 40 people traveling together in a tour group can be stifling for some.

While they appeal to an older crowd due to their history and recognizable name, Trafalgar has an impressively well integrated social media presence. Trips on their site are accompanied by instagram posts from real travelers who have been on the same tour, using the hashtag #SimplyTrafalgar.

Old or young(ish), couple or single, traveling Simply Trafalgar inspires confidence, comfort, and enjoyment.