Travelzoo/Gate1 Travel deal

My husband and I have been on 6 tours with Gate 1. Yes, we have used some of their "deals." Just be sure to look into exactly what is or isn't included. I would recommend booking directly with Gate 1. Don't click through another website. You can sign up for Gate 1's weekly Deals email and get them sent to your inbox. We went to Ireland with them once for a price that was unbelievable. Their purchasing power can get you some great deals! They also have a referral discount. PM me if interested!

I also used Gate 1 for a tour and would recommend you look very closely at the flights - I ended up having to "upgrade" so that I could choose flights that were not 26+ hour travel days (my airport isn't a major hub, you are luckier with LAX option). If you can indeed choose not horrible flights, just book directly with Gate 1 as suggested above. BTW I did look at the special on Gate 1 and noticed a one important caveat on the booking page: "Airfare options for this program may not include checked luggage nor advance seat assignments. Please check your airfare selection carefully." Also there must be something happening in Milan on Oct. 18 because there's a specific warning about booking flights that date.

Thank you for both of your feedback.
I did look at the flights and saw that 1 checked bag is included but need to read more carefully if we can pick our seats. Other than that I think everything else looks good.

We have done two Gate 1 Travel tours and they were fantastic. Also, their prices are very had to beat.
We did Egypt in January and the cost, which included RT airfare from JFK to Cairo, was a little over half what Viking was charging for essentially the same tour.

Our tour guide was great and we stayed in 5 or 4.5 star hotels and our two cruises were very nice.
We did take the airfare on the Egypt trip, but had to purchase separate tickets RT to JFK Airport, so we had to plan a sleep over at a hotel on our way to Egypt (it was great stayed at the TWA Hotel).

We have two more Gate 1 tours booked. One is of Israel and Jordan and we booked the airfare with the tour, which was way cheap. The other is to Europe and we plan to buy our own airfare.

I had an excellent experience with Gate 1 in south India, but that was an escorted tour. As long as you are careful to read the fine print as to what’s included, and make sure the flights are acceptable, you should be fine with them.

Thanks Geo and Renee for your feedback, looks like Gate1 has some buying power with these deals.
We are 100% fine with no tour guide as we have been to the area before, but have never driven.

The vast majority of Europe is safe to travel without a guided tour.

However, if you entertain visiting third world countries or countries were security is IMPORTANT, then a guided tour is a MUST.

I'm a never-been-anywhere aspiring traveller. Not wanting to highjack the thread, but can I ask -- How many people are usually on these group Gate1 trips? Thanks.

I booked one of the deals…directly from Gate1

Leaving for Sicily on Feb 3. We are booked on Delta, changing planes in Rome to Catania. Flights look great, I picked seats and it includes 1 checked bag if we choose to check.

Price was a steal in my opinion! Just breakfasts are included, and we did add a couple optional tours. Tips are also additional for tour guide and bus driver….but regardless it was cheap. I could not have touched this price doing it on my own.

There is plenty of free time, so we can make our own plans. And I’m glad not to worry about logistics for once.

I can report back after tour how it was!

KKMintz- Please do! Excited to hear how it went. Our trip went really smooth, everything was exactly as described. Mine was an independent option so I just booked all my tours/excursions on my own.

Kathy--on the trips we have taken with Gate 1, there have been anywhere from 22-42 people in the group. The guides are pros, and they get 42 people on the bus and to the sites on time. The last tour we were on had 22 people, and honestly the only difference I noticed from the tours we took with 42 people was that we got to know the other people better because there were fewer and that we could spread out on the bus more. Gate 1 guides are efficient and organized and have no problem handling up to 42 people.