TRAVELER REVIEWS

There's no better way to learn what a trip is like than from the firsthand experiences of your fellow travelers, and our Traveler Reviews are the real deal—unbiased and unedited—giving you an honest appraisal of the experiences that await you on this trip.

Australia & New Zealand: From Ayers Rock to the Great Barrier Reef & Beyond

The tour was well orchestrated and designed for our needs. Not having traveled with Vantage before, we did not what to expect and were somewhat apprehensive and hesitant to participate, but we were pleasantly surprised with the outcome. The locations selected in Australia, New Zealand and Figi were an excellent choice and our visit to all of them were great. From the selection of the individual adventures to the accommodations and meals were outstanding and could not have been better. The only drawback of the trip was the many plane trips to be made and the length of times needed for our travels. On our return trip to the USA our layover time at LAX was excessive ( 9 hours) and could have been better scheduled. All in all, this was a great adventure.

Australia & New Zealand: From Ayers Rock to the Great Barrier Reef & Beyond

We thoroughly enjoyed this trip. The itinerary was interesting and well chosen. We would, however, have also liked to see Christchurch NZ. With the exception of one stop, there always was plenty of time to explore. The buses were comfortable and always on time. The Hotel rooms were good and included breakfasts, lunches, and dinners excellent.


Paul Harrington, our tour guide, went above and beyond what I would consider being her duties. Paula always greeted us with a big smile, was very knowledgeable of the areas we visited and constantly on the alert to see how she could improve upon our experience. She was by far the best tour guide we have had the pleasure to be guided by.

We hope to see Paula again on a future trip.

Thank you, Vantage for a wonderful experience.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

Paula is a masterful organizer, attentive to detail, receptive to feedback, supportive and altogether an enthusiastic and energetic leader. She has also been resourceful in negotiating unforeseen situations without unnecessarily disrupting the group.

Itinerary and accommodations excellent.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

We enjoyed this adventure mainly because Matt is the best possible guide. Melbourne is his home and he loves his homeland. We were asked to become one big happy disfunctional family and we did just that. The bonding was great and he sent us home with a bit of Australia to enrich the memories. If you take the hot air balloon ride, don't let them put you in position 3. Your view will be largely blocked. Everything else was perfect. You may get to see the small blue penguins coming ashore to their nesting grounds. They're adorable.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

The trip was more then what we could have ever imagined it to be. Our tour guide, Matt, was very helpful and knowledgeable, especially when it came to giving us ideas of what to do during our free time, and giving us information on the culture. We truly enjoyed our adventurous journey and would highly recommend it to others.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

Great trip. Our Program Director, Mavis, was the best I have had with Vantage. She was so good about the history of the city and ideas on where to eat,
Mavis was a great help with my granddaughter, Rachel Lowry, when she became ill.
Vantage is always a great adventure!!!
Thank you.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

Every minute was great. Great overall view of New Zealand and Australia. We had the best guide ever in Gemma Loughnane. She was knowledgeable, extremely patient and had a wonderful sense of humor. She made sure every member of our group was well taken care of and had everything they needed. Would love to travel with her again. She is an incredible asset to Vantage Travel.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

We had a great group of friends andGemma our guide was absolutely fantastic.She catered to all our needs and made sure that everyone was comfortable and happy.Well done Gemma!! Thanks again for everything.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

This was my first Vantage trip, but it will not be my last. There was a wonderful balance between organized and free time. This was also true of group dinners and personal dining times. Overall the hotels were very clean and well located within the cities. Our tour guide, Gemma, was topnotched. She was so knowledgeable, caring, helpful, and concerned about our well-being. She really is a "Gem".

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

This trip had been on our bucket list. Was a fantastic trip. Loved every day. Hard to decide our favorite part. Cuddling a koala was really special.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

Incredible. Elizabeth was our tour director and she made the trip! Loved our journey down under.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

Our tour director, Elizabeth Tobin, was OUTSTANDING! We would highly recommend this New Zealand/Australia with Elizabeth as the guide. She is truly amazing. How So?
- knowledge of each tour day/stop-superior
- personal attention to individual needs-superior
- ability to engage group in activities- superior
- respect given and shown by everyone- superior
This was not only our first Vantage tour, but also our first visit to New Zealand/Australia. Many in our tour group were veterans to Vantage tours, two couples having over a dozen Vantage tour experiences. Everyone commented on the excellence that Elizabeth demonstrated on our tour.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

We had a fantastic trip after we finally sorted out our travel out of New Zealand. Since Vantage didn't manage our long haul travel we were not sent info about our on tour flights. This caused a problem entering New Zealand since our exit flight was booked by Vantage. Care should be taken to make sure travelers have all need information.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

High regards to Carolyn Andrews out tour director. Her expertise, patience, knowledge, and direction was valued and appreciated. This was tested on two occasions during the trip and she handled it in a very caring and professional manner.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

Gemma was a terrific and very caring tour director. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip but I found the hills in Queenstown a bit steep. I really enjoyed the trip anf if I was younger would go back again. The hotels were great and food really good.

Australia & New Zealand: an Adventure Down Under

Outstanding value, fantastic tour guide. I don't know how you could cram more things to a tour and yet feel comfortable with the pace the entire time.

The Best of Australia & New Zealand

This was one of the BEST trips we have been on. Elizabeth TOBIN IS THE BEST TOUR DIRECTOR,ALONG WITH KEITH MARTIN ( THE BEST OF SO AFRICA)

The Best of Australia & New Zealand

This was an overall amazing experience, our tour guide was wonderful, the cities we visited were all unique and had their own interesting highlights. There were numerous flights involved so be prepared for that, but most went off without a hitch. The breakfasts were usually lavish and the included meals were tasty. The hotel accommodations were more than adequate. The only disappointment was the view from our room at the St. Moritz -- a concrete wall, what a shame in such a beautiful location! We also missed going to Rotura, which was not included or an option on our trip. But worth the money -- a great experience!

The Best of Australia & New Zealand

Seeing Australia and New Zealand was great, but this trip had a lot more free time then what I expected. I took the pre-trip and we had an entire free day at Melbourne. I wouldn't expect for a pre or post trip to have an entire free day. I would expect that vantage would book up our time completely. We didn't even have an optional trips that we could have gone on. Luckily I knew that we had this free day a few days in advance and was able to do research at home and went on the "great ocean road trip". Our program manager did give us some suggestions to do, and this was not on the list. For all the other free time we had in Australia and New Zealand the program manager did give us suggestions, but we couldn't do our own research for our hotels only gave us 30 minutes of free internet access a day. If we wanted more time we had to pay for it. 30 minutes only gave us enough time for emails and to check social media sites, it didn't give us enough time to research activities in the city we were in. I paid for an optional tour to go to "Featherdale Wildlife Tour". This was an awesome wildlife park, but unfortunately we were not given enough time to go through the whole park. Vantage only contracted to rent the bus for a set amount of time, which did not give us enough time to go through the entire park. Since we didn't have anything else scheduled for that day, vantage should have contracted to have the bus longer that day. Since I was willing to spend the additional money on an optional tour, vantage should have spent the additional money also to ensure that there was ample time to see everything in the part.

The Best of Australia & New Zealand and Fiji

This was a very planned out trip for adults. From the hotels we stayed in and fabulous meals we ate like a queen. The airline travel within these countries was wonderful. Our bus experienced some mechanical problems in New Zealand for 2 days. All our bus drivers were excellent and knowledgeable about the areas they drove our group. Having a small group was also a nice advantage when travelling. All the excursions were very worthwhile. Our group had the option of going on to Fiji - which I did and I found it quite relaxing for the end of the trip before flying back to U.S. Please plan to have plenty of money as items are 2 and 3 times the cost of U.S items. Their minimum wage is much higher than the U.S. so naturally things cost more! Over all I enjoyed this trip and would recommend it to anyone over 21 years of age.

The Best of Australia & New Zealand

I had a great time on this trip. Pre-trip to Melbourne et al was not as good as rest of trip. Not much to see there. We rented a car and drove down the great ocean highway which was spectacular. Much better than staying back in town and staying on Vantage itinerary. Not impressed with Ayers Rock. I guess if you have seen one monolith you have seen them all. I'm probably in the minority as others seem to enjoy it. After that things picked up and the days passed by much to quickly. New Zealand is wonderful with awesome scenery. Also our hotel in Queenstown had in room washer and dryer which was needed after so many days on the tour. Finally the layover in Fiji was a great way to unwind. I'd skip all of the visits to villages et al and get in some quality pool time.

The Best of Australia & New Zealand

One of our best trips outside of USA. Highly recomended pre-tour and side trips. Our tour guide was excelent and very knowledgable. His suggestions about places to see and where to eat were excelent. The evenings in Sydney were memorable, drinking "long black" coffee and looking at the opera building. The post trip to Fiji provided needed relaxation after New Zealand. we highly recommend this trip.

The Best of Australia & New Zealand

I must say this was the trip of a lifetime. Except for the extremely long flights to get to Cairns from Dallas, everything else was fantastic! (Can't help the long distance!) Combining Australia with New Zealand was wonderful. And on the way home, we took the extension in Fiji which really broke up the long return travel time. It is difficult to pick a favorite part of the trip. But over-all, I'd say New Zealand wins that honor. That's right. New Zealand (all of it) was excellent. The climate was perfect for January. The stay and activities while in Queenstown gave me a treasure trove of photos! Our program manager was extremely well informed and had a great sense of humor. I have been recommending this trip to anyone who will listen!