Travel Department Reviews 

In March 2026 we went to Egypt with The Travel Department (Ireland). We had a great time. The tour is a busy one with early starts but worth it.
We started with a trip to the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Pyramids and Sphinx. The museum is magnificent and our fantastic guide, Dodi, takes you through this large museum. Dodi is very knowledgeable and provides excellent commentary on all the exhibits. You will end up in the Tutankhamen section which is breathtaking.
Next was the Pyramids and Sphinx. You spend a good 2 hours there and it is a fantastic thing to be at the site of these amazing structures that you've seen so much about.
Beware, I went in to the burial chamber in the Great Pyramid of Khufu and it's not an easy trip. Don't bring a backpack or a large camera. A small bottle of water and your phone, in your pockets. Try and keep both hands free as it's cramped and boiling hot. It's an option but it's not for everyone.
We flew on to Luxor. For me the Valley of the Kings was a highlight. Dodi will recommend 3 tombs to visit. They were all breathtaking. Beautiful images in the tombs. King Tutankhamen's tomb is an option and it was worth going in to.
There are visits to six temples included on the trip. All the temples were worth visiting. Edfu and Kom Ombo, Hatshepshut were very good but Karnak, Luxor and Philae were fantastic in my opinion. Visiting them at night, as happened with Kom Ombo and Philae, does make for a different look. The light and sound show at Philae was underwhelming but it's not that pricey and it was atmospheric at night.
Luxor is an interesting city. We went to the Museum of Nubia and the Coptic Cathedral on our own and enjoyed both.
The trip to the Aswan dam was interesting, not a lot to see but obviously this is an important site for modern Egypt.
The Felucca trip around Elephant Island was lovely and relaxing and the trip to Seheil Island was a highlight. It's so vibrant and colourful. The school lesson was very funny.
The trip to the Grand Bazaar was not my thing but after the excellent Dodi managed to get my watchstrap fixed we joined him in a cafe and had a break.
A word on the accommodation. The hotels in Cairo and Hurghada were very good. The boat was fine. A small cabin but clean and comfy with a good shower. All the food we had, on the boat or in the hotels varied from fine to very good. A good variety in all the different restaurants and plenty of it. Avoid ice if you can or ask for 'bottled ice' on the boat. We particularly enjoyed the Lebanese and Fish restaurants in Hurghada. The Italian was only okay.
The Travel Department takes you to three shopping excursions on the trip. A shop selling painted parchment, one selling alabaster and worked stone and one selling essences. All were fine as there is no hard sell. We bought something in all 3. The perfume shop offers free massages. I had a very enjoyable back massage. The presentation in the Alabaster shop was great fun.
There was a couple of negatives. Shopping on the strips or in the Bazaar can be a little hard as there can be a lot of hassle. We found one or two shops which advertised themselves as no hassle.
Also, there are, we were told, 400+ cruise ships operating on the Nile. Some need overhauling as they can be seen belching out thick black diesel smoke. Our own boat was fine but there are points of congestion were the air quality is not good but there's little the Travel Department can do about but maybe bring a mask.
Also bring a lot of Arret or Imodium as some of us had tummy trouble. I don't think its the food so much as the heat and change of diet. On the heat, travel, if you can, on the earlier dates as we heard that the temperature reached 48°C on the last trip in May 2025. Maybe the Travel Department should start tours earlier in year.
Wifi on the boat can be patchy but we bought short use local SIMS in the Vodafone shop in Luxor.
All in all, an excellent trip which covered all the things most people want to see.
A particular word for our guide Dodi. He's not just a guide but he's very personable, likeable and if you need advice or help he's always available. He organised medical help for a member of the tour and advised me against going on a third party trip.
His knowledge and guidance put him at the top of the list for all the guides we have had on the Travel Department trips.

Excellent service from booking to journeys end. Everything always goes according to plan. Would highly recommend booking with the Travel Department.

Amazing holiday with this company from start to finish - great tour guide- fabulous food and tour accommodation to everyone’s wishes - paid half of what we paid for Wendy Wu tour and was twice as good - no comparasion - definitely will go with travel department again and never with Wendy Wu tours

We are just back from a Travel Department tour -
Classical Danube River Cruise 4 Star (Budapest - PassaIt It was an amazing experience 5 star in our view. And Sean Creen the TD rep was exceprional/ DO not hesitate book ASAP

just back from a trip to Alghero in sardinia. totally amazing from start to finish. departure flights were late mirning which was great. no really early starts. met at the airport by a very lovely lady who looked after us so well for 7 days .trips were well organised and local guides were so full of information and witty too. bus drivers all very polite and sociable. the hotel Florida was really lovely. staff were so welcoming and couldn't do enough to ensure we all had a good stay. meals were just great. lots of local dishes and plenty of choice delivery recommend this trip. includes visit to Costa smeralda and Porto cervo

Having recently had a brilliant 12 day trip to Egypt with the Travel Department, I must say I was delighted with the experience. From the departure in Dublin to our return we were exceptionally well taken care of by our guide, Dodi. His knowledge of Egyptian history is amazing. He was surely the reason we learned so much. He was always available for chats & to answer questions. The cruise was lovely & we really enjoyed our beach vacation at the end. I must mention our fantastic travel companions out of Dublin. They were wonderful company & we all enjoyed our adventures together.

Just back from Highlights of Vietnam with The Travel Department .
Well organised trip with very knowledgeable, friendly and patient guide called Jimmy Chung who made our trip so interesting, fun and looked after us so well.
Would highly recommend this trip. I am a vegetarian and all my meals were delicious and varied. It’s a fast paced trip but it all went very smoothly, considering there was 27 people on the trip, as it was highly organised by The Travel Department and our wonderful guide Jimmy.

We have just returned from a fabulous and very memorable holiday to Egypt with The Travel Department. From the beginning right up to the end the entire trip was brilliantly organised. Everything worked like clockwork. Our guide Dodi was superb from the moment we met him until we said Goodbye to him at Cairo Airport. He is extremely knowledegable regarding Egiptian History and went over and above to answer questions and help everyone. We were with a terrific group of people who all contributed to making the experience even more special. We are looking forward to booking our next holiday with The Travel Department.

The week on the lake como trip was excellent . A little hiccup in Milan when we hit the wrong day as a demonstration was taking place most things were closed. But overall all days were fantastic and a big thank you to our exceptional local guide Carol. A fantastic week well planned and very enjoyable.

We're just back from Egypt - Nile river cruise incl. Cairo and Hurghada, organised by TD. Overall great trip, Egypt in a nutshell - lots of beautiful sites visited, leisurely Nile cruise, Emad (Dodi) was a great guide, and the 2 hotels were nice. Boat Radamis II, as many people already said, is a bit tired, and bathrooms and bedrooms could do with some refurb and deep clean, but staff are nice and food was excellent (some people ended up with stomach issues, I was lucky while I enjoyed fresh salads and fruits, and ice in drinks was fine too).
Despite asking TD upfront what excursions are available on the tour and at what cost, I was not given this information until we were in Egypt - no reason for it. We wanted to do a balloon flight over Luxor (taken out of TD itinerary but still available), but due to weather it was cancelled - it would cost 130e p.p. Trip to Abu Simbel was 150e p.p. (TBH I expected both to be cheaper, when googling I was getting 60e prices). Some other activities included snorkelling for 120e, quads in desert 55e, Light show in Philae temple 55e (mixed reviews, we skipped it). I thought in Hurghada there would be a water front with lots of options available for boat trips, but no - hotels own the beach strip, and they have excursions on offer, nothing on the main street (promenade). Also do not count on shopping to be done at the end - no nice shops with original products in there, just same souvenirs/ papyrus etc. stalls everywhere. So when you see something nice and at good price on the way, buy it!
I expected locals to be in your face but this was something else. Can't look at anything without being approached, and you'll hear 100 times a day 'where are you from?', which turned into 'Russian?' in Hurghada - self-explanatory...
Overall it was a great trip to explore Egypt - we saw pyramids, tombs, temples, Nile, cities (if you can, do go inside the great Pyramid!). Based on my experience I wouldn't be rushing back to Egypt, but this is due to people rather than anything else.

The professional and courteous of tour guide along with the tours,accommodation was first class.

Very enjoyable and informative. Discover Ancient Greece has a good mix of ancient, historical Greece and a relaxing, leisurely beach break. Rania, our guide, was amazing and so knowledgeable. I've been on many Travel Dept. trips. This is up there with the best.

My first time using the Travel Department and they will certainly be my first choice for holidays in the future. We were met at Milan airport by our guide who looked after us 100% all the way through the holiday, so comforting to have such an experienced and friendly guide. Our trips/tours were well planned and the destinations were appropriate. A boat trip on lake Como, St Moritz, Lugano, Milan, and the town of Como, excellent. The hotel was fine, staff were pleasant and helpful, best service customer service I’ve experienced for sometime. Breakfast was great, evening meal was a little hit and miss with mains, but great anti pasta and desserts.

Excellent trip on Douro. The boat staff food and excursions were wonderful. However using Lisbon airport was a disaster .
Transfers were too long.

I love that all is pre arranged for the trip. You have your itinerary and basically all you have to keep in mind is turning up on time. People are friendly, all seeking the same experience.I have travelled many times with The Travel Department and will do so again and again.

We just completed a wonderful 12 day Egypt tour with Nile cruise, newly built Cairo museum, temples and finished with a few days in the Hurghada resort. Overall, we would highly recommend The Travel Department and, in particular, our assigned guide, Dodi. He is an expert Egyptologist but a lot more besides. He made a good holiday and great one.

Great knowledgeable guides, lovely garden tours.

Sent my review one week ago, thank you

The company looked after our group remarkably well. The hotels in Antequera and Granada were fine. We had a wonderful guide: Alex was very well-informed, amusing and patient. Don't let him go. Give him a bonus.

Great value for money and food really great at hotel