One Traveller | Mature Solo Holidays

"I agree. with the man who went to NYC. The staff in the office only listen to the person representing them on the tour. Office staff are very rude on the phone and told my relative she was a liar. When phoning regarding a booking, because they had not received any communication from OT and was getting concerned regarding flights etc. Very expensive for what they offer."

"One Traveller advertised a 5 star hotel in the centre of NYC in its brochure. One week before departure the company informed travellers there would not be any tea/coffee-making facilities in the rooms so I wrote to the company. Eventually £100 refund was provided and tea/coffee making facilities placed in all the rooms. The brochure promotes 7 days for £3,520 when in fact it is 6 days (20-26 November) so very misleading and factually incorrect. At JFK the Tour Manager (TM) chose to remove my case from the carousel and write my name on the luggage label without my consent. He wasted about 2 hours at the airport trying to resolve a missing case when any intelligent TM would have arranged for the travellers (24 of us) to travel to the hotel after a long haul flight and he could have taken a taxi with the traveller whose case was lost later. The TM was unable to negotiate a vegetarian breakfast for me at this hotel and lacked the flexibility to cater to this. He encouraged me to pay $16 plus tax for a vegetarian breakfast when I had asked for a side of mushrooms instead of the meat side option. The TM, despite having travelled to NYC 'several times', appeared to have no knowledge of the city and relied on typed handouts to give us to read.The hotel did not help clients with porterage and the personal audio guiding system was not included despite the written assurance it would be. At the Radio City Music Hall the TM chose to check his phone (despite instructions from the stage not to do so) on frequent occasions and take photographs which were very distracting as I was sitting adjacent. He was not confident on the subway and gave us wrong advice on payment, snatched the receipt from my hand stating he would need this! The itinerary stated a visit to the Highline was included. On arrival at the area the TM took us to the eating facilities above it and expected the small group remaining to find their own way to the Highline and gave us directions from his phone. When we requested he escort us there (which was his responsibility) he was put out as he said 'I have come here to have lunch!' He even had to enquire from a local person where it was so clear he had no knowledge of how to find it nor any interest in showing us where it was. The wording around the event to see the Empire State Building (ESB) was ambiguous; it appeared that the Broadway show as an option would be chargeable. He gave no indication at the beginning of the trip about the cost of the ESB visit and stated he had to use his own money to pay for this with no clarity on the cost and state tax. He issued no receipt and was unwilling to provide tickets as souvenirs of the event. He would only accept cash in dollars or sterling at £1 =1US and not accept any BACS transfer to his bank account. This was not in keeping with any previous travel I have undertaken when the company issued a receipt for additional excursions. Why didn't the TM have a card from the One Traveller company to pay for this and why weren't receipts issued? The TM failed to use sufficient notice of his position when leading us in the City when most TMs carry an item to locate them. He lacked a duty of care when a traveller was unable to keep up given mobility issues to witness the Thanksgiving Day parade and she was understandably upset by this. We were obliged to eat meals on 2 consecutive evenings at Italian restaurants offering the same menu! Given the choice of eateries in the locality, this seemed unhelpful; the reason given was that this was easy access to the hotel, (so are multiple other restaurants!) I have evidenced my concerns and requested a refund. One Traveller state the problems were a result of a 'significant personality clash'(!) This company is unprofessional and centred on profits not people. ABTA charge for their services now so this company is abnegating its responsibility for this disappointing holiday and I am unwilling to have to pay ABTA to complain about this wholly inadequately staffed overseas trip."

"Having enjoyed nine previous holidays with this company, I was surprised and disappointed by their response when something went disastrously wrong. A trip to Stockholm was largely spoiled by the very sub standard hotel which was situated in the nightlife district and resulted in practically no sleep for the entire week. On our return the company was deluged with complaints but took some considerable time to acknowledge or respond to those complaints. To their credit future trips to Stockholm have now changed and a different hotel booked. However, they have still not adequately addressed the compensation issue nor delivered a proper apology for what was the holiday from hell."

"I've been on two holidays so far and one booked for this year. I find them an exceptional company and as a fairly recent widow who always went on holiday with my husband, I can honestly say I enjoyed both of the holidays I've taken. Fellow passengers are usually friendly and the tour managers really look after you. I wouldn't even think of going with any other company"

"I have been on two holidays with this amazing company and have three more booked. From the moment you book you feel very well looked after. Day one you meet a group of like-minded strangers who very quickly become friends. Everything is of a very high standard, from hotels, transport, restaurants and excursions. The tour managers work very hard to make everything run smoothly. I say well done One Traveller you are the best!"