James
GBLast minute travel itinerary and hotel… Last minute travel itinerary and hotel assignments which were not anywhere near the airports I booked because they never told me which was closer. Taxi prices for a 1 hr ride are killer! Hotels in cheaper areas but some had transportation nearby which is good because most days there was no included tour-another great expense to add. Lots of walking so bring comfortable shoes! Our guide Noriko was great-she helped us to navigate transportation and book independent outings. Final cost with all the add-ons was much more than original price. I will never book with them again.
SANDRA L.
GBwe had great experience in Thailand just finished my first UTO tour in Thailand. the hotel is well addressed, and communion with UTO was easy before and during the trip (main office and the Thai local guide) FB messages or WhatsApp usually replied to my questions within 48 hours. I was very skeptical at first because of some of the negative reviews. I used to work in the travel industry. UTO does run tours very differently than most US-based tour companies. however, it may be the reason why sometimes they can offer these unbelievable deals. their tour policy is very strict, not very flexible. my advice is ~ READ READ READ the fine print before you book. looking forward to my 2nd China/Japan tour
customer
GBEvery hotel we had was a long way from… Every hotel we had was a long way from the cities and had subpar food. We paid a mandatory tip and assumed it would be for our travel guide, who was fantastic, they told me not to worry about where the tip goes. 240 for two of us. We also paid for 2 visas as it was required last July. By January we didn't need one. I called twice and they said they would check thier "agencies". No reply. Very unethical company. By the way their add ons are more expensive than doing it yourself. The plus is our trip to Turkey was wonderful because of our excellent tour guide.
Christie
GBGreat customer service! From the first contact, UTO has been responsive, professional and friendly. My recent contacts with Julie have been especially helpful. She even reached out by phone after we were having some problems getting things resolved via email. We are all good now, thanks to her kind and very professional way of dealing with my questions. We are looking forward to our trip with UTO in October!
MaryJo Walker
GBShady Business Practices I booked a trip with 3 others. 2 of my companions failed to send their passports on time. We were all canceled. Credit is worthless when the only thing it can be applied to is trips that cost 10-20 times what the original trip cost. There are disclaimers for everything they do- not responsible for emails that go to junk (and they use multiple addresses, so even though I mark them as safe, another comes through from somebody else.) I was the only one to receive correspondence. I was baited for months with "sold out" tags on similar discounted trips. They were working on coordinating more. Now, my $800 trip is $8000. And it's several thousand less at any other reputable agency. It was odd that the passports needed to be turned in 30 days before the final payment. It was odd that the people who didn't send their passports in weren't notified. We are stuck with credits that are worthless. Run.