What about SmartTours? Are they better than Vantage/Grand Circle? They are certainly less expensive.

I have taken two trips with SmarTours, one to Scandinavia/St. Petersburg and the other to South America, and both were wonderful. We had excellent guides, well-located hotels (for the most part), great itineraries, and a good amount of free time. We are going with them again in June. Many of the people we met on both trips had traveled with them multiple times and had plans to do so again. I definitely recommend them.

Just reading about them makes me believe that they offer the same sights and services of Vantage for less money. Not a lot less, but somewhat. Were any of your tours extra and you had to pay for them?

SmarTours has good itineraries but I had a mediocre guide to Eastern Europe. They were inflexible about meal preferences and departure cities and did not provide wake-up calls they told us they would provide. The guide even abandoned us at our hotel when she got to her home city so we could not get breakfast to go when we got no wake up call. After adding in the cost of flights to their departure cities (and the risk of not making your flight because of their inflexibility of departure cities) and their penalty for credit cards, it does not seem worth it.

Has anyone been to their Baltic States tour? Art and I are thinking of going.

I took their Vietnam/cambodia/Bangkok tour and it was exceptional. I have extensively traveled through asia, and could not have put that trip together on my own for that price. Guide(s) were outstanding
We also took their Amazing Thailand tour, which I would not recommend, although the guide once again was exceptional. My friends leave for the Eastern Europe tour tomorrow with SmarTours....

i am most interested in these responses. We have booked with them for Sept. but are doing our own air, using FF miles--arriving a day early and that way were able to add a few days after the tour. I have to say that I have seen here and on other BBs more pro than con remarks. We have had mediocre TDs on two Trafalgar Tours, so it can happen no matter what price one pays. However, we have gone on TT again and had excellent TDs

If they don't live up to what is supposed to be included, then we will not choose them again. I'm just hoping that the Pro remarks will be a reality when we travel. Ciao. mhm