pooky

Has anyone used Traveland to South America? please comment

pooky

gave up on getting a response from these people

chanthor

My family and I just got back from Traveland's Peru trip. It was the worst vacation I've ever had. Traveland subcontracts Peru Classic Tours for the trip throughout Peru. Our original itinerary listed the hotels you mentioned. However, when we got there we ended up staying at the Regency in Lima, the Savoy in Cuzco, and the Santuario Hostal in Aguas Calientes- these hotels were a step above backpacker level. Don't expect hotel staff to speak English. Don't expect hot running water at the Regency. Don't expect amenities like shampoo and conditioner to be provided. Expect to be scalded at the Savoy and the Sanctuario when showering due to lack of flow control! Expect confusion and chaos.
Some people were informed the day before departure of the change in hotels, most people were not. Some people were told the change in hotels were "upgrades"- the hotels were all basically the same.
As a whole, the trip was very poorly organized and was plagued by communication lapses. We spent more time on planes, trains and buses or waiting for said planes, trains and buses than we did sightseeing. On the return trip our plane was delayed for 2 hours in Cuzco- the extra hours at the airport could have been easily avoided if the tour operator had called to confirm the flight, the hotel was only about 20 minutes from the airport. Traveland/Peru Classic Tours arranged for a 12:30PM flight from Cuzco to Lima and a 1:30AM flight from Lima to the U.S., which meant a 12 hour layover at the Lima airport. Before the start of the trip I had spoken to a Traveland rep to get the flights changed. I tried again and again with three different reps of Peru Classic Tours throughout the trip to change flights- they all said "not possible". Other people on the trip were able to change flights- we wanted to leave on the last flight from Cuzco scheduled for 4PM. Melissa, a Peru Classic Tours senior rep, told me she could not help us b/c the flight was full. She lied. People from our group who flew on the 4PM flight told me there were at least 30 empty seats on their flight. There is no elevator at the Lima airport and no working escalator. The rest area and the dining choices are up a flight of stairs- be prepared to muscle your bags up or store them at the airport for a fee. Lines at the airport move tediously slow. It took us about 3 hours to get from the airport line to the departure gate for our flight. I do not recommend Traveland or Peru Classic Tours.
Additionally, a lot of people got sick on this trip: altitude sickness, gastro-interitus, stomach ailments, diarrhea, etc.

hrhmadonna

FYI: Anyone thinking about using Traveland.com should check their rating & complaints listed online with the California Southland BBB. As of September 2006 they have an F rating.

granny

I think we got lucky Traveland was so late in responding to my calls, and we decided to go on our own and stay where we wanted. Also, found Mercedes with Argentina Escapes, and she has been a pleasure to work with. I'll write a brief trip report when we return in Nov.