We've taken 2 tours through Gate1 Travel in the past couple of years (to Thailand and to the Baltics/Poland). We just booked our 3rd trip with them, to India. The tours are very affordable (more cost effective, in fact, than traveling on your own). The tour guides we have had have been truly top notch. The hotel quality has ranged fro pretty good to excellent. They hit the highlight sites but leave you plenty of time to explore on your own. We ditched the tour a few times and went off on our own, and we rarely do the optional tours because we can figure it out on our own for less money and more flexibility (and they don't care, but if you're lazy, or an inexperienced traveler, or just want the convenience, then book their optional tours if they interest you). Our only complaint is that the included dinners are not very authentic or good (we generally just skip them, even though they're paid for). We purchase land only deals for Thailand and India because from Boston it worked out better for us, but we did book an air/land combo for the Baltics, which worked out well. Excellent value! We often stayed at the same hotels as other tour groups (we saw their buses), and they paid at least 30% more for their trips than we did. They also have non-escorted packages at a good value.
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