Of course you can walk or drive to your travel agent and look for a tour there. There is a chance that you end up with a tour that is also listed at the ToursOnTheWeb platform. Be aware that a travel agent is an intermediate who collects your payment and needs to transfer this to the tour operator immediately. In most cases this works perfectly, but sometimes it doesn't. Some travel agents use your payment (temporarily) for other purposes than your booking, what has lead to loss of traveller payments in the past... :(
ToursOnTheWeb does not accept online bookings or payments by any traveller / participant. We enable you to search and compare, but forward you to the operator's website for online booking. The pre-selected and validated tour operator is strictly regulated for secure payments, booking guarantees, cancellations and refunds.
When booking via our platform you will not pay a penny more than booking straight at the operator. If you would book via a travel agent, you may even have to pay a booking fee of x dollars/euros/pounds. The tour operator will also have the actual (lowest) prices and will apply discounts, for example for early bird bookings, small groups, recurring travellers as well as loyalty programs. Travel agents may not be able to give you these discounts. In case of changes, your deposit payment is not lost when booked directly.
By booking directly at the Tour Operator, you know who to talk to for information, changes or cancellations. They know best with ALL the information regarding itinerary, destinations, inclusions, exclusions, optional activities, etc and love to talk to you and help you. A travel agent takes it information from alternate sources that may / may not be correct or complete.
Only the Terms and Conditions of the tour operator apply to your booking.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) has changed the way we look for almost anything on the Internet. Generative AI with bots and tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Qwen, Deep Seek, Kimi, Minimax know whatever is available on the World Wide Web through Large Language Models.
These systems are extremely powerful and capable in many areas of daily life, but not very good at comparing lots of very similar data in an easy, tabular format. These bots can read billions of Web Pages but have no access to travel company databases and therefore cannot collect detailed information like dates and prices for hotel rooms, flights or organised multi-day tours.
This is where large comparison platforms like ToursOnTheWeb can play an important role. Our partners provide all details like itineraries, dates and current prices. You can use easy filters instead of complex, long prompts to get proper results, at no cost whatsoever to the user. No subscriptions and no tokens needed. You decide what is the best for you. Nothing can beat that.
So, comparison platforms like ToursOnTheWeb are here to stay, for your convenience and your confidence!
"Countries" have been created to make travel searches easier. Some countries do not actually exist, but this is just for practical travel reasons only and have nothing to do with politics. Incorrect countries include for example Russia (Europe) and Russia (Asia), Gibraltar, South Georgia, Svalbard, Greenland, Alaska, Hawaii and Hong Kong.
Yes, we have 15,000 active tour itineraries in our system with a total of more than 300,000 tour start dates and seasonal dates and even more price options. All of these tours are conducted by well-known local or trusted international tour operators - in English, German, Dutch and more.
To our best knowledge, only one (1) online travel agency has more tours. They work completely different from us, because they do accept your bookings and your money. They also list tiny little niche operators with one or two tour itineraries.
We do not try to list all tours from all operators, but focus on the best travel experiences, trust, convenience and confidence so you can have the time of your life with one of our tours.
FYI. We are still looking for reliable tour operators, especially outbound operators from countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain and the UK.
Of course you can organise your own trip. A lot of people do, especially for easy destinations. But booking online and organising is not the same as travelling and actually being on the road.
- One of the main advantages of Group Tours is to meet other people and to make friends easily. Websites and Social networks are not really very social. I rather talk to someone in person while on vacation. "Digital Buddies" may be OK for work.
- Websites don't take you to your hotel or carry your suitcases. They may tell you were something is and how to get there, but you need to do it yourself. The tour bus will take you to the entrance of your hotel.
- ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI platforms, even by travel companies, may suggest an itinerary, but with so many options available (e.g. different hotels and restaurants in cities), the options are countless. The questions in the chat need to be so detailed and specific to find that great tour for you, that it isn't funny. Comparing tours with AI chat-boxes also doesn't really work.
We have hand-picked, filtered and validated our partners. All of them are very established organisations covered by one or more booking guarantee funds.
We also verified recent reviews (e.g. on tripadvisor, feefo and trustpilot) to make sure that past travelers like the operator and would travel with them again. If still in doubt, you can search the Internet for reviews by other travellers / participants, or choose another operator that you do know and trust.
PS. It is great news if you would find a tour operator that you have not heard about before. This proves that our concept - to offer you more choice than a traditional travel agent - works.
ToursOnTheWeb does not accept any booking or payment from any traveller or participant. You can search, compare and share group tours, private tours, (river) and luxury expeditions cruises online. A simple click on a button will redirect you straight to the correct tour page at the operator's web site where you can ask for more information, check current availability or make your booking. If the tour operator has a local presence (walk-in store or office) you can also book & pay there.
Only the Tour Operator's Terms and Conditions apply to all bookings.
Please contact the tour operator directly for your bookings, changes or cancellations. ONLY the Terms and Conditions of the tour operator apply to your booking - unlike bookings through traditional or online travel agents who may add a whole lot of additional terms and conditions of their own.
Your cancellation will most likely be bound to fees, depending on the tour duration, when you cancel and how much you have paid. These fees will always apply, regardless where and with whom you book (including travel agents), because the tour operator will have incurred expenses that it may not be able to recover. Also, the operator will now have to find someone else to travel in your place.
Some operators allow you to re-schedule your booking to another date if necessary, without a fine, even if you would travel 6 months to a a year later. This could be very convenient is something serious happens suddenly that does not allow you to travel straight away.
We always recommend to obtain a travel insurance that covers at least the basics including "emergency" cancellation and COVID-19.
We understand that you can have a question about a tour or your booking. That is normal. Please contact the tour operator directly and talk to them via chat, email or phone.They are the ones with all the info and they can help you best.
ToursOnTheWeb does not have all the info about listed tours and travels and cannot really help you. There are lots and lots of group tours, private tours, (river) cruises, expeditions and operators and it is impossible to know everything. Our listings provide a lot of information, but a lot more is available at the operator's website.
If your question does not relate to a tour, but to the company ToursOnTheWeb, you can find us on social media like LinkedIn, Twitter and facebook. If you are a tour operator, advertiser or investor, then please find more info in the partner section of this website.