Had a memorable first international trip to Bali, thanks to Tripaway!
Starting from July 2nd, four of us (two couples) went on a 10-day vacation to Bali through a package booked with Tripaway and it (Read More)turned out to be a wonderful first international travel experience for all of us.
Right from the beginning, the Tripaway team was supportive and responsive. They provided us with a customized, detailed itinerary and were extremely patient with the multiple changes we requested. The accommodations were booked on time, and we had a driver/guide waiting at the airport when we landed, which was reassuring.
Although a few things didn’t go exactly as planned and we missed visiting some places, we were still able to cover around 90% of our planned itinerary, which we were happy with.
That said, there’s definitely room for improvement in the quality of the guides/drivers provided. We had three different drivers throughout the trip, and only the first one met our expectations. The others had issues such as poor communication (language barrier), frequent mobile phone usage while driving, inconsistent driving speeds, and lack of proper information about the places we were visiting.
For example, at Gitgit Waterfall, visitors are often approached by local touts claiming guide services are mandatory when in fact, they aren't. Instead of guiding us clearly, our driver seemed to side with the locals, trying to convince us to take their services. In such situations, we expect the guide to look out for the travelers’ best interest, not add to the confusion.
Additionally, it's important that exact Google Maps location pins are shared with the drivers. On one occasion, we were taken to a completely different location for our ATV ride due to a misinterpretation of the instructions shared with the driver. This led to unnecessary delays and frustration that could have been avoided with better coordination.
Despite these hiccups, we truly appreciate the Tripaway team’s prompt support whenever we reached out with concerns. Special thanks to Khushboo for being extremely responsive and helpful, especially in arranging driver replacements and addressing issues without delays.
Overall, we had a great time and would consider booking with Tripaway again provided there’s better consistency and quality control on the ground services.