Webjet Deals – Are They Too Good To Be True?

You may have seen the print and other ads for the Webjet tour business and wondered if they were too good to be true. The prices seem incredibly low and chockful of meals, entrance tickets and other add-ons, making you wonder, ‘how can they do it’?

Well, they can AND it is well worth doing…

In February this year my Mum and I jetted out of Sydney for Delhi on the Webjet 19-day Opulence of Rajasthan tour. We had been hunting for some time for a tour of the Golden Triangle of India, comparing and contrasting deals between Webjet and Tripadeal. Webjet got the nod. The clincher was the number of two-night stays in most destinations/cities making it a tad easier for myself and my 80-years-young mum.

The Booking Process

• The booking process was not the easiest. Yes, it was pretty straightforward booking and paying online, but there were a few hiccups. It seems that there are multiple players in a Webjet package and each element of the package (accommodation, flights and on-ground tours) is handled by a different organisation and sometimes things do fall through the gaps.
• The tour was advertised on the website as departing on Saturday 2 February. As we live some distance from Sydney, I proceeded to book accommodation and transport to coincide with that date. Then our flight confirmation came through stating that our departure was Friday 1 February. So, I changed our bookings. Then, one month later ANOTHER flight confirmation came through congratulating and celebrating our departure on Saturday 2 February!! I was not happy as we would incur fees if we made yet another change, and I shared this feedback very clearly and concisely!
• The upshot was, after multiple phone calls and emails, Webjet confirmed our 1 February departure date and they paid for an extra night’s accommodation in Delhi. This turned out to be an excellent result for us as we enjoyed a ‘flop’ day and caught our breath before the start of a busy tour. WIN!

Communication

• The Webjet staff were unfailingly pleasant on the telephone and, believe me, there were multiple phone calls.
• The challenge started when I asked a question that wasn’t on their ‘script’. Having been to India once before I had some specific questions about the tour and I struggled to have those questions understood and answered, by either phone or email. I am not sure whether it was a language barrier or they simply did not have the answers. Eventually I just gave up and ‘hoped for the best’.
• Webjet needs to work on this aspect. Staff should be trained to actually listen to the actual/potential customer on the end of the telephone before delivering their formulaic responses.

Value for Money

• I am a bit of a tour newbie, but I thought the package was excellent value for money.
• Buffet breakfast was included and this was perfect to set you up for each day. The food was always of high quality and no one contracted Delhi-belly the whole tour. Not sure if that was good luck or good management although we all turned vegetarian for the duration of the tour. Perhaps that helped.
• Three dinners were included.
• All entrance fees to attractions were also included, except where we went off the itinerary and that wasn’t often or expensive.
• Because we booked early, we received passes to a lounge at Sydney airport and that was a real treat prior to departure.

The Tour

• 

  The itinerary and content of the tour were excellent with good inclusions and timing.

• We couldn’t believe it when we met the tour director to be advised that we were a tour group of three people!! Here we were thinking we would be on a bus with 20 other travellers and being subject to their whims, tardiness and personality quirks. Instead we shared our Indian adventure with one lovely lady from Sydney.
• The small tour size was a real highlight as it meant we could be far more nimble, packing and unpacking quickly, and visiting places that would have been inaccessible by a larger bus.
• Our driver, Asif, was amazing, safe and very caring. We all felt incredibly lucky to meet such a nice man and to have him care for us for 16 days.
• Being such a small group, Asif changed our itinerary some days to include more interesting or less-visited sites/sights. We also decided to skip some temples and rested instead. This sort of flexibility was fantastic.

• 

  On the whole, the standard of accommodation was very comfortable. Only a couple of the properties could be genuinely described as five star, but that didn’t worry us at all. There is so much to see and do, you spend so little time in the hotel room anyway

Overall

• Despite a few early hiccups, I would highly recommend travelling with Webjet.
• We have the happiest memories of our time in India and especially of our driver, Asif.
• I really wanted this to be an amazing (and safe) experience for my Mum and it was!

Which tour companies would you recommend? And why?

#incredibleindia #rajasthan #packagetours

(And, a happy blog anniversary to me! I have been blogging for three years now and I thank you for your support and patience.)