Home > Compare Tour & Adventure Operators > Explore vs On The Go Tours
Explore vs On The Go Tours
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Explore and On The Go Tours.The Low Down
Explore Worldwide is a UK adventure travel company that has been around since 1981. They run over 500 small group tours in more than 100 countries around the world with an average of 12 guests. Accommodation is often family run lodgings and guides are passionate locals. Itineraries are a mix of must-sees and who-knews, and guests can choose from different trip styles to suit their interests.Explore recognises that adventure is different for everyone, and their trips range from classic discovery group tours to active adventures such as hiking and cycling. They also have dedicated family trips, themed journeys such as those that focus on wildlife or their limited edition Explore Beyond collection which showcases rare one-off events. Explore have an impressive track record with 96% of past travellers saying they would travel with them again.
On the Go are new to Global Journeys in 2019 but have been operating for 20 years. Their range of small group tours have a capacity for 24 passengers but average 14- 18. They welcome an intergenerational, international mix of English speaking travellers. Offering signature, family and festive and festival tours to over 60 countries, On the Go create culturally immersive tours.Expert local guides lead you through the highlights of each destination, you will meet the locals, try different modes of transport and spend your nights in 3-4 star accommodation. Your deposit has a lifetime guarantee in the event you need to change your holiday plans.
Stats
No. of Trips
440
No. of Departures
6,590
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$417
Accommodation
Mixed
Budget
Affordable & Premium
No. of Trips
133
No. of Departures
2,973
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$336
Accommodation
3 - 4 Star
Budget
Affordable
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Explore has been taking small groups on adventure holidays all over the world for almost 40 years. The expert team, at home and overseas, works together to create itineraries that leave you feeling that you’ve really explored a destination rather than just visited. You’ll see the highlights, the must-sees, of course. But you’ll also get away from the beaten track, and get a different perspective on your destination. You’ll get closer to a place, its people and cultures.
Our small groups are typically 12 people – small enough to get right into the heart of your destination, but big enough to find like-minded people to share your experiences with. And the glue that holds these groups together is our local tour leaders, who are uniquely placed to add individual and spontaneous moments to each trips – moments that stay with you long after you return home. All sorts of people travel with Explore – our groups are usually a mix of solos, couples and friends. What unites them is their adventurous spirit and thirst for real travel experiences.
We provide authentic small-group travel, designed by experts and led by experts, with sustainability at its heart and a common desire for unforgettable experiences. Whether you’re on a cultural tour of Lebanon, cycling in Vietnam, walking in Italy or exploring Costa Rica with your family, when you’re travelling with Explore you know that you’re in good hands.
Every holiday experience from On the Go Tours has been carefully designed to ensure that you not only enjoy authentic local experiences but do so while getting the best value for money. Guided group tours are our specialty, with well-planned itineraries balancing the key highlights of each destination with plenty of free time to explore.
Led by expert and passionate tour leaders, our tours attract a variety of ages and are ideally suited to solo travellers as we have very few compulsory single supplements. We use distinctively local means of transport too, with an excellent selection of 3-5-star hotels and boutique properties.
As an award-winning tour operator, we offer a range of trip types from family adventures to tailor-made holidays, so we’re bound to have a trip style to suit you. We're passionate about making your holiday truly memorable, along with Global Journeys, our valued partner, to help you book your next journey with us.
Recent Reviews
4.7
This was actually two tours, Portugal and Spain with Felix and the Morocco with Boobker. Felix provided daily summaries of what we would be doing and when. Boobker provided limited and only verbal details. Tipping was an issue across the whole tour with some of the group using "optional" to mean they could contribute either nothing or very little. Boobker ...read more was left in the position where he had no tipping pool and one or two of us had to do all the tipping in Morocco.
We had great variety in fitness levels which slowed us down, especially in Lisbon and Porto - both very hilly! Felix was very knowledgeable and repeatedly went the extra mile to ensure we covered everything, even arranging an additional guide for the Cordoba Mosque/Cathedral. Because Morocco requires licensed guides in each city, Boobker had less opportunity to do this. All accommodation was at least 3 star and most were 4 star. All accommodation was either in the main tourist areas or just outside - very convenient.
We had great variety in fitness levels which slowed us down, especially in Lisbon and Porto - both very hilly! Felix was very knowledgeable and repeatedly went the extra mile to ensure we covered everything, even arranging an additional guide for the Cordoba Mosque/Cathedral. Because Morocco requires licensed guides in each city, Boobker had less opportunity to do this. All accommodation was at least 3 star and most were 4 star. All accommodation was either in the main tourist areas or just outside - very convenient.
I enjoyed learning the history of the three countries visited as well as the current politics and social environment. I liked the capital cities of Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan, as well as the Black Sea resort town of Batumi in Georgia. and many historic churches and monasteries in between. It's a pity though that the time in Tbilisi was rather limited. ...read more It's a city that deserves more sightseeing time. On the other hand, I think there was too much time spent on wineries and wine tastings.
Very good tour. A full tour - 16 people including 10 singles, people from all around the world which was great to see. This was my 3rd tour with Explore. This is graded as a "moderate" tour and was certainly a lot slower paced than my previous trip to Georgia & Armenia. Tour leader and driver were both North Macedonian. Tour leader had a great personality ...read more and was very professional and caring especially when 1 person had a fall and broke a bone in their foot on day 12 of the tour. We had great weather, sunny and warm with an enjoyable 3 night stay in Lake Ohrid and visit to Thassos island in northern Greece. Hotels were well located, being walking distance to town centres. Lots of monasteries and churches, especially compared to the number of ancient sites in northern Greece we visited. Booking with Georgie is always seamless, she provides very prompt, professional and friendly service.
As an introduction to the lakes area, Walk the Lake District was amazing! We had the best sunny weather ever which was unheard of for the entire week. The views were spectacular and the group of people we were with were friendly and fun to be with. The accommodation was first class and the food fantastic. Our walks guide was excellent in both gauging ...read more the fitness level of the group and history of the area. Would I recommend this to anyone? Yes, but be fit because to get the views you have to go up! Hannah was great with keeping me on track with paperwork, made it all very easy.
For me this trip was about getting out in nature. Loved the time spent in Triglav National Park, going for beautiful walks, staying in Bohinj. Fab location. Also Lake Bled. I could easily have spent more time in the mountains and forgone the towns and cities on this itinerary. Clare was a fantastic guide, giving up her two client-free days to take us ...read more on stunning walks etc. I do think the company should retain private driver/bus for the entire day when needed, especially when some public transport e.g. buses are known to be unreliable. Clare was even told by a public bus driver she shouldn’t be putting her people on public buses. Overall, I lived the trip 💚
All in all, this was an excellent trip. The guide provided by Explore was exceptional- could not recommend him more highly. The trip was all it said it would be, and more. We saw places and met people that most tourists never would experience. The cycling was challenging. We hadn’t properly understood that half the tour group would be on e-bikes. This ...read more took a bit of negotiation to keep the group together and not break the morale of the non motorised bike riders.
It became apparent that the group members had received differing information in the lead up to the trip mainly regarding bike specific info about clip in pedals, helmets etc. This was concerning as it did potentially negatively impact the trip. My one little criticism would be that others on the tour had received a ‘last minute’ email, gee-ing them up for the trip. I didn’t receive this and so flew from Australia not feeling 100% sure that the tour would happen. This was further exacerbated when we were met at the airport by a driver who didn’t speak English and holding a mis-spelt hand written sign with no mention of cycling. He also drove very fast and dangerously and was abrupt with some of the group members.
It became apparent that the group members had received differing information in the lead up to the trip mainly regarding bike specific info about clip in pedals, helmets etc. This was concerning as it did potentially negatively impact the trip. My one little criticism would be that others on the tour had received a ‘last minute’ email, gee-ing them up for the trip. I didn’t receive this and so flew from Australia not feeling 100% sure that the tour would happen. This was further exacerbated when we were met at the airport by a driver who didn’t speak English and holding a mis-spelt hand written sign with no mention of cycling. He also drove very fast and dangerously and was abrupt with some of the group members.
4.8
Our On the go tour was memorable and a journey through Vietnam, that we will not forget. The guide Win Win was great including the 12 others on the trip made this an enjoyable and wonderfull experience. would recommend the On the go to other thinking of travelling to Vietnam. Thanks from my family.
If you go on this trip (hosted by On The Go) with Kien the tour guide, you are in for one hell of a holiday! The activities, locations, transport and hotels are all hand picked for comfort, ease of getting around, location to attractions and amenities! Top activities - - Halong Bay!! Luxury junk boat, spectacular environmental setting, fine dining, ...read more water and cave activities, cocktails and sunsets, need I say more! Hoi An - possibly the most beautiful place I have seen, particularly at night! Night markets, river cruises under lantern lit skies, local shopping and a luxury resort! You HAVE to do the Vespa street food add-on, it was my favourite activity of the whole trip! Vietnam in general was so much more then I expected. It's beautiful country and people, and needs to be experienced! We went in July, it was hot but do-able and quieter then peak time. But if you HATE the heat, go at a cooler time of year.
My recommendations. Book a couple days post-tour to chill out in your own time. You see the entire of Vietnam in 10 days, your going to want to chill after and have some sleep ins. Be prepared for your days to be packed full of activities! There is free time, but your not going to want to miss out on any thing so be ready to hussle at times! Book ALL the add-ons. Every single one of them is worth it. And the Cu-Chi tunnel extra day! It's mind blowing. The Hue Express train is an experience! It's not luxury but it's perfectly fine! Just pack your own TP, wet wipes and snacks/drinks. Its a little cramped and be ready to get social with your cabin buddies, but if you wake up at 5am at sunrise the view out the window is worth it all! KMs of mountain valleys and rice paddies, it's spectacular.
You will be fed more then you expect and way fancier then you expect! If you are worried about fending for yourself at any point, Kien has recommendations and will assist you getting around safely. Highly recommend travelling with Kien the tour guide if you can request, you will be completely spoilt! He goes above and beyond for every minute of the day, take all his recommendations! and follow all his tips and you will have an amazing time!
My recommendations. Book a couple days post-tour to chill out in your own time. You see the entire of Vietnam in 10 days, your going to want to chill after and have some sleep ins. Be prepared for your days to be packed full of activities! There is free time, but your not going to want to miss out on any thing so be ready to hussle at times! Book ALL the add-ons. Every single one of them is worth it. And the Cu-Chi tunnel extra day! It's mind blowing. The Hue Express train is an experience! It's not luxury but it's perfectly fine! Just pack your own TP, wet wipes and snacks/drinks. Its a little cramped and be ready to get social with your cabin buddies, but if you wake up at 5am at sunrise the view out the window is worth it all! KMs of mountain valleys and rice paddies, it's spectacular.
You will be fed more then you expect and way fancier then you expect! If you are worried about fending for yourself at any point, Kien has recommendations and will assist you getting around safely. Highly recommend travelling with Kien the tour guide if you can request, you will be completely spoilt! He goes above and beyond for every minute of the day, take all his recommendations! and follow all his tips and you will have an amazing time!
Very Happy with our tour - hotels were excellent (Hyatt Regency Cairo West, Movenpick Aswan, Sonesta St. George Luxor, Intercontinental Cairo). Guides provided by On the Go were excellent, namely Ahmed Zezo Zidane (Cairo Rep, Aamer Ibrahim Tour Guide.) Accommodation, food and service on the Nile Cruise boat (MS Premium) was very good but we could have ...read more done with more shade over the banana lounge area on the top deck. Access to the pool was difficult due to the poor condition of the pool ladder. Pace of the tours were suitable for us active 70+ year olds. We appreciated the flexibility of our guide in organising the day's activities to take account of the extreme heat. Transfers to and from the airport were well organised and most helpful. All in all we were very happy and would gladly recommend this tour.
Overall tour was very good with the only down point being an over enthusiastic Operations Manager who pushed for our entrance fees etc. as soon as we arrived in Cairo. After a long flight when we were not in the best form to make decisions & organising a meet the group dinner when many of the group had only just arrived & were much more interested in ...read more sleep. The venue chosen for this event was too big & didn't lend itself to interaction between group members. Obviously there were hiccups during the tour but less then we expected considering the country. We would recommend the ' On The Go ' tour.
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