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International Friends Reviews

4.8 Rating 1,767 Reviews

97 %

of reviewers recommend International Friends

Company Reviews

4.8

Based on 1,767 reviews


Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Own Driver
On-time Delivery	100%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	Greater than 92%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Email, Telephone
Queries Resolved In	2 - 3 Hours

International Friends 5 star review on 13th September 2023

International Friends 5 star review on 26th June 2023

International Friends 5 star review on 26th June 2023

International Friends 5 star review on 26th June 2023

International Friends 5 star review on 14th October 2019

International Friends 5 star review on 13th August 2019

International Friends 5 star review on 13th August 2019

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Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 3 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Very good tour manager and knowledgeable local guide. Accommodation was clean and comfortable but it would be better if the traveling group were accommodated in the same B&B or close by. As the group scattered and heavy traffic, it was an anxious journey to catch our return train which would be avoided if the group could be accommodated closer to each other. The incorrect communication of returning train schedule meant we did not have our allocated seats and had to rushed around the train to look for vacant seats or stand for the 4-5 hour journey. The booking form to select a twin share room was deceptive as I booked for 2 passengers to share a twin room, I assumed that when I ticked the booking box for 1 twin share, it was for number of twin rooms required not number of persons.”

International Friends 3 star review on 5th August 2018

Good morning, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I was glad to hear you enjoyed the guiding that was included as part of your tour. We provide a range of different accommodations as part of this tour, from 2* traditional guest houses, to 5* hotels. As such, it is not possible to accommodate all of these options under one roof, although we understand that it would be more convenient for all involved if this was possible! I do apologise for any confusion but I have checked and can confirm that all of the upgrade prices on our website are clearly listed as a 'per person' upgrade. I have attached a screenshot of our booking page to highlight this. I also do apologise for the inconvenience you experienced during the train journey back to London. We have investigated this matter, and we can confirm that the team at Virgin East Coast had mistakenly booked us onto a different service and not informed us of this, which did mean the group had to board another train and as such, the seat reservations were void. We are very sorry for this and have instructed the train company to ensure that we get allocated the same service each weekend in the future. Once again thank you for taking the time to write a review - I do hope my reply has helped to clarify a few of the points you have made. Kind regards, International Friends

“Tour and guide were great. Enjoyed oxford and Harry Potter studios. The downside of the trip was the bus. The ac was not working even though we were told it was because of the heat in England at the time. This made little sense to me. It made the 2 afternoon legs of the journey quite bothersome.”

“Personally I think the price is a bit high, I think the round-trip ticket + some trap advice on the Internet would give me the same experience, but with a much lower price. Thus I think it's not worth the price.”

Good morning, Thank you for your feedback. I am very sorry to hear that you feel this trip was overpriced. We disagree with this for the following reasons; this tour was £50 per person, which included round-trip executive transfers from London to Brighton, entry to the Royal Pavilion, as well as guided walking tour around Brighton with an expert guide. We believe that given the inclusions on this tour, the pricing is very reasonable, and exceptionally good value for money. Kind regards, International Friends

“Bath and historic town are very good and lunch is good too. Tour guide and driver were not so nice. They should drop us in St. Pancras station to Gatwick airport, but they said they need extra hour to get there because of traffic and asked us to get off in Victoria. I requested to go to Blackfriar for cheap train tickets, but was also denied by them. Finally they dropped us in busy Victoria station and I paid train tickets to airport in double price. Traffic was bad when we approached London late Friday afternoon, but quite normal inside city. Meanwhile our tour has only three couples.”

Good afternoon, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I was disappointed to read your comments about our guide and driver. I have spoken to both of them in turn and have discovered the following; You informed the driver & guide that you intended to go to Gatwick. The traffic was very heavy on this date, and when you spoke to our driver & guide, they informed you that getting to St Pancras was going to take at minimum, another hour due to the traffic. This is why they suggested that it may be quicker for you to be dropped off at Victoria. They were concerned that the heavy traffic may have caused you a delay in getting to the airport. Upon hearing that it would take a further hour to get to St Pancras, you too agreed that it was easier and more convenient for you to get out at Victoria, and to get on the Gatwick Express, instead of travelling in the vehicle for another hour. The guide offered to come in with you help you purchase your tickets, as he did note that you were very concerned about purchasing them. You declined to accept his help. I am very sorry that you feel the driver & guide were not helpful - it is unfortunate that you feel this way, when their main concern was ensuring you made it to the airport in good time. Kind regards, International Friends

“Tour began great! On time friendly pick up at cruise terminal. Knowledgeable guide and good driver. Bath, England was a beautiful, historic city and Cotswold pub lunch and village delightful. After that- downhill fast. Horribly long drive sitting in traffic delivering all people on tour to various hotels. We spent about 4+hours just sitting and driving from location to location to drop off our large group. Would not recommend unless this part of your revised.”

Dear Mr Leethem, Thank you for taking the time to write in. I was glad to read that you enjoyed the stops on this tour. I have spoken to your driver and guide about your transfer, and passed on your positive comments to them. They did advise me that the traffic was very heavy on this date, and the roads into London were incredibly busy. However, they also did mention that all passengers had been dropped off shortly after 7.30pm. Although this may have seemed frustrating for you, this is in line with the Departure & Arrival Info listed on our website - this tour arrives in Central London at 6.45pm - 7.30pm to begin drop offs. I was pleased to hear that even with the traffic, we managed to complete all of our drop offs in line with the itinerary. Kind regards, International Friends

“I have used a transfer from London to Southampton which was great. On the way back from the cruise I took a day trip to London through Salisbury Windsor and Stonehenge. Windsor Castle was closed - I was refunded Sulisbury church had a service - scheduled for years. Closed — Sorry Manga Carta room is opening only at 11:00 — sorry Stoneheng- no audio guide tours -- sorry I was told I am the first to be dropped off at London — sorry. I was told it is 30 minutes to the hotel from Windsor- 75 minutes. Sorry So I am sorry but there were just too many sorries for one trip. Most of them could be predicted”

Good morning, Thank you for taking the time to write a review, please be assured that we do take all feedback on board. You have highlighted a few points which I do feel I need to clarify; As a working Royal Residence, Windsor Castle is often subject to last minute closures throughout the year, to align with the plans of the Royal Family. We informed you of this, and refunded your Castle entry as soon as we were informed of the closure on the 27th May, before your tour on the 17th June. Salisbury Cathedral does indeed run services throughout the week. Please note that our website does state that entry to Cathedral is not always possible, as they are subject to last minute closures due to the scheduling of services. Unfortunately, there will always be some dates, when the date that the ship is docking clashes with a Cathedral service. Regrettably, this is not something we can control and is, as such, unavoidable. On this date, the ship you disembarked from docked later than expected. As per our booking page and for the benefit of all those on board, we did wait until everybody booked on the tour had boarded the coach. This did have a knock on effect, and did make us late for our entry slot at Stonehenge - this is why the staff at the site had run out of audio guides. To compensate for this, our guide took the group up to the Stones, and did his own tour and short commentary. Although we were disappointed to not be able to distribute audio guides to our customers, we do feel that this was a great substitute, and the best that we could offer in the circumstances. Finally, it seems there has been some confusion regarding journey times. I am not sure who informed you that the journey would be 30 minutes from Windsor, as this would not ever be possible, even with little/no traffic. I have spoken with our company driver and he informed me that you were the second drop off in London - I am unsure as to why this is something that would be an inconvenience to you? Once again I thank you for taking the time to write a review, and I do hope my explanation clarifies some of the points you have made. I was glad to hear you enjoyed your first transfer with us - I hope that aside from these issues, you also had an enjoyable day trip with us. Kind regards, International Friends

“The ride to Southhampton via Stonehenge was good. The narration about Stonehenge prior to arriving was good. I was disappointed that more commentary wasn't given about areas of London and communities on the way. I expected that since it was a tour. Pointing out car dealerships really didn't measure up. Maybe was a new assistant?”

Hi Dianne, Thank you for writing in. We always welcome feedback, and will take your comments on board. I would just like to clarify that this is a transfer with the services of a tour manager, not a fully guided day trip, as per the booking page for this product. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the commentary on the way into Stonehenge, as this is exactly what we would expect of our tour managers. Kind regards, International Friends

“The hotel pickup was timely and the driver was cordial and professional. We were seated in the rear seat (family of 3) and it was cramped and claustrophobic for the two hour drive to Southampton. Would not want to ever travel like that again.”

Hi Patrick, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I have looked into this for you, and I can confirm that your shared transfer was carried out in one of our executive minivans, complete with air con and leather interior. We rarely have complaints about these vehicles, as they are top of the range - I am very sorry that you felt cramped in the back of the vehicle on the day of your transfer. Should you wish to travel with us again, we also offer private transfers which may be more comfortable for you. Kind regards, International Friends

“I have used International friends a few times and each time when picked up from an airport the car is never there waiting and I have to call to find out where they are....”

Good afternoon, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I'm very sorry to read your comments - our drivers are instructed to monitor flights, arrive at the airport 30 minutes after the flight lands. They will then wait in the arrivals area with an International Friends board with the lead passengers name on for a further hour. I would really appreciate if you could please email info@internationalfriends.co.uk with your comments and booking reference number/lead passenger name, so I can look into the exact occasions and circumstances. Kind regards, International Friends

“We really enjoyed the tour and the guide was excellent. My complaint is around the drop off. Going to the airport and London resulted in a 12 hour tour. Traffic was terrible but doing both drop off was not good planning. We arrived in London at 830. It really was a mess and negated the tour itself.”

Dear Alex, Thank you for your feedback. We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour, and I've passed on your comments to your guide. Unfortunately on the day in question, we did run into some terrible traffic in the Heathrow area, which is unusual for this tour. The journey from Heathrow to London usually takes us around 30 - 40 minutes, the day of your tour was unfortunately exceptionally busy. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused on the day of your transfer. Kind regards, Jessica

“The guide did not take care of the group, his directions where to pick up the bus in Bath were not clear not and made us to miss the bus then we have to take a taxi to the next city. Also he did not give a phone number to call him in case of emergency. He spoke to fast and he had a hard accent for us. He has to know that Britain English is not the first language of everybody in the bus. We did not enjoy the trip because this incident that made us nervous and anxious and we spent 45 Euros more riding a taxi.”

Dear Jorge & Susan, Thank you for your review. I have now investigated this situation by discussing the matter with all staff involved and checking the digital tracker on the coach. I have also sent this in reply to one of the emails that you have sent us since your trip. When Andrew explained to the group where and when you needed to return to in Bath, he did stress the importance of being back by 12.45pm promptly as the lunch was ordered for a specific time in Lacock. He also gave a specific location. After hearing this, you did not express any concern to him about being unsure of the information he had given; had you done so, he would certainly have made this clearer for you. You also had access to our emergency contact number which you could have called at any point to request assistance; you did not. There were 22 other passengers on this tour, all of whom returned to the correct meeting point at the correct time. If Andrew had not given this information, I believe we would have been missing more customers at the designated meeting time; there were not - all other passengers were ready to leave by 12.45pm. When you spoke to Andrew in Lacock, you stated yourself that you had returned to the wrong location. Andrew waited for you for nearly 20 minutes - which I have verified by checking the digital tracker on the coach. It would have been very unfair, and unreasonable to expect the other 22 passengers on board your coach to delay this tour any further, as we would have risked missing the booked lunch slot at the restaurant. I am sorry you feel disappointed by this experience, but we do not feel that Andrew was at fault. Kind regards, International Friends

“Despite the high cost for this 3 day trip, was quite happy with the itinerary, accommodation, very good guides (Jamie, Robin, Artemis) and drivers, yet extremely dissappointed to find out that had to pay extra Gbp19 for the Urquhart Castle and boat cruise, while the optional trip to Highlands and LochNess was already paid when booked the trip package. The day before departure asked for last minute updates and got absolutely no response from Jessica/ agency representative that confirmed my booking. Also, we did not receive any printed itinerary/ program or other specific informative material for those 3 days. Felt a bit that the agency was mainly concerned to get their money.”

Thank you for your review. I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the tour and will pass your feedback on to those you have mentioned. As per the notes on our website, due to the tour operator changing the tour slightly, the Castle and Cruise upgrade was only included in the tour for bookings made after the 10th May. You booked this tour on the 25th April, therefore the cost of the Castle entry and cruise was not included in the price of the excursion when you booked this. Please note that for bookings made after the 10th May, the price of upgrade is £59 - so by paying the £40, and the £19 on the day, you have paid the same amount as bookings made after the 10th May. I appreciate that this could have been confusing for you, so I do apologise for this. The reason there was no communication regarding last minute updates, is because on the weekend in question, there were not any. Had there been any last minute updates that we were aware of, we would, of course, have contacted you. Had you asked for an itinerary when you contacted us, we of course would have given you one. I am so sorry that you feel we were just concerned about money, I can assure you that this is not the case. Our customer experience is at the centre of everything that we do. Kind regards, International Friends

“Our driver drove very fast. I had to tell him to slow down.. other than that good.”

“Tour was much too rushed. Not enough time to spend at each site.”

“The bus was great and the guide was very personable, but did not seem to know where he was going and had limited information to share about the sites. It wasn't clear if he didn't normally do this particular tour or this was just his style. The stop at the village did not need to be as long in the winter as there really isn't anything going on there, and would probably be better in the summer. Also, the guide took several long (20-30 minute) driving detours which reduced the amount of time we had at Bath and almost made us late for Stonehenge. I enjoyed the locations but would have preferred a more knowledgeable guide.”

“Our driver (I apologize as I forget his name) was very knowledgeable and entertaining. He was on a schedule and tried to allow as much time as possible at each stop.\nWe believe that too much was packed into the amount of sunlight available. We suggest only visiting a maximum of two sites during the late fall/winter months. This would give more time at the sites to explore more as well as get something to eat. By the time we arrived at Bath it was too dark to see much of anything outside the bus, even though our driver went out of his way to describe the scene.\nIn short, good tour, just not enough daylight to enjoy more than two sites.”

“My guide was difficult to hear, and at the Harry Potter studio the workers there were quite rude. I realize this isnâ€™t your fault but it was a major reason I didnâ€™t have a great time on the tours.”

“The company should have a policy of no reservation of seats other than their spouse. We had a couple of people reserving 12 best seats on the bus and their friends just showed up a couple of minutes before the tour starts. Also, the timing of each stops should be adjusted. We stayed too long at Salisbury and too short at Stonehenge. There was a long line waiting for the shuttle on both sides and very little time to see the Stonehenge and to wait in line to get some take out food from the small cafe.”

“Yes quite satisfied. Very enjoyable day.”

“We were asked to have lunch at harry potter studio but the options for vegetarian lunch were very limited. Consequently we had to go for lunch in Oxford immediately after reaching there. Because of this we missed the entire oxford walking tour. There could have been better planning and scheduling. Also you should have informed about limited food availability so we could have carried packed lunches along with us.”

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International Friends is rated 4.8 based on 1,767 reviews