Great British Trips Reviews

We first traveled with Great British Trips (GBT) in 2012 and had a terrific experience. In 2023, we had a last-minute opportunity to spend 10 days in the UK but didn't have the bandwidth to plan anything. I reached out to GBT and was delighted to find they were still in business. Based upon their knowledge of us from our prior trip and with minimal input from me, they put together a great itinerary that appealed to our travel sensibilities (love of the outdoors and history; willingness to drive distances; appreciation for hotels with modern conveniences but old-world charm; etc.). There was one minor hiccup with a hotel reservation and GBT was immediately accessible by phone and took care of it on the spot. They also successfully negotiated a reduction in extra car fees when we missed our return window. I would not hesitate to recommend Great British Trips to anyone and hope to have the chance to plan another UK adventure in the future with them!

Date of experience: 22 August 2023

Kim from Great British Trips put our itinerary together about 6 months ago. We’re from Australia and Kim worked out all the must do’s, she organised our car hire and great accommodation. We had a wonderful three weeks touring around Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Yorkshire. We can’t praise her high enough for all her efforts and research she has put into our trip. It’s made it one of our best travel experiences and we will take home some wonderful photos and memories to share with our family. Thank you again Kim.

Date of experience: 07 September 2023

My wife and I are retired and live in Melbourne. I contacted Great British Trips and outlined what we wanted in England. We knew very little other than where London was. We said we enjoyed walking, we needed 3 or 4 star accommodation, we preferred to stay 4 or 5 nights in the same accommodation and do day trips and we wanted a hire car and finally, we wanted to see the Cotswolds and Cornwall. Kim came back with an itinerary that met all our requirements. She quickly responded to all my emails, answering my questions and this gave us confidence. Now we are home I can say the trip was excellent in every respect. I strongly recommend Great British Trips for their organisation, efficiency and the personal attention they gave us. Thanks to Kim in particular.

Date of experience: 13 August 2023

We couldn’t speak more highly of Kim and her organisation of our self drive tour in England. Everything flowed smoothly, from accommodation to entry to venues, and also the variety of beautiful places Kim had included in our itinerary. What a happy time we’ve had! All our accommodation was good and everyone along the way was lovely. Kim was always available and went out of her way to help with everything right from the start. We would highly recommend Great British Trips. Thank you for everything.

Date of experience: 07 July 2023

Another Lovely Trip!
I'm not kidding. I first contacted Kim at GBT back in 2015. She curated the most amazing self drive trip thru Ireland, a ferry to Holyhead, self drive thru Wales and then a train to London. She really listened to the kind of accommodation we desired and the sights we wanted to see based on our budget. We still talk about that trip!

Fast forward to 2023. We just got back from our second trip with GBT. Kim came through for us again based on our budget and accommodation wish list. A self drive through Scotland: Edinburgh, Inverness, Loch Ness, Oban, Mull, Loch Lomond and Stirling. It was all gorgeous scenery, walks in nature, comfortable accommodation and castles and ruins...OH MY! When there was a bit of a hiccup with a reservation (hotels fault not GBT) I knew the GBT staff was just a phone call away.

And here's the thing. If you don't like what you see in the first draft of the itinerary they offer, they will work with you to make it just right (your budget allowing).
If you are planning a trip to the UK, utilize Kim and GBT!

Date of experience: 09 August 2023

If you’re planning a trip to UK, Great British Trips will serve you well. The details of my vacation were delivered just as I asked, and Kim was there to immediately jump in to solve the one little glitch I had.
I will certainly use Kim and her team again. Her attention to detail may my trip very enjoyable.

Date of experience: 03 May 2023

We recently completed our 7 day self drive tour of Scotland and Orkney which was fantastic. I made contact with Kim from GBT and sent her our itinerary and from that our tour was organised from wonderful accommodation, car ferry tickets, Stirling Castle, Culloden Moor, Dunrobin Castle, and more.
The amount of detail provided to us in our travel pack was fabulous, nothing was left to chance. Maps, all the information we could wish for was included which made for a seamless experience which all four of us Aussie travellers thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you Kim and Claire
David Desley Jan Joe

Date of experience: 15 September 2019

We used GBT for our first overseas trip to England and Scotland in 2017 and loved the trip. We returned to them for a fortnight to Scotland that was cancelled during lockdown in April of 2020. Kim & the GBT team worked with several itineraries that had to be scrapped during fluctuating travel restrictions; we finally were able to use our credits and take the trip May 2022. We traveled on our own without a group, letting GBT arrange our car and hotels (and some attractions). As usual, it was hassle-free from the booking end: Several hotels questioned our arrangements, but one call to Kim (even weekends and after-hours) would clear things up. Highly recommended!

Date of experience: 08 June 2022

We booked our UK trip from Australia and had no problems. We had superb accommodation based on the conversations we had via email. They had arranged and booked various activities. We had never been before so we completely relied on them and they didn’t fail! We were really listened to. A very professional company and service. Extremely approachable and contactable. We’d have no problem using them again or recommending them

Date of experience: 23 August 2019

Kim and Great British Trips works close with their clients to create a personal customized experience. We went on private tours to the best places. Anytime we hit a snag along the way, Kim was a phone call away from guiding us through it. She also assisted us with covid testing scheduling, which wasn’t in her job description. She just helped out. We got a lot of bang for our buck!

Date of experience: 29 September 2021

Professional, knowledgeable, patient and friendly. That is how I would describe my experience with Kim Hardiker and her associate Claire at Great British trips. . I wanted to get a local travel agency to plan our trip since I live in Florida. Although we had a rough itinerary in mind, Kim was able to pull it all together with Mini tours, fabulous boutique hotels that were convenient, and seamless train travel. And a dedicated driver to collect you from airport and deliver you to hotel. When we arrived at first hotel, we found a packet from Great British tours, outlining our entire trip, including interesting facts about each stop, train schedules, and much more! Thank you Kim, and I’ll be contacting you the next time I visit England.

Date of experience: 20 July 2019

The trip organisation phase was nothing but excellent with GBT being so helpful in ensuring that we visited places and experienced the highlights that we may have otherwised missed through not knowing.
The execution phase started with a small hickup with the car rental agency that was quickly resolved. The itinerary was great and driving times left plenty of self time to explore.
Accommodation was also well done except for one location where the standard of the room did not measure up to the others prebooked.
Finally we found the level of pre and post travel service from Kim and the GBT team to be above that expected.
Well done.

Date of experience: 17 October 2019

My travel partner and I planned this trip to Northern Ireland in 2019 before the pandemic and booked it just before the global shut down! The pandemic was a very difficult time for all of us, but throughout I kept in touch with our travel advisor Kim Hardiker and eventually were told we would receive full credit if we travelled by Spring 2022. So we did and all the reservations went smoothly, no glitches, we sailed through from the ferry ride from Glasgow to Belfast to the plane ride back to Glasgow. The connection GBT has with these providers is very solid. We also enjoyed the cheerful people of Northern Ireland who helped us out with directions innumerable times.I am confident that GBT can out together a tour for you!

Date of experience: 24 May 2022

We were so happy with the trip that the Great British Trips planned and organized for us. Everything was so well organized and the ability to customize our trip to our liking was just what we needed. This team is WONDERFUL and I would strongly recommend them for anyone looking to travel to Great Britain. I'll definitely be using them again in the future.

Date of experience: 30 July 2019

GBT was incredibly helpful. They took all of the work and worry out of booking our trip, and we used our vacation time much more efficiently. The private drivers and B&Bs they booked for us were outstanding. They even pre-purchased passes for all of the museums we went to so we could avoid the lineups. The information package included with our trip was extremely useful. I was hesitant about booking a company that I only knew about through finding them on the internet, but I'm very glad that I trusted them. We had an excellent trip and I will certainly use them again.

Date of experience: 18 July 2019

This is the second trip that Great British Trips has planned for my family. Our trip to Scotland was perfect from start to finish. Our upcoming trip to Ireland promises to be the same. I attribute the success of our trips to Kim Hardiker’s expertise in trip planning. She listens to what our family wants in a trip and incorporates everything in a perfect package from trip routes to transportation and lodging. Kim is caring, efficient and professional. I will always select Great British Trips when we travel to the UK.

Date of experience: 18 July 2019

For the second year in a row we used Great British Trips to plan a vacation for us. This year we chose to go to the Scottish Highlands and Ireland. Kim and he assistant Claire did a fantastic job lining up an amazing trip. They listen to what we hope to accomplish on our trips and work hard to make our trips match our expectations. We had a wonderful time, saw as much as possible in the amount of time we had and enjoyed ourselves immensely. We recommend this agency to all our friends and family. I can't praise them enough.

Date of experience: 26 September 2019

The airport pickup was a big snafu.

I was surprised by some of the chain hotels. They were budget hotels, not as I was expecting- business travel grade. I think a better description of the hotel amenities would have helped set expectations. The Buttery in Oxford was a particular disappointment - a 5th floor walk up with rooms that looked tired.

However the B&Bs were very nice with great food. The Avonlea in Stratford was hosted by a charming couple and the Kennard in Bath was beautiful.

Th info pack with passes and tickets was helpful and the travel agent Kim was also very responsive.

Thanks for planning a thrilling trip to GB. All said it was worth the price.

Date of experience: 30 September 2019

Nearly everything went smoothly during the trip (minor mix-up on the transfer from LHR but GBT worked hard to fix it. Before the trip, they worked with us and didn't seem to mind changes, any budget restraints, etc. Everyone was very pleasant that we talked to there. They knew to get us the Oyster Card for London, train tickets to Bath, rental car and Cardiff and entrance to Cardiff Castle. The vouchers worked very well and their written materials were very helpful. Loved their hotel choices too.

Date of experience: 25 July 2019

Great British Trips has been wonderful. We have used them for 2 amazing trips and they have been very responsive and thorough in all communications. They are even assisting in resolving an issue of the theft of money from our hotel room. I totally recommended their services and look forward to planning another adventure with them.

Date of experience: 09 October 2019