My First Abroad Trip with Intourist - Not What I Expected

Hello everyone.

I've never been abroad before, so before deciding where to go, I read a ton of information about tour operators, solo travel, and destinations. I had a million questions, but unfortunately, I couldn't find answers to many of them. So, I decided to go on a package tour for the first time, rather than solo.

Why I chose a tour over solo travel:

1. I was going for the first time, and I was terrified – I didn't know much.

2. I was going on a reconnaissance mission – I needed to get somewhere, anywhere, to figure out what this whole thing was about.

3. I didn't speak the language.

4. I didn't know the country I was heading to, what it was like, or how things worked there.

5. All the other questions and fears.

The tour operator takes care of all these obstacles: there's a Russian-speaking guide, hotels with Russian-speaking staff, and they meet you at the airport and take you to the hotel. Every step of the trip is thought out to the smallest detail – all you have to do is enjoy your vacation. On the other hand, you have limited freedom. But I was willing to sacrifice some freedom for my first foreign vacation.

I decided to go to Turkey.

Firstly, it's cheaper than other destinations.

Secondly, it's a super popular destination, with tons of interesting places, hotels, and a huge selection of tours.

Thirdly, as a rule, someone at the hotel or in tourist areas speaks Russian – because Turkey is super popular among Russians.

Fourthly, Turkey has tons of historical landmarks and beautiful spots. And even in winter, Turkey's got sunshine and the sea!

I chose a 7-day excursion tour to Cappadocia from Antalya with Intourist, only with breakfasts in February.

And that's when things started.

Before buying the tour online, I went to Intourist's office, like a total newbie, to get all the details about the tour and how everything would work, since I was going for the first time. I was naturally nervous!

When I got to the office, a girl greeted me with, "What do you want to book?" and immediately buried her face in the monitor. I said, "I want to go to Cappadocia. It's my first time traveling abroad... I want to know more..." The girl cut me off and replied, "You can book it here or do it yourself on the website. The price will be the same either way." I asked, "And can you tell me more about what's going to happen... I'm doing this for the first time..." The girl said, "You'll need a valid passport, and if you can get it, you can immediately..." I thought to myself, "Great, thanks, I can book it myself." I awkwardly thanked her for her help and headed home feeling a bit uneasy. It felt like I was in a grocery store buying bread, and the cashier didn't want to tell me anything about the bread (I mean, it's bread, what's there to say? You've eaten it a million times!), they just want to quickly sell it to me or get rid of me. She's just sitting there, staring blankly, and unwillingly. She won't even bother to show me the different types or tell me about them because she doesn't know anything herself and can't even give me a competent answer. That's the first downside of Intourist. The managers should know about the places and hotels they're offering. But here, the managers know nothing!

When I got home, I booked the tour on the Intourist website myself. It wasn't hard. But then I encountered some more downsides. To buy the tour, you need to create a personal account, and that's where all the communication with the manager happens. The manager's responses come via email. The personal account is really inconvenient.

Here's what the personal account looks like:

I booked a 7-night Cappadocia tour for two people for 461 euros (33,275.37 rubles). I booked it well in advance, four months before the trip. I paid the deposit. The order looks like this:

The tour includes a round-trip flight, accommodation in 4-5* hotels, breakfast, transfers to and from the airport, insurance, guided tours according to the program, and a bus ride from Antalya to Cappadocia.You can find more information about this tour on the Intourist website: CAPPADOCIA 7 NIGHTS 4-5*

I paid the deposit, received confirmation that everything was booked, and felt relieved. For a while. The manager was silent, and I didn't ask any questions because I didn't know what to do next. I mean, according to the reviews, I knew that closer to the trip, I should receive documents via email. If there are any changes, they'll send them too. And that's exactly what happened.

They send all the changes promptly:

Okay, so I started getting ready for my trip to Cappadocia. And I started having questions. Since my tour came with breakfast, I wanted to know where the hotels would be located where I'd be staying throughout the entire excursion. That makes sense, right? I'd need to go to the store to grab some groceries or eat at a café. I needed to scope out the area, plan my meals. And if there was nothing around, I'd just bring some dry rations with me. I always want to check out the hotel, read some reviews about it. So, I asked my first question:

I mean, I'm going somewhere, and I have no idea where I'll be staying, or what's around! That's another downside to Intourist. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to see Cappadocia, then.

Time kept passing. There were three weeks left until the trip. My manager calls me and says, 'Your tour's been cancelled!'

And in my personal account, it says:

Well, there goes that. Now I won't get to see Cappadocia. But, you know, stuff happens...

Cancellation of the tour without FPR (no actual expenses incurred), i.e. they'll refund 100% of the money you spent on the tour. In cases where you refuse the tour yourself, they'll keep a certain amount, a commission.

I was really looking forward to this trip. Of course, it was a bummer. But what could I do? If I got my money back, I wouldn't be going on a foreign vacation. I decided to go somewhere else, on similar conditions – the same price, the same number of stars. Even though Intourist had ruined my mood, I thought everything would be great.

And they offer me a few options on the Antalya coast. For some reason, only two hotels, and only in Side. Well, okay, Side it is, then. There's plenty to see there. Plenty of historical landmarks...

They offered me a four-star and a five-star hotel. Of course, I looked up where they were and read the reviews. The four-star hotel was actually not in Sidi, but in a nearby village, 12 kilometers from Sidi - that's a long way, and the reviews were terrible. The other one wasn't exactly in the center of Sidi, but it was in Sidi - much closer, and the reviews were much better. I figured, okay, I'll take the five-star. I told them my decision, but the offer flew away because the price of the hotel skyrocketed the next day by almost 20,000 rubles! I was left with the lousy four-star, which I'll call "The Devil's Delight". I guess I'll just look for hotels myself. When you search for yourself, you find more than a manager because you can change the search parameters, and the manager only looks for fixed parameters of the client.

I'm not a picky person. I've never lived in luxury, and I've never eaten expensive food...

I'm looking at the website, and there are places and tickets available. Although other sweet deals are all sold out (!?) for some reason...

I told them my decision. They rebooked my tour pretty quickly. After that, they returned part of the money.

If you rebook your tour, they'll return the difference after you submit a request for a refund. You send the request and scans of your passport via email. They'll send you a blank request form.

Here's an example of the refund form:

The tour to Sidi cost 371 euros (25,875.80 rubles) for two people, with three meals a day in a 3-star hotel in the center of Sidi.

I did read the reviews, and I knew that they might not put me in the room I booked, but in a lousy four-star hotel instead. There were a lot of complaints about that. But I wasn't willing to pay 8,000 rubles more for a four-star hotel, only to get a lousy four-star hotel in the end. I was prepared for the worst, and that's what saved me. I read up on the information about the four-star hotel and the three-star hotel, and I quickly planned out my routes to visit interesting places and so on. But, of course, not everything was planned out as I wanted because I didn't have much time to reorganize from Cappadocia to Sidi.

There was less and less time left before my departure. In my personal account, I asked if we would definitely be put in the room I booked, or if they would replace the hotel. And I got the manager's response: "Good day. There was no information about changing the hotel in this booking."

I was a bit relieved. I mean, they can't sell tours to a hotel that's been closed for over a year, can they? EVEN MORE SO!

All the documents - tickets, voucher, insurance, and tourist information - arrived by email three days before my departure. There was a message in my personal account and by email.

Hey, just got your tour documents via email. Can you please check them over and confirm receipt? Also, make sure to check the airport's online board and your personal account 24-12 hours before departure for flight times.

Finally, my luggage is ready! Time to hit the road!

As I stepped out of Antalya airport and approached the transfer, the guide told me: 'Your hotel is closed. Screw it, let's go!' He said it like it was no big deal, like he'd always been saying it. Then he added: 'It's been closed for over a year...' I was in shock, crawled into the bus, and couldn't help but think of Intourist and their latest gift! At least I was prepared for it, I guess. I mean, I didn't come to Turkey for the hotel, I came for the country! SIT BACK, relax! Optimism didn't leave me until the end of the trip, although it was sometimes replaced by sadness...

The operator has the right to replace the hotel, but not to withhold information or give false information. They know the hotel is closed, so why sell rooms there? Especially since I asked if there were any chances of replacing the hotel, and they told me they didn't have any information. But they did know! Many tourists complained online and reached out to Intourist, but they still sold rooms and sent us to a different place!

The 'Chertova' hotel was indeed a real 'piece of work', not just in terms of location, but also in itself. It was barely worth 2*. I'll write a review about the hotel later.

The hotel guide from Intourist claimed they didn't know why this was happening, although they work for the same company. It's likely that they're doing this to keep the 'hotel from hell' afloat, even though it has a terrible reputation. Intourist is knowingly sending their tourists to a bad hotel! And to make matters worse, they're even offering to book tours to this hotel! Because, of course, people who've been there once won't go back, and those who've read the bad reviews won't want to go in the first place.

I'll be writing a complaint to Intourist, as I consider this to be a scam.

First trip abroad summary: I ended up in Side instead of Cappadocia, not in the center of Side, but in a village 12 km away. And to top it all off, the 4-star hotel was disgusting.

Overall, my first trip abroad was a bit of a downer, but I'll still come back to Turkey – it's a beautiful country, despite Intourist's ruined vacation. My first experience, although negative, was still an experience.

So, let's sum it up.

Intourist's pros:

+ Full refund if you cancel the tour. Or partial refund if you rebook. They refunded my money to my card within 4 days.

+ Full support until the tour is completed.

+ All changes come to you via email and in your personal account.

+ They respond quickly to your questions.

+ Lots of destinations, including excursions and cruises.

I've had my fair share of dealing with Intourist, and I've gotta say, it's been a mixed bag. On the one hand, they're a verified operator, so you can rest assured you won't be left high and dry.

The downsides of Intourist:

- Unprofessional managers who just spout generic phrases and seem clueless about where you're headed or the finer details.

- Their website is a mess. The personal account is clunky, with frequent crashes and limited message capabilities. And don't even get me started on the character limits – sometimes your message won't send, and other times it'll send multiple times.

- If you book an excursion tour, you won't be able to find out which hotel you'll be staying at beforehand.

- They give you false information.

- They deliberately sell you tours to closed hotels.

- The tourist guide is pretty useless – other operators have way better ones.

It's worth noting that you'll find negative reviews for pretty much every operator, not just Intourist.

What's common among all operators?

- The managers you work with can be hit or miss. Some do their job well, while others are a disaster. Most of the time, bad reviews are due to poor management.

- As a rule, they'll refund your money in full and pretty quickly if you cancel the tour.

- Your trip ultimately depends on more than just the operator. They can't guarantee 100% execution of your tour because they're working with hotels, transportation services, and other third parties. Flight seats or hotel rooms can get booked up, and the operator might not find out until it's too late. So, don't blame the operator if things go awry – it's often beyond their control.

That being said, if an operator is doing their job right, but things go wrong due to external factors, they shouldn't be held accountable. However, if they're being dishonest or withholding information, that's a different story altogether.

In this case, I'd say Intourist is a subpar operator, and I wouldn't recommend them. But hey, every operator has their off days – even the good ones can let you down sometimes.

I'm not saying I'll never use Intourist again, but I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. Maybe I'll give them another shot in the future.

For first-time travelers, I'd suggest taking a tour with an operator – it'll save you a lot of headaches. Just be prepared for anything, especially if you're a newbie.

My advice to newbies:

- Always read the fine print, especially if you're traveling abroad for the first time.

- Always check the reviews for the tour and the hotels.

- I've learned that you've got to pay at least 50% of the tour cost upfront when booking within 24 hours. If you don't, they'll cancel the tour without a refund.

- Be prepared for the worst, but always hope for the best. Tours are always a gamble. You might get stuck in a different hotel, your flight might get delayed or changed, or you might get terrible service.

- Don't buy any excursions from the hotel guide. They're way overpriced, trust me. As soon as you step out of the hotel, you'll find street-side travel agencies that offer the same excursions for 2-3 times cheaper. For example, we paid $15 for a nearby hamam, while the hotel was offering it for $20, and the guide wanted $25!

- If you're traveling to Turkey, don't take the free shopping tour from Intourist. They'll take you to overpriced leather and jewelry stores to get you to spend a lot of money. You won't be able to explore the city, only the shops!

- Don't buy anything from the shops you see during the transfer. It's all a scam. The prices are ridiculously high.

- Always do your research, compare prices, and don't buy anything from the first shop you see.

- When you arrive, take some time to explore the hotel area, go out, and get familiar with the surroundings. Don't make any decisions until you've checked out the local area.

- Be careful with your belongings and personal items. Don't let anyone take your camera or phone, even if they seem friendly and want to take a photo of you. There are a lot of scammers in Turkey, especially in tourist areas, who'll try to take advantage of you.

- Remember, a tour is always a gamble. Don't get discouraged if things don't go as planned. Enjoy your trip and don't let anything ruin it!

Thanks for making it to the end! Safe travels!