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Cruise Charters With Gohagan & Co.

Aerial view of vung vieng, halong bay - hien phung / adobe stock.

We recently tried something new. Gohagan & Co., a tour operator specializing in chartering small luxury ships, offered a complimentary Vietnam cruise to the Andrew Harper editorial team. Ordinarily we don’t entertain such proposals. But with encouragement from our long-suffering accountant, I accepted the offer with the caveat that I would not hold back from criticism in my review. The Gohagan office was aware of my identity, but as far as the other passengers, local guides and cruise staff were concerned, my traveling companion and I were ordinary guests.

Once we arrived in Asia, the tour went beautifully. We started with a stay at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, a longtime favorite hotel of mine, followed by a cruise down Vietnam’s magnificent coast aboard Ponant’s Le Lapérouse ( see our review ). Gohagan chartered the entire plush 92-cabin vessel (though our sociable group numbered fewer than 80 people), which gave it full control of shore excursions. We hit major highlights of Vietnam — Ha Long Bay, Hue, Danang, Hoi An — on well-organized outings ideal for first-time visitors to the country. The small size of our ship allowed us to sail up the Saigon River and dock in downtown Ho Chi Minh City , where we all disembarked. We separated here from the rest of the group, which continued on to Siem Reap , Cambodia, to explore Angkor Wat and other nearby temples.

The itinerary was lovely, but what set it apart were the several special guests Gohagan arranged to have accompany the group. Phan Thi Kim Phuc, famously photographed as a child running from a napalm attack during the Vietnam War, gave deeply moving talks about her journey from resentment and rage to forgiveness and hope. Nick Ut, who captured that Pulitzer Prize-winning image, spoke about how his older brother, a photographer killed in the war, inspired him to pick up a camera himself. Journalist Jim Laurie told us about his time as a young reporter, covering the fall of Saigon and beyond. Professor Reiko Ohnuma, chair of the department of religion at Dartmouth, gave fascinating lectures about Buddhism. And award-winning photographer Mark Edward Harris taught helpful classes about making our vacation shots more compelling.

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Reviews about gohagan & company.

• Sue December 5, 2022, 9:13 pm Please use caution if you are planning a trip with Gohagan & Company out of Chicago, Illinois. My husband and and I booked an alumni trip to Italy through this company for May 2020. Due to the pandemic, the trip was postponed twice, like so many other trips. No refund was given, so we rebooked the trip for May 2022, hopeful that we would be able to travel this year. Our communication with the office over the previous 6 months was lacking with no response to emails or phone calls trying to confir m the trip. Without warning, Gohagan Travel canceled our trip to Italy 11 days before departure via email. Again, no response to emails or phone calls. A refund was promised this time within 7—10 days. Once we hit the 21 day mark, I called and emailed every day. Never once did anyone return my calls or emails. I did reach a “passenger services advocate” on the phone twice who tried to help, but put me off with “the check is in the mail”. After 7 weeks, We finally received our refund of thousands of dollars that the company held for over 2 years. I understand the travel industry was hit hard by the pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Beyond that, the communication and customer service of this particular company was abysmal. I will never use their travel service again. Side note: we were able to recreate the itinerary at the last minute and we saved $3000! We had a wonderful trip to Italy on our own. … – show 0 0 Reply
• Jean J. November 12, 2022, 12:50 am Unbelievably bad. Intended to book a trip to France with National Trust for Historical Preservation of which we are members. I cannot understand why a prestigious association such as this would risk compromising their reputation by associating with this type of company. The negative reviews go back several years so Covid can't be blamed for their bad performance. From the start of our relationship they were uncommunicative. We could not get them to answer the phone and they would not respond to emails. When we became concerned that we were investing a lot of money with a company that would not even answer the phone we requesred they return our deposit by email as the person who was supposed to handle this would not to respond to phone calls. As I write this, we still have not received the refund. Even more ridiculous they left us a phone message suggesting that we prepay the cost of the trip with a bank transfer, not credit card, to get a discount. Who would be so foolish to provide banking information to a company that can't be reached by phone? I cannot imagine what would happen if we were in a foreign country and a problem arose. My advice is to have nothing to do with this organization. When they finally have to declare bankruptcy anyone whose money they are holding will be out of luck and organizations such as the National Trust and college alumni associations will be dragged into the scandal as they cannot claim to be unaware of the issues with this company. … – show 0 0 Reply
• Don H. September 2, 2022, 2:50 am I took two excursions with Gohagan this year. April to French Polynesia, and July to Alaska. Both trips are were carefully planned and executed perfectly. The service, scenery, cuisine, and care were excellent. Can’t wait to travel with them again! 0 0 Reply
• Liz L. August 23, 2022, 6:02 am Best mother/daughter trip ever!! My mom took a short flight from Atlanta to Costa Rica and I met her there after three flights from Wyoming.. then we traveled down the coast of Costa Rica and through the Panama Canal on a beautiful, small French cruise ship. Amazing food and service!! The lectures were very informative and interesting. My daily debate was whether to listen to an afternoon lecture or lie by the pool… the lectures always won. Saw dolphins and turtles swimming alongside our boat! I even had my hair done going through the Panama Canal… while drinking a mojito! This cruise was so great that I booked another one with my history buff husband to visit Normandy with David Eisenhower!!! I may just become a “cruiser.”… and that’s fine by me! … – show 0 0 Reply
• Steven R. August 18, 2022, 5:37 am I experienced my first trip with Gohagan this summer during a cruise of Portugal, Spain, France and the U.K. The entire experience was first class and one of a kind. Meeting and learning from Prof. David Eisenhower (grandson of President Eisenhower) was extraordinary. Walking the beaches of Normandy with David sharing his knowledge was like the best college class anyone could ever design. And there was a very moving moment at the American Cemetery when David read aloud messages about our late friends and relatives who served in the armed forces. Meeting and learning from travel journalist, Peter Greenberg, was equally interesting. You probably know him from CBS Mornings or the Today Show. The guy knows as much as about the travel industry as anyone possibly can. And all of these special guests are there traveling with you, eating lunch or dinner with you, or just hanging out chatting with you. So cool… I met so many interesting people, saw so many beautiful and important places. I enjoyed new and DELICOUS foods! It was a very special trip for me. … – show 0 0 Reply
• Diane B. August 14, 2022, 11:40 pm Gohagan did an outstanding job with all the arrangements on my recent trip to Tahiti. It was not my first experience traveling with Gohagan and I have always been impressed with their excellent service and efficiency. I highly recommend them!! 0 0 Reply
• John D. August 13, 2022, 6:10 am Gohagan was very helpful and accommodating in setting up our trip — a 5 star cruise in French Polynesia. Everything went very well and we were very satisfied. 0 0 Reply
• Sandy R. August 13, 2022, 1:03 am We thoroughly enjoyed our Dutch Waterways tour. The trip was well organized with a nice variety of activities. The ship and staff aboard were great. Contacting the office prior to the trip was a little challenging due to a staff change in the middle. My sister's name was listed wrong but that didn't interfere with our good time. 0 0 Reply
• Alan W. August 8, 2022, 8:14 pm Run the other way if someone asks you to take a trip organized by Gohagen. Apparently they were well respected prior to their buyout and reorganization. This is why we took a recent cruise trip (July 2022) organized by them. Big mistake. They are now an absolute disaster. Pre-trip planning an responses are atrocious. We and friends lost count how many times we contacted them (email and phone call, to numerous individuals) without a response. We had to provide the same information numerous times. They quoted a ridiculous airfare for connecting to the cruise departure point. We booked ourselves for less than 60%. They stranded us at the departure city bus tour. After being told by their representative to meet them in the hotel lobby at 1p, no one was there waiting. The hotel staff said they had left for the bus trip. Unable to contact any Gohagen representative we called a friend on the bus trip. We were to to meet at a location unknown to the taxi drivers we tried. We finally connected with the bus tour and Gohagen tour guides couldn’t have cared less. On board organization by Gohagen was no better. Port talks were only started 1/2 way through the cruise. The Gohagen cruise director winged many answers to questions and when he specifically promised to get back to the passengers on an important question, no one from Gohagen ever did. Likewise, even after discussing our dismal Gohagen experience with their Director of Customer Service, who promised to get back with us, they never did. We were left off the departure time list despite providing flight departure information twice. We were told by the individual preparing that manifest the passengers were expected to catch their errors. And now I understand the association with whom we travelled on the Gohagen-organized trip has stopped using Gohagen. Use Gohagen at your own peril. We will NOT. … – show 0 0 Reply
• Robert R. June 22, 2022, 4:40 pm Unresponsive Last December we signed up for a trip to take place this coming October. The trip is one sponsored by our university's alumni association, with Gohagan Travel as the tour operator. Since signing up and paying deposits in December, we received NO communications from Gohagan. Phone calls and emails were never returned. The most recent email I sent, resulted in an autoreply saying not to expect a response for two weeks. We finally complained to the university, which then reached ou t to a high level contact with Gohagan. That did finally result in emails from Gohagan a few days later. Our questions about why there was no contact, what the plan was for making the airline reservations, and more mostly went unanswered. In response to our questions about airline reservations, Gohagan said the air travel department would be in touch once it was four months out from the trip. The trip leaves in about 3.5 months at this point. When I pointed that out, the only response was the the air travel group would get to us, and was working on making reservations for other trips. We gave up. If Gohagan can't manage to communicate with us now, we have no confidence they can run the trip well. The icing on the cake? I went to an on-campus meeting for the 2023 university travel program and visited with an alum who has travelled often on the university trips — they reported “dreadful” experiences with Gohagan which mirrored mine. We have cancelled our trip with Gohagan and reported our decision to the university. The university's alumni travel group reports that they have had such bad experience with Gohagan, that the university has terminate their relationship with Gohagan and will no longer be working with them on new trips. Given my experience — I would stay far, far away from any tours being run by Gohagan travel. … – show 0 0 Reply
• Ron K. February 17, 2022, 5:00 am Iy was great 0 0 Reply
• Mike S. January 18, 2022, 2:31 am Canceled our trip without notifying us, unbelievable. Russell Daniels the agent screwed us up. No one gives a damn. I contacted the agency today and believe it or not the trip was not canceled, go figure. They promised to give us the itinerary today. Guess what? Time now 5 o’clock so I called. Agency closed and we have no information. I guess that’s why they have such a poor rating. We have not heard from Daniels since May. Be careful this agency is clueless. 0 0 Reply
• Maribel B. January 9, 2022, 8:24 am Tired of trying to contact these people by email, telephone and website. No response. At this point we are willing to lose our deposit rather than put our travel plans under their care. 0 0 Reply
• robert r. April 16, 2020, 12:38 am We signed up and paid over$15000 for a trip to Budapest to see the passion play. It was canceled due to the Covid 19. They will not refund our money, they claim it postponed for 2 years!!!! Buyer beware in dealing with these people!!! 0 0 Reply
• Kathy M. February 29, 2020, 4:00 am Nice place to visit 0 0 Reply
• Fred P. May 31, 2019, 8:47 pm Just returned from Coastal Europe Cruise and ships, rooms, food and service on Ponant are excellent. This was our third Gohagan alumni cruise and second on Ponant and we were greatly inconvenienced by having to arise at 4am to disembark because they were boarding another group that morning. After a light breakfast we left on a post cruise bus tour of London and I was in a fog all day. Simply unacceptable to pay for first class and have to disembark in the dark. Gohagan's excuse was that they ha d to depart with the tide. However, tidal tables are available years in advance let alone several months. Also purchased a DVD of our cruise from Ponant but it was authored for European DVD players and won't play on U.S. DVD players. A small item at 60 euros but Ponant won't even respond to a request for a refund. … – show 0 0 Reply
• Jason B. July 12, 2018, 1:19 am Wonderful, knowledgeable and friendly staff! 0 0 Reply
• Elizabeth W. June 19, 2018, 5:57 am Oh where to begin with just how horrible our experience was! My husband and I wanted to do something special for our 25th anniversary and we decided on the Chilean Fjords trip. Our flights were made through Gohagan and that was our first mistake. We were originally on a flight that left from Miami but were moved to a flight from Texas because they said the connection to make our flight to Easter Island would have been too close. Well the flight from Miami arrived before the flight they bumpe d us to and caused us to miss our flight to Easter Island! When we got there the next day we were going to the museum… but it was closed. We ended up just driving around the island which was ok but you would think a local guide would have known when the museum was open. Then, in Santiago, our room had no air conditioning. We were told it would be fixed that day but it wasn’t. We were rushed through the museum in Santiago. Time management seemed to be a problem for any land portion of our trip! There was a fabulous little local market in one of the squares. We were promised a little time to look around for souvenirs but that never happened. Despite being hurried through the museum and missing the market completely, we were 40 minutes late to our tour of the vineyard and we somehow lost our English speaking guide. On to Puenta Arenas! First the local guide snuck us into the cemetery through a back door because he didn’t agree with the policy of charging a small fee to enter legally. Needless to say most of us were very uncomfortable with this, but not as uncomfortable as we were when we were caught and told to leave immediately! Next we were scheduled to see another museum… which ended up being closed that day! It was ridiculous considering how long we saved for this trip and how much we spent. Unexcusable, but not the end of our travel woes. To make up for the museum debacle we were supposed to have extra time in town to do some shopping and sightseeing. This turned out to be a whopping 10 minutes because the shops were closing. The next day, on the way to the ship, all our guide could do was talk about ranching and the ranches in his country. He would ignore any questions about the various monuments and statues. His English was very hard to understand but that didn’t matter so much since he spent 90% of his time talking to Antionette who was in charge of the tour and the lucky people in the first 4 rows on the bus. Even with them he would make up answers to questions if he didn’t know the answer! It was truly unbelievable and infuriating. At least our next stop was the ship. Everything there was fine. Then we got to Puerto Natales. We and several others were given mixed messages on reception times. My husband and I, and several others, missed the receptions with whichever group we were traveling with because of this. The guide here, yet again, favored the couples in the first few rows of the bus with his attention and even took them to a special viewing spot that none of the other travelers got the chance to see. It was truly a horrible experience. Antoinette was our group leader from Gohagan and she was the worst leader we have had the misfortune to work with. She was uncommunicative on things we needed to know on several occasions and a few times she was just plain rude. She changed plans and amended our itinerary without notice and seemed to have us running late a vast majority of the time. The icing on the cake was that my husband is a fluent Spanish speaker and was appalled to hear her saying ugly things about several people on our tour to the local guides. When he pulled her aside and explained that was completely unprofessional and out of line she ignored him- and me- for the rest of our trip. When we got back to the states we contacted Gohagan about our experience. We had taken a few other tours with them and were sorely disappointed with this one. They had nothing to say to that and quit responding to us. Never using Gohagan again. … – show 0 0 Reply
• Peter L. July 19, 2015, 8:40 am I had the most wonderful experience with Gohagan. My wife and I traveled to Italy for our 25th anniverary, and the staff at the Chicago office was super friendly, efficient, and respectful. I have nothing but kind words for the company, and I look forward to our next trip. 0 0 Reply
• Lynn G. February 8, 2015, 4:13 am I just got back from a 10 day cruise in the Caribbean managed by Thomas P.Gohagan & Company. It was a delight in all ways. Excellent management of all the travel, boat and land trips, good guides, good food and accommodations and attention to individual needs. Best of all when I got home I received a package of an item I had left behind on the boat and forgotten all about! 0 0 Reply
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Go on an Adventure with Gohagan & Company

Posted by alumniblog | Nov 13, 2020 | Alumni , Razorbacks On Tour | 0 |

For more than three decades, Gohagan & Company has created innovative small group travel programs for intellectually curious and discerning travelers—like you. Established in 1984, Gohagan & Company is the preferred provider of custom-designed, unique international and domestic travel programs to North America’s most prestigious college and university alumni associations, museums and cultural institutions. Our exclusive itineraries and special guest lecturers are paired with the style and comfort of the world’s finest Five-Star ocean-going cruise vessels and deluxe river ships, trains and hotels, and are enhanced by academic experts and experienced, English-speaking guides.

ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME JOURNEYS Itineraries designed with the knowledge and insight provided by more than 35 years of experience, Gohagan & Company travels from the pristine wilderness on “The White Continent” of Antarctica to the magnificent High Arctic lands of the Svalbard archipelago in the world’s last great frontier. We take you from a Five-Star, small ship voyage Cruising the Great Lakes ( sponsored by Arkansas Alumni travelers for September 30 to October 7, 2021 ) and then on to the extraordinary Great Journey Through Europe featuring three of the world’s legendary railways, cruising the fabled Rhine River and Lake Lucerne with a stay in the magnificent Swiss Alps beneath the great Matterhorn ( sponsored by Arkansas Alumni travelers for June 30 to July 10, 2021 ).

FIVE-STAR, EXCLUSIVELY CHARTERED OCEAN CRUISES

Gohagan & Company is proud to provide the most Five-Star, exclusively-chartered ships and one-of-a-kind voyages in educational travel—the ideal way to experience the unforgettable destinations in our specially designed itineraries. Chartered cruising provides the optimum setting for affinity groups; with no offering to the general public, we create and operate unique itineraries and oversee the entire ship. Enjoy the luxury of intimate, designated spaces in addition to enlightening lecturers for your organization’s private engagements. Many of Gohagan & Company’s exclusive ocean cruises and sea voyages span the globe aboard Ponant’s fleet of Five-Star small ships, including the Ponant Explorer Fleet, designed to a new standard of luxury for an unparalleled expedition cruising experience. In the spirit of history’s great explorers, these six ships—Le Lapérouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont‑d’Urville, Le Jacques Cartier and Le Bellot—venture into remote destinations where captivating cultures, spectacular wildlife and majestic scenery await you. Aboard the exclusively chartered, Five-Star Le Boréal, L’Austral, Le Soléal and Le Lyrial, distinctive French sophistication meets innovative nautical design. Gohagan & Company’s Scottish Isles and Norwegian Fjords program ( sponsored by Arkansas Alumni travelers for June 13 to 21, 2021 ) aboard Le Champlain takes you from the mist-enshrouded peaks of Scotland to Norway’s mighty fjords—a rare voyage only possible by small ship cruising into smaller ports where larger vessels cannot venture.

UNPARALELLED EXPERTISE—A WORLD OF EXPERIENCE

The strength of Gohagan & Company’s unique programming is supported by a team of professionals dedicated to total passenger satisfaction from reservation through departure, travel program operation and return. Our Passenger Services Coordinators and Air Department staff are here to assist, every step of the way. Wherever you travel with Gohagan & Company, you will appreciate the attention to every detail. Our Travel Directors are global citizens who possess a world of destination knowledge, a keen sense of passenger service and an adeptness for on-site logistical coordination. Local, accredited English-speaking guides of the highest standard provide cultural and historical commentary throughout your excursion touring. For more details, contact us at (800) 922-3088 or visit  www.gohagantravel.com

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We're looking at an alumni association tour to a village in France.

Although they are marketed through many universities' alumni lists, a

lot of them are actually run by Thomas P. Gohagan & Co..

Has anyone had any experience with this company's tours?

In addition to the Illinois AG, you also might try contacting Lisa Parker at NBC 5 News in Chicago. She is a consumer investigative reporter and has had some success helping frustrated travelers get refunds. She had a piece about it just the other evening.

Funny thing, an hour after I posted Gohagan called and said they would process the refund. I will wait to see the money in my account before I get more positive in my review.

"Funny thing, an hour after I posted Gohagan called and said they would process the refund."

Interesting! It's pretty easy to "follow" a thread on TA and get notifications when there is a new post, even if you haven't posted on it. Let us know how things work out.

_deniseBrown386, did you read CultureVulture's suggestions in post #71 and mine in #69?

Perhaps you'll have the same good luck AnnO did after she posted upthread. Maybe someone from Gohagan is lurking and will contact you with a refund offer. I'd not settle for vouchers, I'd want money back.

re post 75:

I suggested contacting the local NBC 5 news investigative reporter to a poster who lives in Chicagoland, according to her avatar. I doubt the reporter would take action on behalf of someone such as DeniseBrown386 who lives outside the viewing area. Sorry. But maybe there's a local reporter at a TV station in her area who has a similar news beat.

OldHaddonian, I'd do as suggested upthread and contact the Illinois Attorney General's office and file a complaint. You should be able to file this online.

https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/

Here is a link to the Better Business Bureau to file a complaint. Oddly they do not show any complaints for Geohagan so they must not be updating their website.

https://www.bbb.org/us/il/chicago/profile/travel-agency/thomas-p-gohagan-company-0654-12015144

Thanks. We don’t live in the US so it makes it all a little more difficult.

"Thanks. We don’t live in the US so it makes it all a little more difficult."

Yes, I noted your location which is why I suggested trying to file online with the Illinois Attorney General. I do not think there is any kind of residency restriction on filing a complaint. On other threads here on the Senior forum many have filed with the Massachusetts AG's office for other tour companies who are mis-behaving.

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Just returned from an AHI trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Wonderful experience all around. Extremely competent guide (Marc), great accommodations, and lots of safaris and sightseeing. Always felt safe and well taken care of. Transfers went seamlessly. All in all a very well organized, managed, and executed group trip.

I am looking for another land trip so, having traveled with AHI twice and having been extremely pleased, I "googled" them and found these reviews on Yelp. I was suprised at the 2 1/2 star rating so I read the reviews. Most of the negative reviews revolved around the pandemic mess and trip cancellations of 2020-2021. We had a trip to Israel and Jordan booked for March 2020 that was cancelled. The company extended to us a voucher for the full amount we paid and valid for the next two years. We rebooked for March 2022 and had a great time on the trip. AHI was extremely courteous and helpful over this difficult time.

I wish zero stars were an option. AHI is a company of scammers. I paid in full for a package and booked external travel insurance. I called a few months after booking to confirm flight times and was told the trip had been cancelled due to low enrollment the prior month. AHI literally held onto my entire payment, meanwhile I had already jumped through hoops at work and made multiple plans around this trip. As if this weren't frustrating enough, I had to call multiple times to get my refund after multiple excuses about switching accounting systems, certain people being unavailable, others being to blame for miscommunication. It doesn't matter your budget or how much time you have on your hands, no one deserves to deal with this degree of unprofessionalism and lack of ethics. Avoid this company, there are better options out there.

Doesn't answer calls! Too difficult to deal with We will arrange our own vacation air travel

I've been on three AHI trips through an organization and they were all fantastic. They were: Southern Spain, Amalfi Coast, and Peru. The trips are for curious travelers who want to learn when they travel. Guides and guests lecturers are usually top-notch, the itineraries run smoothly, hotels are often hidden gems - maybe not always 5 star but well-located and perfectly comfortable. I still keep in touch with our Spanish guide/tour leader who was the greatest!

I have been receiving Alumni tour promotions for years (degrees from 3 universities). Finally took one, to Tuscany, because I liked the itinerary and price. Normally I plan my own domestic and foreign travel. This trip exceeded my expectations in every way. I was very pleased, and will consider booking through AHI again in the future.

Ahi Travel - update. they take care of their clients. my parents love their vacations and have taken 8 tips with them. They make lifelong friends with people who are on these vacations with them. Recently they had a trip planned and the agency had a challenge securing a full refund from vendors they use. They went out of their way to refund 100% of the money taken for the vacation. thanks for your honesty. i'll update again once the money is received.

Since writing the review a customer satisfaction specialist contacted my parents to indicate ownership intends to refund 90% of the money collected. I appreciate their concern and doing the right thing. I don't believe they should keep $1,200 of a canceled trip. But I am happy they took the right step.

Hi my parents are 90 and 78. They have traveled with you as good customers for over a decade. 9 trips in total. Everyone in hospitality has issued refunds to their guests. My parents were planning to my their last trip in April to Celebrate their 50th anniversary. My mother has contacted you many times starting March 9th. You refuse to issue her a refund. My father a 90 year old diabetic and cancer survivor is no longer able to travel due to COVID 19 and your canceling the trip. You were not able to provide the trip. You refuse to refund their money. Why is it you treat good customers so poorly. REFUND their money. Shame on you.

NO good at all. No referral fees when most all of the other Tour Companies reward you for bringing them new travelers. Also they keep all deposits even when you provide at least 6 months notice re a cancellation and even NOW during COVID - they keep their FULL 50% of your money !!! --- when all they did was have your name on a list as an interested party. They are terrible corporate citizens during this pandemic and I will never book with them again because of this.

I am 70 and my wife is 67. We have traveled with AHI several times. We have been good customers. We are retired and saved up so we could celebrate my milestone birthday with our two daughters. We booked a trip for June and planned on celebrating our 45th anniversary as well. We canceled the trip due to COVID-19 back in early March when pandemic was on the rise in Spain; our destination for June. Given our age and an autoimmune vulnerability one of our daughters has, we decided to cancel. We did so only because there was a deadly global pandemic impacting seniors and those with compromised immune systems. We contacted AHI and they refused to refund part of our downpayment in the amount of $1,737. As we argued with them, all travel from Spain was banned by the US State Department. AHI does not take into account circumstances like ours. Is this how they treat good repeat customers? The right thing would be to reimburse our hard-saved retirement money. AHI certainly made this a milestone birthday - cheated out of nearly two grand. I say do not use AHI for your travels. Pick someone else. I know we will.

I Would NOT recommend this agency. As a big birthday gift, we are planning an alumni trip which uses this agency. When purchasing our airline tickets we made it very clear we wanted to buy tickets that we could use our air miles to upgrade. They booked our tickets in a class that could not be upgraded. When we informed them of the mistake, they said there was a misunderstanding. They would reverse the ticket fee less $600. In essence the cost of cancelling the ticket with the airlines. We would be paying to correct their mistake. We pointed out the actual charge to reversing 2 airline tickets was $500. We suggested that we split the cost which they refused. THIS AGENCY IS EITHER INCOMPETENT OR DISHONEST OR MAYBE BOTH.

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Alumni Tours - Thomas P. Gohagan & Co. - Senior Travel Forum

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We're looking at an alumni association tour to a village in France.

Although they are marketed through many universities' alumni lists, a

lot of them are actually run by Thomas P. Gohagan & Co..

Has anyone had any experience with this company's tours?

We have been on two Gohagan alumni tours: one to England and one to France. Both were outstanding. First rate all the way.

My first tour with TPG was called the Great Journey and we visited the Matterhorn followed by a Rhine River cruise. It was so well done that when I got an invitation to go on another one I went just because TPG was running it. I had never heard of Dordogne before but it also was a great trip.

My wife and I are considering an Emory University Alumni trip to Circumnavigation of Iceland rung by Gohagan & Company. Has anyone taken this tour, and, if so, how would your rate it and, especially the customer service of Gohagan?

Jack Barnwell

I have only been on two Gohagan trips but they were both wonderful.

TPGT service is first rate. I would take this trip just because TPG is running it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmtzFDV10fk&feature=youtu.be

DINGLE PENINSULA VIDEO – Jan 5,2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhLyQ5s9a90&t=911s

DUBLIN COMMERCIAL MOVIE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izbldIKIpUA

Has anyone traveled with the Duke Alumni Group to China?

We just returned from a Gohagan trip to the Amazon. It was terrific. Absolutely no complaints. Group leader was amazing, took care of every exigency, planned or ‘of the moment’. She was both highly professional and caring of her travelers and the staff that looked after them. Highly recommend. Czaj

We are considering a Swarthmore College trip through the Panama Canal managed by Gohagan. Has anyone experienced this trip?

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We're looking at an alumni association tour to a village in France.

Although they are marketed through many universities' alumni lists, a

lot of them are actually run by Thomas P. Gohagan & Co..

Has anyone had any experience with this company's tours?

Just returned from a week in Cuba sponsored by Columbia U. AA in association with the Gohagan Travel Company. For fellow Alum looking for an up close and personal view of this third world country, with 25 hours of the 6 days on a bus and virtually no free time to explore on your own this may be just right for you. Also, if you enjoy morning deadlines to meet the bus every day at 7:30AM and non-stop planned events ending at 9PM daily, this tour may be right up your alley. Let me add that although the tour promotes accommodations in 4 and 5 star hotels, the travel company does not discriminate and does include at least 1 one star hotel complete with thatched roof, single beds with rock solid mattresses, mosquitos, and foul odors from the shower drain. Other highlights included one very elderly wife of an alum vomiting on the bus driver in front of her, a stopover at a posh golf resort where we arrived at 5PM and check out the next morning at 7AM and no time get lazy at the terraced swimming pools, bus stop at places with toilets lacking toilet seats and no toilet paper, like it so far, this tour may be your nirvana!

No joke all this experienced first hand with Columbia Development Office Rep along for the ride and to provide proof of the experience with calming attitude: “Just suck it up and enjoy the Beans and Rice”!

It sounds like you had an awful experience that was the result of poor planning. Cuba has much to offer and it certainly doesn't sound like you got to experience it.

Thank you for the reply. like others on this tour we put our confidence in the Gohagen Company and our Alma Mater. Yes, i was very disappointed as were others. I became quite ill towards the end of the week which i attribute to the exhaustive pace of the tour and sleepless night in the unacceptable hotel in Santa Clara, Las Cayenes. we did see experience many different aspects of the Cuban Culture, but i reached a point where experiencing did not equate to enjoying! yes the tour was poorly planned in my opinion, which the Gohagen Company claimed was the result of the licensing restrictions required by US government. I'm dubious about that. how did you travel there and who planned it?

We have not traveled to Cuba (my husband is restricted from traveling there) but we have friends in Scotland and England who have traveled there extensively. They loved it and we have seen their pics and videos, as well as heard their stories about what a wonderful place it is to visit. We did have a previous negative experience traveling with Gohagan. In our experience, the trip was well planned (it sounds like yours was NOT) but we encountered a major problem. Gohagan seems to have difficulty effectively responding to / addressing problems. Our Alumni association will no longer use this travel company.

Gohagan offered several options including a full refund, which we decided to take. Also, the company reimbursed us for Reciprocity Fee that we paid to the government of Argentina ($160 a person) not Gohagan. Finally, the company was able to get American Airlines to give us a voucher for our unused nonrefundable tickets good for one year. (not bought through Gohagan). I was very impressed with the willingness of the Company to make us whole; so often that is not the case when something goes wrong.

I learned something about trip cancellation insurance. According to the insurance contract, if a tour operator cancels a trip that is not a "cancellation." If Gohagan had not been as helpful as it was, we would have been out of luck. I notified Travelguard before the date of the trip that it was cancelled and that there would never be a claim against the policy. It seemed that under those circumstances, I should have gotten at least a partial refund. But no. If your trip is cancelled, the insurance company keeps all of the premium even though there is no longer anything to insure. I won't be using Travelguard again.

Ash Pipkin, Raleigh, N.C.

Third party trip "cancellation insurance" is extremely limited and usually not worth getting. It only kicks in under a specified, rather restricted list of circumstances. Read the Evidence of Coverage carefully, not just the summary of benefits. Sometimes a travel company will offer their own insurance with more favorable terms, but I've still never found one of those worth buying.

I only use trip insurance for three things: (1) Medical and evacuation, for which I pay the premium for evacuation to a hospital I specify, not just the nearest one; (2) Pre-existing conditions if I'm concerned about one, and (3) Cancel for any reason, if I'm worried about cancellation. Be sure to read the timing and coverage conditions for (2) and (3) to apply. Normally I just buy $1000 of insurance to get (1) and rely on the airlines' cancellation policy and/or my credit card to recover as much of the rest of the value as possible.

Apologies for straying OT, but I have used TravelGuard often and have made several claims. They were always easy to deal with and gave me the benefit of any doubt. But I never expected them to provide insurance beyond what their policy stated.

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