Austin Adventures

I am writing this update in response to Dan Austin’s comment from earlier today regarding my review. Unfortunately, Dan’s statement that «structured» group travel isn’t for every one implies that the customer (me) was somehow to blame for my experience, and not the company. I have been on numerous structured group travel tours (biking, hiking, rafting) and have enjoyed them all well enough to go on these types of trips almost exclusively. So, Dan’s implication is misguided, but not at all surprising. I would like to note that, despite Dan’s citing of customer reviews, there were at least two other people on my trip who felt the same as I did. And, based on the negative reviews I’ve seen here on Unilocal about Austin Adventures, in general, we are not in the minority.

DANGEROUSLY incompetent, INFLEXIBLE, WORST customer service in my life.
We did the Inca Trail with Austin, and requested minor changes to the standard itinerary (one extra day in Lima for a food tour, one night in Sacred Valley instead of Cusco, to acclimate to altitude more gradually).
They took over a month to do this, with many unpleasant and tedious back-​and-​forths. They IGNORED our requests initially, sending their standard itinerary, then took weeks to get back. When I contacted Carol Austin directly, SHE DIDN’T REPLY to me, instead passive-​aggressively replying to our travel agent that they wanted all communication to be through the agent: clearly the customer is *second*.
If you’re paying thousands of dollars, the least you can expect is a brief, immediate reply:
«Sorry for the delay, we’ll get back to you through your agent.»
They then repeatedly resisted our requests, trying to browbeat us that we were ignorant idiots for suggesting any deviation from what they, the experts, had planned.
They tried to convince us to either spend 3 night in Sacred Valley *or* in Cusco. This is DANGEROUS: SV is not high enough to acclimatize for the hike, and poses a high risk of altitude sickness on the Inca trail.
On the trail, one night we heard the screams of a panicking trekker, suffering from altitude sickness. If we had followed Austin’s advice, this could have been us.
This is the worst service I’ve ever had; had we started planning earlier we would have canceled and used someone else.

I was looking for an active vacation for my family. I researched a couple of different options and came upon Austin Adventures. We chose the Alberta Family trip and could not have been happier! From booking, to packing guidance, to assuring me that this trip could accommodate the different activity levels of my kids (13 and 17), myself, and my husband the staff was very knowledgeable. Our guides on the trip were amazing! They made the trip fun and told us all sorts of interesting things about the places we were seeing and experiencing. They knew the area very well and showed us so much without making the trip feel like go, go, go all the time. As a vegetarian they made sure my dietary needs were met and my family thought the food was amazing as well. As the vacation planner for my family I loved that every detail was completely taken care of once I got us there. I would do another trip with Austin Adventures in a heartbeat. And best of all my kids said it was our best vacation ever!

***Rating has been updated from 1-​star to 3-​star.
My fiancé and I had planned on a Grand Canyon tour with Austin Lehman for October 2011– staying at El Tovar, full meals, guided hikes, it looked wonderful. Our trip was cancelled ~1 month prior to departure due to low booking numbers.
We tried to reschedule the trip but it didn’t work out. We are losing about $ 1000 on a trip we did not take due to nonrefundable airline tickets and trip insurance. Austin Lehman’s contract stated that these items were not refundable, but we never believed the trip would be cancelled. With 1 month to departure, it was too late to get any money back from the airline.
The company was very helpful when we were trying to re-​book another trip, but they became distant and slow to respond once we requested our refund. It took over 1 month and several check-​up emails to receive a check. While the trip experiences look great, we will not be using this company in the future.
Future customers should beware cancelled trips!
UPDATED: After a few weeks, the owner (Dan Austin) contacted me and offered a partial refund or credit towards a future trip. He acknowledged that his staff’s communication could have been better and I appreciated his insight. We have decided to accept the trip credit and give Austin Lehman another try. I have increased my rating to A-​OK in light of the owner’s help.

My girlfriend and I did a trip with Austin-​Lehman to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. I normally like to plan my vacations myself, but have changed my tune for this type of vacation. I was extremely impressed by how well organized the trip was. The guides were informative and entertaining. We did much more that week than I ever would have had I planned it myself and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I will definitely travel with them again.