TrekAmerica

[ChriBy]

Hello,

I have been planning a hiking-camping trip this summer. After some
search on the internet, I found this company called TrekAmerica. They are quite responsive and have answered all my questions.
Now I need to send them a deposit to secure two spaces in June for me and
my wife. I am getting a cold feet since I only met this company
through the internet.

Has anyone here used this company before? If so, would you please
let me know if this company is legit? Will they take my deposit and
simply disappear?

Thank you in advance.

Chris

[ZippyTheChimp]

I first learned about them the 1990s when planning an Alaska trip, but we chose something different (nothing to do with the company). They have been in business for over 30 years, so the company is not phony.

As for the quality of the service:

Their US office is in New Jersey. Contact the Division of Consumer Affairs, and inquire about any registered complaints.

They also have permits from the National Park Service.

[Harvey]

Dear Chris,

There are a couple of sites on the internet where you can look up customer
reviews about a company. The largest such site I am aware of is Eopinions
(www.eopinions.com) or fodors.com. They have consumer reviews for all kinds of products,
including travel.

Another site that provides extensive coverage on tour operators is
InfoHub (www.infohub.com). I just found that TrekAmerica is
listed there:

http://www.infohub.com/TRAVEL/SIT/top_pages/82.html

Hope this helps.

Harvey

[ChriBy]

Hi guys! Thank you both for useful info, it helped me a lot. you know I had some fears about the Infohub even, but when I checked it out it proved to be a very serious company with very good reviews on tour operators. So in my case I found really good references about TrekAmerica what convinced me about its legality and things like that. Now I will send the deposit for sure. I will recommend Infohub to all my friends, they're doing a good job.

Regards,
Chris

[sparkle7778]

Chris,

Sounds like you already checked out Trekamerica and have put down your deposit. Sounded like you wanted to hear about them from someone who travelled with them.

I have taken 6 Treks with them. I actually did what they call Footloose trips--those are for ages 20-forever. The Trekamerica trips are for those under 35. I did the first one in 2000. It was actually a lodging tour and it was wonderful.

I still keep in touch with some of the people on a regular basis. Same for my other 5 trips. I traveled with them to Mexico, Alaska, Canada, the Southwestern US, and the National Parks West. For me, it's great. None of my friends are interested in this type of travel and I love it. It's great. I don't have to worry about driving, I always have good company, lots of fun, and someone to hike with.

I have met interesting people from all over the world. It's a great company to travel with. Have a great time. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be happy to answer them!

[DblDutch]

One of the worst companies I have ever dealt with was TrekAmerika. Their customer service is the WORST. If you like losing all your money, go on a tour with TrekAmerika otherwise I would choose a better tour operator. My experience is only with the U.S. and British office so perhaps if you are elsewhere it will be different.