An in-depth comparison between Topdeck and G Adventures based on price, destination, payment and deals.
Topdeck and G Adventures are renowned travel companies that offer top-notch tours throughout the world. Although both companies are similar in many ways, there are a few differences between them that may make one company more desirable than the other for travellers with different travel styles and preferences.
We researched the prices, itineraries, destinations and deals offered by both to create this informative guide to help you make the best choice.
Topdeck vs G Adventures
| Features | Topdeck | G Adventures | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where can I go? |
|
|
G Adventures offers a wider range of destinations. |
| International flights aren't included. | International flights aren't included. | Neither offers international airfares. | |
| Can I price match? | No | No | You can’t match prices with either company. |
| Are there payment plans? | A $255 deposit is required to confirm your booking. Full payment is due 42 days prior to departure. | A $250 deposit is required to confirm your booking. Full payment is due 60 days prior to the trip. You may reserve your place for 48 hours without deposit. |
Both require a deposit. Topdeck gives you more time to make full payment. |
| Are there booking/charge fees? | No | No | Neither have a booking fee. |
| Is there online chat? | Yes | No | Only Topdeck offers live chat. |
| Is there a loyalty scheme? | 5% off for returning travellers. | 5% discount on your next trip. | Same loyalty discount on both companies. |
| What is the target age group? | Trips are designed for 18-39 year olds. You can request to join a trip if you're outside the age limit by a small margin. | For family tours, the minimum age requirement is 6 years. Independent travellers must be at least 18 years old. There is no upper age limit. Yolo tours are restricted to 18-39 year olds. | Topdeck offers youth-centric trips while G Adventures has trips for all. |
| Is there a single supplement? | Available for an additional cost. | Available for an additional cost on some tours. You may be offered a room with a traveller of the same sex at no additional cost. | Topdeck has options between single supplement, twin-sharing and tri/quad sharing. G Adventures offers single supplements on select tours as well as twin-share. |
| What are my payment options? |
|
|
Topdeck offers a wider range of payment options. |
Who offers the best price?
The tour price differences for both companies varies according to the region and travel style. However, we found that G Adventures’ tours typically cost more than Topdeck's. For instance, a 14-day tour from Sydney to Cairns starts from $2,870 on Topdeck while a 14-day tour with a comparable itinerary costs $4,199 on G Adventures.
The verdict: G Adventures tours are costlier than Topdeck but their groups are smaller.
Which offers a wider range of tours?
Topdeck offers 335 trips while tours by G Adventures are double that number.
The verdict: G Adventures clearly stands out in the range of tours as it caters to all age groups.
Any other differences worth noting?
Cancellation policy: G Adventures has a stricter cancellation policy than Topdeck.
The threshold for paying the full amount is within 42 days prior to the trip with Topdeck while G Adventures requires payment 60 days prior to departure.
If you cancel less than 30 days from departure, you can get a refund of at least 60% on Topdeck, but G Adventures offers no refunds
Percentage cancellation fee with Topdeck
| Days cancelled prior to departure | Cancellation fee based on your purchase price |
|---|---|
| 42+ days | Deposit only |
| 42-29 days | 40% |
| 28-14 days | 60% |
| 13-0 days | 100% |
Percentage cancellation fee with G Adventures
| Days cancelled prior to departure | Cancellation fee based on your purchase price |
|---|---|
| 60+ days | Deposit only |
| 59-31 days | 50% |
| 30-0 days | 100% |
Type of tours: Topdeck only provides group tours while G Adventures offers cruises, train trips and self-guided tours in addition to packaged group tours.
G Adventures’ tours have smaller group sizes of 10-15 travellers and Topdeck has relatively larger groups of 30-40 people. G Adventures offers more experiential voyages allowing travellers to explore a location’s culture in their own way. On the other hand, Topdeck offers a lot of inclusions like coach transport, ferry crossings, airport transfers and on-site chef, but these services are mostly pre-packaged.
What are the deals like?
Topdeck offers a range of deals including last-minute offers, early payment discounts, past-passenger discounts, discounts with friends, multi-trip discounts, festival discounts and more. These however are typically limited to tours across Europe and the Middle East.
On the other hand, G Adventures offers only last-minute deals and loyalty discounts.
Last-minute deals on both sites range from 10-30% and can be quite comparable, so do your research if you're price driven prior to booking.
For exampl, The Best of East Europe, a 15-day tour is available at 15% off on G Adventures while a similar 16-day Eastern Express tour is on sale at a 14% discount on Topdeck.
The verdict: Topdeck offers a varied range of discounts, unlike G Adventures but their last-minute deals are only available in Europe and the Middle East.
Top Topdeck and G Adventures deals
Topdeck
Up to 30% off last-minute deals
Valid on select last-minute departures. Destinations vary, but include China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Bali. T&C's apply.
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G Adventures
20% off worldwide tours
Valid for travel until 31 July 2019. Destinations include Los Angeles, New York, Rome, Budapest, Venice, Kenya and more. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to $1,150 off Hawaii tours
Valid for travel from 15 December 2018 - 11 February 2019. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to $1,170 off Australia and New Zealand tours
Valid for travel from 4 December 2018 - 24 February 2019. Destinations include Auckland, Wellington, Adelaide, Melbourne, Byron Bay and more. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to $680 off North America tours
Valid for travel from 15 December 2018 - 3 March 2019. Destinations include San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and more. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to $800 off China and Japan tours
Valid for travel from 3 December 2018 - 25 February 2019. Destinations include Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Osaka and more. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to $520 off Nepal tours
Valid for travel from 5 January - 4 March 2019.T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to $250 off North Africa and Middle East tours
Valid for travel from 18 January - 9 March 2019. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to $240 off China tours
Valid for travel from 16 January - 4 February 2019. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to $1,400 off Africa tours
Valid for travel from 25 December 2018 - 8 March 2019. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to $150 off Europe and Morocco tours
Valid for travel from January - June 2019. Destinations include Athens, Budapest, Berlin, Rome, Reykjavik, London and more. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to 15% off Europe trekking tours
Valid for travel from April - June 2019. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
Up to 20% off Asia tours
Valid for travel from November 2018 -February 2019. Destinations include Bangkok, Hanoi, Beijing, Chiang Mai, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong and more. T&Cs apply.
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Topdeck
Up to 15% off North America tours
Valid for travel on select dates. Destinations include Miami, Canada, Manhattan, Alaska, Hawaii and more. T&C's apply.
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Topdeck
Up to 15% off Asia tours
Valid for travel on select dates. Destinations include Japan, Vietnam and more. T&Cs apply.
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Topdeck
Up to 15% off Australia and New Zealand tours
Valid for travel on select dates. Destinations include Auckland, Wellington, Sydney, Christchurch, Victoria and more. T&Cs apply.
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Topdeck
Up to 15% off Europe tours
Valid for travel on select dates. Destinations include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Northern Ireland, Poland and more. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
15% off 7-day Tanzania package
Valid on 11 January 2019. Includes accommodation, meals, transfers and more. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
21% off 8-day Hawaii adventure
Valid on 16 December 2018. Includes accommodation, meals, transfers and more. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
13-day Tokyo to Sapporo Snow Festival experience from $5,299
Valid from 28 January - 12 February 2019. Includes internal flight, accommodation, meals, transportation, Sapporo Snow Festival visit, Snow Light Path Festival visit and more. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
5-day Sapporo Snow Festival and Hokkaido experience from $1,899
Valid from 5-12 February 2019. Includes accommodation, meals, transportation, Snow Festival visit and more. T&Cs apply.
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G Adventures
3-day Transylvania Halloween party tour from $389
Valid for travel on 31 October 2018. Includes guided tour of Bran castle, Halloween tent party on the castle grounds and return transportation. T&Cs apply.
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Popular Topdeck codes
| Last checked | Code description | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Nov 2018 | 20% off worldwide tours | 19G**** |
| 5 Oct 2018 | Up to 30% off last-minute deals | ******** |
| 5 Nov 2018 | Up to $1,150 off Hawaii tours | ******** |
Feature image: G Adventures
