Smithsonian Journeys Consumer Reviews

VIRGINIA -- We had the opposite experience with Smithsonian. We had booked a family trip to Yellowstone in 2020, which of course was cancelled because of the pandemic. We chose to roll over our deposit instead of taking a refund. In 2021, the no one else had signed up due to the continued pandemic, so we rolled it over again. In July 2022 we had a fabulous trip to Yellowstone with our grandson. Throughout our experience we were able to talk to a Smithsonian representative personally. We were contacted about adjusting the date of our trip one week earlier to be sure the trip would go. Smithsonian was dealing with travel chaos, just as we were. They were very professional and courteous, as we were with them.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- In February 2021, we reserved a trip run by Smithsonian Journeys to Normandy, France, scheduled to take place October 2 - 10, 2021. A deposit of $1,000 was sent to Smithsonian Journeys, who used AHI Travel to book hotels and airlines for the trip. We paid a total of $14,476 by check and credit card to AHI Travel for the full cost of the trip including Airline reservations in July and August, the last payment was made on August 3.

On August 25 we received notice that Smithsonian had cancelled the trip because the U.S. Department of State rated travel to France as "Advisory Level 4", DO NOT TRAVEL. Smithsonian offered the option of a full refund, which we took. Smithsonian refunded our $1,000 deposit within two weeks, but as of yet, we have not received the remainder of the funds from AHI Travel. They are claiming that it will take of to 8-weeks for the refund, but $6,300 of the $14,476 we paid to AHI was paid by them to Air France for air travel.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, "If a passenger is owed a refund, an airline, travel agent, or online travel agency must process it within seven business days if the passenger paid by credit card, and 20 business days if the passenger paid by cash or check".

The Normandy trip was not the first trip we have taken with Smithsonian travel and we have previously been happy with their service. However, based on our experience on the Normandy reservation, we would not recommend booking travel with Smithsonian Journeys and AHI Travel.

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- My friend and I booked this trip as a "reunion" with our college buddies. We paid the deposit $1,000.00 on 11/15/19. Then Covid came along, and the trip was cancelled. We chose to have them keep the deposit in anticipation that we could make the next trip. The year 2020 passed, and in late May, 2021, they notified us we could make the trip in October. We talked with our friends, and found out that they had talked to Smithsonian about us all changing our trip to an earlier time slot. Then we found that AHI Travel (awful), booked my friend and I on a different date from our friends in Arizona. We tried to get it changed, and long story short, they finally had an opening on the other date, but did not notify us until mid September with sailing in October.

It had all been a nightmare and a mess, which they caused. We declined the new sailing date, and they have declined to return our $1,000.00 deposit. 2019-2021, and through no fault of ours they refuse. DO NOT TAKE A TRIP WITH THESE PEOPLE. I have travelled for 20 years, and never had such a terrible experience, lack of communication, and refusal to work with us.

Smithsonian Journeys suck!!! Would like to give them zero stars but unfortunately this is not an option.
Booked a Peru family adventure trip through Smithsonian Journeys in August 2017. Got confirmation, paid trip in full. Few weeks later got an email from Thomson adventures - the company that Smithsonian had contracted to provide the actual trip - notifying us that Smithsonian Journeys had canceled our trip.

Smithsonian Journeys didn't even had the guts to call us personally to inform of cancellation. Smithsonian Journeys never apologized for the cancellation either. Luckily Thomson Adventures stepped up and offered to take us to the same trip minus Smithsonian lecturers. Turns out that Thomson Adventures never cancel - not for any reason. We had a wonderful trip thanks to the Thomson Adventures.

Shame on Smithsonian Journeys. Don't ever book the trip with Smithsonian Journeys - check out which tour operator they use and book directly with the tour operator. Thomson adventures and Tauck tours are good options - they don't cancel. Have never disappointed us.

TENNESSEE -- I had to cancel a trip with Smithsonian Journeys due to issues with the coronavirus. I cancelled it 6 months in advance. They will not refund my deposit! They want to transfer it to a future trip. I am very futile find that my respect for the Smithsonian is misplaced.

CAMBRIDGE, MA, MASSACHUSETTS -- In October of 2005 my wife and I booked a trip to Peru with Smithsonian Journeys located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The trip is scheduled for May, 2006. We selected this tour because of a great interest in the ruins of Machu Picchu and because it was one of the very few tours that included a stay in Sanctuary Lodge which is the ONLY hotel located within the walls of Machu Picchu. As one of the seven wonders of the modern world, it was CRITICALLY important to us to stay in that facility to achieve our travel desires. We paid a deposit of $500 for each of us.

Over a month later we noticed in one of the brochures from the company that the tour would NOT be staying in Sanctuary Lodge but in another facility some miles away from the monument itself. When I called the company to inquire about this change in January, 2006 I was told that the company uses several different hotels for that part of the trip and they were not going to use Sanctuary Lodge on this trip. I told them that staying at Sanctuary Lodge was the ONLY reason we selected this tour and that if the tour was not going to stay at Sanctuary Lodge we would like to cancel our participation in the tour and have our deposits returned. They refused to do so.

After a series of letters were exchanged they continued to refuse to refund our deposit offering only “travel vouchers” for another tour. In NONE of the letters does the company deny having switched hotels without notification. Obviously, this is unacceptable to us since we believe that Smithsonian Journeys used a form of “bait and switch” and we can NEVER trust this company again. We are experienced travelers and we have never been treated in such a shoddy manner by any other tour operator.

We believe this “bait and switch” tactic to be unethical and the failure to refund our deposits is, at the very least, a terrible business practice. We would like to alert you to the practices of this company as we believe them to be totally unacceptable for any legitimate travel agent.