Tour operators in the US 2026: a ranking built on verified facts
A ranking of tour operators selling to US travelers, built only on verifiable facts. We found no single national licence, so we use the state seller of travel number the operator publishes (California CST, Florida ST, Washington) as the register analogue, and membership of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) with its $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program as the insolvency protection. We also show the year the company started, whether the website names the company and an address, whether booking terms are published, and whether a trip can be booked and paid for online. Every fact links to its source with the date we checked it. This is not advice to choose a particular operator. Places are not for sale.
| # | Company | Who it serves | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trafalgar | 80 | Not verified | Yes | 1947 | Yes | Protection Member of the national association Online booking Online payment |
| 2 | EF Go Ahead Tours | 77 | Yes | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Register Protection Member of the national association Online payment |
| 3 | Abercrombie & Kent | 75 | Yes | Yes | 1962 | Not verified | Register Protection Member of the national association |
| 4 | YMT Vacations | 71 | Yes | Yes | 1967 | Not verified | Register Protection Member of the national association Online payment |
| 5 | Collette | 70 | Yes | Yes | 1918 | Not verified | Register Protection Member of the national association |
| 6 | Tauck | 62 | Yes | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Register Protection Member of the national association Online payment |
| 7 | Road Scholar | 58 | Yes | Not verified | 1975 | Not verified | Register |
-
- In the official register
- Not verified
- Insolvency protection
- Yes
- In business since
- 1947
- Online booking
- Yes
Pros
- Customers' money is protected if the operator goes bust
- Holidays can be booked online
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Booking terms can be read before you pay
Details Visit site ↗ 80% backed by facts
-
- In the official register
- Yes
- Insolvency protection
- Yes
- In business since
- Not verified
- Online booking
- Not verified
Pros
- Listed in the official register
- Customers' money is protected if the operator goes bust
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Booking terms can be read before you pay
Details Visit site ↗ 79% backed by facts
-
- In the official register
- Yes
- Insolvency protection
- Yes
- In business since
- 1962
- Online booking
- Not verified
Pros
- Listed in the official register
- Customers' money is protected if the operator goes bust
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Booking terms can be read before you pay
Details Visit site ↗ 76% backed by facts
-
- In the official register
- Yes
- Insolvency protection
- Yes
- In business since
- 1967
- Online booking
- Not verified
Pros
- Listed in the official register
- Customers' money is protected if the operator goes bust
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Booking terms can be read before you pay
Details Visit site ↗ 71% backed by facts
-
- In the official register
- Yes
- Insolvency protection
- Yes
- In business since
- 1918
- Online booking
- Not verified
Pros
- Listed in the official register
- Customers' money is protected if the operator goes bust
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Booking terms can be read before you pay
Details Visit site ↗ 71% backed by facts
-
- In the official register
- Yes
- Insolvency protection
- Yes
- In business since
- Not verified
- Online booking
- Not verified
Pros
- Listed in the official register
- Customers' money is protected if the operator goes bust
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Booking terms can be read before you pay
Details Visit site ↗ 62% backed by facts
-
- In the official register
- Yes
- Insolvency protection
- Not verified
- In business since
- 1975
- Online booking
- Not verified
Pros
- Listed in the official register
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Booking terms can be read before you pay
- Wide choice of destinations
Details Visit site ↗ 63% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- Apple Vacations (site closed to automated checks, )
- Backroads (53% backed by facts)
- Gate 1 Travel (site closed to automated checks, )
- Globus (site closed to automated checks, )
- Grand Circle Travel (site closed to automated checks, )
- Intrepid Travel (43% backed by facts)
- Perillo Tours (58% backed by facts)
Sites marked as closed refuse automated reading (403 error, captcha or a robots.txt ban). We don't bypass such protection, so we can't verify their facts and they are not ranked. This says nothing about their quality. A company can send links to its official pages to [email protected].
How we calculate the Score
40%
Reliability
Listing in the national register of tour operators (or, in Germany, which has no licence, the commercial register), protection of customers' money if the operator becomes insolvent, the year the company started and membership of the national tour operators' association or fund.
25%
Transparency
Whether the website names the legal entity with its registration number, publishes the booking terms or contract before you pay, and gives an office address.
25%
Booking
Whether a holiday can be booked online on the operator's own website and paid for online, and the App Store rating of its own app where there is one.
10%
Destinations
How many countries or destinations the operator says it sells, counted only where the operator states the number itself.
How to choose a tour operator
Find the operator in the register
Your contract names the tour operator, even if you buy from an agent. Look that company up in the official register of your country and make sure the entry is current.
Check how your money is protected
If the operator goes bust, the guarantee or insolvency scheme pays for the return trip and refunds. Find out which scheme protects your booking and whether you receive a certificate or document confirming it.
Read the contract and booking terms
Before paying, read the cancellation charges, what happens if prices change, what is included (flights, transfers, meals, insurance) and the deadline for paying the balance.
Compare the same trip
Compare identical packages: the same hotel, room, meal plan, dates and flight times. A cheaper offer often has a worse flight, no transfer or a different room type.
Pay the operator or its official agent
Pay on the operator's own website or to an agent named in the contract, and keep the contract, receipts and vouchers. Check the web address before entering card details.
Know where to complain
First send a written claim to the operator. Then you can turn to the consumer protection authority, the association's dispute scheme or the guarantee scheme, and finally to court.
Frequently asked questions
What is a seller of travel registration?
The California Attorney General says California requires all sellers of travel to register with its office and to display the registration number on all advertising. A valid registration does not prove a company is reputable, but it shows the seller has followed the law on registering.
How is my money protected if a tour operator goes bust?
USTOA requires each Active Member to post $1 million security (a bond, letter of credit or US Treasury bill) in its Travelers Assistance Program. It reimburses tour payments or deposits lost through a member's bankruptcy, insolvency or cessation of business, or its failure to refund within 120 days after cancelling a tour.
Is every tour operator covered by the USTOA program?
No. It covers USTOA Active Members only. Check the Active Member Directory on ustoa.com before you pay; in this ranking the protection is marked only for companies listed there.
Why is the seller of travel number empty for some operators?
We record a number only when we find it on the operator's own pages. An empty field means we could not confirm it, not that the operator is unregistered.