Why Viator Is My Go-To for Booking Amazing Excursions and Tours

Once I’ve scored a good flight deal, found lodging I can book with loyalty points, and worked out ground transportation, my priorities turn to what to do at my destination.

Booking tours with several tour providers, managing communications, and arranging pickups and drop-off locations can be challenging. There can even be language barriers when dealing with foreign tour providers.

I never worry about any of these challenges when I book tours and excursions via Viator.

In this post, I’ll share some of the key reasons I use Viator, how to book excursions and tours, and how to use the Viator Rewards program. I’ll also share some of the tours I’ve booked.

What Is Viator?

Viator is a website that functions like an online travel agency, or OTA, for booking tours, attractions, transportation, and activities with travel providers worldwide. It currently offers bookings for more than 300,000 possibilities in 150 countries.

However, I am reluctant to refer to Viator as an OTA because the experience with Viator is more personal than using an OTA. The website lets you interact with the tour providers, and customer service is prompt and effective. Viator provides the resources I need to research my destination and find excursions to book with confidence.

Viator is also a U.S.-based company owned by TripAdvisor, a travel-media company providing millions of traveler reviews.

Why I Use Viator

I’ve booked dozens of experiences with Viator, including private tours, small group tours, admission to attractions, and more.

Here’s why I continue to use Viator.

Easy To Use

Booking an excursion with Viator is easy. I just enter my destination and preferred dates, then select a tour, review the information, and make a payment (although many tours don’t require payment at the time of booking). The most difficult part is choosing from hundreds of possibilities.

Once I’ve booked my excursion, I receive mobile tickets. There are no worries about losing paper documents, as everything is in the app or mobile wallet. The travel provider also has my booking information.

Local and Competent Travel Providers

Finding a top-notch, affordable tour guide for my 1 day in Luxembourg could have been challenging, but Viator came through. My guide was a local former educator and history buff who knew everything about Luxembourg’s history and current state. For around $100 for the day, I was a happy traveler.

Viator supports this type of local tour provider, and I have yet to complete an excursion that wasn’t good value. On several occasions, I’ve booked a small group tour and ended up being the only participant!

Hot Tip:

Some tours and excursions on Viator are designed specifically for cruise ship passengers. These include pick-up and drop-off at the cruise terminal and are timed to work with your cruise ship’s docking and departure schedule. Just look for tours labeled as Shore Excursions.

Online Communication

Once I’ve completed my booking, I have complete access to the tour provider. I can message them via Viator and ask questions, clarify pickup times, and confirm special requests. The tour provider has the same access to me.

I can also message Viator should any problems arise or if I have questions. Best of all, their customer service is available 24/7.

Flexible Payment

Popular excursions can sell out, and travel plans can change. That’s why I appreciate Viator’s payment flexibility. I can reserve my excursion to lock it in and then pay later, or I can pay immediately and cancel up to 24 hours before the excursion’s start time. 

I can attest that I’ve had to cancel several prepaid bookings because of travel changes, and the refunds were processed promptly.

How To Book With Viator

Booking with Viator is simple. Visit the Viator website, enter your destination, and select the approximate dates for your excursion.

You can sort the results by price, length of activity, language, those that are likely to sell out, and type of excursion. Select the excursion you want to learn more about.

If you’re not ready to book your excursion, you can click on the heart in the picture and create a wish list for each trip.

Next, read the reviews, the itinerary, what to expect, the cancellation policy, additional information, and frequently asked questions. Many excursions provide pickup from your hotel and return for no extra charge. If that’s available, you’ll see this option once you’ve selected a tour and are ready to book.

Some tours let you select the size of the tour group you want to join. Smaller groups can cost more, but it’s nice to have that option.

Next, it’s time to pay. You can pay at the time of booking or later. Either way, you can cancel up to 24 hours before the excursion departs.

That’s it. Viator makes booking easy, and you can communicate with the tour providers. It also offers flexible payment and cancellation, and customer service is available 24/7.

Earning Rewards With Viator

My favorite part of booking with Viator, besides the excursion, is earning rewards. I can earn triple rewards on my Viator purchases in 3 steps:

• Sign up for Rakuten and earn cash-back rewards or American Express Membership Rewards points on the purchase. It’s common to receive 10% to 15% in rewards via Rakuten for Viator purchases.
• Use a travel rewards credit card that earns 3x rewards on travel, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®.
• Sign up for an account with Viator and earn 5% back in Viator Rewards for every completed booking.

I earn these triple rewards by signing in to my Rakuten account, searching for Viator, and using the link to access the Viator website. Then, I pay for the purchase using my Chase Sapphire Reserve card to earn 3x Ultimate Rewards points (Viator tours code as travel purchases).

Once the excursion is completed, the Viator Rewards I earn are added to my account within 24 hours. I can use the rewards as cash when I book my next adventure. Rewards are good for 180 days from the date they are available.

Excursions I Have Booked With Viator

I’ve completed dozens of excursions with Viator. Here is a small sampling of adventures I have booked with Viator over the past few years.

• A full-day private guide to the blue city of Chefchaouen, Morroco, from Tangier
• Private tour of Luxembourg with a local
• Faroe Islands Highlights
• Arctic wildlife and fjord tour in Tromsø, Norway
• Golden Circle tour from Reykjavik, Iceland
• Martinborough area wine tour from Wellington, New Zealand
• Highlights of Queenstown, New Zealand, Tour
• Sintra and coastal tour from Lisbon, Portugal

I like that I can find affordable, unique activities on the site that I may not have otherwise known about.

Downsides of Booking With Viator

There aren’t many downsides to booking with Viator, but there’s some additional information to be aware of.

Since Viator tells you the name of the travel provider, you can look up the direct booking cost. I’ve never found it to be more than $5 or $10 extra (and often, it’s the same price). I usually book for myself, but there could be a larger difference when booking for more than 1 person. I have no problem paying a few extra dollars for the value added.

One caution when booking transportation with Viator is that the price can be posted per person “from $X amount” but the price is only applicable if you have a certain number of travelers. You may not be able to book some tours for just one person, or those tours may be at a slightly higher price.

Final Thoughts

I frequently travel solo and appreciate the ability to book an affordable excursion where I know I’ll have a good time, potentially meet other travelers, and be safe. I also appreciate the value of having all my excursions in a single, easily managed account.

Viator has become my go-to site for finding things to do while traveling. I use it to find activities at a destination, and I create a favorites list using the site’s wish list function to assist with my trip planning.