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Sail the Nile or book a great value sunshine break with the 10 best travel brands recommended by GH readers
From bucket-list cruises to all-inclusive hotels - go away this year with a holiday company our readers trust.
At Good Housekeeping, we’ve been testing products designed to take the drudgery out of the home for over 100 years – from the very first domestic iron to the latest air fryer. But did you know that we also review holidays with the help of travellers just like you?
Our Reader Recommended endorsement combines the expertise of the Good Housekeeping Institute with the invaluable opinions of Good Housekeeping readers. To review a travel brand, we recruit a minimum of 100 readers who have recently booked with them, asking them to give us detailed feedback on every element of their trip. We look at everything from how easy it is to find a holiday online and make changes your reservation, to the quality of any scheduled itineraries, as well as food and accommodation. Our experts then collate and analyse all the information to award a final score.
If a brand achieves our pass mark (and not all do!), it can proudly display our Reader Recommended logo. We will often endorse a particular element of a company’s service, whether that’s the entertainment on offer at a hotel or the customer experience onboard a cruise, so you know exactly what part of your trip has been reviewed by our reader panel.
That means you can trust us to give you the best holiday company recommendations, whether it’s for that once-in-a-lifetime African safari, a memorable tour of America’s iconic Route 66, or a sun drenched cruise around the Caribbean.
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Holland America Line
Holland America Line has sailed its ships around Alaska – America’s largest state – for 75 years, longer than any other cruise line. So, it’s no surprise that 90% of our readers said they would recommend an Alaska cruise with Holland America Line to friends and family one saying: “The whole experience from start to finish was truly memorable. I didn't want to get off at the end.”
Holland America Line highlights in Alaska include privileged access to the stunning UNESCO World Heritage-listed Glacier Bay National Park and cruise tours that offer the chance to ride the glass-domed McKinley Explorer train through Alaska’s wilderness As another reader remarked: “Wonderful experience, fantastic service, attentive staff, great accommodation. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. There was a good selection of sightseeing tours, and they were great value for money.”
You can also enjoy a seven-night Holland America Line Alaska cruise and a two-night ride through the snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies on the iconic Rocky Mountaineer with GH Holidays.
Fred Olsen Cruises
Fred Olsen’s four boutique ships dock at smaller ports allowing guests to discover unique destinations around the world on expertly crafted itineraries. Voyages include sailing the fjords of Norway in search of the Northern Lights or midnight sun, travelling to Brazil for the Rio Carnival and sailing away on epic 57 or 76-night ‘Grand Voyages’ which take you around the world from Southampton without ever having to fly. The itineraries really appealed to our readers with 80% saying they enjoyed their cruise as a result.
One reader remarked: "Elegant, smart and fabulous service on a smaller ship which travelled to more Caribbean islands than larger ships!” and another said: "I chose to book a Fred. Olsen Cruise because I prefer smaller ships, unique destinations, and a more personal, traditional cruising experience. It felt like the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure.”
GH Holidays offer a 6-day Scottish Island Cruise with Fred Olsen on Bolette including the basalt columns of Fingal's Cave, the bonnet-shaped Bac Mòr island, the Small Isles archipelago and the Holy Isle of Iona, described as the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland.
The famous low-cost airline doesn’t just do flights; it also offers great-value beach, city and lake holidays to over 100 destinations across Europe and North Africa. It’s one of the latest travel companies to have been awarded our 2025 Reader Recommended accreditation and prides itself on flexibility, including the freedom to change your holiday whenever you want online. Readers praised it for having low prices for holidays compared to other operators and commented on how "Everything was so easy from start to finish!" with 80% saying they’d recommend easyJet holidays to friends and family.
They expect Cape Verde (or the Republic of Cabo Verde, to give it its official name), to be popular this year as new flights to the Atlantic archipelago launch at the end of March. These 10 volcanic islands with beautiful white sand beaches, lunar-like landscapes and marine wildlife including dolphins and whales are just six-hours away off the West coast of Africa.
Specialising in adult-only UK breaks, set amid beautiful scenery, with a focus on great food and live entertainment, Warner Hotels provide a chance to get away from it all at 16 glorious properties across the UK, from the likes of Littlecote House in Berkshire and The Runnymede on Thames near Windsor to Bodelwyddan Castle in Wales.
Daytime activities include dance classes, aqua aerobics and even axe throwing; and in the evening, you’ll be treated to live bands, theatre shows, comedy acts and performances from famous faces. Past headliners include Will Young and Chris de Burgh.
Our readers loved the fact they could dress up and enjoy a show without having to worry about how they were getting home afterwards. “Good food and entertainment,” was how one summed it up succinctly. Almost everyone rated their stay as either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.
Marella is TUI’s cruise arm and offers the same affordable, ‘all-inclusive as standard’ benefits. It promises friendly staff who will always remember your name and your favourite cocktail, and our readers vouched for the welcoming service, saying they felt ‘really looked after’ on all of its ships, from the Marella Explorer, its largest, or the recently refurbished Marella Discovery 2.“Well-planned” excursions, “helpful, friendly staff who really go the extra mile”, an “excellent choice of restaurants and bars” and clean cabins with good facilities make this a good all-rounder – especially if you’re a first-time cruiser. Overall, 84% of readers enjoyed their cruise with Marella Cruises.
Avalon Waterways
If you dream of floating down the Mekong River in Southeast Asia, are looking for a new perspective on Europe’s most beautiful waterways, or want to travel through the rainforests and vast savannahs along the Nile, Good Housekeeping readers recommend Avalon Waterways’ river cruises. Every suite has floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows, which slide open to create an open-air balcony, where you can sit back and relax, while enjoying the ever- changing scenery. It’s the ultimate room with a view.
“It was like staying in a five-star hotel,’” said one reader. “It was great to wake up to a different view each day.” Others raved about the ‘well-crafted’ itineraries that allow you to explore off the boat, and the “high quality” food, which is inspired by the local cuisines. In fact, nearly everyone we spoke to (95%) said they would recommend Avalon Waterways to friends and family.
TUI is the UK’s biggest travel company, well known for its family beach and resort holidays around the world – from Greece to Grenada and Costa Rica to Cape Verde’s five-star Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria. But it’s also an expert in city breaks, escorted tours and skiing trips. Our readers particularly rated its booking service, with the majority saying they’d recommend TUI to friends and family based on their experience.
Most managed their holiday online and found the website easy to navigate with a huge range of holidays to choose from. Those who booked in-store praised the ‘very friendly and helpful’ staff, and we received lots of positive feedback about the holiday reps and TUI app, which helped people stay updated and keep their travel documents organised. “The advisors in the travel agency are knowledgeable and very helpful. Nothing is too much trouble,” said one happy traveller; while another told us it was, “smooth from start to finish. An excellent choice of hotels in destinations we wanted to visit.”
Head to Travelbag for tailor-made holidays that make long-haul travel and multiple-destination trips a doddle.
Or, as one reader told us, ‘They make unforgettable travel experiences easy. Their knowledgeable specialists live and breathe travel, so they’re always on hand with tips and advice. And they can tailor every detail of your trip to suit you.’
Time and again, we were told that Travelbag’s specialists took the stress out of planning complicated, bucket-list holidays. ‘When I wanted to fly to Australia, New Zealand and Singapore (above) for a couple of months, they were the easiest to plan with and also offered two free internal flights. I absolutely would book with them again,’ one customer told us. The travel specialists have all spent time in the places they’re selling, and this came across in the feedback – 88% agreed they were knowledgeable about the destinations, helping to put together tailored itineraries. A good pick for peace of mind.
Escorted touring company, Cosmos, promises to help you experience destinations like a local, sharing fascinating landmarks and popular eating spots, as well as stories most travellers don’t get to hear. Tour directors are usually local so know plenty of insider tips – and they take care of everything so you can relax and soak up the experience. “It was a trip of a lifetime,” said one of our readers. “It was very organised, and the tour driver and guides were very professional, friendly and efficient”.
“The experience with our tour director was a very enjoyable one,” added another traveller. “They gave fun commentary and made sure we were where we needed to be, while also putting us at ease.”
Perhaps most meaningfully, 89% said they would book with Cosmos Tours again and almost everyone said they were left with “great memories”, which is why we travel after all. Cosmos offers tours throughout Europe (such as Rome Florence & Venice, above), South and Central America, Canada and Asia.
Princess Cruises
One of the most recognised names in cruising, with 17 ships and voyages to destinations all over the world – from a Mediterranean cruise on Sun Princess to a Caribbean cruise on Star Princess – Princess Cruises is known for its innovation and warm welcome onboard. Many of our readers mentioned the smart Medallion wearable device given to every guest, which allows touch- free boarding and keyless room entry, lets you make dinner reservations, and helps you locate friends and family on board.
Clearly, the brand is doing something right, as we had readers telling us they’d enjoyed multiple sailings with Princess Cruises. “Having cruised with other companies, we find that the quality of food, level of service and entertainment is excellent with Princess Cruises,” said one satisfied customer. “All the staff were excellent, helpful and accommodating. The cabins were spacious and very clean. The food and choices were brilliant,” enthused another.
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