TrovaTrip Avis 

This was a scammy, exhausting, and deeply disappointing experience. The Eat & Explore China trip (Oct 12–19, 2025) wasn’t a cultural deep dive - it was a logistical meltdown with bad hotels, skipped activities, and a side of food poisoning risk.

We paid over $1,800 per person for what was sold as an “authentic food and culture journey.” What we got was a low-budget, mass-market tour that didn’t even follow its own itinerary.

Beijing: Where it all started to fall apart

Couples were given rooms with separate beds in a rundown tourist bunker. Promised experiences were either canceled or executed at warp speed. The “dumpling workshop and lunch with a local family”? A thinly veiled tourist trap serving food no one could eat.
Meals were so poorly organized that our group joked we were on a “starvation tour.” Even our influencer host admitted that cramming Beijing into 2.5 days was absurd - especially when half the advertised activities were replaced with optional, extra-cost tours.

Xi’an: From disappointment to disaster

The hotel in Xi’an made Beijing look like the Ritz. Mold on the walls, a smell that could wake the dead, and safety issues everywhere. My wife has a mold allergy and had a breakdown just walking into the room. After complaining, Trova’s solution was peak corporate empathy: “take it or leave it.” They offered an “upgraded” room that was just as filthy, so we ended up paying for a new hotel ourselves.
Other travelers weren’t luckier — one found toenails in their room. The next day’s “included bike tour” featured broken bikes with missing pedals and snapped chains. It wasn’t just bad - it was unsafe.

The Aftermath

TrovaTrip offered a $300 refund per person. That’s not compensation - it’s a tip for surviving. The stress, the health risks, the wasted time - it’s not even close to being covered.

We expected a well-organized, food-forward cultural trip. What we got was chaos, poor communication, and constant problem-solving.
To be blunt: this was a total rip-off. You’d have a far better (and safer) experience booking everything yourself and hiring local guides.

TrovaTrip sells adventure. What they delivered was amateur hour.

My Triva Trip to Bali was amazing. The food, the people, the resort, the activities, I loved it all. I didn’t care for the waterfall, it was smelly and not so clean, but other than that, I had a wonderful time.

I had a lot of fun on the trip! It was easy to use the app, I liked being able to check the itinerary so fast. Our Bali host was knowledgeable and kind, did a great job. Our Canadian host made it fun and encouraged us to try new things, it was impossible not to have fun with Linda. Would definitely choose to do another one. What I didn’t like was the trova trip recommended car transfer company, I had 3 different drivers messaging me, zero confirmation from the company when I asked for clarification, the driver that did show up at the airport was taking photos and videos of me at the airport which was super weird and a red flag. He wanted to take me to get a sim instead of my hotel. I said no but he asked twice. Thankfully my friends plane landed and I had him wait for them so I would feel safe on the drive. And then he continued to WhatsApp for 3 days wanting to take me places. Super inappropriate and scary.

We joined the Eat & Explore China trip (Oct 12–19, 2025) and unfortunately it was one of the worst travel experiences we’ve ever had. The itinerary was not followed, the hotels were unacceptable, and we constantly had to solve problems on our own instead of enjoying the trip.

In Beijing, couples were put in rooms with separate beds, the hotel was a low-budget tourist bunker, and several promised activities were canceled or rushed — for example, the “dumpling workshop and lunch with a local family” turned out to be a tourist trap with inedible food. We often went without proper meals for hours (our group described it as "starvation", which is absolutely correct!), spent most days exhausted and even sick, and had no free time to explore the city. Also we only had 2,5 days in Beijing and even the host said, that this does not make any sense due to all the activities and the size of Beijing. Everything food related where optional tours, we had to pay extra for.

In Xi’an, things got even worse: the hotel was dirty, moldy, and unsafe. I have a mold allergy and had a breakdown after seeing the room. We had to find and pay for a new hotel ourselves. Other travelers also complained — one even found toenails in their room. The next day, the included bike tour used completely broken bikes with snapped chains and falling pedals — a real safety hazard. The trip was planned for over 4 days in Xi'An, so most of the trip, which does not make sense at all.

Although TrovaTrip later offered a $300 refund per person, that doesn’t begin to cover the stress, health risk, and missing experiences. We paid over $1,800 per person for what turned out to be a low-quality mass tour that didn’t match the advertised “Eat & Explore” experience at all.

We expected an authentic food and culture trip with proper organization and comfort — instead, we got chaos, poor communication, and constant disappointment. Definitely not worth the price or the brand reputation TrovaTrip claims to have.
To be honest: this is a total rip off and you will have a better trip, if you book everything yourself and just hire local guides!!!

My experience was made great due to how organized and well planned our trip was thanks to our tour guide Ahmed Fawzy and host Two Guys on a Plane!
This trip was fun and very educational. I definitely recommend Trova Trip to anyone looking for a great adventure!

I’ve been on 3 great trips with Trova (Switzerland, Egypt, and Mexico) and appreciate their attention to detail and customer support!

The trip was well organized. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable. I will do this type of vacation again.

Hulu our guide made the trip very interesting by teaching us about the culture and people of Bali. When one of the planed excursions was closed because of flooding he seamlessly found us an alternative. As the oldest in the groups he spend extra time with me and went above and beyond to ensure I enjoyed Bali.

I thought I already wrote out my review, but I just received a request to write it again. So I’m a bit confused! But it was 100% five stars all around. Josh was an amazing host! Our guide, Hulu was fantastic. Accommodations were great and I really loved all of the activities. There were a couple of provided meals that I thought could’ve been improved on, but for the most part, they were fantastic.

I love traveling with Emily and KristaLyn!
The groups are so enthusiastic and engaging.

Had an amazing time visiting the French Riviera. We had a great guide who was so knowledgeable and fun to be with. Had an incredible time and made new friends

Excellent guide. Good hotels.

Loved my trip, host and guide!

Our host and in-country guide contributed the most to my trip rating of five stars. Their knowledge of the area along with the guides ability to interact and negotiate with locals was priceless. This was especially so when the group decided we wanted a change in the itinerary. Changes occurred due to local events, weather or other unforeseen/uncontrollable circumstances were navigated with ease to accommodate the group.

The best way to bring like minded people together!

The hotels were amazing. The boat tour was less than thrilling. It was misleading but Abby made it so fun!

I had high hopes, but as the trip planning continued, Trovo proved to be very hands-off. There was little to no communication with the retreat host or participants through their app. At one point 2 weeks before the trip, they changed our hotels without notifying us, while we were actively planning our logistics around lodging in their app.

Finally, when an emergency prevented me from traveling, they showed zero flexibility. Even when I asked if someone else could take my place, they refused. First, I was told my money had already gone to the local operator, but when I said that’s fine — someone can attend in my spot — suddenly that wasn’t allowed either. Money comes before customers here. On top of that, there’s no phone number to call and speak to anyone directly.

Disappointing experience all around, and I won’t be booking with them again. Will continue investing in programs like True Nature Travels.

Trova trip organized the best excursion for us. We saw a lot of exciting things including five grizzly bears in 48 hours at our last campground. Our guides were very knowledgable and shared all the information they had. Itinerary was well laid out and organized and we did exactly what they said we would be doing.

TrovaTrip is a mlm type scheme for “influencers.” Their tours are over priced for what you get. Influencer sets price - they get trip free and depending on their said influencer makes 10-15k off their peasants.

Influencers - show your integrity and put together your own tour with your own travel service. Offer your followers something better.