
A holiday can brighten your year, but planning it takes time and effort. You might feel confused and overwhelmed, and wonder if you missed anything.
Sure, online travel sites are great, and Google Flights or Google Trip Planner are great tools. Collecting travel points on cards like the Passport Visa Infinite Card from Scotiabank is a no-brainer. However, many people would rather leave the logistics to a professional travel agency.
If you’re in the Toronto area, here are some of the top-rated travel agencies you can turn to when it’s time to plan your next vacation. We sorted them either by highest-rating or in one of these travel specialties: Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, or adventure travel.
- The 10 highest rated travel agencies in Toronto
- The Travel Agent Next Door
- HIS Canada
- Happy Vacations
- Acadia Travel Agency
- St. Clair Travel Agency
- Flight Centre Travel Agency
- Click the Mouse Travel
- G. G. Travel Agency
- Senior Discovery Tours
- ISX Tours and Events
- Top 3 travel agencies for travel to Africa
- Top 3 travel agencies for travel to South America
- Top 3 travel agencies for travel to the Caribbean
- Top 3 travel agencies for travel to Europe
- Top 3 travel agencies for adventure seekers
- Frequently asked questions about Toronto travel agencies
The 10 highest rated travel agencies in Toronto
The Travel Agent Next Door
The Travel Agent Next Door travel agency began in Toronto over 24 years ago. Since then, it has been one of the leading travel agencies in the area, not only for travellers, but for independent travel agents as well.
What sets The Travel Agent Next Door apart from other agencies is its New Agent Program, which teaches aspiring travel agents everything they need to know to set up their own home-based travel agency.
To get started, head to the website and fill in a short questionnaire. The Travel Agent Next Door will match you with a travel agent who specializes in the area you want to travel to.
HIS Canada
HIS Canada is a travel agency that helps customers book travel to places all around the world. However, it specializes in overseas travel to Japan, as well as Canadian tours for visitors to Canada, especially those from Japan. HIS Canada has offices in Vancouver and Toronto.
Canadians looking to travel within Japan via its rail system will need to buy a Japan Rail Pass, which is only available to tourists, and must be purchased before arriving in Japan. According to reviews, the travel agents at HIS have made this process incredibly easy for travellers, handling all the necessary paperwork. All you need to do is provide your passport information, and agents will secure you a voucher, which you can exchange for a rail pass once you arrive in Japan.
Happy Vacations
Happy Vacations is a small, locally owned travel agency located on Yonge Street in North York, Toronto. According to reviews, the travel agents at Happy Vacations have been able to score amazing deals on flights, especially to Hong Kong, which is a great starting point for extended travel throughout Asia.
Acadia Travel Agency
Acadia Travel Agency offers weekly discounts and personalized packages to suit your travel needs. It specializes in travel throughout the Americas and Europe, and can help you put together a customized trip, including accommodations, car rentals, tours and flights.
Securing accommodations is where Acadia Travel Agency really shines. Its agents can set you up in a hotel or apartment. If you’re up for something a little different, they can also help you find lodging at a historical site, in a country house, or even on a farm. Ocean lovers can also look to Acadia to book cruise packages.
St. Clair Travel Agency
St. Clair Travel Agency can be found right on St. Clair Avenue in Toronto. Its agents can help you book travel to destinations all over the world, including special Disney packages. St. Clair also offers vacation packages for groups and weddings.
What’s more, St. Clair Travel Agency can help your trip go as smoothly as possible by handling all visa requirements to your destinations. It also offers comprehensive insurance packages for your protection.
Flight Centre Travel Agency
Flight Centre is one of the most recognizable names in the travel agency world. It’s been around since 1982 and specializes in group travel, vacation packages, exclusive tours, cruises and flights. Whether you’re travelling as part of a group or on your own, Flight Centre can design the perfect holiday for you.
Click the Mouse Travel
This Toronto-based travel agency is an authorized Disney vacation planner, so let the experts in all things Disney take the reins and put together a vacation that both the kids and adults will love.
G. G. Travel Agency
G. G. Travel Agency has been providing travellers with air-only travel to the most popular destinations in the Caribbean since 1962. In order to offer customers the best prices, G. G. has partnered with Sunwing, Air Canada, and Air Transat. You can easily find a licensed professional travel agent through G. G. Travel Agency who is knowledgeable about your destination. Additionally, the website provides real-time updates to any changes that might affect your trip, such as weather forecasts and flight status.
Senior Discovery Tours
Senior Discovery Tours is one of the best and oldest tour groups around Toronto. It offers group travel to anyone who wants to spend their golden years on the road. Senior Discovery's agents take care of all the complicated parts of arranging travel, such as booking flights and hotels, arranging meals, and even calculating tips and taxes. They also provide insurance, so all you need to do is pack your bags.
ISX Tours and Events
ISX showcases the best that Canada, the United States and Europe have to offer for students and youth. Apart from tours of historical monuments and national parks, ISX also offers exclusive ticket prices for events like soccer and baseball games.
Top 3 travel agencies for travel to Africa
Royal African Travel
Established in Toronto in 2006, Royal African Travel helps travellers from Toronto plan and arrange trips to every country in Africa at the best possible price. The agents at Royal African Travel can help you put together a thorough itinerary. They will arrange all the necessary transportation and accommodations so you can relax and see the best that Africa has to offer. They also specialize in arranging cargo shipments.
Safari and Company
The owner of Safari and Company, Michael Haines, was born and educated in Zimbabwe. He is passionate about helping arrange safaris for travellers keen on safely exploring the majestic beauty of the African landscape.
The agents at Safari and Company can help you put together your own safari to Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, as well as to India. They also offer insurance packages that are specialized for safari trips, taking into account all the unexpected surprises that can pop up while on safari.
Africa on Safari
Established way back in the early 1970s, Africa on Safari offers unique and exciting travel opportunities to over 25 African countries. Its mission is to offer travellers a one-of-a-kind safari experience while simultaneously showcasing the continent's cultural diversity.
Its agents are active in conservation efforts, so you can feel good about booking with them. With Africa on Safari, you can work with agents to put together your own personalized itinerary throughout central, east, west and southern Africa.
Top 3 travel agencies for travel to South America
The Latin Travel
The Latin Travel is a small, family-owned agency that has been in business for over 15 years. It specializes in travel to and from Latin countries, and can help you plan and book your flights, accommodations and other arrangements to popular Caribbean, Central and South American destinations.
Goway
Goway Travel offers a wide range of vacation options to suit almost any traveller, from active and adventurous to smaller-scale day trips like city breaks and excursions during a long stopover. If you’re unsure of where to start planning, get some ideas off their website by clicking on ‘trips ideas’.
There, you’ll find headings such as ‘family vacations’, ‘private experiences’ or ‘romance and honeymoon’. Click on any of the links to get some inspiration and see what kind of vacation packages are available to destinations in Central and South America.
Mandala Travel
The travel agents at Mandala Travel have been providing travellers in the Toronto area with expert services for years. Their area of expertise is travel to and from Brazil. They can help you arrange hotel and flight accommodations, car rentals, and travel insurance, offering specially priced vacation packages. What’s more, their partnership with a select group of airlines means they can price-match, saving you money.
Top 3 travel agencies for travel to the Caribbean
Total Advantage Travel & Tours
Total Advantage Travel is a full-service travel agency that offers a wide variety of vacation choices. Its mission is to help you find the one that is best suited for you. Begin by consulting with any of the expert travel agents.
They will work with you to customize your dream vacation to ocean-side destinations all over the world, including Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean. For inspiration, check out their travel blog. It’s full of articles pertaining to the lifestyle and culture of all the destinations they service.
Polo Travel
If you’re not sure where to go, Polo Travel is an excellent place to start. Polo Travel’s website is organized according to travel style, so you can choose the type of vacation that appeals to you before actually choosing a destination.
Choose from family, tours and adventures, cruises, honeymoon, wedding, group, social impact, luxury or vacation packages. After you’ve made your selection, Polo Travel will give you a list of destinations to choose from that match the kind of travel style you’re after. Subscribe to the newsletter for access to exclusive new deals, which are released every Thursday.
Titan Tours
Travellers have been using Titan Tours to book travel arrangements to the Caribbean for over 40 years, and for good reason. Titan Tours offers travel to popular Caribbean destinations like Jamaica, Aruba and Cuba, as well as some lesser known and hard-to-reach spots like Guadeloupe, St. Barthelemy and Monsterrat.
Top 3 travel agencies for travel to Europe
Good Travel
For travellers who hate planning, Good Travel offers Canadians competitively priced tour packages to Western Europe that are jam-packed with exciting activities to suit every traveller. Whether you want to sip wine in vineyards, stroll through the Louvre or see Madrid by bicycle, let this travel agency do all the planning for you. The tours come with a full itinerary, making Good Travel an excellent choice for solo or newbie travellers.
Toronto Travel West
Serving Toronto residents as well as international travellers, Toronto Travel West has been in the travel game since 1999. Its agents specialize in vacation packages to Southern and Western Europe, as well as some destinations in the Caribbean. It is a full-service travel agency, meaning that if you book a vacation package through Toronto Travel West, its agents will do all the leg work for you. If you would rather make your own itinerary, that’s fine too. Toronto Travel West can handle your flights and accommodations, and leave the rest up to you.
Mr. Travel
With over 40 years of experience, Mr. Travel specializes in travel to Greece, Turkey and the Mediterranean. It has offices in Toronto as well as in every major city in which it operates, so help is always nearby in case something goes wrong on your trip. Unlike the vacation packages available through other travel agencies, which lock you into specific itineraries, Mr. Travel works with you to customize your very own vacation package.
Top 3 travel agencies for adventure seekers
Alexandrou Travel Design
For that extra-special holiday, Alexandrou Travel Design is there to help curate the very best and most exclusive travel experience. Alexandrou caters to travellers who want a taste of the finer things in life, offering tailor-made travel experiences all over the world. Private villas and islands, food and wine experiences, safaris, yachting, private jets, wellness retreats and adventure travel are just some of the ways Alexandrou Travel Design can help you experience an unforgettable holiday.
What’s more, Alexandrou Travel Design proudly helps travellers in the LGBTQ+ community plan safe and welcoming holidays to many exquisite destinations.
Georgia Hardy Tours
Georgia Hardy Tours offers educational travel experiences for the next generation of travellers. For over 30 years, schools, youth groups and other educational institutions have been booking tour packages with Georgia Hardy Tours to destinations across the globe. Tour packages include guides and entry to historical sites and monuments, airfare, transportation, meals and accommodation. The aim here is to educate and empower young people through experiential learning.
Talk of the Town Travel
Founded in 1978, Talk of the Town Travel sells vacation packages and tours to every continent and region on Earth. Its agents handle group holidays, customized vacation packages and ‘niche’ holidays like scuba trips, as well as luxury travel, weddings, cruises and corporate travel.
Frequently asked questions about Toronto travel agencies
A Yellow Pages search of travel agencies in Toronto revealed 1323 results.
All travel agents in Ontario must be registered with the Travel Industry Council of Ontario. Travel arrangements made with agencies that are registered with TICO are protected under the Travel Industry Act. The Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund is there to provide reimbursement to travellers who have filed complaints against travel agents due to a loss of money. If, after filing a formal complaint against a travel agency, you are unable to reach a resolution and more legal action is required, you can either sue in small claims court or file a class action lawsuit against the travel agency, but you will need to hire expert legal counsel to advise you on whether or not you have a case.
First, you need to register your company at either a federal or a provincial level. After that is done, you will need to take a training course and pass a test in order to achieve either one of two licences from the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies. The two types of licences are
Certified Travel Manager (CTM)
Certified Travel Counsellor (CTC)
Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia have different certification criteria and require more specific training and exams as well as additional fees, so if you're opening a travel agency in any of these provinces, you will need to comply with their regulations. For example, a travel agency opening up in Quebec must have a share capital of $50,000 or more.
How many travel agencies are there in Canada? According to the Government of Canada website, there are 7315 establishments registered as travel arrangements and reservation services.
Complaints against travel agencies can be made in writing to the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and submitted to their head office in Mississauga. The travel agency must be registered with ACTA and the complaint must be made within 6 months of the incident. When filing the complaint, be sure to include:
Passenger's name
Contact information
Booking, departure and return dates
Departing city and destination
Name and address of the travel agency
Specific details of the nature of your complaint
Copies of any supporting documents: this includes copies of airline tickets, receipts and any pertinent correspondence between you and the travel agency

About The Author: Emma Martin
Emma Martin writes about the curiosities of finance. Her obsession with cryptocurrency keeps her writing most days about the best exchanges and wallets, and the wild world of NFTs. Her favourite exchanges right now are Bitbuy, NDAX, and VirgoCX.
Emma also invests in the stock market using Wealthsimple Trade. Other than crypto, Emma spends her time with her dog Brutus and shopping online with her Mastercard® KOHO Prepaid Card.
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