Thought I should do a brief review of my tour specifically and, from that experience, my opinions of travelling in a tour generally.
G-Adventures, Basic tour-18-30‘s
My overall conclusion is good, which I arrived out due to the better-than-expected accommodation, good transport, well-structured itinerary, a lovely tour guide and great travelling buddies.
The last factor is out of the companies control, so let’s talk about the things they can do something about. I was impressed with all the accommodation. Considering this was a budget tour, we had no complaints and most of the hotels were really nice, with a pool, air-con, free water, a good shower, safety deposit box, tv and comfy beds. There was only one hotel I didn’t love, which was in Hanoi, and that was purely because the room was small. Generally, we were all pleasantly surprised. I will note that standard is affected by the counties you visit and therefore out of the companies control in that sense, which brings me on to the next topic of transport.
In Thailand, the overnight train was great. So clean and comfy and we’ll set out. The Vietnamese overnight trains were nasty and although they were part of the experience, I wouldn’t use them again. The majority of buses were air conditioned and fine, with the odd time in Vietnam where it conked out for a bit, particularly on the long drives, but again, it wasn’t the end of the world. The boat on the Mekong River was of an extremely high standard, while still seeming authentic, and I would probably use that conclusion for most of the transport. As for Tuk Tuks and Thailand’s jeeps, they’re crazy but fun. A must-do.
The itinerary was great, bar a couple of suggestions. I didn’t do the Cambodia leg, so can’t comment there, but I know my friends found the border crossing into Vietnam horrendous, as they had to be outside for three hours in the midday sun. People were fainting and vomiting and even Yoo said it was his low point (well, his true low point was the Laos home stay, my favourite bit, because there was a guy snoring all night). I also think the Cambodia home stay was a nightmare.
As for my trip, I think we stayed a little too long in Hanoi and didn’t have enough time in Chiang Mai. You also have a couple of days in Bangkok at the end, which none of us used, meaning the tour is technically shorter on days than advertised, but this does mean it’s flexible, which is the whole point of the basic.
The positives are you see three (or four) countries for very little money in a short space of time. If I was travelling independently, I would have needed much longer for organisation, transport and mistakes. Although you get to move or stay when you want to, I’m sure I also wouldn’t have done the same activities.
I did wonder though if the standard tour would have been better, as it was only a few hundred more and you got all the optional activities included, which would have easily exceeded a few hundred in cost. Seen as we did all of the optional activities, I will definitely look into one next time.
Littlepop: Romantic Explorer 