glsebs

Femi,

I did a search and found that you took a trip last year with ATJ. We are going on a customized journey to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand with them in February.

I was wondering if you have any comments positive or negative that would help me with my planning. Anything you would have done differently? Did ATJ meet all of your expectations?

I took a leap of faith with this company because, like you, they seemed to be easy to work with and very knowledgeable. I do not know anyone who has traveled with them so I hope you don't mind giving me your opinions and advice.

Thanks.

Femi

Well this is the first time I've found Fodor's 'New Topics' section to be useful, as I missed your post the last couple of times I was here.

I was quite happy with ATJ. I really believe you need to know yourself and what you enjoy to get the most out of a trip, and ATJ was able to go one step further and find activities that I enjoyed immensely but was not able to discover when searching on my own. For instance my visit to Can Cau market in Sapa, Vietnam was one of the highlights of my trip. But when planning the trip I was really focused on the more popular Bac Ha market. Turns out Can Cau was much more to my liking and if ATJ hadn't recommended it I would never have gone.

I am also very picky about hotels. And it so happened that the one hotel they suggested which I gave in to, was the hotel I disliked the most (near the Bac Ha market). In hindsight I should have pursued the issue a little more.

You do pay a premium for their services, but I think it was worth it for the level of service we received. And I would rank ATJ the highest in comparison to other companies I've used for my trips to Asia.

Good luck with your trip and let us know how it goes.

Femi

And I forgot to add, they refunded our money without any hassle on two occassions. The first I would never have known about; there was a change in the itinerary for which they said I was due a refund (fine with me!) and the second was for a change in plans that occured after we were on the road. They told us before we left there was a good chance the trip might not happen (helicopter flight to Halong Bay) they made alternate plans just in case, which is what we ended up doing. When I got back home, I told them what happened and they immediately sent the refund.

glsebs

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer me. That is exactly what I wanted to know.

It is reassuring, of course after the fact, that I chose a good tour agency for my trip. That is amazing they returned your money unsolicited.

I have been please with my interactions so far. The travel agent I am dealing with is very easy going and really knows his stuff.

We are looking forward to our trip in Februay....seems far off, but then again the older I get, the faster time seems to go.

Thanks again.
ebs

Femi

Don't forget, we want to hear all about it when you get back!