NeoPatrick

jonbarb, I'm a little confused by some of your comments regarding transportation. I am doing a 16 day tour Inside Vietnam with OAT. I did my own international airfare (using FF miles and incorporating this tour within my own trip. The Vietnam tour actually starts and ends in Bangkok, but they do transport me to and from Vietnam as part of the land tour. Yes, I'd want to be in Bangkok a day or more before the tour just to be safe, but there are worse things in life than having to spend a planned day in Bangkok. Of course if time is of the essence then I understand not wanting to add anything like that.


Meanwhile, I had a time when I was thinking my tour may not take place. At about $100 a day for the entire tour including several internal flights and the flights to and from Vietnam, including the overnight boat trip on the Mekong, and looking at the same rather nice hotels booked on my own -- I was already getting beyond the total price of the OAT tour. And that didn't include all the transportation within cities, all the meals, the various included excursions, hiring a guide and sometimes a car, etc. In other words, I quickly learned there was NO way I could match their price on my own. But please realize there's a big difference between paying $200 a day for two sharing a room, and paying $100 a day for a private room. One of the best things about OAT was that there is NO single supplement and it suddenly becomes a huge bargain, because you're cutting all your hotel bills totally in half!

jonbarb709

I know OAT, and I am sure the price is reasonable. We have had problems with Grand Circle which is their parent company and would rather not travel with them. I am sure you will have a good time with OAT, reviews say they do a good job.
Concerning transportation - on my own. For us, it definitely is not worth the time and effort for the price you have to pay. I know some tours start in Bangkok and end in Bangkok, but unfortunately the ones we looked at do not fit with our needs. thanks again.
Not really looking to spend any time in Bangkok, have been there as far back as 1976, yes I did say 1976. Most recent trips were in 2002 and then again in 2009, each time for a number of days. Would rather spend our time somewhere else. I am also not using FF miles. Thanks again for your help.

Kathie

If you are looking at a trip that starts in HCMC and ends in Siem Reap, look at RT airfares from your location to HCMC. You would then buy a one-way ticket from Siem Reap to HCMC. While Bangkok usually is the least expensive gateway to SE Asia, this might better meet your needs.

Also, while using orbitz or expedia or kayak to search is a good idea, in my experience, the airlines' own websites have better prices.

jonbarb709

I am finished with looking for flights from Orlando to Bangkok to Vietnam and returning usually from another place. If I can't find a tour that offers transportation as part of the package, at a reasonable price - we will look for another destination. Or move our Bali trip up from March to January. thanks again.

jonbarb709

Just a quick response to sf7307 to your commentss on Sep 4, about finding flights for $1531,90. I guess you didn't read my comments on Sep 1, where we found flights for $1500 and up. The point being is that if you can find a complete package that you are interested in, it usually is much cheaper than going and buying piecemeal. For example, take a look at the SMARTOURS prices, and Neopartrick has found a good deal with OAT. The time, the effort, the scheduling, the connections - I am sorry, for us, its not worth it, on this trip anyway. We do some trips on our own, but this one just got to be too much.

sf7307

jon, I understand that. We always travel independently, but when we went to Egypt two years ago, we used an Egyptian agency to plan the intra-Egypt part of our trip because it just seemed overwhelming to do on our own, and we were six people traveling together. I have just never found that a tour that includes the international travel part is any less expensive than doing the international air on my own, and having someone plan the intra-country part for me (and yes, like NeoPatrick and OAT, we likely did get better prices on some of the pieces of our trip within Egypt -- I would guess we got better hotel prices using an Egyptian agent than we would have gotten on our own).