Polas

Looking for suggestions for tour companies for Angkor Wat and other interesting places to go, possibly Vietnam or Myanmar (I was in Myanmar about 40 years ago). We live in Los Angeles. Help, please.

silverwool

You don't need a tour company for Angkor. Your hotel/guesthouse can arrange a driver and guide for you. It will work out a lot cheaper than doing everything through a tour company. Have a look at hotels etc on Agoda. Angkor is only about 20 minutes from Siem Reap so there is no advantage in trying to find accommodation closer to Angkor. It probably takes about three days to see the main temples, depending a bit on your level of interest.

My suggestion would be to get somewhere within walking distance of Pub street so you can wander around at night.

Other places in Cambodia I'd suggest are Phnom Penh, Battangbang and Kompong Cham.

Myanmar is changing rapidly so if you are considering returning do it sooner rather than later. On the other hand, Vietnam is a great destination.

How long are planning to actually be in Asia?

CaliNurse

Where are you traveling from? Smarttours now has a trip to Vietnam and Angkor Wat including hotels, most meals, in-country plane fares, and even airfare from Los Angeles round trip, starting at $2,500 (assuming double occupancy-- single room supplement is $430).
It visits "SAIGON, HUE, DANANG, HOI AN, HALONG BAY, HANOI & ANGKOR WAT." I havent traveled with this company (never been on an overseas group tour) or to these places, but the price sounds pretty darned good. I'm sure the experienced VN folks here can tell you if it's good value. All the hotels they use get good ratings on sites including tripadvisor.

wanderlusting

Have you heard of faralong.com? They offer tours to Asia, including Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. I've never traveled with them but I'm thinking about using them for an African safari soon, as soon as I gather enough friends to get the tour really cheap.

A great thing about them is that the more people that join a tour, the cheaper it gets per person (you can also book private tours for the same price as regular group tours). Almost everything's included in the tour (most meals, transportation, local guide, entrance fees etc) except for your flight to the destination and back home.

Might be worth checking out.

thursdaysd

Are you sure you need a tour? The first time I went to Cambodia it was with an Intrepid tour group, but I have since traveled there, and in the other southeast Asia countries, independently with no difficulty. For Myanmar you would probably need to use an in-country travel agency, as its tourist infrastructure is currently overwhelmed but it is unnecessary elsewhere.

There are a number of TRs here from people who have traveled in SEA on their own, take a look at those before deciding on a tour. If I were going to use a tour it would not be either of those mentioned so far. I would want a smaller group than the former and a more established company than the latter.

Kathie

I recommend that you not use a tour. These are easy countries to travel in independently. You can also use a local agency to book a trip - as much or as little as you want. The agency can just book hotels and transport or can book everything including transfers and guides. A local agency will set up exactly what you want and at a price lower than tour companies. Tour companies typically move too fast - so you visit lots of places - almost a drive by - but see/do/experience very little of a place. A private tour allows you to move at your own pace.

Happy planning!

CaliforniaLady

I agree with thursday and Kathie, who always seem to be right. You would want an agency in Burma to make your arrangements since it is almost impossible to do on your own, and then you can do Cambodia and Vietnam on your own. The dollar goes very far in Cambodia and Vietnam, so you can have private drivers, or guides, or whatever you need for a very good price.

For Burma, we used Sammy from Shalom Travel. We told him our itinerary, and he got our hotels and flights. My son arranged drivers and guides, but Sammy could do that as well if you want. Oh, by the way, you should go to Burma first since you need to bring fresh, unfolded US dollars. ATM's are appearing very slowly.

For Southeast Asia, I like using the Rough Guide and the website Travelfish for my hotels. I found that hotels in Cambodia and Vietnam always wrote back to me within 24 hours--so it is super easy to book your own hotels, and the website for Vietnam Airlines is easy to use as well. See, we got you all covered on your own! Just post a proposed itinerary here, along with your interests, and everyone will chime in.

ladyrep

I think the decision boils down to whether or not you want to do all of the work, and make sure you get to airports on time etc. We never used a tour before but in 2013 we used Friendly Planet for Vietnam and Cambodia. I was very skeptical based on the price, but a friend had taken the trip the year before.

We were so happy. The hotels were wonderful, business hotels, not charming boutique but perfect each with a wonderful spa that we took advantage of for massages almost every night.

We had one tour guide for Cambodia and one guide that was with us the entire time in Vietnam. The people on the tour were the best part. All ages and all income brackets, and we blended beautifully.

When my husband left a large lacquer plaque we had bought at one of the stops, he guide managed to contact the hotel and arranged to have it federal expressed to us at our next destination. We never would have been able to do this on our own.

There were a few times we broke away from the group and did what we wanted where we were.

thursdaysd

"When my husband left a large lacquer plaque we had bought at one of the stops, he guide managed to contact the hotel and arranged to have it federal expressed to us at our next destination. We never would have been able to do this on our own."

Why not? Didn't the hotel staff speak English? Couldn't you have had the hotel you were in call the previous one?

CaliNurse

There is an eternal "to do a group tour or not to do a group tour?" discussion on this board . I don't know why, but sometimes there is between he lines, or blatant,"edge" to the replies from the "NO TOURS!" contingent

Believe it or not, some people do NOT want to take care of the details of planning--for whatever reason. And believe it or not, tours planned by great agents/planners i (at least in India--I've not experienced tours in other parts of Asia) can be less expensive and more "seamless" with a great company working on your behalf. They just have access to better deals, or something.

I did a trip recently to HK , parts of India, and SG and booked it/planned it all myself. I had the luxury of time to do a lot of research and bookings. I don't know if it saved me money or not. I loved the freedom of doing it at my own pace and in my own way. But there were a few times I wished I had the support of usual India coordinator to "run interference." And in other places (thinking of Africa now) when i almost got screwed over, sure , i coulda argued and advocated for myself, but it sure was nice to just pick up a phone and call the travel agent and let them, with a few choice words, solve the problem when i was too tired or frustrated to do so.

I'm sure there will be assorted replies to this, which is fine. I love seeking and receiving advice on Fodors. That's why we are all here. But my ultimate point is...we all have our different styles of traveling. I honestly don't think one person's way is more "valid" than another's. Let's all try to respect that.

thursdaysd

Travel in India and travel in SEA are night and day.

I am not totally opposed to tours - as I posted above, my first trip to Cambodia was with a tour group. However, when it is possible that a poster thinks that their destination is more challenging than it actually is, it is certainly worth suggesting independent travel.

Kathie

CaliNurse, i would point out that there is a difference between a "canned" group tour and a private tour arranged by a local agency. When we return to India, no question, we will use a local India agency. That way, one has the freedom to plan what one wants, to linger in some places and skip others, and still have on-the-ground support.

But I maintain that the group tours - even the high-end ones are different in that you have little freedom to spend more time in a place you love. And they all seem to have "forced" shopping stops. Some people are fine with this - I'm not.

I agree with you that we each have different travel styles and it is important to respect that here. But as thursdays says, often people come here with the belief that they have to do some kind of group tour in Asia, as they don't speak the language. I think we can offer info and reassurance to those people so they can make an informed decision about how to visit these marvelous places.

CaliNurse

Offering reassurance is great. I'm a prime example of someone who takes the advice here to heart--currently planning a trip, and going, to VN myself, with some assist from a Hanoi based agent. Incidentally, I 've gone on only one "group" tour, with Elderhostel in the USA. Never again (but that is another story)!
Note that some here advise planning/booking India entirely without help. So there are all levels of assistance,anywhere, from one on one to large group, to totally independent.
Read the second sentence of my reply, above. Sometimes, it's not what is said, but HOW it is said. Even more important to be aware of on a written forum, when we see just words, but can easily read a certain tone into them. it is that tone, perceived correctly or not, that can be counterproductive.