Travel Itinerary to Vietnam/Laos/Thailand
Aug 27th, 2018, 12:16 PM
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Travel Itinerary to Vietnam/Laos/Thailand
Hi,
My husband and I will be traveling through Vietnam, Laos and Thailand in October for a little over 2 weeks. We used a travel company to make booking flights/transportation easier and we heard good things about having a private guide to give us better insight into each area. Does anyone have experience using a service like this? We are very independent and I am worried it will be too intrusive or "touristy" feeling having someone with us a lot of the time. I have also done a lot of customizing the places we go and things we do so if I could receive any feedback on the attached itinerary, that would be much appreciated, such as if there is anything that can be skipped or should be added..must-sees, etc.
Thank you so much in advance!
My husband and I will be traveling through Vietnam, Laos and Thailand in October for a little over 2 weeks. We used a travel company to make booking flights/transportation easier and we heard good things about having a private guide to give us better insight into each area. Does anyone have experience using a service like this? We are very independent and I am worried it will be too intrusive or "touristy" feeling having someone with us a lot of the time. I have also done a lot of customizing the places we go and things we do so if I could receive any feedback on the attached itinerary, that would be much appreciated, such as if there is anything that can be skipped or should be added..must-sees, etc.
Thank you so much in advance!
Aug 27th, 2018, 09:25 PM
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Hi April. Not having been to Thailand or Laos, I can't comment on the itinerary in those countries. I well know that not everyone (including me) can spend numerous days or weeks in one place . But this tentative plan is farrrrr too rushed. Probably, seeing three countries in two weeks is unrealistic.
re: VN, you have only half-day in Hanoi . If this is your first stop after a long flight, you'll likely be jet-lagged the first couple days. Then straight to Ninh Binh for one night, and then Ha Long. Bay. I don't blame the travel agent for this hectic itinerary-- I'm guessing she is working within the parameters and requests you gave her. Most travel agents in VN are far too polite to come right out and say you are trying to do too much .
October weather can be iffy--the travel agent I used warned me that HL bay cruises are canceled, or done under very cloudy skies. What is the backup plan if that happens? Re Ninh Binh, while I enjoyed the area, I'd skip it given your extremely brief time in VN. Others may advise you to skip the cruise.
Good luck. It probably seems exhausting and discouraging now to contemplate re-thinking this trip, but the time investment you make now to do so, will pay off.
As Din Ho said above, "less i more".
re: VN, you have only half-day in Hanoi . If this is your first stop after a long flight, you'll likely be jet-lagged the first couple days. Then straight to Ninh Binh for one night, and then Ha Long. Bay. I don't blame the travel agent for this hectic itinerary-- I'm guessing she is working within the parameters and requests you gave her. Most travel agents in VN are far too polite to come right out and say you are trying to do too much .
October weather can be iffy--the travel agent I used warned me that HL bay cruises are canceled, or done under very cloudy skies. What is the backup plan if that happens? Re Ninh Binh, while I enjoyed the area, I'd skip it given your extremely brief time in VN. Others may advise you to skip the cruise.
Good luck. It probably seems exhausting and discouraging now to contemplate re-thinking this trip, but the time investment you make now to do so, will pay off.
As Din Ho said above, "less i more".
Aug 27th, 2018, 10:37 PM
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I have spent a lot of time in all of those countries and, if I have learnt anything, it is that travel always takes longer than expected. As a general principal of travel in SE Asia, Din Ho above sums it up perfectly "Less is more".
If you were to work out the number of waking hours you would spend actually moving from place to place, I think you would be horrified as to exactly how much time you would be spending in transit, packing and unpacking Every time you move location you can pretty much write off half a day. As a rule of thumb, two days in any one place only allows one full day of sightseeing, three days - two etc. In the case of your trip to Halong Bay, unless travelling by seaplane you need to allow four hours each way.
Three countries in two weeks is just too much. I would really consider limiting your trip to one country, or at most two if you want to include a beach stay at the end. Which one is entirely down to your personal interests and preferences. If it were me, I would choose Vietnam but then I am a self confessed Vietnam addict. If this is your first time in Asia, You may find travel in Thailand a little easier. You could then easily include time on the beach. Although October is probably not the best time for beaches unless you happen to be travelling at the end of the month. (NB Phi Phi is massively over touristed and would be the last place I would choose!)
As far as weather in te region is concerned, I find this site to be helpful https://www.selectiveasia.com/vietna...eather/october
Just click on the drop down on the right to change the country and along the bottom to change the month.
Happy to suggest "must sees" alternative itineraries etc if you could provide more info on likes and dislike, interests etc.
As far as using a tour operator is concerned, for the price you are being quoted my wife and I would expect to travel in the region for maybe 6 weeks for that. You can do it a lot cheaper with a bit of research. This forum doesn’t see as many visitors as it used to but I am sure some would be happy to chip in an help. The actual logistics are pretty easy really.
We mostly travel independently and only use guides for specialist activities or in out of the way places. When we have worked with guides, some have been good and some have been appalling. You just don’t know what you will get until you are there. Not too bad if it is only for a couple of days, but any longer and it could ruin your holiday. IME I have found female guides to be better and more personable than the men.
If you do decide to stick with a tour operator, don’t be afraid to keep at them until thenprovide EXACTLY what YOU want.
If you were to work out the number of waking hours you would spend actually moving from place to place, I think you would be horrified as to exactly how much time you would be spending in transit, packing and unpacking Every time you move location you can pretty much write off half a day. As a rule of thumb, two days in any one place only allows one full day of sightseeing, three days - two etc. In the case of your trip to Halong Bay, unless travelling by seaplane you need to allow four hours each way.
Three countries in two weeks is just too much. I would really consider limiting your trip to one country, or at most two if you want to include a beach stay at the end. Which one is entirely down to your personal interests and preferences. If it were me, I would choose Vietnam but then I am a self confessed Vietnam addict. If this is your first time in Asia, You may find travel in Thailand a little easier. You could then easily include time on the beach. Although October is probably not the best time for beaches unless you happen to be travelling at the end of the month. (NB Phi Phi is massively over touristed and would be the last place I would choose!)
As far as weather in te region is concerned, I find this site to be helpful https://www.selectiveasia.com/vietna...eather/october
Just click on the drop down on the right to change the country and along the bottom to change the month.
Happy to suggest "must sees" alternative itineraries etc if you could provide more info on likes and dislike, interests etc.
As far as using a tour operator is concerned, for the price you are being quoted my wife and I would expect to travel in the region for maybe 6 weeks for that. You can do it a lot cheaper with a bit of research. This forum doesn’t see as many visitors as it used to but I am sure some would be happy to chip in an help. The actual logistics are pretty easy really.
We mostly travel independently and only use guides for specialist activities or in out of the way places. When we have worked with guides, some have been good and some have been appalling. You just don’t know what you will get until you are there. Not too bad if it is only for a couple of days, but any longer and it could ruin your holiday. IME I have found female guides to be better and more personable than the men.
If you do decide to stick with a tour operator, don’t be afraid to keep at them until thenprovide EXACTLY what YOU want.
Aug 28th, 2018, 02:10 AM
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Agree with Crellston, but I'll be a bit more blunt.
It's an absolutely hopeless itinerary, and will only take one of many potential spanners in the works to make it a nightmare trip.
First thing.....flights in the Region are often rescheduled with little notice, regularly delayed, and even cancelled.
Second.....how will you cope if get a tummy upset. They aren't much fun, and travelling at break neck pace is the last thing you'll feel like.
Third.....if all you want to do is use the itinerary as a tick-off list, then you won't see much, but what you will do is wish that you'd been allowed to linger and loiter, as some of the places on that itinerary are simply wonderful, and can only be appreciated if you allow sufficient time.
Fourth.....I can't be bothered to go on.
I'd bin the Travel Company idea all together. Then come back on this forum and listen to people like Crellston, who not only have a wealth of experience, but are also willing to share it.
It's easy enough to book your incoming and exit flights. Then take your time to fill in all the gaps with research, and taking focused experienced advice. Your money will go further, and you'll have a 100% better travelling experience.
Cheers.....LL
It's an absolutely hopeless itinerary, and will only take one of many potential spanners in the works to make it a nightmare trip.
First thing.....flights in the Region are often rescheduled with little notice, regularly delayed, and even cancelled.
Second.....how will you cope if get a tummy upset. They aren't much fun, and travelling at break neck pace is the last thing you'll feel like.
Third.....if all you want to do is use the itinerary as a tick-off list, then you won't see much, but what you will do is wish that you'd been allowed to linger and loiter, as some of the places on that itinerary are simply wonderful, and can only be appreciated if you allow sufficient time.
Fourth.....I can't be bothered to go on.
I'd bin the Travel Company idea all together. Then come back on this forum and listen to people like Crellston, who not only have a wealth of experience, but are also willing to share it.
It's easy enough to book your incoming and exit flights. Then take your time to fill in all the gaps with research, and taking focused experienced advice. Your money will go further, and you'll have a 100% better travelling experience.
Cheers.....LL
Aug 28th, 2018, 08:30 AM
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Wow, thank you all, this is all very enlightening/helpful. Regarding the travel company, I have realized everything you are saying about cost, etc as I priced out everything she included and on our own, would cost less than half of what is being quoted. I was also already concerned about her breakdown of a driver taking us to all of these site-seeing locations (temples, museums, etc) whereas our style of travel would be to just be somewhere and explore on our own, and almost all of it is very doable on our own obviously.
After all your feedback I am definitely leaning toward going on our own, and just not having much of an itinerary. It sounds like it might be better to remove the places/activities that just take too long to get to and/or are overly touristy, such as Ha Long Bay. Our interests are more in the outdoors/scenery/adventure type aspects (biking, swimming in waterfalls, markets) seeing temples is cool, but not needing to tour every attraction, good/interesting food, and then having a cold drink and conversation in the evening.
We do love tropical beaches, such as in Phuket but the weather, as mentioned, has me worried. I am thinking maybe another trip to see the islands and maybe combine with a Bali trip, etc might be more worth a while when the weather is better, or going to Ao Nang/Krabi or Ko Samui area instead. I am just not sure if those would take too much travel to get to with our limited time.
All we have booked so far is flying into Hanoi and flying home out of Phuket, which could both be changed as I paid a little more to eliminate change fees.
After all your feedback I am definitely leaning toward going on our own, and just not having much of an itinerary. It sounds like it might be better to remove the places/activities that just take too long to get to and/or are overly touristy, such as Ha Long Bay. Our interests are more in the outdoors/scenery/adventure type aspects (biking, swimming in waterfalls, markets) seeing temples is cool, but not needing to tour every attraction, good/interesting food, and then having a cold drink and conversation in the evening.
We do love tropical beaches, such as in Phuket but the weather, as mentioned, has me worried. I am thinking maybe another trip to see the islands and maybe combine with a Bali trip, etc might be more worth a while when the weather is better, or going to Ao Nang/Krabi or Ko Samui area instead. I am just not sure if those would take too much travel to get to with our limited time.
All we have booked so far is flying into Hanoi and flying home out of Phuket, which could both be changed as I paid a little more to eliminate change fees.
Aug 29th, 2018, 05:49 AM
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One of the most serious issues individuals confront while voyaging is the distance of not having a space to call your own. Inn rooms (Airbnb, inns, or wherever else you may stay) have a tendency to have cutout furniture and designs that are truly indifferent or essentially just not your space.
So I prescribe you unload when you arrive and change the room into your own space.
Bring some lightweight designs and courtesies you can put in the room. I generally travel with scarves, sarongs, and a little travel sacrificial stone. When I arrive, they turn out and get set over TVs, retires, and dividers. Along these lines I'm continually taking a gander at things that are commonplace, wonderful, and influence me to feel at home. Whatever you bring, regardless of whether it be precious stones, pictures, or whatever, ensure it's something dear to you that influences you to feel sheltered and agreeable.
Don't simply consider improvements however. Keep in mind that, we have five faculties and they all need to encounter commonality, solace, and unwinding. I travel with my own particular pad for physical solace and I generally reveal my yoga tangle when I arrive. I travel with fundamental oils and incense. These last things are extraordinary for unwinding and reflection.
So I prescribe you unload when you arrive and change the room into your own space.
Bring some lightweight designs and courtesies you can put in the room. I generally travel with scarves, sarongs, and a little travel sacrificial stone. When I arrive, they turn out and get set over TVs, retires, and dividers. Along these lines I'm continually taking a gander at things that are commonplace, wonderful, and influence me to feel at home. Whatever you bring, regardless of whether it be precious stones, pictures, or whatever, ensure it's something dear to you that influences you to feel sheltered and agreeable.
Don't simply consider improvements however. Keep in mind that, we have five faculties and they all need to encounter commonality, solace, and unwinding. I travel with my own particular pad for physical solace and I generally reveal my yoga tangle when I arrive. I travel with fundamental oils and incense. These last things are extraordinary for unwinding and reflection.
Sep 1st, 2018, 01:33 AM
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Given your interests AprilM , beaches and the outdoors and the time you have available, I would consider splitting your time between Hanoi and north Vietnam and the beach.
As far as the beach is concerned, you may strike it lucky with Phuket as you would be there are the end of Oct when the seasons are changing. You will certainly see rain but will probably get some blue skies to. I don’t think it would make much difference what side of the peninsula you chose but with the time you have, I would choose somewhere easily accessible from the airport to cut down on travelling time. Bali might be a good option for beach time but would take a while to get there and back unless you could change your departing airport.
You could easily spend 5 days exploring Hanoi but for other places nearby in the countryside, I would consider Ninh Binh and or the Mai Chau Valley. We spent 5 or six days on a trekking/car trip between the two via the Black River Valley and a couple of National Parks. Detail and photos of tha5 trek and Ninh Binh can be found on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/ the entries are towards the end of that page.
We used Ethnic Travel to sources the guide and transport but others like Custom Vietnam Travel and Tonkin will likely offer similar trips. It is one of those areas where a guide really does add value. Staying in Homestays in minority villages we were grateful for someone who spoke the language (s).
You could combine those two with a flight to a beach in Phuket from Hanoi. Alternatively, if you could alter your flights and did want to forego your time on the beach, you could fly to Saigon and maybe add in a coupe of days in the Mekong Delta. Just a couple of ideas
As far as the beach is concerned, you may strike it lucky with Phuket as you would be there are the end of Oct when the seasons are changing. You will certainly see rain but will probably get some blue skies to. I don’t think it would make much difference what side of the peninsula you chose but with the time you have, I would choose somewhere easily accessible from the airport to cut down on travelling time. Bali might be a good option for beach time but would take a while to get there and back unless you could change your departing airport.
You could easily spend 5 days exploring Hanoi but for other places nearby in the countryside, I would consider Ninh Binh and or the Mai Chau Valley. We spent 5 or six days on a trekking/car trip between the two via the Black River Valley and a couple of National Parks. Detail and photos of tha5 trek and Ninh Binh can be found on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/ the entries are towards the end of that page.
We used Ethnic Travel to sources the guide and transport but others like Custom Vietnam Travel and Tonkin will likely offer similar trips. It is one of those areas where a guide really does add value. Staying in Homestays in minority villages we were grateful for someone who spoke the language (s).
You could combine those two with a flight to a beach in Phuket from Hanoi. Alternatively, if you could alter your flights and did want to forego your time on the beach, you could fly to Saigon and maybe add in a coupe of days in the Mekong Delta. Just a couple of ideas
Sep 3rd, 2018, 05:11 AM
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We had a wonderful trip to Vietnam in 2015 for the two of us and used a fabulous travel agent in Vietnam, Quynh Anh who now is a owner at Alotravelasia.com. She communicated with me throughout the process and is very knowledgeable and detailed. She arranged drivers, guides, hotels, internal flights and the 18 day trip was truly seamless. She listened to what I wanted and came up with an incredible itinerary with fabulous reasonably priced hotels in great locations.Two friends have used her since and have also been satisfied and impressed with her detail. I thought it was quite reasonable in cost. Her company also plans trips to Phuket, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos etc so you can see what she suggests or do that on your own. You can also enquire about beach areas in Vietnam. The country is very north south with a great range of climates. We travel a lot and usually plan things ourselves but no time was wasted. Her email is [email protected]. Tell her Jayne from Canada recommended you contact her.
Sep 4th, 2018, 08:18 PM
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While I've used travel agents for Vietnam and Cambodia, we most recently went to Thailand (Bangkok and Chiang Mai) and Laos and we booked everything ourselves. We were fortunately enough to have a family friend show us around while in Bangkok but I still think a lot of it could be done on your own. We booked all of our own travel and accommodations and read about points of interest and found that it was relatively easy to get around.
We went a few years ago but I wrote a trip report with our itinerary, photos, and costs:
http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2015/...hiang-mai.html
It might help you build your own itinerary.
We went a few years ago but I wrote a trip report with our itinerary, photos, and costs:
http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2015/...hiang-mai.html
It might help you build your own itinerary.
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