Indochina Discovery Tour - To take or not to take?
Indochina Discovery Tour - To take or not to take?
Hi guys
Need some advice…..
So me and my partner have put down a deposit on the indochina discovery tour which takes us through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos on 22nd January 2013. It takes 30 days and then we fly onto Japan to continue our adventures.
The problem we both have is we are spending £1500 each on the tour plus we have to pay for food and for most of the things on our itinerary. Plus we dont get to see any of the southern islands and we both want to learn to scuba dive on Koh Tao.
But if we cancelled it we wouldnt get to see the other 3 countries. Neither of us have travelled before and we are not sure either of us are confident enough to navigate our way round in such a short space of time.
What im getting at is shall we just stick with the tour and carry on as normal or shall we cancel it, save ourselves a ton of money for other countries and just stay in Thailand and maybe come back and do the other countries?
Is it easy enough to get around Thailand and down to Koh Tao?
Any suggestions or advice definitely welcome!
“But if we cancelled it we wouldnt get to see the other 3 countries. ” Why not?
We only have a month there as I decided to cut it short in favour of going to Japan for 3 weeks. But now we are stuck on whether to see one country more thoroughly or have a week in each of the 4 countries
But if your tour takes 30 days, why can’t you take 30 days? When I’m planning a trip I use trip itineraries like you’ve described to inspire my route so I can do it myself cheaply.
Although I see what you’re saying about whether to explore one or two more thoroughly or whizz through them all.
Put it this way, if you cancel your tour you can turn up and decide what you do when you get there. If you aim to do a 30-day trip that is similar to the Indochina tour itinerary and then decide you’d rather stay in Vietnam for example, then you can do that! It gives you much more flexibility.
But remember that you’ll lose your deposit if you cancel your tour.
Lexi
Thanks for your advice its always a lot more help when you get someone elses opinion.
The only other small problem will be that if we turn up and dont have a vietnam visa we cannot get one at the border can we like Cambodia and Laos. I guess we could get one anyway even if we dont use it.
As for the deposit we wont lose it as such as we can use it for a different tour from their company at a later date if we decide to.
:-)
Cant you apply for your vietnam visa at the embassy in either Thailand, Cambodia or Laos - depending on which way round you are travelling?
It only takes a day to process a Vietnamese visa in Cambodia :)
I didnt know we could… :-/
Is the process the same as if we applied in the uk?
You can apply for a Vietnamese visa in the UK and pick it up on arrival in Vietnam, but that only works if you’re flying into the country.
Alternatively, as Natalee says, you can pick up a visa in Cambodia in a day. Here, this’ll help - http://www.gapyear.com/articles/148878/visa-information-for-australia-and-asia/1509
If I know our travel community, the majority of people are going to say cancel your trip and save your money.
We’re all independent travellers here which means we go it alone. However, I know the comfort and security a tour can give you, especially for a first-time traveller.
You’ve just got to weigh up the pros and cons - at the end of the day, moneys only money, and no ones said it yet, but it doesn’t matter whether you go with the tour company or on your own, you’re going to have the time of your life!
Nice one Macca!
Is it easy to navigate in those countries as I have the worst directional sense of anyone I have ever met. I think that is why the peace of mind of being on a tour is so appealing. But then if we like a place and want to stay we cant. Its frustrating.
Are there tours we can purchase when we are over there if we fancy taking one?
Are there tours we can purchase when we are over there if we fancy taking one?
Definitely! There are travel agents and tour operators galore! Do some research before committing to a trip (other backpackers, hostel staff, internet) so you can get an idea of the going price before booking (so you don’t get ripped off!) and shop around!
Thanks lexi. I thought there would be but hearing someone confirm it makes me slightly more confident in going into the unknown slightly more prepared.
:-)
