Most Inspirational Moment
Hoi An Pass
Thoughts on Group Leader
Chi was good
Advice for Potential Travellers
Book your own flights
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Ground staff great, UK support poor
We booked 2 trips to run together. Booking them intially was difficult as the agent couldn’t grasp what we were trying to do and kept quoting the wrong direction and got confused over airports. As a result we ended up flying from London as it was easiest for him to understand. Questions were left unanswered and at no time was it acknowldged that we were doing the 2 trips as one. The final hotel of the last trip was supposed to be the same as the first of this but in fact we had to move to a different hotel. Overall an good trip was let down by the UK support team.
Ground staff great, UK support poor
We booked 2 trips to run together. Booking them intialyy was difficult as the agent couldn’t grasp what we were trying to do and kept quoting the wrong direction and got confused over airports. As a result we ended up flying from London as it was easiest for him to understand. Questions were left unansweredand at no time was it acknowldged that we were doing the 2 trips as one. The final hotel of this trip was supposed to be the same as the first of the next but infact we had to move to a different hotel. Overall an excellent trip was let down by the UK support team.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing Angkor Wat
Thoughts on Group Leader
Absolutely brilliant. Rit could not be faulted. He was caring, funny and knowledgeable.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Book your own flights
Fantastic trip
Fascinating trip using many forms of transport (overnight train is fun!). Diverse places and friendly people.
Most Inspirational Moment
Ha long bay. Train St in Hanoi. Hoi An is so pretty. Biggest achievement- surviving crossing the road!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Called Lucky for ease - just a lovely guy who gave enough info without it being overwhelming.Always ready to impart more though. Caring and available.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Prepare to sweat. It’s humid. Very cheap when you get there.
Suggestions
Just do it
Fabulous Holiday!
This was such a brilliant holiday – amazing scenery, fabulous food, fun activities, culture and history. We shared it with 5 other families, who all got on fabulously (adults and children) – there was always someone to chat to and share the experiences with. Having a tour guide really helps you get the most from the holiday – especially reserving tables for us all at some of the best eateries – and also takes the stress out of any aspect of the holiday.
We saw so much of this beautiful country in such a short space of time, but still had time to relax and chill out!
Most Inspirational Moment
What an amazing country - we loved all the places we visited and really enjoyed all the activities! Hoi An was probably our favourite - cycling past rice fields with a water buffalo lazing about is an iconic image of Vietnam (and the town is spectacular at night).
Thoughts on Group Leader
Huyen is a wonderful ambassador for Vietnam - her knowledge, passion and enthusiasm for her country were infectious. We learnt so much about her country and culture, and would never have known a quarter this if we had attempted this trip independently. She was incredible with the children and her organisational skills were faultless. She is also not bad at karaoke!
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you are worried about the 'homestay' don't - it is relatively basic, but the rooms are individual (per family) and even had en-suite bathrooms (albeit Mekong-style). The food is also amazing! Although no air-con, many of the families wish they could have stayed longer (though we thought that about all the places we visited). Most people had a sleeping bag liner for the overnight train - and probably worth taking some toilet roll (just in case).
Suggestions
It is a fast-paced trip designed for 13-16 year olds; however, we had some younger children in our group (9 and 11) and they coped extremely well.
Springtime in Andalucia
A top notch guided hiking trip to amazing Andalucia staying in a comfortable “cortejo” with excellent food
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent, one of the best ever
Advice for Potential Travellers
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Excellent
Our guide Nhung worked tirelessly to make sure we caught the right planes, trains and automobiles. We travelled from North to South and saw a marvellous variety of locations and highlights of Vietnamese history. The trip was well organised to alternate active days with quiet days. I would recommend this tour highly.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cu Chi tunnels, the citadel at Hue and Mekong Delta homestay
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nhung was exceptional and kept us well informed and on schedule. She made sure everyone was comfortable with the itinerary we were following.
What an Adventure!
This trip is classed as “leisurely” and, yes, that’s an accurate description in terms of the level of “activity”. However, this is a very “busy” trip with some early mornings – but all VERY worthwhile. There is “free time” but there’s plenty to do and see in the relevant location. The hotels were all in central locations, enabling us to make the most of free time. The itinerary was diverse – from countryside (our overnight homestay) to 21st century Saigon – and the “noise” of the towns/cities from the ever-present scooters is something to experience! The food was delicious and it was great fun to be “hands-on” with our meal at our homestay. At no time did we feel unsafe; rather, it was a real pleasure to be able to strike up unexpected conversations on a number of occasions during the trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
For me there was no single stand-out moment. Such was the variety of this adventure that comparison is meaningless.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Trung is an exceptional group leader and consummate professional. From start to finish, Trung went over and above to ensure that all of us went home not only with memories of an amazing country of such diverse beauty, but also a sound insight into its history and its people - all achieved with superb organisational skills, but above all with a clear love of his country which he conveyed with passion, enthusiasm, thoughtfulness and wit. He is truly an asset to Exodus! AND Trung also has a superb voice - if he should ever consider an alternative vocation, then he should be on the stage!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Just go! You will not be disappointed!
Suggestions
Along with one other couple we followed this adventure with the Angkor Wat extension. In stark contrast to our Vietnam Adventure, we did not feel that this shorter trip represented "value for money". The timings of flights, both to Siem Reap, then to Phnom Penh, and then from Phnom Penh onwards on our home flight, meant that there was an awful lot of wasted time. We should have had a "sunset" at Angkor Wat on Day 1 - but the timing of the flight meant that all was closed by the time we arrived; we left Siem Reap at 12 noon and spent the rest of the day travelling to Phnom Penh; and then found ourselves "killing time" waiting for our transfer on our homeward journey. (We had covered the highlights of PP with our guide and there was little more we could achieve in the time available.) Our guide, Anna, at Angkor Wat was First Class and her English was very good. She was clearly very knowledgeable and was able to pack a lot into the time she spent with us. However, our guide, Sa, in Phnom Penh was only just up to the task at hand. His English was pretty poor and there was a lot of "repetition". He was clearly doing his best, but it wasn't really good enough. Unfortunately, too, on our arrival at Phnom Penh, his "contact board" indicated names which were not ours. On establishing that he was in fact waiting for us - which we confirmed via our paperwork as he didn't have any - he indicated that he had asked his "boss" for confirmation, and had been told that names weren't important and it would all be alright. Whilst we felt visiting Phnom Penh provided an opportunity to experience the Killing Field and Phnom Penh itself, we would have preferred to have spent more time in Angkor Wat itself.
A Trip of a Lifetime
More spectacular than I imagined
Most Inspirational Moment
Getting to stay in the village of Tighza
Thoughts on Group Leader
Khaled was extremely knowledgeable, patient and kind. He was an excellent leader
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you are travelling mid season, pack layers. It was colder than we expected.
Suggestions
This trip was more spectacular than I imagined. I can't wait to go back to Morocco!
Comprehensive trip, well organised, great guide
The trip was well-paced, with a good variety of activities, transport and visits. It was great to have a larger coach, so we all had a window seat for long journeys. The hotel in Samarkand was nice, but a bit far from the main attractions when we had free time.
Most Inspirational Moment
The long drive from Bukhara to Samarkand, stopping for drinks and toilet breaks in places where people have been doing exactly the same thing for thousands of years!
Thoughts on Group Leader
The group leader, Dilshod, was excellent. Incredibly knowledgeable and experienced, he balanced the needs of a diverse group very well.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't listen to anyone who tells you that Uzbekistan is unsafe or inaccessible. The recent tourism initiative has got rid of pretty much all red-tape, and there is virtually no street crime etc. Much less stressful than travelling in Egypt or the US! The vegetarian food is also much better than everyone leads you to believe.
Suggestions
There were several problems with the admin before leaving - I'd requested an extended return flight many months before departure, but incorrect docuemts were sent through repeatedly. I'd already paid for this and was provided with the updated invoice, but the onus was on me to find the emails where this had been requested and agreed. Luckily I requested to be booked into the end hotel for additional nights, as otherwise the error would not have come to light and I would have been stranded at the other end! I requested additional nights at the end hotel, but was booked into their sister place. Luckily the leader was able to resolve this for me but, if I had known I might need to move hotel, I would have booked myself into a cheaper/more conveniently located place. It seems that everything is fine if you book the standard arrangement, but I'd now hesitate to arrange even the simplest extensions through Exodus again. I spent more time checking documents and pushing for what I'd requested than I would have spent making the arrangements myself, and feel like I paid a premium for this.
Greatly exceeded expectations, primarily because of excellent team.
This is my 11th bicycle holiday in the last 6 years. This trip was far and away the best I have ever been on. The primary reason was the excellent management/delivery of the trip by the 4 trip leaders.
Most Inspirational Moment
The positive energy driven by the team leadership....day in and day out.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jackie Garcia
Advice for Potential Travellers
This trip is very busy and very rewarding. I was pleasantly surprised that even though there were not long bicycle days, each day was packed with visiting parks and beaches that were made interesting by the knowledge the team leadership shared at each stop.
Suggestions
Drop the Puerto Viejo segment of the trip. Long transport to and from took away from the overall joy of the trip. Suggest you add an extra day in the Mt Arenal area with an extra ride on one of the nearby nice roads. Plus La Fortuna is a great little town.