travel companies
A sample of companies I have used and would use again. Please note that I have not received anything from these companies to have them listed here. They are purely my personal opinions only.
Booked a 3 week trip to Vietnam in May 2013. This company (then known as Private Asia Tours) exceeded all expectations.
Did not book a pre-made package. We did some research about where we wanted to go and in what time-frame. We then made a spreadsheet showing dates and where we wanted to be and see and do. We selected a number of companies off the web that had good references and sent them the spreadsheet and asked them to quote for a private tour. Private Asia Tours impressed with their speed in replying, the information they provided and their price. We requested one change of their suggested hotel and that was all done without a problem. We signed up immediately.
In each city, we had a private tour guide and driver who were very knowledgeable and discreet with good English skills. They accommodated every request we had without fuss. In one city, our ongoing flight had a change of time and the guide knew before us and adjusted our schedule accordingly.
Would highly recommend this company.
Booked this tour ourselves as part of a couple of lay days we had in our itinerary in the Vietnam 3 week tour in 2013. What a great surprise it turned out to be.
We booked a one day tour to the DMZ and back on the back of some motorbikes. Mr Ty and Uncle Bill (centre, red t-shirt) were a delight. Uncle Bill had worked as an interpreter for the US during the Vietnam War so as you can imagine, had a lot of tales to tell. His in depth knowledge of the comings and goings during that war and its aftermath were a huge insight into the understanding of what happened there.
They carry plenty of ice, cold water and cold towels to keep you refreshed at every stop. Aimed at the Australian tourist mainly, they are more than competent to handle tourists from any other country as well
Have booked a couple of short getaways to Fiji (2015 – 7 nights plus flights AUD $959 pp) and Thailand (2016 – 10 nights with flights AUD $1099 pp) and have not had an issue of any kind. All connections, transfers and accommodation occurred as per itinerary.
Tip: Always check flights, accommodation and transfers separately to satisfy yourself that the deal is cheaper than booking yourself. Don’t get caught up with apparent good price being displayed. I checked each time and the savings they quoted seemed to me to be genuine.
Similar experience to Groupon. Booked a 6 nights plus flights, transfers and tours to China (Beijing) in May 2014 for AUD $999 pp. All connections, transfers and accommodation occurred as per itinerary. Small group of 15 and 6 of them left after 4 days to go on to Shanghai. Excellent tour guide.
