TravelSam

The following is a short guide to assist with booking a holiday in Vietnam. This covers the common questions that people tend to have when they start planning a trip to Vietnam. FLIGHTS Most international flights arrive and depart daily from Ho Chi Minh City (still referred to as Saigon locally) and Hanoi. There is also an international airport on the central coast at Danang with about 2 international flights a week. There are no direct flights to Vietnam from the UK; the two quickest options are usually Cathay Pacific from London via Hong Kong or Singapore Airlines from Manchester or London, via Singapore. There are also several direct flights from the UK to Bangkok and numerous onward connections from there to Vietnam. There are also options from regional airports in the UK. All airlines will ... read more

1: It’s basically a type of Indian curry. A myth propagated by Indian restaurants abroad with their Ceylon curries - generally meaning one made with coconut milk. Sri Lankan Rice and Curry is a completely distinct meal from any one would have on the Indian subcontinent: it’s a way of preparing food, serving it and eating! 2: Lazy hotel restaurants serve it cold. Sri Lankan’s traditionally eat with their hands - ergo Rice and Curry is served luke-warm at the most. 3: The hotel/lodge/guesthouse/friend’s house that I ate it first serves the best curry in Sri Lanka. They almost certainly don’t. We all get nostalgic over our first times’... However, my friend Piyus’ wife definitely has a good claim... 4. A foreigner eating with their hands is just a bit of a ’try hard’. Rice and ... read more

Sri Lanka is one of the most child friendly places to travel in the world. Children are always welcome and indulged and it will help you break the ice and get far more involved with the country than otherwise. It’s a real joy. The children will enjoy it too - the sites, smells, fun and elephants make Sri Lanka a winning combination for all. However, there are some important tips that can make your trip considerably more enjoyable, whether it is small children or surly teenagers that you have in tow. 1: Think very carefully about your itinerary. Sri Lanka is a small country relatively speaking (think Ireland), but the infrastructure is poor, the roads are crowded and there are mountains in the middle of the country. It can take a VERY long time to get ... read more