my question is do we book Sapa, Halong Bay and Mekong Delta tours from Australia or do we wait until we arrtive.
Hi We are a group of 6 traveling to Vietnam my question is do we book Sapa, Halong Bay and Mekong Delta tours from Australia or do we wait until we arrtive. I have good quotes ..... well I think they are, so should I lock them in. All comments welcome.
Reply to this I'd wait until you arrive, it's very likely to be cheaper and you can actually see the places.
Sometimes what they advertise on the net is not actually what you get, particularly with Halong Bay tours.
That is, unless you are on a very tight schedule, when advance booking may mean you get to travel exactly when you want to.
Reply to this I have found that booking on the ground is ALWAYS much cheaper than booking in advance. You also get to see what you are getting yourself into, ask for photos of the boat or bus you will be traveling in, etc. None of these places run out of space, there is always room for more and your bargaining power will increase as you near the day of departure. Most importantly you get the ability to compare packages, prices and service - in most cases there are several agencies booking similar tours all in the same area so you can check out four or five in an afternoon and find the best one. I agree with Rat though that if you are trying to do all these tours within a tiny timeframe then you may feel more comfortable booking beforehand, but be prepared to find out some of your fellow tourists paid less than half what you did.
Reply to this Sharan Id book in Advance online - yes, most of those who booked in the country will get it cheaper, yes, sometimes things arent as they seem on the net but theres more than enough info on the net to get a reasonable comparison. If you have time in Vietnam to go out and check out the boat great, if your not able to sacrifice a day to compare tour operators (and theres heapsss of them) save yourself a potential hassle by booking online. You're pretty sure to find people blogging about good or bad experiences if you google the tour operator who offers what you want within your budget. You dont always get what you want on the ground either, a lot of tour operators have an office in a city with pictures on the walls that dont always accurately represent the boat or bus you're going to get...the flash looking one on the wall may be having engine troubles that day 😉
Happy Travels whatever you decide to do.
Reply to this Either way, to get the lowdown on Halong Bay, check out the
Travelfish guide to Halong Bay It takes you through some of the pitfalls and things to watch out for.
Basically, there are some companies that have their own boats. For those, what you see on the adverts is what you get. However, many travel agents just sell a place on a tour. When you get to Halong City, they just book you on a boat that has spare places. So it's not going to be the boat you saw in the office or on the website. You may, or may not, get what you expect to get.
If you are relatively young and want a party type Halong Bay tour, I've heard nothing but good things about the one from Hanoi Backpackers. They have their own boat and sell tours on that boat.
Reply to this I booked in advance through a vietnamese company, Handspan Adventure Travel www.handspan.com who I found helpful and massively cheaper than any other company, particularly those in the UK. This was 2008 so things may have changed a bit now, but they were excellent.
Reply to this Yeah, I do think so, booking in advance is always better for us. I have just came back from Vietnam and have a very good trip there. I asked VGOTOURS to organize for me during my trip there. It was very good and friendly one and I have many nice memories on each local I passed. If you wan to have a reference before booking, take a look here then ask them for a quotation and can make a booking with them.
hope you find a good one and have a very nice trip there.
Cheers,
elvis Reply to this I would book in advance, i don't like to arrive in a country and have to look for a place! it's nice when you land, to know where to go and to be able to leave your luggages and start relaxing! 😊
for my holidays, i usually planned the transportation, what to visit and where to stay and i can recommend you those websites, i found great deals on them:
Asiahotels and
Twenga.co.uk check it out 😉
have a great time there, i'm sure we'll like it! and post some pictures after to make us dream 😊
see ya!
Reply to this Hi guys
you are all right! every one have thier way to arrange travel service, but my personally i would rather book ahead but just pay deposit 30% of grand total the rest will be pay upon arrival, yeah! more reasonable price by getting deal with local agent
Reply to this Wow surprising that all the travel agents recommend booking in advance.... I suppose it depends on what kind of traveler you are. For someone on vacation sure, book ahead, have every meal planned and bus transfer arranged, get a minute by minute itinerary so you can monitor your progress, make sure everything is on schedule. Sorry for the sarcasm, I guess I am disappointed to have so many responses pile on about traveling without adventure. I get the feeling that the people who recommend booking in advance have never tried it the other way...
For me having everything fixed and planned ahead of time diminishes the experience.
Reply to this I agree with Dominick! Wing it! There are so many tours for those places and I find speaking to people to who've done it and had a good experience the most valuable. I don't think I've ever booked anything in advance except flights - guess it depends on the traveller!
Reply to this Thanks for all the advise and comments we are going to book our first 3 nights accomodation at the 'Green Mango" heard its a great place to stay from fellow travellers and book the rest when we arrive. Hurry up March Merry Christmas and a safe New Year to all
Reply to this yes,my two bobs having been to these places is book on the ground . lots of options from cheap to more upmarket as well. can all be booked in hanoi tourist areas, at hotels etc. dont forget to try the beer hai on the streets.great way to people watch, have something to eat from the locals and drink freshly made beer. probably one or two will do as alcohol content can vary widely. hic
Reply to this i think you are also right, travel to a country every things is new for you guys , you have to spend a lot of time to look for reliable tours operators to trust your short excursions, of course have to pay for taxi, there many travelers get scamp taxi and was cheated as well, i hate that kind of travel, i rather have book in advance then spend more time for explore or drinking beer
Reply to this Book in advance with local operator and relax your mind!! Do a bit of research on what type of tour you would like to do. Ask tour consultant for detail and check for references!! Price can be vary but quality goes with it!! Enjoy your time!!
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