Laos Reviews
Review 1
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Visiting Angkor Wat, fantastic place
What did you think of your tour leader?
We had 4, all of them were organised, friendly and competent
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Take as little as possible, buy everything there
Reviewed by John Staveley who travelled in March 2012 on the The Indochina Experiment trip
Review 2
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Scenery in Laos; one of the trip members falling off the elephant into the Nam Khan river (several times!); then capsizing us into the Nam Song in Vang Vieng on the very first rapid and losing her sarong.
What did you think of your tour leader?
Thinh Lai, our guide in Vietnam - the very best tour guide! We missed him on crossing to Cambodia. Other guides, with the possible exception of the Lao guide, were also very good, but Thinh was exceptional - informative, helpful, funny, friendly. He organised optional activities taiored to the group's wishes and went far beyond the call of duty.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
1. Read the pre-departure notes, and stick to the advice in it. You really don't need to take anything other than what it recommends. 2.Make use of the tailors in Hoi An - excellent value and quality of work. If you have favourite garments you'd like copied, take them with you or bring photos/patterns. 3. Make sure your insurance covers itinerary changes caused by weather. We had to but extra flights because of flooding and not all of us manged to get our money back.
Reviewed by Magdalena Styles who travelled in October 2011 on the The Indochina Experiment trip
Review 3
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Laos and Cambodia.
What did you think of your tour leader?
Very good. Our Laos leader was slightly impeded by his grasp of the English language, but he was very helpful.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Yes - should have with all the handicrafts I bought!
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Kick back and enjoy the experience.
Reviewed by Sadie Ellen Tobin who travelled in November 2010 on the Land of Laobodia trip
Review 4
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Getting up early morning to see the Monks receiving Alms in Luang Prabang. Seeing the DVD about the horrors of the US bombing;walking from one site to the next on the Plain of Jars through the mine cleared area. I think the best was going into a local village where they are not spoilt by tourism in any form, and being invited to share the rice wine with them as friends in the head man's house. They were just lovely people in all ways.
What did you think of your tour leader?
I found all the tour leaders extremely good and Ian is extremely knowledgable about the whole area and the people; for example taking us to a village he knew that is not on the tourist tat trial and they would not have dollar signs in their eyes just smiles of welcome.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
I hope that we benefited the local people by buying their home made goods, being friendly and treating them with the respect they deserve. We were the funny foreigners not them.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
To get under the skin of a country you have to live there a year or two and have a working knowledge of the language. Tourists only skim the surface. I lived and worked over a period of 13 years in Egypt, Jordan, The Lebanon and Iran and there I felt that I had got under the skin of the countries. This is why I say you must live and work with the locals not just a 2 week visit.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
RESPECT all local customs and their way of life (even if you don't agree with it). Remember that you are the funny foreigner not the locals, it is their country and no where, not even your home country, is perfect. Always SMILE with your eyes as well, it gets you so far with all ages and peoples. Learn some of the local language like hello, goodbye and especially please and thank you.
Reviewed by Gloria Percy who travelled in March 2008 on the Magical Laos - Nov-15 2008 trip
Review 5
What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Visiting local villages and interacting with the people.
What did you think of your tour leader?
The tour leader was excellent and managed to cater for a group of disperate tour members, helping us to get the most out of the trip.
Do you feel your holiday benefited local people?
Yes. We spent in locally run markets, shops and restaurants.
Do you feel that you got under the skin of a country?
We scratched the surface of Lao, which is more than most tour company's do.
What advice would you give to other travellers?
Go on holiday with an open mind and experience all you can of the local people.
Reviewed by Peter Elliott who travelled in March 2008 on the Magical Laos - Nov-15 2008 trip
Laos Forum Feedback
Hanoi to Bangkok, July 19
Anyone out there going on this one? Eric and Ashley Las Vegas
journey through laos
Has anyone been on the Journey Through Laos tour or going on it soon?
Journey Through Laos
I have put a down payment on a trip (Journey Through Laos) that no longer seems to exist on the Imaginative Traveller website. Three questions: 1) Is this trip still departing on the late January date? 2) How can I get a dossier for this trip now? 3) Will there be a price increase for this trip? Thanks in advance!
Magical Laos - 13th December 2008
Hello I am booked to go on the above trip that departs on the 13th December. I am planning on doing a few things on either side of the trip (separate from Imtrav), and I noticed that the trip availability is still showing a green box. I know this means that there is between 1 and and 10 people booked on this trip. Are you able to tell me how many people are booked on this trip so far (including myself) ? I know minimum numbers are 6 (I think ?). I appreciate that it's still a couple of months before the departure date, but it would put my mind at rest to know if (hopefully !) there are enough people on the trip for it to go ahead, so I can start making my plans for before and after ! Thanks Mark
Laos in July/August
Is there anyone out there who's been to Laos in August? We're really keen on the Magical Laos trip but my husband's a teacher and the only time we can go is July/August. We're a bit concerned that the monsoon rains would have a detrimental effect on the trip. If anyone has any advice or opinions, we'd be glad to hear them!
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