Guided tours , or go it alone? Any views/recommendations?

Hi All

I%26#39;m due to arrive in Bangkok December 10th and keen to see both Cambodia and Vietnam on a fairly limited budget ( cos I just got made redundant!).

I have been looking at trips organised by agents Intrepid Travel and Imaginative Traveller - has anybody used them and if so what do you think? I accept that it would be cheaper to organise myself, but Im all very last minute with this and worried that Xmas period will reduce availability etc?

Any opinions and/or recommendations would be really welcome. For info - Im in my mid-40%26#39;s, female and will be travelling solo , so safety a v important issue , some exp of travelling solo in Thailand/India

Guided tours , or go it alone? Any views/recommendations?

All our trips to those places have been arranged in country ourselves and with very few hassles that have been easily sorted.

For Vietnam you will need to arrange your visa before arrival. If travelling through Sihanoukville a Vietnamese visa can easily be arranged there and quite cheaply and fast.

Pics and stories of our trips here... www.thebobmarsh.com

Happy %26amp; safe travels

Guided tours , or go it alone? Any views/recommendations?

Hi -

Thanks for info, much appreciated! One thing I%26#39;m really currently struggling with is the Visa - keep searching on line and all I get are links to visa agents.

As flying to Bangkok on 10th Dec Im worried that if apply through post I will not get it and I cant get an airport entry visa as Im travelling overland?

Any suggestions?

Hi,

You can apply for the visa using E-Visa. Look under search for EVisa in this forum, others have talked about it before.

Regards Cooperellie

The math has been done a few times on this board about going on a tour vs making your own arrangements. There%26#39;s no doubt it%26#39;s cheaper to do it on your own and in my opinion, you%26#39;ll have a better, more flexible trip.

OTOH if you are the type of solo traveler that gets bored on your own or needs company, it%26#39;s good to go on a tour.

You can get a visa on arrival in Cambodia or do the evisa

http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/e-visa/vindex.aspx

You don%26#39;t say where you%26#39;re going in Cambodia and how long you%26#39;re going to be there. If you%26#39;ll be in Siem Reap, Sihanoukville or Phnom Penh for a few days before vietnam, you can go to a visa service in Cambodia and do it there. If you want to eliminate the issue altogether, send your passport out now to the Consulate and have it in your passport before you go. You have time.

vietnamembassy.us/consular_services/鈥?/a>

BTW you%26#39;re safer as a woman traveling solo in Cambodia and Vietnam than most places in the world. Just keep your wits about you and don%26#39;t wear clothes that are too immodest.

We just returned from both countries and saw many women travelling alone. I believe it is as safe as a man travelling. Just watch for pick pockets in HCMC. We did the entire trip on our own.

We made the majority of our arrangments once we got there with no problem. We used Singh Cafe or similar for booking in Viet Nam. Bus travel is very inexpensive.

In Siam Reap we used Kim Soryar at kimsoryar@yahoo.com. Very reasonably priced and his brother was an excellent guide.

One highlight was taking the ';slow'; boat from PP to Chu Duc in Vietnam. The trip is only $10.

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