Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!

Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!

Haven’t posted your review yet? Here’s how to do it…

Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.

Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.

Select a trip specific review:

Select

171 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Carol Nolan

Reviewed May 2019

Amazing and hot!

Vietnam is everything you think it may be and everything you can never imagine! So opposite to your life in the western world, the country is a beautiful, absolutely chaotic, in your face and also serene at times. This is an extremely well organised trip and you will definitely get a flavour of Asia. Food is beyond amazing and our tour guide was unbelievable and a wonderful human!

Most Inspirational Moment

On a boat travelling down the Mekong river wearing traditional hat and savouring the quiet!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Joilee was beyond wonderful and professional and was also pretty funny! She cared for us in the group like her own and she was the most wonderful representative for her country of Vietnam

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring lots of loose clothing, laundry wash as you will be changing your clothes a lot! Don’t bother with any make up or stuff for hair, within a day that all goes out of the window! Enjoy your rest afternoons relaxing, the tour is pretty full on and will get tired otherwise. And close your eyes at times, savour what you are experiencing

Suggestions

Just do it! The price is very cheap for everything you get to see and experience and spending money is even hard to spend as everything is so cheap. I loved this country and it has set off my new love of adventure!

Lesley G

Reviewed April 2019

Vietnam Adventure

I had high expectations for this trip and I was not disappointed. The trip was perfectly described in the brochure and offers an unforgettable experience of this fascinating country.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were lots from watching in disbelief as mopeds carrying everything weave between each other in Hanoi, to the mysterious Halong Bay, to the beautiful lanterns in Hoi An to the vibrancy of Saigon. I particularly enjoyed being part of a group to share the whole experience with. And of course having a Vietnamese guide who gave us such an in depth insight into this country.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Tan Nguyen, made the trip. He gave us such an insight into the life and culture, as well as share some wonderful stories with us. His knowledge of Vietnam and his spoken English was excellent and everything was always done with a smile. We were never disappointed with his restaurant recommendations. On numerous occasions he guided us safely across the busy roads. Anyone who has been to Vietnam will know that this is no mean feat!

Advice for Potential Travellers

It is a hectic schedule with some early starts and a lot of travelling including the overnight reunification train. There is also plenty of walking in hot humid conditions. But if you want to see and really experience this country, I cannot think of a better way of doing it. Taking a silk sleeping bag liner for the train is very useful and a pack of cards to pass the time away with fellow travellers! Also, when changing cash in Hanoi, they much preferred new notes. They weren’t keen on my crumpled £20 notes!

Suggestions

I was impressed with how well organised the trip was from the moment I made an initial enquiry, to the wealth of information before the trip (the trip notes are invaluable) to the picking up at the airport and the organised excursions.

Cindy Cochrane

Reviewed April 2019

Exceedingly Good Trip

it was a fantastic holidays exceeding all our expectations.

Most Inspirational Moment

The 2 cycling trips in Hui and Hoian were exciting and memorable. Cycling in busy Hui city was an experience compared to non. Visiting the organic farms in Hoian demonstrated the fundamentals and the source of the freshness and originality of the Vietnamese cuisines. The trip to Me Son visiting the Champa kingdom and seeing the ruins gave me a different historical and religious perspectives about the country which I knew little about before the visit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Quan was an excellent tour guide and group leader. He provided second to non travel customer service. Travel and visits were arranged like a well oil engine, everything went smoothly. Although the itineraries were structured he listened and tapped into the needs and desires of our group and would alterer to suit. He was very generous with information. Apart from the factual historical facts he also accompanied these with his social commentaries giving a personal and fascinating perspectives into the country from someone who has lived through the tremendous political and social changes of his country.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Fabulous and worthwhile experience for first time visit to Vietnam as the journey from Hanoi to Saigon gave a very comprehensive exploration of the country geographically, culturally, historically and politically not to mention the different and changing cuisine during the travel.

Suggestions

I am a serious foodie so perhaps the comment here only applies to people who seriously seeking eating experience during the trip. I found personally my foodie experience wasn't sufficiently challenged. Quan did make excellent eating recommendations which were highly appreciated by majority of the group. But I found the places we went to cater a more European fusion type palate and not sufficiently authentic for me. But i did found some exceptional places to indulge my eatings.

Mervyn Jupe

Reviewed April 2019

Don't understand this

Well organised and very good well informed guides. Very comprehensive trip.
Grateful for arriving a day early and leaving a day later arrangements – accommodation & airport transfers.
Excellent accommodation.
Very variable activities – some included (cycling) and some optional (kayaking, cooking)
Hoi An – too touristy.
Saigon – uninteresting.
Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, My Son, Tunnels, Mekong delta, Angkor temples, Floating villages – all excellent.
Phnom Penn s21 prison and nearby “killing fields” – very harrowing.
Meals – some were relatively expensive and I found with a good breakfast that I only needed a snack at lunchtime if eating a full meal in the evening.

Most Inspirational Moment

see above

Thoughts on Group Leader

see above

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't need passport photos for Angkor complex pass. They take your photo when getting your pass.

Gary westwater

Reviewed April 2019

Vietnam Adventure

Our Vietnam Adventure was indeed an adventure – having such a varied itinerary – but not over-organised – with interesting places visited – travel by boats and train- and activities such as bicycling and kayaking-and crawling through tunnels. Staying in excellent hotels – and overall led by a very competent, entertaining and knowledgeable guide – who looked after us, without being imperious

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing up Marble Mountain and seeing the cave used as a hospital by the Viet Cong

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for an active holiday with enjoyable - but long - days

Suggestions

Erica Brown

Reviewed April 2019

Loved it!

This was an excellent tour. We packed a lot in but the pace never felt too much. It was a really good mix of culture, history and activity.

Most Inspirational Moment

The boat trip in Ha Long bay is stunning, though the bay itself suffers from the 21st century blight of plastic and rubbish at high tide. The cycle trips were a lovely relaxing way to see the countryside; easy paced.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide - Mr Q - was absolutely brilliant, knowledgable and efficient. His advice was always sound and we felt well looked after.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We learned so much about the history of Vietnam - much of it brutal - and its worth knowing that the 'Hanoi Hilton' and the museum in Saigon display some pretty graphic and upsetting images - so be warned.

Suggestions

The accommodation was of a much higher standard than I have experienced on similar kinds of tours (with another company). I highly recommend this trip - we even managed an afternoon on the beach.

Claire Holmes

Reviewed March 2019

Travel from north to South Vietnam

What an amazing adventure that we have had with exodus, never been to Vietnam before this was a great way to see the country.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspirational was for us was the trip to Halong bay on the boat, seeing all the islands and the caves. The boat was basic but clean the food was gorgeous and staff where willing to help.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Huy was full of information regarding different places that we visited, he was flexible if we wanted to do our thing i.e having a meal by our selfs.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The over night sleeper train was hard, lack of sleep and noisy.

Alla Neal

Reviewed February 2019

Still OK but not excellent as previous 3 Exodus trips.

This is my 4th trip with Exodus and the worst. Still OK but not excellent as previous 3 were.
We spent too much time in unbelievably noisy polluted cities instead of maybe explore countryside a bit more. Also by returning from Halong Bay (which were fantastic) we lost the whole day sitting in Hanoi lobby to be able to take overnight train and to have a very busy day after this. Train is awful – not possible to sleep, even for someone like me who experienced many overnight trains in Russia. Instead it would be better to take a day train, rest in the hotel overnight and then have the busy day. Cycling inside the city in Hue was not safe, especially considering that more than a half of the group are not experienced cyclists and the amount of traffic grows very fast every year (Ref: Vietnam population doubled in size within last 60 years). But cycling in countryside was lovely. Hotel in Hoi An was miles away from the city centre for no reason – there are plenty hotels closer for the similar rate. And finally our guide kept disappearing for an hour or two and was very vague with his instructions.

Most Inspirational Moment

Halong Bay

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was a nice chap, but he was not the best exodus guide. He "forgot" about a single lady traveller on the 1st night and had to go back when he remembered (about half an hour later, when we already were sitting in the restaurant). He kept disappearing for an hour or two, was contantly very vague with his instructions and was ignoring questions when you ask him something - it alsways shall be 2-3 times before we get a reply.

Deirdre and Dave Harris

Reviewed February 2019

An amazing trip!

This was an outstanding and memorable trip which taught us so much about the history, culture and geography of Vietnam. Travelling from north to south, the itinerary was exceedingly well planned and varied – from the variety of accommodation and modes of transport to the experience of both city and rural life.
As members of the generation which remembers the Vietnam War on the TV screeens for a decade, it was a profound experience to visit those places where momentous events took place, heightening our awareness of both the suffering, resilience and achievements of the Vietnamese people.

Most Inspirational Moment

Every day was enjoyable and there were many memorable activities. We particularly liked the tranquillity of Ho Chi Minh’s site in Hanoi, spending the night on the boat on a misty Halong Bay, the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, cycling through the paddy fields from Hue, visiting the ruins of the My Son valley, sailing on the Mekong Delta and staying in the island homestay. There were opportunities to reflect on the troubled history of the country at Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, the War Remnant Museum in Ho Chi Minh City and the Cu Chi tunnels.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Vuong Truong, known to us as V, was an outstanding leader. He was very knowledgeable about the history and the culture of his country and imparted this in a very positive and entertaining way. We travelled in a lovely group of 9 and V’s manner, sense of humour and awareness of people’s needs helped us to bond together from the outset. V’s enthusiasm and positivity were infectious and we had many a laugh. He was always very professional, all arrangements went smoothly and he was good at making minor adjustments to suit individual needs.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for early starts and a full itinerary. Make the most of the optional activities offered. The overnight journey on the train from Hanoi to Hue should be regarded as an interesting experience!

Suggestions

We appreciated Exodus’s commitment to responsible tourism, particularly supporting local employment eg the use of local guides and opportunities to support cottage industries and reducing the use of plastic by always having water available on the buses. We would strongly recommend this trip!

JUDITH GROOME

Reviewed February 2019

A FANTASTIC TRIP

A fantastic experience. Vietnam is a fascinating country and with this trip you travel from North to South and experience the wealth of the country’s geography, history, culture and food. Our trip was enhanced by a really great tour leader (Phuong Le) who was attentive from the start to each and every one of us and made sure that everything ran seamlessly. She had a lovely sense of humour, spoke English proficiently and went out of her way to tell us about all aspects of Vietnam so that we had a great understanding of the history and culture.
We had a great group and right from the start we felt at ease with everybody. Lots of laughs and jokes were shared and we are still in touch using a WhatsApp group!
The trip is very full on. You move from Hanoi in the north to the wonderful Halong Bay, then you’re on an overnight train down to Hue in central Vietnam exploring the Forbidden Purple City and the next day cycling amongst the paddy fields. Then you’re in Hoi An with its waterfront beautifully lit with hundreds of lanterns. Here we had time to relax, get the washing done, have a massage, do a cooking course, get some clothes made. The last part of the trip is based in Ho Chi Minh city and it is here were I became much more aware of the violent history of Vietnam, visiting the War Remnant museum (shocking) and then the Cu Chi tunnels. The next day we were on a boat weaving amongst the maze of waterways in the Mekong delta where we stayed overnight in a homestay.
The food in Vietnam is fabulous. As I don’t eat meat, Phuong went out of her way to ensure that I always had a veggie or fish alternative when we visited restaurants as a group.
I have done quite a few Exodus trips but this is one of the best and is very high up in the ranking!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were a few: Halong Bay with its monumental limestone karsts and then visiting the Wow cave. The trip in the countryside Hoi An with its beautiful lanterns along the waterfront Saigon with its modern buildings lit up at night and the preparations for New Year.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Phuong Le is the best. She was extremely efficient and made everything appear to happen like clockwork. She was attentive to everyone in the group and nothing was too much trouble for her. She was passionate about making us aware of Vietnamese culture, language, history, customs and food and her talks on the bus when we were travelling from place to place were interesting and gave us insights into everything Vietnamese. She went out of her way to ensure that we were individually catered for throughout the trip (eg dietary needs) and even helped us by booking taxis for us on our onward journeys, even though we weren't travelling with Exodus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go along and enjoy yourself!

Suggestions

Vietnam will be with you for a while after you've come back. You'll want to read up about all the things you've learned.

Prev 1 2 3 4 5 … 18 Next