Intrepid Travel anyone?

[BaconAndAvocado]

Planning on a trip to Vietnam next summer but, as I have no experience whatsoever of travelling to anywhere like Vietnam, I was thinking of using an organised tour company.
We are 2 adults and DCs will be 15 and 17.

Equally, if anyone knows an easy way to plan a trip to Vietnam for a novice, please tell me!

I went Interrailing in 1991 as a youngster, but our family holidays have either been to Florida or 5 star AI resorts. So I feel very much out of my depth.

Tia

I know how you feel! I'm going to Antarctica in December on my own. DH doesn't like the cold, and isn't as passionate about Penguins as I am! I've done business travel to the US and Europe on my own, but nothing like this. I'm going with a specialist travel company who are making all the arrangements for me. It's more expensive but worth it, I think. I'm using Audley travel.

Good luck.

No experience of Intrepid myself, but from what I've read on a Facebook Solo traveller over 50 group I'm on, the reviews have all been very good. I would certainly use them.

I haven't used Intrepid, so can't comment. However, I went to Vietnam last December with On The Go, which sounds similar to what you want (if you Google the name and "very Vietnam" you will find it. I took a 9 day trip starting in Hanoi, ending in Ho Chi Minh city, which was fabulous; others on the tour continued into Cambodia and visited Ankor Wat which they said was amazing, maybe something to consider?

Travel was by air con coach or private car or internal flights. All rooms were aircon. Outside of the big cities, accommodation was easily 4+ stars and most hotels had very nice pools. Vietnam is a very cheap country, even in hotels everything was very affordable.

Oh, and just to add, Vietnam Airlines does a direct flight Heathrow to Hanoi, which avoids changing in Dubai, Doha or Bangkok.

@Jaxhog Your trip sounds amazing, I would totally do that!

I know a few folk who really rate Audley Travel and wouldn't book with anyone else :)

Really easy to do yourself. Selective asia is a great website for showing weather in the different areas of Vietnam and when to go where. They have lots of planned routes too so I tend to adapt those.
last time I was in Vietnam was pre covid and uk passport holders were visa free for stays up to 14 days, but check this is still the case.
flights between cities are very easy with Viet jet and good value too.
I normally get the hotel to arrange airport pickup as there can be some taxi scams, but transfers tend to be quite reasonable. I have also arranged for a car and driver to travel from Hoi an to Hue and that was also good value, about 60US dollars.

I am watching with interest. I want to do a trip, I will be travelling alone. Audley travel is out of my price range.
Mercury has the exact experience I want but reviews of hem as a company seem to vary.
Let us know how what you decide and how it went, I am not intending to travel until next year.
What companies have you used already @Cloverforever

Intrepid are a very reputable brand. They specialise in group tours though - is that the sort of thing you're looking for?

If you're looking for something tailormade for yourself and your family, you'd be better off with the likes of Trailfinders, or indeed Audley - although Audley tend to be on the much pricier end of the scale, and any tailormade holiday will cost a lot more than a group tour, which can be a great cost effective way to explore a destination.

It would be worth asking them about the make up of their groups if you're hoping for other families and teens - as to my knowledge they'd be more likely adult groups (unless they have a specific family range).

Intrepid are great but have only travelled solo with them. I did see family trips with them in Borneo - could be great, could be a nightmare if the other kids were totally different ages or didn't get in etc. they all seemed under 12 ish.
I would contact a couple of travel agencies- Stubborn Mule, Trailfinders etc and ask them to come up with an itinerary and then book through them or independently. Vietnam is quite easy to organise yourself.

We also got trains in Vietnam which was great.

Recommend this hotel for Hoi An
https://lasiestaresorts.com/
Scarlett boutique hotel in Hue- super value and excellent location
https://www.thescarletthotels.com/

I travelled with a sister company to Intrepid. They were fab and I would 100% recommend them. It is a group tour but you go off and do things as a family at each location, you don’t do everything together. Same with meals. It’s more accomodation and travel. I would 100% go for it with them. Zero stress when it comes to travel and all of the best places to visit. You pay for the service but it’s worth it.

I have travelled with Exodus many times and always had a good experience. I have also used Explore, Just You, and Cox and Kings. However, this year I went on a tour of Lebanon with Wild Frontiers and had the most wonderful interesting time. I love the way that in a small group you become a "family" within the first few hours. The guides are usually very knowledgeable and supportive.The itineraries can be pretty full on, in order to see as much of the country as possible, and can be quite exhausting. For a long haul trip, I would recommend a couple of days unwinding at a comfortable hotel or resort before the long flight home. Happy travelling.

Haven't been to Vietnam but have done some Solo group travel.

I did dismiss Intrepid, as it didn't include a lot of activities / sightseeing needed to be booked separately

I found this company & have done several trips with them - they have all been well organised and overall a very good experience and best for me, all the important sightseeing stuff was included.

https://www.exodus.co.uk/trips/vietnam-holidays/culture/vietnam-adventure/aov

@ebts - snap you got there first with Exodus Travels!

It all depends on if you have the time and inclination yourself, to do the planing and booking.
We've just returned from a 3 week trip to Costa Rica done completely independently. Far cheaper than the intrepid equivalent tour (on the ground costs of 1k each for literally everything compared with "starting from 1695' for a more limited trip).

Travelled independently to Vietnam about 16 years ago. Both with kids.

I do it as follows:
Start with lonely planet guide book. Kids put post-it notes in bits they fancied.
Ebookers.com for flights.
Booking.com for hotels/hostels/whatever standard of luxury you want. Sometimes cheaper booking directly so double check.
Then figure best way of getting from A to B. In Vietnam trains and brilliant and my lot love night trains, so I'd be deliberately trying to include a sleeper.
Use trip advisor forums and Facebook groups to help problem solve.

We flew to Bangkok, couple of nights there, then Air Asia flight to Hanoi. Halong Bay junk boat trip (they probably picked us up in hanoi, I forget). Then Danang, Hue, Hoi An (so nice) following the train route. You could continue to Ho Chi Minh City but weather wise not so good in summer hols. We returned to Hanoi then Bangkok then home.
Sapi appealed but was malarial at the time and DS was too young to risk that.
Think we went for 3 weeks but slowly as DS was a toddler.

We’ve just returned last Saturday from Vietnam with G-Adventures doing their classic Vietnam tour with our teenage son.

Already got withdrawal symptoms so watching Michael Portillo on his Vietnam rail trip this evening.

Really recommend G-Adventures as it was the right level for us. I popped into Hayes Travel for advice as I wasn’t sure before booking. Independently they recommended the same company and tour. I booked it direct and found our own flights and a separate stopover for a few days.

Our son just loved it!

I went to Andorra with Intrepid and had a brilliant time. I will definitely use them again. Everything was well organised, the accommodation was nice, the hosts super friendly and there was never a dull day.

I have used G Adventures for Hanoi, Cambodia and Thailand. Was amazing and very well run.

We did the family Vietnam tour in 2019 with Intrepid. It was lovely not to have to organise anything. The thought processes of which train to get, which accommodation to book and all the activities was taken care of. Thats what you're paying for - the support and local knowledge and safety net of someone on hand should you need help. The accommodation was okay - not luxury but 3*. Food was fabulous.
The kids in our group were age 8-15, no older teens, and thankfully, we all got on very well. Our guide was amazing, and we are still in contact with him now and have been back to Vietnam independently and caught up with him and his family.

I would recommend going along to your nearest branch of Trailfinders with an idea of your budget and asking them to suggest options. They can put together a package for you, eg a tour with one company, flights booked separately, a few nights in a hotel at the start or end of your trip if you want a few days to explore independently etc.

countmeout
Went to Vietnam with my husband in 2019. We did the Vietnam and Cambodia Odyssey tour with Mercury Travel. Cannot recommend it highly enough. There were 2 solo travellers in our group as well as couples. Happy to answer any questions.
There weren’t any teenagers but the tour was very varied and would have been interesting for them I think.

How many days do you plan to travel in Vietnam?
Do it yourself in Vietnam is easy!
North: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa, Ninh Binh…
Mid: Danang/ Hoian, Hue, Dong Hoi/ Phong Nha cave…
South: HCMC, Mekong Delta, Dalat…
As first time travelers to Vietnam, you can check out above places and make your own plan.

I took a tour with Intrepid a while ago around Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Our tour guide was Cambodian and incredibly proud of his culture, he was fantastic. The tour used lots of of local businesses and social enterprises, it felt like they were trying to give back to the region.
It may have changed, but I was really happy with Intrepid.

I can also recommend Exodus.