Vietnam

Encounters Travel leaves no stone unturned. Every part of each leg of the tour is timed so whatever mode of transportation, whether boat or bus we will be picked up in a timely manner. It all starts at the airport where I was met. You get escorted through the customs area with your luggage. If you ever want to experience VIP treatment you might want to try this company, at least arriving in Egypt.

You get an arrival lecture for about 10 minutes that will inform you what to expect and things to avoid. This is helpful because I was approached several times by locals who want me get involved in some sort of business transaction. You're also told that you should drink bottled water because while the locals can drink it your stomach will react differently. It's true because I always drank bottled water but I remember eating some soup then my stomach felt odd. I'm often prepared so I brought along Loperamide which came in handy and worked and saved the day.

Mahmoud, our tour guide, really knows his stuff. I felt like I was back in college with a history professor who could rattle off names and dynasties with ease. So maybe we should call him the professor. I have to admit I often wander off while being caught up in certain exhibits. The very last night at the Khan-el-Khallili bazaar I actually arrived at the meeting point too early since we were given about an hour. Then I went walking around again but this time got lost. Beware it's a labyrinth in there. But luckily for me I had stopped by a drug store to purchase an item, and the plastic bag had the name of the drug store along with the address. So with the help of some good people I made my way back to the waiting bus. I met a shopkeeper along the way who told me he used to live in Santa Monica, California. Great maybe he would be nice and leave me alone I thought? He saw the chain I was wearing made of stone that I bought off a Nubian man. He told me that he can sell me better than that and this is just stone. I told him it's lovely and I like it. I don't think that is the response he was looking for but it's the truth I adore those polished stones.

The hotels we stayed at all had security. It's because I pay attention to international news I could appreciate the security. We did travel with an armed guard. At the Giza Pyramids there is a lot of security. Just today in the news I see where a tourist bus like the ones we were on in Giza was attacked by an IED a controlled bomb,, that was in a wall. Unfortunately the tour guide was killed along with three Vietnamese tourists. Sadly I could have been a victim because I was there three weeks ago. I extend my condolences to the unfortunate victims. We travel because we want to experience other cultures and see historical sites in person. We can't let evil stop us. Also tourism is a great industry to provide jobs. If I stayed at home and cower I would have missed out on meeting some wonderful people on my tour including our tour leader, Mahmoud.

There are times when I was able to walk around on my own. At times I felt like I had a shadow. Someone would impromptu join me for a walk and strike up a conversation. Some even told me I look like an Egyptian. And walk like an Egyptian. I thought that was funny because many years ago there is a song with that title. I reminded one person there is a song with that name. I can't say I ever felt unsafe walking around. However you can easily feel overwhelmed when people invite themselves to be part of your company. I like to walk around and get a feel for places I visit. But just stepping out of the hotel a taxi will offer me a ride. Or someone with a horse offers me a ride. I used to think that a couple riding in a horse carriage look good not just a solo person like me. I think I would come across as too ostentatious to be ridden around in a horse carriage all by myself. All that would be missing is all white attire, and a white hat like the colonial British being transported around in Africa. Nothing against the hustlers but I love to walk.

The wifi in most of the hotels was slow except for the Sheraton Hotel. I wish I had spent another night there. I have to write them a great review. They sure know how to spoil their guests. Anyway the bad thing is having to leave. I was picked up 4 hours before my flight. So I had a breakfast box which is not the same feeling as being able to walk around and choose what I want to eat. By the time I went through the first layer of security, checked my luggage with the airline counter, go through departing immigration and got my exit stamp I still had three hours to wait in the airport. Of course I would prefer to spend more time in my hotel room than in an airport lounge. The wifi at Cairo airport is not free even though I read it is free for about 30 minutes. Luckily I had a Vodaphone sim card that I could use while waiting to board and go through the second set of security. So maybe pick up time could be at least less a half hour to eat some breakfast at the hotel.

That sweet potato and ice cream desert on the last night got me thinking. How about being given a choice of desserts since I'm paying. Usually if everything is included and I don't need to pay anything I can live with it. But once I have to pay for the meal I am eating I want to be in charge of what I'm eating. Or at least give me a choice. I eat sweet potato sometimes but will never eat it with ice cream ever again. I think the ice cream alone would have sufficed.

Thanks for the great experience and making this a memorable tour and birthday surprise.

This was the second tour I booked with Encounter travel. The first one was in Egypt and we had such a fantastic experience that my family and I went directly to them again for Southeast Asia. Our agent was Anthony... he was organized, attentive and very patient with us for all our questions, concerns and requests. He always responded in an excellent timely manner. Our 3 guides in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand were AMAZING!! Phong, Santhou, and Pramote made the experience so wonderful. All 3 were very knowledgeable about their own countries and cultures, we learned so much from them, they were attentive and very friendly. Both the guides and drivers gave great service and greeted us with with bottled water and wipes every day. By the time we left each country, they weren't just our guides, they were friends. My family and I loved this experience so much and have nothing but great things to say about Encounter Travel!!

I have just returned from vietnam and cambodia for the second year in a row .i had a brilliant time everything went to the way it had been planned out.the hotels .guides.and day trips were great it,s the third year in a row i have used this company with Anthony Horribin sorting out all the fine details of the trips .without any drama,s.I will be using them again very soon.

The booking process was so smooth with Encounters that I was very impressed. Unfortunately, the tour was less impressive. The itinerary was not well thought out but even worse, it was very out of date. The best example of this was when we were on the Halong Bay Cruise. The Cruise company (Aphrodite cruises, as listed on the Encounters website) gave us a copy of our itinerary when we arrived. It was nothing like the one we had downloaded from the Encounters website about a week before we left. When we asked the cruise company about the discrepancy they told us they were very sorry, but they had not been able to run that itinerary since 2015 when the government changed the rules. So the itinerary was at least three years out of date. Our tour leader in the North was also not quite right. He left us at the train station having told us that we would arrive around 10 or 10:30 in Denang and we didn't arrive until past noon (he could have asked, he just couldn't be bothered. He also left before the train arrived and all of the other western tourists still had their guides until boarding time). The itinerary also was not well thought out - too much on one of the days in Hanoi with plenty of extra time the next. And the itinerary was misleading, making half day tours sound like they would be all day and one tour that sounded like it was a half day took only about an hour. It made it hard to use our time effectively.

The worst thing, though, is that when we returned they sent an email asking for feedback. I outlined the problems we had with the tour but said I was not seeking any compensation. The problem is they didn't even acknowledge that they received my comments - and that was over a month ago. Very Poor.