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.

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7 Reviews

5 out of 5

Jonathan Harper

Reviewed September 2022

Fabulous trip, something for everyone

An amazing, eye-opening trip for our family of 4 – ages from 13 to 59. We all loved it.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was different for each of us. Photography at Ta Prohm. Ziplining over the jungle. Being in the pool with our new friends every night. Meeting small producers at sustainable businesses. Eating tarantulas. Learning about history at the Cu Chi tunnels and the Killing Fields. Boat trips, floating markets. Learning about real life in these countries from guides who were born and live there. Laughing a lot.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Absolutely amazing. We loved them. They are people who love their jobs and genuinely enjoy meeting people from different places and showing them the wonders of their countries. Nin in Cambodia was a a fount of knowledge about the ancient sites we saw. She combined this with stories from her own life and a taste for bad jokes - we were able to give her some new ones. TV in Vietnam made us welcome and entertained us with his gentle humour. They were both focussed on making sure we had the best possible time. We only had our Bangkok guide for 2 days, but he was cheerful and welcoming, and very helpful and efficient when I had a medical problem.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with your eyes open and a good camera. Take a good alarm clock too - there are some early starts. It's exhausting but so worth it. I wish I'd written a diary.

Susanna Buckley

Reviewed August 2019

Wonderful family holiday

A busy but well organised trip. This was the first time we’d done a trip like this and we don’t regret it.
We saw so much in the 14 days – I don’t think we could have done and seen so much if we’d organised it on our own. Our two children (16 and 18 years old) had a great time. They made friends with the other young people on the trip and this made it easier and enjoyable for everyone. Everything was organised in a family friendly way and the guides were excellent. It was also good to see the way local communities can be supported by responsible travel.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to say - so many lovely memories. The sampan trip on the Mekong Delta and the stay at the homestay were great. The trip to Angkor Wat was amazing - the scale of the place is breathtaking.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had 2 leaders - one in Vietnam and one for Cambodia and Bangkok. Both were excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You need Vietnamese Dong for Vietnam. In Cambodia you can use US Dollars but sometimes it's easier to use Cambodian Riels. ATMs in Cambodia dispense US Dollars and Riels. For Thailand, you'll need Thai Bhat (our guide stopped just before the Thai border so that we could exchange). For visas, you need to pay cash in US Dollars. We found that we needed mainly cash - some of the restaurants didn't accept cards or some places (eg supermarkets) have a minimum spend before using a card and, if you only want a drink, that doesn't come to the minimum spend. Also, if you want to buy in the markets, you'll need cash. There were ATMs near all the places we stayed (except Mekong Delta). Pack light, cotton clothing, you don't really need activewear/trekking wear. There are local laundry services available in Cambodia - around USD2or3 per kg.

Neil Pearson

Reviewed August 2019

Brilliant 'last' family holiday with our kids before they head off into the world / don't want to go on family holidays

It’s a busy trip, with a lot packed into 14 days, but absolutely worth the effort as the experiences are amazing.

We could never have done this in this way as independent travellers, so it was definitely the right choice to take the trip with Exodus. It just made everything easy and allowed the group to make the most of the time, and experience as much as possible.

Very good ground transportation provided, comfortable and safe
There are a couple of long drives, but they are broken up with interesting stops along the way – so while it looks a little bleak in the itinerary they are absolutely fine (although the Siem Reap to Bangkok drive is a tough one).
Hotels all good to very good, and almost all with good pools too; the homestay is great too…more basic but one of the more memorable nights on the trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

28km cycling ride around the Ankhor Wat complex is brilliant - it's all flat out there so not too taxing, although we were all tired at the end of the day. Killing Fields and S21 make for a very sobering and quite graphic day that you will not forget Cu Chi Tunnels and the museum in Ho Chi Minh City is brilliant and to see the story from a very local perspective is interesting Sampan down the Mekong River is great, quite short in the grand scheme of the holiday, but big on memories. Our kids (18 & 15) had an amazing time with the other kids on the trip, all about the same age and they all got on really well. So good to see them having fun and bonding with their peers.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour had 2 group leaders, one in Vietnam and one for Cambodia and Thailand. Very different personalities, but both very good and knowledgable and we never felt like we were in anything other than safe hands at all times

Advice for Potential Travellers

The temples are fine with shorts that are ON the knee, they don't have to be below the knee. For those people who had the wrong shorts, you could buy classic Asian cotton baggy trousers for $3 at the temples, so don't worry too much about this. A few of our group stayed on for an extra night in Bangkok, and I think this is good advice...an extra day of free time in Bangkok could be useful just to slow the pace down before you travel home as it's a busy schedule and you may want to take in a few of the sights that are not on the trip. The homestay is a brilliant experience, it's more simple accommodation than the rest of the trip, but is very comfortable and such a fun night for the group..it's the moment on the trip where we got time to chat and become friends with each other.

Alison Saveall

Reviewed May 2019

Fabulous Family Adventure

This was an amazing holiday. We saw so much and it was so well organised – I cannot recommend Exodus enough!

This was the first time we’d done this kind of trip with our nine year old daughter – and it was brilliant in the way it combined: having a family adventure, seeing places i’d wanted to visit, but made accessible and interesting for all the family; within the safety net of the trip being organised by someone that it was clear we could rely on. The detail and organisation was so well handled by Exodus and the guides, leaving us to enjoy ourselves, have adventures, watch the world go by, and learn about other parts of the world. I particularly appreciated the thought that went into supporting local people and businesses.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling around Ankhor Wat temples - and because it was super hot (40), Bun and the local guides had thought of everything: drink, fruit, and were mindful that we kept rehydrated, and there was even a back up bus in case we gave up in the heat! We also enjoyed the homestay in Vietnam - and the cycling trip that Phong had arranged for us there.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both Phong in Vietnam, and Bun in Cambodia & Thailand were amazing. I had complete faith in both of them.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It is super hot in April, so to be able to spend time outside and enjoy the temples at Ankhor Wat (for example) in more detail, you may be better going in October - December. Having said that, we survived the heat and had a brilliant time. Pack as light as you can. And if you go in March/April, avoid vest tops and 'short' shorts etc - go for long and floaty tops and 1/2 or 3/4 trousers/skirts. Both for the heat, but also to respect the local cultures, and when visiting the temples.

Martina Murphy

Reviewed August 2018

Holiday of a lifetime

We have just returned from a two week adventure with our three sons aged 20,18 and 13. I can honestly say that our holiday exceeded our expectations. Our boys have all said that it’s the best holiday they have had .We experienced three very different countries and learnt so much. Our tour leader In Vietnam, Tam , was calm and organised and fed us infomation as we went along in a knowledgeable and personal way. Chheang in Cambodia was fab too and we were lucky enough to meet her lovely kids whose English was impeccable ! Hugh and Ant were also full of personality and good humour.
We were fortunate enough to share our experience with a great group of adults and young people.
Personally the homestay on the Mekong Delta was my highlight .The Killing Fields was harrowing .
Learning more about the Vietnam War and visiting the tunnels was a humbling experience.
We were exhausted but exhilarated . The organisation was seamless throughout .

Most Inspirational Moment

Homestay at Mekong Delta was an amazing experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

All the leaders were friendly and knowledgeable . They told the history of their country in a personal and engaging way.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring US dollars as needed for Cambodia border . Sports gear/running tops comfortable for humid conditions.

Victoria Beswick

Reviewed May 2017

Family Fun in SE Asia

It felt like a month’s worth of holiday in 2 weeks! The one other family were lovely- making it a real pleasure to travel together. The children really all got on well and that really made life easy! We would not have managed to see and do so much in 2 weeks if we had traveled independently- our guides (Tam in Vietnam) and Dyka (Cambodia and Thailand) were both knowledgeable and helpful and coped with our noise well!! The whole trip was as expected- apart form the VERY long drive form Siem Reap to Bangkok (much longer than anticipated due to Thai traffic). Apart form this one thing the bus was reliable and comfortable and everything was organised in a family-friendly and timely fashion. It really felt like our Guides did all the hard work and we just got to have the fun. We have some truly amazing memories and I think our children will talk about it for years (hopefully!).

Most Inspirational Moment

Everything along the Mekong Delta... the different boats, the local guide who knew everything, the Homestay and the food.

Thoughts on Group Leader

They were both patient and amazing.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack light- you will repack lots! Use local laundry facilities. Wifi was everywhere so tablets for long journies and cards/uno/ dobble etc are good for the longer bus rides.

Neil Willcox

Reviewed August 2016

Faultless...

Have just returned from this adventure, and feel compelled to write…the trip was one of the most fantastic, memorable experiences we have enjoyed as a family. We feel deeply privileged to have visited all 3 countries and meet the people, Cambodia in particular, and Exodus should be congratulated on delivering a hectic but manageable itinerary, with exemplary organisation, and guides who really helped us connect with the people, culture and surroundings. We were also impressed with the ethical choices made for excursions.

Most Inspirational Moment

Our favourite day was Ankor Wat by mountain bike, but we were particularly struck by the warm, gentle nature of the Cambodian people throughout our time there.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kim was absolutely fantastic - a wonderful person and great ambassador for his country and culture. Ant in Bangkok and Nuan in Vietnam both deserve mention.