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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177 Reviews

4.6 out of 5

Kathleen Sheridan

Reviewed March 2015

Cycle Indochina & Angkor

A trip of a life time a great opportunity to see 3 countries from a local perspective. The scenery and the bikes were fabulous even the transition from one country to another was seamless with the support teams really taking care of us all. The snacks on the way provided by them were lovely especially the home made lemonade in Cambodia. We really got to know the support teams as they made us all feel safe and their sense of humour was brilliant. As a group we all got on so well and as I had not paid for a single room our guide arranged that us 3 ladies rotated the rooms so we all had at least 3 nights on our own.

Most Inspirational Moment

The visit to the killing fields was awe inspiring and the visit to the war museum in Saigon equally memorable however I think getting up at 04.00 to go and watch the sun rise over Ankor Watt ......I will never forget

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was so kind and thoughtful to the needs of all the group. He had the patience of a saint as we had one, and there is always one, who would test anyone, yet he treated him with respect and patience where as I and others would have sent him in the opposite direction several times!!!!!! His local knowledge was fascinating and he really loved his job which was evident throughout the trip. Therefore we were so sad to say goodbye when the trip was over. Other guides form other countries when meeting him you could see their respect for him. Rik is a gem if you get him you will have a fab time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Advice for others considering this trip I would say go for it. I am 3 months off 60 with little or no training done for this trip however I can cycle a road bike so the transition to mountain bike was no problem. Just check the size of your frame before you set off as I was given a large frame I am 5ft 3ins!!! It took me 2 days to realise I had the wrong size of bike!!!! The food you will enjoy is outstanding as your guide will bring you to local restaurants. The local knowledge each guide has and their enthusiam is 10 out of 10. You feel safe and privileged to see the local villages and people. Bring american dollars rather than the local currency.

Barry Price

Reviewed March 2015

excelent introdution to asia

the trip was a introduction to the region , leaving you wanting to return and explore further

Most Inspirational Moment

I it difficult to identify one moment as each of the three countries were so different , it was more like 3 holidays in one.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rit was a very good leader and his relaxed Thai style made him very popular with the group

Advice for Potential Travellers

add a few days on to each end of the trip so you can see more

Celia Harrison

Reviewed January 2015

Cycling three countries

Cycling trip starting in Thailand via Cambodia to Vietnam. Culture stops at Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh and Saigon. The cycling was back to front with long distances at the start of the trip when I (this was only me, I think!) was struggling to adjust to the high (37 degree) temperatures. It was always possible to stop riding and take the bus, but I didn’t feel good about it. I did enjoy the trip immensely once I’d acclimatised and loved the stops at Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh and Saigon. The quality of hotels in these places was really good, too. Would do this trip again in a heartbeat.

Most Inspirational Moment

Affecting, rather than inspirational, were the Killing Fields and S21 Prison in Phnom Penh. I'm still thinking about it and reading what I can to make sense of the senselessmess of it. I was very proud of myself the day I managed all the cycling and completed a distance of 82km. This was the best group I've travelled with on Exodus: everyone was so nice.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chai was the most organised group leader I've come across on an Exodus trip (I've been on more than ten). His belief in communication as the most important aspect of managing a group describes the essence of his approach. He engaged with all 18 of us, was professional, knowledgeable and a pleasure to spend time with.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do this trip. I used Tahi Baht in Thailand and US dollars in Cambodia and Vietnam: this worked well. The hire bikes have drink holders, so bring a flask rather than a backpack bladder (less hot to carry). A loose shirt to wear over the top of a cycling vest/shirt is very useful (sun, modesty, etc). As a diabetic and vegetarian, I needed to avoid the rehydration salts and brought Marmite and V8 to compensate. There are very good veggie restaurants in Siem Reap and Saigon.

Andrew Hewitt

Reviewed January 2015

Sightseeing and cycling with few hills

This trip provides good balance between cycling and sightseeing. The cycling is mostly on the flat, with no real hills to speak of, and at manageable distances with regular snack breaks, at least every 10 to 20km or so – if you are averagely fit it won’t be highly challenging, though there are a couple of longish days towards the start. The sights are really worth seeing though – Angkor Wat being the obvious highlight. Ho Chi Minh City is also a great place to visit – it is changing so fast!

Most Inspirational Moment

I am not sure about "inspirational", but for me the most fun cycling was in Vietnam where the route passes alongside a river marking the Cambodian border, and where the people - young and old - seem so genuinely happy to see the group passing through the village. The War Remnants museum in Ho Chi Minh City and the Killing Fields & S21 jail in Phnom Penh are disturbing but essential to visit to start to try to understand the recent violent past. In both places, they have made a real effort to document and explain exactly what went on in the hope that it won't happen again.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chai was superb. Nothing was too much trouble for him, and he did a great job of keeping the group together, managing three different teams, handling all of the paperwork and border-crossing formalities, and explaining everything that we were about to do (often multiple times over). He really cares about and takes pride in doing his job well and he is incredibly patient. He's also a really nice guy. I managed to mislay a couple of personal items on one of the buses and he has made it his mission to get the returned to me in the UK. I have to also mention the Thai team, in particular Mr Black and his two sons - lovely people with a real passion for cycling (and, in Mr Black's case, photography - he took loads of photos and videos and loaded them up on to memory sticks for us just for fun, in addition to driving the support vehicle and keeping everyone topped up with water).

Advice for Potential Travellers

Siem Reap is busy so if you are not confident cycling in traffic, jump on the bus for the first and last stretches of the cycling days in Siem Reap. There is a great big Tesco superstore (yes, really!) just across the road from the hotel on the second night, where you can stock up on all kinds of things you might have forgotten, and food. They have an in-store pharmacy and electrical goods section. The hotel on the second night isn't great but it is clean and does the job. We found that the water tended to be lukewarm in all of the Thai hotels, much better in Cambodia and Vietnam. We still haven't worked out why the hotel in Siem Reap played nursery rhymes as background music in the communal areas the whole time were there. We took the option to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat - which is fine, but don't be under the illusion that you will have the place to yourself - there were hundreds, possibly thousands, of people doing exactly the same thing!

Jane Arlow

Reviewed January 2015

Cycle Indonchina and Angkor

A great way to see the three countries visited – up close and personal. Cycling off the beaten track in Thailand takes you to places other visitors don’t usually see and allowed for everyone to cycle at their own pace (be that racer or not). Cycling in Cambodia on the other hand is somewhat of a different nature, particularly in Siem Reap. We really enjoyed the exhilaration of dodging the traffic including mopeds riding the wrong way up your side of the road. Viet Nam was different again with endless over excited children running out to wave and say hello..makes you feel like royalty with all that waving 🙂

Most Inspirational Moment

Realising how lucky we are to be born in Europe and not experiencing the many hardships that continue to this day in Cambodia even twenty years after the end of the Khmer Rouge era. How do they keep smiling? We were also very impressed by just how much you can load into the trailer of a moped and still ride it!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour leader, Is, was really great - no one in our group has enough good things to say about her good grace and smiles and organizational skills keeping 18 cats herded in the same direction for two weeks. Also, not really a group leader, but the local cycle team in Thailand were also really great - the set up of all the rest stops was superb with lots of fresh fruit and cold drinks and all sorts of nibbles.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Echoing some of the other feedback, padded shorts and a gel saddle are a must! Be prepared for the hideously long travel day from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. They dug up the road two years ago, all of it, by the look of it, and apart from a couple of 500 metre stretches, have not remade it. So, that day, it took us over 9 hours and not the 5-6 it says in the trip notes. Don't indulge too much in snacking at rest stops as you always have a big lunch too and it feels really bad leaving food on your plate because you weren't hungry any more!

Thomas McNally

Reviewed January 2015

cảm ơn bạn

A very well organised trip, with good accommodation and food and great guides.

Most Inspirational Moment

Staying in the homestay on the Mekong Delta was great, especially the cooking and the singalong with our Vietnamese guide.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was very knowledgeable, funny, extremely helpful and great at anticipating potential problems and resolving them before they occurred.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Travel light if you can and make the use of local laundry services (typically 1-2USD per kg)

Yvette Burnell

Reviewed January 2015

Cycle Indochina

Good

Most Inspirational Moment

Angkor Wat & the killing fields was necessary viewing

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take gel saddle and shorts

Louise Weller

Reviewed January 2015

Well organised, great cycling

We really enjoyed our holiday, our guide Is was excellent, very well organised. There was very littl hanging about The cycling in Thailand was excellent fun as very quiet roads where we could all go at our own pace, race if we wanted to or in my case bring up the rear. Roads were busier in Cambodia and Vietnam but was still great but we could not split into groups so much. I was a bit nervous about keeping up but it was nearly all totally flat and I found I could manage the distances much easier than I had thought. Bikes were excellent but please, please take padded shorts and a gel saddle cover, hardened cyclerswere struggling without. No need to carry a bag whilst cycling as a vehicle follows you around and you just need to take a drinks bottle. food was really good and as a vegetarian I did not have any problems. If anything there was too much food which was particularly true in Vietnam where we were given large lunches which we felt rude not finishing but they were just too big. Although lunches not included you do not get a choice of where to go so I actually think he rip would be better if lunches were included since there is no choice anyway. hotels were a very good standard, much better than I was expecting. The only downside to the holiday was the time in Phenom Penh which was quite a stressful place to walk round and except going to the market I could not find anything to do in our free time and I also found the home stay to be very different to what I was expecting. I was thinking it would be a quiet retreat but our guide cider to do karaoke very loudly from his laptop. it was great fun but not a quiet retreat, we also had a en suite room and it was just a bit strange! great holiday though and I would recommend it.

Most Inspirational Moment

of course the temples and Angkor but also finding out I could cycle really fast on the flat, ( living onDartmoor I am normally rather slow)

Thoughts on Group Leader

great

Advice for Potential Travellers

As above padding for your .butt and a drinks bottle

William Thornton

Reviewed December 2014

You have to go!

This trip has so many positives it is hard to list them all but here goes;
Organisation from Exodus pre-travel was excellent as was the slight changes I made to my trip to accommodate onward travel to Hanoi.
The guide was amazing and her humour and attention to detail made it all run really smoothly.
This type of holiday allows you to see at first hand real people and observe their sometimes simple and challenging lives, you would never see this in a coach or car.
The bikes were were good quality and sized accordingly. Roads and tracks were easy going really, some shallow inclines and easy off-road. The issue i guess is the heat when cycling rather than the distance. This is compensated for by regular pre-planned stops and plenty of fluid and nutritional snacks, provided by the kitty.
The support crews were the unsung heroes really, they made it all work so easily and despite most of them not speaking any English they were always happy to help. It was this whole package that made the trip work so well.
The hotels we stayed in were o0n the whole very good and the food was good too. We chose as a group to eat together each night which was a good way to unwind from the exertions of the day!
A group holiday required a bit of give and take and that means being a bit laid back, group dynamic is everything to a successful trip. Our group was great ans we all got on really well and helped each other when required.
The trip itself offers quite a variety of experiences such as remote farming and fishing communities, temples (plenty of those!), some ‘nightlife’ such as Pub Street in Siem Reap and equally tranquil moments in really remote places. The variety is there too as each country is different in many ways and it is this that you will remember most.

Most Inspirational Moment

Well 2 things really; firstly the many children we met and saw, they are so happy and so keen to shout 'hello' and 'high-five' as you ride by. It was this interaction which I will remember for a long time as this is such a contrast to other countries I have been too. The other was the guide in Phnom Penh who explained his personal experience of the Khmer Rouge and the civil war, it was incredible really the way as Buddists they are able to forgive and move on rather than take revenge on the persecutors. This act has allowed the country to move forward rather than end up divisive and embittered. I felt this was something we in the West need to think about a bit more.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader 'IS' was the key part of this trip, as you would expect of course, however she was more than that, she was special. Why/ well because she had infectious humour, was a good sport and really cared about us, both individually and as a group. Safety and getting the best from our trip was always in the forefront of her mind, she also was thinking ahead all the time. Guides on these type of trips need to be resourceful and never can switch off. The others guides who joined us in both Cambodia and Vietnam to support her were also very good and added considerably to the knowledge we gained about these respective countries.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with an open mind on what you will see, I saw much more than I expected too. You will get a group experience and this is great especially if you are traveling as a single person. Karaoke was our group bonding event, but don't worry its not compulsory!!! Don't take any super-smart clothes, you won't need them and they take up valuable luggage space! Sun protection essential as is mozzie spray but they were not a real problem for us in Nov/Dec. The snacks provided for the group out of the kitty are adequate but only take your own if you are partial to them. I took a small and cheap bag to attach to my bike handlebars, this was great for carrying a camera and money etc, better than a rucksack, worth the investment. If you taking a special saddle or pedals they are easily changed by the bike crew. Padded shorts are essential also, some took a gel seat cover as well. Food is generally cheap as are drinks, bill sharing for meals is much easier and saves time when paying too. Clothes washing is easy and cheap too so no need to bring enough for 2 weeks. Bring hand gels and use common sense with hygiene and you will have no problems, the guide will advise as well. A small and easily set-up camera is best while traveling, I took 2 one on the bike and one in the van. Plenty of opportunity to buy cheap clothes and quality goods made in Vietnam.

Margaret Harris

Reviewed December 2014

cycle Indochina & Angkor

I thought the whole of the trip was excellent and very well organised. Nee and all of the staff in the 3 countries visited gave a very good service with a smile. Nothing was too much trouble. Nee made the trip memorable.

Most Inspirational Moment

..The visit to Angkor Wat and the cycling in Vietnam.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

The flight to save the 6 hr bus transfer was worth doing.

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