Inside Vietnam: Grand Circle Travel
Dates: November 2005
This was our first trip with Grand Circle Travel. At the time, we didn’t know about Overseas Adventure Travel (Grand Circle owns and runs OAT). Grand Circle is a ‘big bus’ tour for older folks and OAT is small groups and much more active.
Please also note that I am writing this post many years after having taken the trip to Vietnam.
For that reason, I strongly suggest you read more recent reviews and evaluations posted by travelers who have taken the trip more recently. I was 53 when we took this trip – way younger than the typical Grand Circle traveler. It was still a great trip. You’ll see from this website that we have taken many subsequent trips with OAT and many other travelers share my opinion that the tour to Vietnam is one of the best trips to take.
$100 FIRST TIMER DISCOUNT
If you are considering the Vietnam Tour with either Grand Circle or Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), feel free to take advantage of this special savings (It works for either). When making your reservation, simply say you were referred by Jesse Slome (Customer Number 932019) and they will deduct $100 off the lowest available price. This works just one time on your first trip. No catch and it’s just for your first trip.
MY REVIEW
First of all … if you ask Mindy … I think she will tell you this has been her favorite trip. It definitely ranks up there for me. And, it clearly is still one of the travel bargains available.
It’s a wonderful country to visit. We loved the food (even me who lives for desserts … and they don’t really eat sugar there). We loved the shopping (even me … I would go back there today to shop again). And, we loved the people. They have been through many wars — including the last which they refer to as “the American War”.
BOTTOM LINE: Vietnam is one of the few places I would revisit again. If you go, I really think you’ll feel the same way.
That said, I am sure many things have changed in the 12 years between when we went and today when I’m writing this. But, as I’ve said, I’ve talked to many people on our subsequent tours and they regale you with stories of great bargains. When we arrived we changed $60 for 1 million Vietnamese Dong … making us instant millionaires.
TIP: If you are considering a trip with either Grand Circle or Overseas Adventure Travel, I strongly recommend reading the various reviews. For example, one of the travelers recommended bringing $1 bills with us. We brought $100 and had a great time buying all kinds of little stuff from local street vendors, etc. Fellow travelers will share tips not in the guide book the company sends you.
I wish you a wonderful trip.
IF YOU DO USE MY REFERRAL CODE TO SAVE $100 – why not send me a quick note to say hello. I always like to hear from folks who love travel as much as we do.
Email me: jslome @ aaltci.org
these candies. They are like caramels but the inside will open your airways. You’ll enjoy (at least I did).
The tour name said it all. Overseas Adventure Travel offered a very affordable tour of Costa Rica, a truly fascinating country. It really was a comprehensive tour – site seeing, adventure (Zip line ride), a ton of nature all lead by an excellent guide and providing an outstanding look at a country. On the last day, I asked the guide how many miles we covered and he commented that we had covered some 700 (it was well worth it).
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE COSTA RICA TOUR: A couple of things. First, this is a country of enormous natural beauty. From flora and fauna to waterfalls, incredibly warm oceans to coffee plantations and more. Every day was like visiting some new natural national park.
If you like fresh fruit, then this was the tour to take because I ate more incredibly fresh mango than I’ve had in a lifetime. Costa Rican food is simple and basic (lots of beans and rice) but I really enjoyed and the food was plentiful. In fact, when I came home and looked at my photos and stood on the scale, I went on a diet and have since lost 20 pounds.
Please feel free to write to me with any questions. Or, just to let me know that you’ve made a reservation and used my discount code. Thank you.
On the drive to one of the national parks we made a toilet stop and the guide said “whoever likes pie, follow me.” Turns out pie meant meat pie. But I have to say that the lamb with fresh mint meat pie was one of my favorite meals in New Zealand. If not my favorite one. I’m sure your guide will know the place and if you like great, simple local, fresh food … this is the place to stop.
Well, the scenery is incredibly varied and quite beautiful. I would call it a young country, vibrant and yet modern. The cities are small by U.S. standards but that makes them really nice to visit. And, then you have large expanses of small rural towns. Relaxing and fun to visit because it’s all still real. What I would say small town US cities were like in the 1950s. In fact, this was how the folks get their mail in one such village … looks like a bus stop but it’s actually the local post office pick-up.
I couldn’t imagine seeing China in any other way (than a guided tour). This is a huge country and to really see as much as you’d want to, you need a knowledgeable guide leader and this Overseas Adventure Tour really exceeded my expectations (with one exception, food … but that’s really easy to overlook).
MY TIP FOR TRAVELERS: Make the most of your free time. Maybe it was our tour travelers or the guide but many people didn’t explore on their own. But if you really want to experience a country, I believe you need to. So, when we had free time in Beijing, I said I wanted to ride the subway. Once the guide realized I was serious and a few others asked if they could join me … he agreed to guide us (which was helpful). It’s a great system by the way. We also went off to explore shopping malls and supermarkets. If you really want to experience the real China, don’t just hang out in the hotel. There was nothing like having young kids come up to touch my arms (they aren’t hairy by American standards … but apparently they are by Chinese standards).
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE CHINA AND TIBET TOUR: Pretty much everything. You really cover the country and this is a BIG country undergoing huge transformation. You see cities and rural countryside. I loved spending the evening in a farmer’s home watching TV (he didn’t speak a word of English and I don’t speak Mandarin). No worries, there is a universality among humans. And, watching my wife do Texas-style line dancing with Chinese farm wives was a real hoot. You will cover an enormous amount and while it seems overwhelming, it wasn’t. It was exciting and made the trip an incredible value.
And, Tibet … what a truly unique experience. I could write 1,000 words and not adequately cover how much I enjoyed Tibet. I would say this was really the highlight of our visit because it held so many unexpected surprises. And, it was especially great to meet the people who 
live under Chinese repression. Oh, by the way — this is a photo of the Potala Palace and be ready to climb up all the steps to gain access. BUT, this is a not-to-be missed experience!
You want an adventure? You want something different? Spend a night or two in the Sahara dessert. Lay out on the sand at night and see a starlit sky unlike any you have ever seen. Walk the bazaar in Fez (I actually liked Fez more than Marrakesh) and see a part of the world few will ever visit.
MY TIP FOR TRAVELERS: Go earlier in the year than we did (May 12-26). We were the last group to camp in the Sahara and these was good reason for that … the heat and the sun. There is no escaping it and while we clearly survived with great memories … BOY WAS IT HOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY!
That said, what a great trip and what a unique adventure. I have camped overnight in the Sinai desert so I remember the night sky. I wanted a repeat performance and this did not disappoint. Neither did waking up early in the morning to see a lone camel walking just behind our tent. I guess that’s why they put camel crossing signs along the desert trails.
This tour really gives you a fair and balanced view of the country and it’s people. From large cities where we had dinner with a family to visiting Bedouins who live in tents. If you want to be a hit, bring a bag of lollipops and you’ll be a hero to dozens of youngsters,
And, in terms of shopping. We usually don’t buy items when we travel but we brought back a couple of great items from this trip, including a rug. TIP: Be prepared to bargain and bargain hard. If you travel as a couple, make sure you both agree on some coding so you know when you like an item but the merchant has no idea. Then bargain until they give in. It’s their national sport.
WHO AM I? My name is Jesse Slome and while I still work professionally, I travel more — having visited every continent (except Antarctica … that’s on the list). I have booked many tours but discovered OAT quite by accident … and have never found a better way to travel. As a result, my wife and I take at least one OAT trip a year.