It can be quite difficult and controversial to define what are the budget tour packages in Vietnam? Everyone has their own definition of what affordable means though lots of travel lists named Vietnam as one of the must-visit places in the world because it is cheap. For instance, if you earn more than 6 figures a year, a $1000 customized tour in Vietnam seems to be very affordable to you, but if you just earn enough to make both ends meet, then this Vietnam Customized Holidays could be starry-eyed. Vietnam now is becoming a great destination to travel to and it is often said that a trip in Vietnam doesn’t need to be expensive. It is fine to love something when it doesn’t bankrupt you, it is even better when that something is also good. However, falling from the budget tour packages can destroy your travel experience in Vietnam, or even your entire precious holidays. Here we try to point out the reasons that you should avoid these services and solutions to tight budget traveling. One thing to be true in this matter: Quality and private tours aren’t cheap!
You get what you pay for
Undoubtedly, the two main purposes that travelers look for when traveling to a new destination are local experience and true value. There is no point in getting to a place as just to be there while you can going to the same place and travel safely and totally immerse yourself in the local lifestyle and culture. Many budget tour companies try to offer cheap price by joining you with other tourists in a coach for the same “cookie-cutter” tours. Then, you may waste your limited traveling time waiting for others or doing the boring activities day by day. They also do not have the capital to provide sufficient trainings for their tour guides or hiring the freelancers to fill up the last minute on-demand bookings, which means the tour guides might not fully understand the product or its highlights when conducting the tour. Moreover, language barrier can be another problem with these tour guides to give the informative presentation on tour, then you will end up struggling to understand the given information. Sometimes, there are hidden costs in the quotations, tourists have to pay for extra attraction fees or certain meals on the way. So, you may have to spend more than the original budget you have planned for the tour.
Same kind of tour program
“Cookie-cutter” strategies would be applied by most budget tour companies because of saving operating costs and the lack of capital. Therefore when unexpected things happened, they are not flexible in dealing with and probably have no alternative plans for that. These company are tend to put most of their resources for making affordable front-end sales and leave a little resources customer care and backup planning. Nobody want to book a kind of tour with the same activity daily and have a tour guide show up late or not answer your inquiries promptly.
Different to cheap tours, quality tour operators value customer’s satisfaction and try to build a long term relationship so they would put their efforts to make sure that travelers enjoy the trip and get the best of their customized tour in Vietnam. Good tours should focus on customizing clients’ needs and careful planning as well as quality service and safety measure rather than optimizing operating costs to reduce prices.
Personal safety
Besides quality, safety in another matter need to compromise when traveling budget tours. In Vietnam, it can mean anything: getting food poisoning after a meal at an uncertificated restaurant, sleeping in a hotel room with a dirty sheet, traffic accidents because of inexperienced driver and bad vehicle. Though some travelers would take these risks without blinking an eye and be happy to travel in Vietnam with just few hundred dollars, their trips in Vietnam will not be complete without at least one mishap.
However, a great holidays in Vietnam should never be associated with risks and misfortunes. Traveling must not feel like gambling. Even for the adventure activity, it should be all about the illusions and thrills, not real risks. Don’t ever risk your personal safety joining a budget tour without making proper research!
Good memories are priceless
Certainly, travelers would never enjoy a destination and get the best of it while they have to be aware of their safety each day of the budget tour in Vietnam. More than that, companies that offer budget tours need to employ cheap and unqualified labors which leads to the lack of experience. Meanwhile, good Vietnam customized tours are not cheap because of using legitimate and qualified people. These experienced tour guides are so confident in their ability to make a holidays in a safe, enjoyable and informative way. Do you want to have unforgettable experience or disappointed moments that you need to complain after the trip?
Solutions to tight budget traveling
– Do it yourself: Vietnam is an easy destination to do it yourself. Making proper research, planning your trip carefully and reading Vietnam travel guides and you can travel through all the famous destinations in Vietnam without a single problem. If you are looking for far and off-the-beaten-track places, joining a tour is always a good suggestion, but need to check the quality of the tour company carefully.
– Travel with friends: Teaming up with some friends to share the costs of a Vietnam private tour is not a bad idea. The per-person price is often provided by quality tour operators and can be very competitive when having a group of travelers to share.
– Wait for right time: Memorable experience and safety are the most important priorities of a holidays. Do not waste your time, money or personal safety on budget Vietnam tours run by bad tour companies. If you can’t afford a Vietnam customized tour with a reliable and reputable tour operator at the moment, then wait for a little while until your budget allows.
– Travel in the low season: If your working schedule is flexible, then traveling in Vietnam during the low season (May – September) can help to save money on the total travel cost. Many tour operators offer good promotion of their customized Vietnam tours to increase sale in low season. Shop around and you may find great deals.
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