Program Reviews

Trutravels know how to pull the rug out from under you by changing their terms and conditions to suit themselves. Took our payment even asking to confirm whether coronavirus was a problem and a week later cancelled and refused to provide a refund. Original terms and conditions said we could have a refund.

Not happy with that decision or the attitude of their staff. Now we are stuck with trying to get our money back and no faith in them to provide the holiday they are promising. Really disappointing.

From the first night I knew that we were lucky to have Seyha as our guide. He was always ready with the relevant information while also making a continuous effort to keep a positive energy in the group.
Most of the time Seyha felt like a friend as much as a guide, which was important given the very small group size. I think Seyha went above and beyond to make up for this and ensure that I was getting the most out of the experience.
In a relatively short space of time I think this trip has given me a comprehensive taste of Cambodia. I enjoyed all of the 4 locations, all of which had something different to offer.
Although I would have preferred a larger group, one advantage of having a small group was the level of flexibility, which meant nobody ever needed to do something they didn't want to do.
I have never felt worried about anything throughout the tour, as Seyha was always on hand to solve problems and provide advice.
I also appreciated his enthusiasm for photography, as he was always on hand to help get the best shots.
Overall I feel that Seyha added significantly to my enjoyment of the tour.

After experiencing an awful tour with G Adventures, I was nervous of the trutravel tour. However, Seyha has made the trip everything I expected and more. I was taken back by the amazing excursions and accommodation provided by trutravel. I have fallen in love with Cambodia and will definitely be returning! I feel Seyha exceeded his role as our tour guide, making us feel welcome and homely for the 12 days being here. Seyha tailored the itinerary to suit us, which made the tour even more special. We have been able to see such memorable places such as S21, Killing fields, Angkor Wat, incredible sunsets and more. I was over the moon by the unbelievable knowledge Seyha has of his country. It was fantastic being able to find out more information. Seyha has such an outgoing, bubbly and caring personality which just makes the tour even more incredible. Even keeping me smiling whilst having seasick issues. I’m overly grateful to have experienced this trip and would recommend to anyone to definitely get involved!!!

Well what can I say but a massive thank you to Seyha, he is truly one of the most enthusiastic kind caring and most funniest person I’ve ever met, he really does go above and beyond. It has been a absolute pleasure getting to know him and all his incredible knowledge of Cambodia, where I have experienced my first time and most defiantly not going to be my last. It’s a wonderful country and definitely would love to return. His is amazing at his job and trutravels are lucky to have such a great person!. It also has been one of the most fun filled tour adventures I’ve ever done and they also get my 100% satisfaction with every single activity we have done and have had the most memorable experience learning all about Cambodia that will stay with me for life!! The group has also been amazing each individual I’ve met I will always remember as they have all made this trip for me. I’m sad it’s come to a end but I’m happy to of gained new friendships from it all. I wish everyone the best and from here to there next adventure, also once again a MASSIVE thank you to Seyha he is epic and have been so lucky to have him as our tour guide!!!!! 💫

As this was my first time travelling alone I decided I wanted to do a tour to break myself in, Vietnam has always been somewhere I wanted to go so I decided to book on the 17 day tour. I was nervous before arriving but straight away I felt comfortable with everyone and my tour guide Edna was amazing from the off. My nerves changed to relief straight away and it was clear to me it was the best decision I made. For me the tour just got better and better as we moved north and all the sites we got to see and the activities included were just amazing! People ask me what my favourite part was but I genuinely couldn’t pick a best part as I enjoyed it so much, this is massively down to the group of people I was with also, couldn’t of asked for a better bunch of people and I will be in touch with them again. Plenty of extra activities are available for you to do while you have free time and I would recommend for anyone thinking of doing the tour to take advantage of these. Edna was very helpful sorting any extra activities you wanted to do. Also very helpful in letting you know where to go for food or what sites to see. After the tour I had a week spare before flying to Cambodia and wasn’t sure on what to do so Edna suggested we rent some motor bikes and head off into the hills to see some more of Vietnam, I thought yes why not. After hours on the bikes the sites and views we got to see were just out of this world! And again this is all credit to Edna for helping sort the extra little trip out, as if I was on my own I probably wouldn’t have the confidence to do this! All in all I would massively recommend this tour to anyone who is thinking about Vietnam! Massive thank you to everyone on my tour, trutravels and especially Edna!

I was not sure how 10 days with total strangers, and a tour leader, sharing the same accommodations would work out. I was pleasantly surprised. I am used to traveling solo and be on my own schedule, so this was a completely new experience for me. I would first like to give credit to my team leader Edna Mendoza who was absolutely incredible and made sure we had fun, stayed safe and on track with our schedule.
Booking the trip with a British company from the U.S. was actually pretty easy to do. The price for the whole experience was wallet friendly and by far exceeded all my expectations. The team was very responsive to my questions and concerns so I was confident booking with them.
I spent one the my best vacations ever. Edna was really incredible and started communicating with me well in advance of the tour and was always readily available to answer questions and address concerns.
I was fortunate to be part of an incredible group of people, all with different backgrounds, which was fun.
I really had very unique experiences, from traveling for 5 to 10+ hours on a sleeper bus, to sharing 15-bed room in hostel in Ninhavana which was a very beautiful party location. Walking the streets of Mui Ne, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Saigon (to name a few) during the day and at night was quite exquisite. Experiencing the hustle and bustle of Vietnam, from day life to nightlife was exactly what I was looking for. Street food was the best and I always make it a point to eat as much of it as I can. My best memory was coming back from a late outing and stopping at a street vendor's space to get some pho...I was the happiest girl in the world and ate the best pho I have ever tasted -thank you Edna for facilitating this experience and giving us the flexibility we needed to fully immerse ourselves.
There is so much to say, from taking an epic trip to see the "hands" (Golden Bridge) in Da Nang (riding cable cars forever to get there...lol..scary but thrilling experience), to eating the best Banh Mi (where Anthony Bourdain did), to having bespoke outfits made, to cycling and bamboo boat riding in Hoi An or sand surfing in Mui Ne...all throughout this amazing experience, our team leader Edna was incredibly supportive, inclusive and really the instigator of so much fun! I don't remember ever being bored during the whole trip. I made friends and hope everyone who books this tour has as much fun as we did. I would use Trutravels again in the future - but ONLY if Edna is my group leader❤️

An exceptional tour however it is 100% the people and tour guide that make the biggest impact. Minnie was my guide for the first 2 weeks of the tour and she was exceptional, I cannot think of a single flaw. She made everyone feel welcome! Her bubbly personality shone the entire tour! Her food recommendations are fantastic! The people were great, the Erawan waterfalls are beautiful, the gentle giants at the elephant sanctuary were incredible (my favourite day) and the jungle trek and home stay was extremely eye opening! The 3rd week was great, a massive group and Ali would have benefit with another guide. The last week was highly disappointing, didn’t enjoy the tour and I felt that it was a waste of money. I wish I did it myself. Thanks!!!!!

I am beyond mesmerised by this amazing experience that I was welcomed into by tru travels. As my first time travelling over seas I couldn’t recommend this tour enough. Not only were we guided by the one and only awesome Ali sexy bitch to some of the worlds most beautiful and cultural places, we were constantly encouraged to try to new things in a safe and fun environment. Everything was organised so well and Ali was more than willing to ensure that everything ran smoothly with our own freedom as well so that we really could make the most of our journey. I cannot wait to come back! I would love to cross paths with Ali and the tru travels spirit! :) ❤️ This really has been a great kickstart to my travel journey, I’m sparing every cent that I can to go on another!!!

As it was the first time I have travelled on my own abroad, I thought it would be best to go on a tour to ease myself into travelling. Having read the previous reviews of the two tours in the "Total Thailand" package and reviews on TruTravels, this trip with the wide array of activities on the itinerary seemed the perfect tour for what I wanted to do.

When I arrived I was picked up from the airport and taken over to the accomodation in Bangkok for free, which was about a 30 minute drive. When we got to the hostel I was greeted by my first tour guide, Pompom. He was very helpful and accommodating, sorting everything out and taking me to my room. Later on we all met up and went over the Sky Tower, the second tallest building in Thailand, in downtown Bangkok for a buffet. The views from there were amazing, although it was quite expensive as it was an optional activity not included on the itinerary, but it was worth seeing. After this we went for a night out on Koa San Road, which was just round the corner from the hotel. The next day we went round some of the temples in Bangkok, with Pompom provided a detailed insight into the different sights.

We then left for the next places on the itinerary, which included Kanchanaburi, Erawan Waterfalls, The Bridge Over The River Kwai and Ayutthaya. Each location was visually stunning and it was fascinating to learn some of the history between the different sites, especially relating to the history of the Bridge Over The River Kwai in the war.

Next was one of many highlights of the trip, the Chaing Mai Elephant Sanctuary. It was great to spend the day here, creating food for and feeding the elephants before bathing and playing with them in the water. It was great to see how well they are looked after.

Chaing Mai and Pai were next on the list, and I loved both places. Chaing Mai was more of a busy city with a lot going on and plenty of places to see and go out with easy transport around the city. The cooking class was something I thoroughly enjoyed, and it was probably the best food I had whilst I was out there (if I do say so myself).

Pai was my favourite place from the Northern part of the Thailand Tour, it's a lovely town where you walk down the main Street and through food market in the evenings with plenty of options to choose from. There's also good places to go out, with a bar crawl going to different places in the town, as there was in Chaing Mai.

The final day finished the tour at the Grand Canyon, a massive water obstacle course. This was a great way to end the first part of the tour as it was so much fun! Unfortunately one of the members of the group fell off awkwardly and dislocated her shoulder, so she had to go to hospital, but everything was dealt very well with by Pompom, as he had with most things on the tour concidering there were a couple of difficult members of the group that you could clearly see were draining him.

When back in Chaing Mai, we said our goodbyes to the people who were only on the first 14 days of the trip, (most of whom were fantastic and were a great laugh), and got the night train back to Bangkok. While we were on the train, the new members of the tour did what we did on our first day and went over the Sky Tower. When we arrived, we met up with those who'd been out for dinner, as well as our new Tour Guide, Ali, and had pre-drinks at the hotel before going out on Koa San Road again.

The next day we went around some of the temples in Bangkok, as well as going on a long tail boat through the river and exploring Bangkok by Tuk Tuk. The next day, we got a Thai massage before catching the overnight train to the south, where we were picked up and taken to the dock to catch a boat to the next place. This was the beautiful Khao Sok National Park. Here we stayed on floating bungalows and kayaked round the various different routes in the national park. The next day it was off to Koh Phanang, where we spent out time learning Muay Thai and enjoying the day at the beautiful bottle beach. Here there was a full moon party which took place in the evening, before we then ordered taxis to the other side of the island, where the proper full moon party was held. The size of it was absolutely massive, and you definitely have to go if you're on the island!
The next day we had a boat trip around the island, stopping off at some fantastic spots for snorkeling and sites with lovely views.

After the couple of days in Koh Phangan, it was off to the next place, with was Koh Tao. This was one of my favourite places on the whole tour. It's a beautiful island was stunning views and the town and accommodation we stayed at was fantastic, with plenty to see and do including the bar crawl and diving in the seas around the island. It's definitely a place I really want to come back to in the future. Such a chilled and relaxed island where you really feel at home. During your time there, you go over to Koh Nang Yuan, which is. Alittle island just off Koh Toa, and again this is absolutely stunning. The boat tile round Koh Tao is amazing too, with so many great views and snorkeling sites, which were even better than the things I saw when I was diving! So many different species of fish and marine life in seeable sight from the surface.

As sad as it was to leave the island, it was off the the penultimate stop of the tour, the Phi Phi Islands. Definitely up there with Koh Tao as one of the very best parts of the trip. Unreal views from the viewpoints, loads of bars, shops and market places as well as great places to eat (especially Cosmos and it was very good value). We took out kayaks on our chilled day and went round the bay. The massive rocks we past were beautiful, but as we went round the bay, we saw the sorry and disgusting stay of one of the hidden, uninhabited beaches. All the plastic had wash up on the shore and some was still in the sea. It was an eye opening and quiet frankly shocking sight to see. One that really hit home and has made me think. Seeing it on the tele in no way prepared you for what you see in person. It makes you realise how bad the problem actually is and how much work needs to be done to reduce the damage already done.

We then went on a boat trip to see the different islands and beaches around Phi Phi, inuding Maya Bay, which was used in The Beach and has been subsequently closed to allow the damage done by tourists to time to recover. On our final day in Phi Phi we did a beach clean up along the main beach, just a few hundred meters from where we were staying.

After Phi Phi it was onto our final stop via an overnight boat to the mainland, before a minibus over to another boat to Phuket. When we arrived everyone was tired from the travelling, so we didn't go out on the final night as a group. I feel we should have had a full day in Phuket before the checkout day, as we just turned up and the tour was over. Fortunately I had another 4 days in Phuket so I could have a good look around the island, and I would recommend anyone doing the trio on doing the same or at least 2 extra days on the island before you leave.

The group for the second part of the tour was great! We all got along really well and unlike a couple of people in the first tour group, there wasn't anyone causing problems or constantly moaning.

A word on our tour guide, Ali (or Sexy Bitch Ali as he likes to call himself), he was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. He was full of energy, always up for a laugh, really helpful and very knowledgeable about everything on the tour. He quite clearly absolutely loves his job and its great to see the passion he has for it. If you're lucky eniught to get him for your tour, you're very much in a safe pair of hands.

The tour its self was absolutely fantastic, and took completely all the worry about booking everything out of the equation. Wait for when TruTravels do their sales, because £1,725 is quite expensive. I got mine for £1,325 when it was on sale so it's definitely worth waiting until they come around! All the accomodation used throughout the tour was to a good standard, but I did find a few of the beds a bit hard and struggled to sleep. All the activities were great and well worth doing and seeing. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking to go to Thailand.

Vietnam North was an amazing tour. My friends put me off going to Vietnam but I'm so glad I went anyway! I previously went to Cambodia and much preferred Vietnam.

I was a solo traveler and found it very easy to make friends, especially through all the fun activities you do together.

The cooking class was one of my favorite activities, the food was so tasty, my other favorite activity was Jeep Tour on Hai Van Pass

I was worried about accommodation as I had never travelled as a ‘back packer’ but actually the accommodation was great, nothing like the horror stories you hear of some people traveling.

Our tour guide Papsii made the tour very enjoyable. He is very fun and professional. He always had us laughing.

Overall this was a great tour and I would really recommend it.