Intro Travel Reviews

An incredible holiday with incredible people!

From booking the trip, to my questions being promptly answered, our amazing fellow travelers, and the incomparable Dave Toole, we couldn’t have asked for a better experience nor a better tour leader. I’m looking forward to seeing Dave become the #1 rated guide on tour radar; no one is more deserving.

Thank you for provinding me with the most memorable experience imaginable. Bali forever has my heart!

After being in Australia for a year I decided to book Thai Intro on the way home to the UK so that I didn't have to worry about a thing! and that's exactly what I got! I turned up and was taken from one end of Thailand to the other with some amazing experiences, including Bangkok culture, an overnight train, an incredible national park and island life in Koh Phangan. Food was super cheap although Thai service itself is a little slow in places. I'm not one to complain, just embrace being somewhere as awesome as Thailand where everyone is super friendly. Just get involved and deal with anything that's rough around the edges! Best experience of my life so far!

TRANSLATION:

Unbelievable!
Dave is by far the best guide I have ever experienced and the Bali Experience experience is worth much more than the cost! Having visited nearly 40 countries and having experienced multiple guides, I can honestly say that Dave is much more than a guide. Generous, kind, friendly, and always full of energy, Dave made our stay in Bali and rated "experience" as memorable. I can not wait to travel again with Intro Travel and I hope Dave will be my guide!

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Incroyable!
Dave est de loin le meilleur guide que j’ai connu et le voyage Bali Expérience en vaut beaucoup plus que le coût!
Ayant visité près de 40 pays et ayant connu multiples guides, je peux sincèrement dire que Dave est beaucoup plus qu’un guide.
Généreux, gentil, sympathique, et toujours plein d’énergie, Dave a rendu notre séjour à Bali et note « expérience » des plus mémorables.
J’ai très hâte de voyager à nouveau avec Intro Travel et j’espère que Dave sera mon guide!

The Vietnam Intro 12 day trip was an amazing tour which was made even better by our tour leader Hannah. From the moment she picked us up at the airport her kind nature and great banter was apparent which set the tone for the entire trip. As the tour progressed it became apparent Hannah has embraced the local culture as she was able to share her knowledge of Vietnam, local customs and food recommendations to the group. Anyone who is fortunate enough to get Hannah as their guide will have an amazing time.
As for the trip, there is a lot of travel involved as you make your way down the country. You get to use a variety of different methods such as boats, coaches and trains all of which added to the experience. The accommodation was always clean and conveniently positioned with the local hosts being friendly towards the group. The Nimh Binh accommodation is stunning and was a highlight of the tour.
There are plenty of activities included in the trip, many of which I probably wouldn’t have ever thought about trying if it weren’t for this trip. Things such as crab fishing, cooking classes, bikes rides and catfish fishing mean you are kept busy but are broken up with a few more relaxed days to recover from the nights out.
Overall, I had a great time in Vietnam and would definitely recommend this trip to anyone who wants to visit Vietnam.

My trip to Bali was absolutely incredible. I signed up for the 12 day tour not really knowing what to expect, and was blown away by the fun activities, beautiful locations, clean and comfortable accommodation and our awesome guide. Josh couldn't have done any more to make everyone feel welcome, he is funny, knowledgeable and cared for us all like a big happy family. He knew the itinerary inside out and I trusted him to make every day the best. He was patient with us all, even when we didn't quite make the meeting time, and seems to have an endless supply of energy!
One of my absolute favourite activities was our stay in Lovina. Not only did we have an amazing private villa, complete with infinity pool, but also the best experiences. Our morning started with a boat ride out to see hundreds of wild dolphins playing in the sea - some even showing off for us. We then got to visit a local family who were quite possibly the nicest people I have ever met. We were fed and watered, given a tour of their plantation, taught to weave baskets and even had a dance performance from two of the children. I felt like one of the family and didn't want to leave!
I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to explore the best of Bali. You won't be disappointed.

It’s not very often one gets the opportunity to travel. And, to do so in such a well organized manner is even more rare. I’ve just completed my 12 days with Vietnam Intro and I couldn’t think of a better way to have experienced this breathtaking country. Vietnam Intro came highly recommended by a friend who had done one of the other Intro trips to Bali. It’s quite difficult to pin point one specific highlight in a schedule that is so jam packed, but on my list of top 5 are the following:

1. Boat cruise around the majestic Ha Long Bay with its 1969 limestone cliffs.

2. Volleyball and hammocking on Freedom Island.

3. Local homestay in Ninh Binh surrounded by mountain goats and the great trek up Dragons Peak.

4. Hoi An. HOI AN. Theres just nothing wrong with Hoi An. From it’s lantern-lit streets to its tailor shops and restaurants.

5. And, I didn’t think I’d be writing this...but...catfishing barehanded in the muddy streams of the Mekong Delta.

Doing a trip with a babbling tour guide seems to be so run-of-the-mill these days. I imagine it would be easy to parrot fashion a bunch of facts to travelers if boredom ever struck. We didn’t have that, though. We had Mat Stirland. Mat went out of his way to throroughly walk us through each activity on each day, effortlessly arranged transport so that it was no inconvenience to us and checked in at the end of each day making sure we got the most out of every experience. To tie that all together he was funny, knowledgeable, able to communicate with locals, helpful and invested in what he does. I couldn’t think of anyone else squeezing every last drop out of an experience the way Mat did. And for that, I’ll remember this whole experience for many years to come.

I now can’t wait for Bali Intro and Thai Intro, I’ve already started my planning. You don’t want to experience this with anyone else but Vietnam intro and Intro Travel.

Michael McMeeking

VietnamIntro was amazing! We done so much in such a short amount of time, seen and done some of the most beautiful things. You won’t regret booking this intro! Our leader, Will, made our time in Vietnam so stress free - he was the most energetic, kind & helpful person we could have had. Couldn’t of asked for a better leader - nothing was ever too much of a problem! He went above and beyond and we can’t thank him enough. We’re now following on to our next intro in Thailand! Wooohooo!

Vietnam Intro was unreal! Hoi An was my favourite place and the activities we did there were so fun especially the cooking class. The views along Ha Long Bay were unreal!!! But the whole trip was amazing. Will was our group leader and he totally took the stress out of traveling. He is so positive and has an amazing high level of energy. Nothing was too much trouble for him, from helping get a towel to organising a birthday surprise for a group member.- get him as your leader

After having done Thai intro and Bali intro... The Vietnam Intro was definitely the best way to end an amazing travel experience!! Everyday we did something really amazing. Hanoi was just such a fab city to start the tour with. Going around and seeing the city was absolutely amazing so many cool things to see. Took some bikes and explored Hanoi a bit more. We then moved on to Ha long bay... oh my word it was the best day and night ever staying on this 5star backpacker mini cruise ship was absolutely amazing!! Wish we could have stayed a little longer but the following day we moved on to freedom island.. private island stay was so nice and peaceful. Amazing view and you can go kayaking or just chill in a hammock. After that we moved on to ninh minh homestay. We stayed in some really cool bungalows near some rice paddies. Food was nice there too. Then we took bikes to go and see the lying dragon viewpoint that was just amazing and beautiful 468 steps up but trust me... it’s worth it!!! Moving on to Hoi An again lovely little town hotel room was awesome too. The way to the cooking class was so cool!! From a little boat onto some baskets where you can try and catch som crabs!! What a laugh!! Then you cook your own food!! Just delicious! Definitely won’t be hungry after that!! Finally we flew to Ho Chi Minh last destination of the trip. Hotel with a lovely family an amazing night out and exploring the city. Next day you take a boat trip to a family homestay where you do loads of activities such as mud fishing, tea party, cycling etc just great! Last day going to see the tunnels!! This journey has been absolutely phenomenal and our leader Will was absolutely amazing too! I can’t recommend this trip enough!! Thanks Will and introtravel it has been the bomb

I’ve just spent two fantastic, adventurous weeks in Vietnam. Special mention has to go to our tour guide Mat who pulled out all the stops and made every second enjoyable. My birthday fell on one of the days and he made sure I had a day to remember. His energy and amicable personality was infectious and it made every day an extra pleasure. Every activity was fun and interesting. The accommodation and choice of restaurants was meticulously chosen and each meal was a delight. The 12 day tour is definitely recommended as you go to sections of the country that you would not venture to in other tour groups or on your own backpacking. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone.