Beyond the Brochure

I’m a big fan of twin centre holidays.

Especially if you’re looking to find contrasts in culture and natural beauty in a short time span. The classic, 5 nights city, 7 nights beach trip is a good example of this. Think Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand or Kuala Lumpur & Langkawi in Malaysia. Both are incredible options that give you more than just the standard Far East beach holiday. It is, of course, a personal choice.

However, for some, even twin centres don’t give quite enough ‘flavour’. Sure, sitting on a beach for would be nice, if only to break up the journey for a few days, but for 7 days? They may view this as a wasted opportunity to experience ‘more’, and I completely get it.

Take Vietnam as a case in point.

This is a country that offers the perfect option of flying into one major city (Hanoi) and then flying home out of another (Ho Chi Minh/Saigon), or vice-a-versa. This then opens a world of opportunities across a country that is absolutely teaming with experiences just waiting to be enjoyed. Here’s a brief insight of a clients travel plans for later this year:

2 nights in Hanoi with a jeep tour of the city.

A journey into Cuc Phuong national Park to experience the incredible flora and fauna of Vietnam whilst making their way to Ninh Binh and then spending a day exploring Mua Cave and touring Tam Coc on a leisurely bicycle ride.

Time for the breath-taking Lan Ha Bay. Not from land, but on a beautiful 1-night cruise where it’s all about luxury and the sunset.

A short hop to Hoi An for 2 nights, a world heritage village, and the chance to shop in the local markets and enjoy a local cookery lesson with the produce you’ve freshly bought.

Now for that break! Another short hop brings them to Phu Quoc and gives them those 3 nights of beach time and relaxation before heading on to Saigon.

The trip finishes in a historical flurry as they experience a day exploring the communist tunnels at Cu Chi created during the Vietnam war and a final day sailing along the Mekong Delta

Finally, it’s time to fly home from two weeks that will never be forgotten, and one that wasn’t picked out of a brochure.

I tailor made it to precisely how they wanted to travel.