I just got back from the Ancient Kingdoms tour with Overseas Adventure Travel (https://oattravel.com). I won't do a complete trip report, since this wasn't a Europe trip, but I want to share a few highlights in case anyone is considering doing this tour with OAT (or any other tour with them).
The tour covered Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
I did the pre-trip extension, which went to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Kanchanaburi (where the River Kwai is located). The main tour covered Bangkok, with a day trip to Ayutthaya, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City). I also did the post-trip extension, which went to Hanoi and to Lao Cai, a province in the mountains along the border with China. And on our last day, our trip leader offered to take us to Halong Bay, where we had a private boat tour with lunch. (We paid extra for this.)
We had 8 people on the pre-trip, 16 on the main trip, and 5 on the post-trip.
In a nutshell, this was an awesome itinerary. I wouldn't have minded having an extra day in a few places, but overall the pace was good. A few things we did that I don't think would be easy to do on an independent trip or with a different tour company:
- We met and talked with two survivors of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, including one of just four children who survived the infamous S21 prison in Phnom Penh.
- We talked with a group of Hmong women about the custom of bride kidnapping.
- We visited a woman in a small village in Vietnam who is providing services for women who are victims of abuse or elderly women in need of care.
- We visited a school in rural Laos, talked with the teacher, and met with the students. In the same village, we helped prepare lunch with a local family and shared a meal together.
- We had dinner with a local family in Vientiane. The father was a government worker and member of the Lao Communist Party.
- We visited another Lao village and learned about (and helped make) the food items they make to sell at the markets.
I used to not be a tour person, preferring to travel solo, but these experiences and several others have convinced me of the value of tours.