Southeast Asia Budget Nature Trips & Packages Tours & Trips

What travelers are saying

"We did the tour to Bangkok and Phuket in off season. We were concerned about the weather and if we would get a sub-par experience. But we had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend Affordable World!! Great company. Very organized and thorough. Our tour guide was amazing! He explained all of our stops and even some extra tid bits about the country. We were transported in air conditioned vans/sprinters to every stop. We felt right at home!"

What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."

What travelers are saying

"I took the most amazing tour across Portugal and Spain through Bestway Tours last year. It was a 10 day tour visiting historic cities across the countries and was blown away by level of service and convenience the team provided. I've learned so much through the knowledgeable tour guides and enjoyed lots of delicious local food. I cannot wait to take another Bestway Tour in the future!"

What travelers are saying

"I decided to book with My Way Travel because I wanted an experienced travel agency to provide a tailored and safe experience for my elderly parents and toddler son. It was a little rocky to begin with as I discovered that our flights were booked with names in the reversed order (first names were entered in as last names and vice versa). When I discovered this error months before our travel date, I notified the travel agent and was told that everything was corrected (this is after all, his profession and responsibility). To my shock, as my entire family and I were at the airport at 4AM, we discovered that we could not board our flight because of this error. I was at the airline counter for over 2 hours as we called the travel agent, the airline, and anyone else we could to try to have this error corrected. It was an awful feeling seeing the time tick down and there was nothing that we could to do salvage our first international trip since our son was born. Even the people said to me "I would be in tears if I were you". This was an awful experience that I don't wish upon anyone. The only remedy that was offered was a credit to use for a future booking. If you can imagine all the money that was spent on an international flight and travel itinerary for 5 people, this was not cheap, and I'm still trying to get my money back in 3 months later. Warning to all prospective clients: This was a horrible experience and I would not recommend this company. It looked like they received great reviews, but they have no good reviews in recent years."

What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."

What travelers are saying

"Just got back from an incredible adventure. Bhutan was more than I could have ever expected. There was an abundance of good travel karma throughout the trip. The guide, Bhim, was great, very accommodating, and personalized the trip in many amazing ways, and though him I got to know the people and the culture close up and personal. The whole thing went off without a hitch. Bhutan was the most amazing place I have ever been."

What travelers are saying

"I took the most amazing tour across Portugal and Spain through Bestway Tours last year. It was a 10 day tour visiting historic cities across the countries and was blown away by level of service and convenience the team provided. I've learned so much through the knowledgeable tour guides and enjoyed lots of delicious local food. I cannot wait to take another Bestway Tour in the future!"

What travelers are saying

"I decided to book with My Way Travel because I wanted an experienced travel agency to provide a tailored and safe experience for my elderly parents and toddler son. It was a little rocky to begin with as I discovered that our flights were booked with names in the reversed order (first names were entered in as last names and vice versa). When I discovered this error months before our travel date, I notified the travel agent and was told that everything was corrected (this is after all, his profession and responsibility). To my shock, as my entire family and I were at the airport at 4AM, we discovered that we could not board our flight because of this error. I was at the airline counter for over 2 hours as we called the travel agent, the airline, and anyone else we could to try to have this error corrected. It was an awful feeling seeing the time tick down and there was nothing that we could to do salvage our first international trip since our son was born. Even the people said to me "I would be in tears if I were you". This was an awful experience that I don't wish upon anyone. The only remedy that was offered was a credit to use for a future booking. If you can imagine all the money that was spent on an international flight and travel itinerary for 5 people, this was not cheap, and I'm still trying to get my money back in 3 months later. Warning to all prospective clients: This was a horrible experience and I would not recommend this company. It looked like they received great reviews, but they have no good reviews in recent years."