Truck tours in Indochina
An overland trip is all about sharing a great experience with like-minded people. On this tour you’ll travel in one of our purpose built expedition vehicles on an off the beaten track adventure along rugged roads, experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of the world up close. Because we're travelling overland, some long days spent driving are inevitable - but these will be interspersed with breaks of a day or two at a destination or activity.
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with a group of between 5-20 like minded travellers and you'll have 2 group leaders with you at all times. In some areas you'll also be joined by a campmaster, as well as expert local guides along the way.
On an overland adventure you're more than just a passenger, you're part of the crew. Depending on the trip itinerary, your accommodation will be a mix of hotels or local guesthouses and camping - and everyone is expected to get involved and help with setting up camp, pitching tents, shopping for food and even cooking. There are also a number of other jobs that need doing, for example collecting water and firewood, luggage loading, organising food stores etc. These tasks may be assigned to particular people or on a rota system according to group size and make-up.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We are dedicated to minimising the effects our trips have on the environment, and are committed to trying to reduce, re-use and recycle as much as is possible, both out on the road and back in our offices in the UK. By travelling in overland truck we are completely self-sufficient meaning that we do not have to take water or other environmental resources away from the local populations.
We follow these environmental guidelines, including:
- For cooking we generally use gas instead of wood, a cleaner fuel and leaves natural resources for local people
- Local fuel sources are used but they must be from plentiful resources and not where it would encourage local people to squander resources or compete with local peoples need for precious supplies
- All our overland trucks conform to UK emission controls when they leave the UK. These are much higher than in most developing countries
- All our trucks are regularly serviced and maintained ensuring that trucks run as efficiently as possible
- Passengers and crew are encouraged to use rechargeable batteries for items such as cameras, personal music systems etc. These can be charged from mains supplies or on our trucks as we travel
- Recycling is practiced wherever possible, in many places this is informal projects with local people collecting materials for recycling
- Biodegradables are either buried or given to local people feed livestock
- Purchase of drinks in returnable bottles where possible
- The use of re-useable shopping bags is encouraged instead of throw away plastic bags.
- Wherever recycling is available we endeavour to use it
Community
South East Asia is one of the world’s most popular tourist regions. However as so much of the tourism is centred in just a few places tourist income is not widely distributed. Our new Luang Prabang to Bangkok overland trip is one of a kind - it’s the only overlanding trip through the region. We will be visiting parts of Thailand and Laos that don’t see mass tourism. We will be camping in local villages or staying in small locally owned hotels. Not only will you see the ‘real’ country but your money will be spent at a grass routes level benefiting local communities. We are committed to ensuring that we have a positive impact on the local communities we travel through and believe that local culture and communities must be an integral part of our trips. We recognise that we are guests of the local communities we travel through and strive to make these communities into our partners.
