China and South East Asia overland tour
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.comCheck dates, prices & availability
Overland
If you’re looking for adventure, an opportunity to travel with like-minded travellers and to get off the beaten track then this type of trip is for you! We will sometimes be covering long distances over a period of a few days but will then most often be camped up for a few days with opportunities for adventure activities, visiting local communities, time in a town or city to chill out or wildlife viewing experiences. The roads are sometimes bumpy and you need to expect the unexpected! This type of travel is through regions where things can change and experiences are more important than luxury – borders sometimes close and there may not always be hot water in the showers! You will generally be camping out under the stars, sometimes out in the bush, but generally more on campsites. (Our South America and Central Asia trips also use small locally-run hostels and guest houses). The trips are fully participative so you will be involved shopping for food in local markets, cooking for your group (on a rota system), collecting water and setting up camp. If you’re not confident about doing any of these things beforehand, don’t worry our crew are there to help you and you’ll be good at it by the time you finish!You will be travelling on one of our own purpose built overlanding vehicles with up to 24 travellers, many of whom will be travelling on their own. It is a great way for solo travellers to travel. We have lost count of the number of travellers who have met their future spouse on one of our trips! Our vehicles are fully equipped with tents and cooking equipment and are designed for great all-round viewing and a sociable seating plan. You will be accompanied on your trip by a Driver and Tour Leader and, depending on your trip, we often use local guides at sites of specific interest for more detailed information.
This type of travel will provide you with a plethora of memories and stories to tell, new-found travelling companions and friends and a well-exercised spirit of adventure!
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
Water: Our clients are sent detailed pre departure information before travelling with us which contains information on a variety of ways in which they can reduce the environmental and social aspects of their trip. This includes recommending taking a water bottle with a built in filtration system on the trip with them. In order to encourage this, we have set up an arrangement with a filtration water bottle supplier which not only gives our clients a discount to purchase these bottles but also, donates money to one of our favoured charities for every bottle purchased.Transport / people: On this trip you will be travelling on a mixture of public buses, trains, private charter buses and boats and ferries. By using shared means of public transport we are not contributing to further road emissions and are maximising our interactions with local communities. Also, by running overland trips we reduce carbon emissions by not flying.
The Impacts of this Trip
On this trip we stay at a variety of small locally run hotels/hostels from rustic river-fronted bush lodges to beach 'bungalows'. We encourage our travellers to immerse themselves in the local culture and to support local enterprises along the way. Our travellers have the opportunity for cookery courses, with local chefs ; In Hoi An, the local tailors are renowned for their expertise and we encourage supporting them and experimenting with your style too!
In Laos we stay in a riverside lodge near the Konglor Caves that provides paid employment to the local community living along the remote riverbanks. Local boatsman will ferry you using their traditional Long-tail boats to the Caves and act as Guides wheile you are there. There are few other options for paid employment for these communities.
In Luang Nam Tha, Laos we hire a local guide and transport for the day and visit local villages and the local market where we purchase lunch items, supporting the local community directly. We also visit a Women's Weaving Co-operative in Laos, where we watch the craftswomen at work and then have the opportunity to purchase their wares.
As a company, we are keen to share the benefits of travel with local communities that would not normally gain from the 'tourist dollar.' As such, in Zimbabwe (one of our other areas of operation) for the past ten years plus, we have been taking a group of approximately 100 children from a Children's Home out on a series of day trips every year, ending the trips with a big party at their Home. Last year we ran this trip in conjunction with Responsible Travel's 'Trip for a Trip' scheme. These children rarely leave the compound they live on. Many have never seen the fantastic scenery and Game that Zimbabwe has to offer. We feel privileged to be able to share some of their country's sights with them. We use our own vehicles and crew to run the trip (along with the Home staff) and we're never really sure who enjoys it the most, our crew, or the children!! We are looking at ways of replicating this scheme in other areas we operate in, such as South East Asia.
Water: Our clients are sent detailed pre departure information before travelling with us which contains information on a variety of ways in which they can reduce the environmental and social aspects of their trip. This includes recommending taking a water bottle with a built in filtration system on the trip with them. In order to encourage this, we have set up an arrangement with a filtration water bottle supplier which not only gives our clients a discount to purchase these bottles but also, donates money to one of our favoured charities for every bottle purchased.Transport / people: On this trip you will be travelling on a mixture of public buses, trains, private charter buses and boats and ferries. By using shared means of public transport we are not contributing to further road emissions and are maximising our interactions with local communities. Also, by running overland trips we reduce carbon emissions by not flying.
The Impacts of this Trip
On this trip we stay at a variety of small locally run hotels/hostels from rustic river-fronted bush lodges to beach 'bungalows'. We encourage our travellers to immerse themselves in the local culture and to support local enterprises along the way. Our travellers have the opportunity for cookery courses, with local chefs ; In Hoi An, the local tailors are renowned for their expertise and we encourage supporting them and experimenting with your style too!
In Laos we stay in a riverside lodge near the Konglor Caves that provides paid employment to the local community living along the remote riverbanks. Local boatsman will ferry you using their traditional Long-tail boats to the Caves and act as Guides wheile you are there. There are few other options for paid employment for these communities.
In Luang Nam Tha, Laos we hire a local guide and transport for the day and visit local villages and the local market where we purchase lunch items, supporting the local community directly. We also visit a Women's Weaving Co-operative in Laos, where we watch the craftswomen at work and then have the opportunity to purchase their wares.
As a company, we are keen to share the benefits of travel with local communities that would not normally gain from the 'tourist dollar.' As such, in Zimbabwe (one of our other areas of operation) for the past ten years plus, we have been taking a group of approximately 100 children from a Children's Home out on a series of day trips every year, ending the trips with a big party at their Home. Last year we ran this trip in conjunction with Responsible Travel's 'Trip for a Trip' scheme. These children rarely leave the compound they live on. Many have never seen the fantastic scenery and Game that Zimbabwe has to offer. We feel privileged to be able to share some of their country's sights with them. We use our own vehicles and crew to run the trip (along with the Home staff) and we're never really sure who enjoys it the most, our crew, or the children!! We are looking at ways of replicating this scheme in other areas we operate in, such as South East Asia.
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