Thailand Cambodia and Vietnam

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €324.50pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

Thailand visa requirements

A visa is not required before you travel to Thailand; you will be issued with a tourist visa valid for 30 days on arrival into the country. Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. We strongly advise you check your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity.

Cambodia visa requirements

You will need to purchase a visa for Cambodia which can be purchased on arrival. The cost of this is approximately USD $35 per person, which will need to be paid in cash. Please note that you will need to have at least one completely blank page in your passport for the Cambodian visa to be issued. You cannot use an e-visa at the border crossing.

Vietnam visa requirements

A visa is not required for stays up to 45 days for British Passport holders. Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. Passports must have at least 6 months validity from your date of entry and a minimum of 2 blank pages. However, we strongly advise you check your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding passport validity.

For all destinations, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months before you enter either Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Visa requirements are subject to change and obtaining a visa is the responsibility of the traveller and not Mercury Holidays. We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity.

Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your e-ticket and final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Weight restrictions will be finalized on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. If you wish to arrange Airport car parking or accommodation at preferential rates, we recommend you book this in advance with Holiday Extras on 0871 360 2000, quoting HX313.

IMPORTANT: A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you. Please note that you should carry your invoice with flight details on it as you will need to show this at the airport.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health & vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, www.travelhealthpro.org.uk, www.hpa. org.uk, your General Practitioner or specialist clinic.

All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights, climb stairs and get on and off coaches and boats. The tour pace of Thailand Cambodia and Vietnam is rated as Challenging. A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for approximately four hours in a day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. Your tour involves climbing steep stairs, getting on and off coaches and boats. It also includes travelling by overnight train. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties. Our guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary.

The currency in Thailand is the Thai Baht (THB). We recommend that you exchange your currency before you leave the UK, however cash machines are available in all the major cities to withdraw money in the local currency.

The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong, known as (VND). You can exchange your currency in Vietnam, however, US Dollars are widely accepted in Vietnam should you wish to keep an alternative currency on you. It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country. Cash machines will also be available throughout the tour in order to withdraw money in local currency. Money can be exchanged at the airport or branches of government banks. Credit and debit cards are accepted in most hotels and some shops and restaurants.

The currency in Cambodia is the Cambodian Riel (KHM). We recommend that you take some US Dollars (USD) with you and exchange this currency whilst you are travelling. Cash machines will also be available throughout the tour in order to withdraw money in local currency.

As normal practice you will be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels.

You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any meals where these are not mentioned in your itinerary and personal purchases, such as souvenirs, extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £400-£500 per person should be sufficient for the duration of your tour.

Tipping

Tipping is not compulsory and is at your discretion. However, Should you wish to tip we recommend you tip your guide approx. USD $4 per person per day and your driver approx. USD $2 per person per day. Please note tips on the cruise ships are not included either and would recommend USD $2 per person per day. Additionally, if you wish to tip your bell boy, porter, boat crew etc this is at your discretion.

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 10, and the maximum will be 28. If in the unlikely event there are less than 10 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

This is a fully escorted tour meaning that you will be met by a local guide in each of the cities that you visit, ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times.

Private Tour: If you have booked a private tour then you will be accompanied by a Driver Guide or a Driver and Local Guides. These will be available to you during all scheduled sightseeing. Private Tours can depart on any day of the week depending on flight and train schedules and the opening days of the attractions. They will follow the itinerary as described in the brochure unless you have been advised otherwise and you will still have all of the same meals, sightseeing and local excursions included.

Boats

During this tour you will be boarding various vessels. Cabins come with en suite facilities and air conditioning. However room size can be restrictive, If you would like to take a smaller overnight bag on to the ships this can be arranged by leaving your larger luggage on your tour bus overnight at your own risk. There will also be a trip on a motor boat to cross the Cambodian border. Please note this is a shared boat which is open at the back, it does not have air conditioning and usually holds one toilet for passengers. The Border crossing can take up to 2 hours.

Overnight Train

During your tour you will have an overnight train from Sukhothai to Bangkok. Please note, that these are local trains and should not be compared to European standards and quality. Overnight trains are booked in second-class, carriages have 34 upper and lower berths and will be in a shared carriage of either four or two with other travellers. Beds usually come with a pillow, bed sheet and blanket. Toilets will be located at the end of the carriage. Please bring toilet roll and hand sanitiser. All trains are air conditioned.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and Vietnam. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs. If you have booked a triple share please note that your room will be a twin room with a rollaway bed or sofa bed added. This may limit the floor space in the room.

Breakfast is always western style and served in the hotel each morning. Lunch and Dinner (when included) will be taken in local restaurants or at the hotel. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way. 2 bottles of water are supplied per day.

If you are travelling within the below Vietnamese Public Holidays please note that celebrations can last a couple of days and during these times some businesses will be closed and coach, air and train travel may be affected. Tourist attractions will be open but may be crowded. Tet Holiday is between January and February, International Labour Day is on 1st May every year, Reunification Day is on 30th April every year and National Independence Day is on 2nd September every year.

During visits to Churches/Temples please note both men and women need to wear long trousers or skirts to cover knees, Tops with sleeve’s should be worn to cover shoulders.

On your arrival in Chiang Mai you will be met by a representative from our local agent, LV Travel, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/LV Travel Representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your guide will be able to answer any queries.

Please find below the emergency contact details for LV Travel head office, Hanoi.

Contact Telephone number: Anna Hanh Office: 0084 983 096 032, Mr Len Office: 0084 989 200 116, Emergency cases: 0084 888713289

24 hour e-mail: operation@lvtravel.vn or len@lvtravel.vn