Reply Submitted by Pinky33 on Tue, 06/11/2013 - 08:16
The first departure for the OAT trip is March, 2014. The only group tours I know of going to these countries now are Original World, Explore, Mir and Adventures Abroad. Perhaps people who have been to Ukraine and Moldova with other companies will comment on the destination as I am interested in this part of the world also.
Reply Submitted by thursdaysd on Wed, 06/12/2013 - 13:52
I visited Ukraine and Moldova in 2006. For a detailed report see http://wilhelmswords.com/eur2006/index.html For hotel reservations in the Crimea, plus the train ticket to Odessa, I booked through http://www.blacksea-crimea.com/ For the Odessa hotel I used http://www.travel-2-ukraine.com/ I would have booked directly with the hotels but at the time the hotels I used didn't have English language websites, I would expect things to have changed. For Moldova I used http://marisha.net/ but I wasn't as happy with her as I was with the Ukrainian companies. Instead I would book an apartment directly with http://www.adresa.md/en/ Also, http://bestway.com has a five day tour to Moldova, although oddly they don't have one to Ukraine. However, I think both countries can be done on your own. (I wouldn't travel with OAT again if you paid me, but I know some people love them.) I used the Lonely Planet guidebooks, although I sent them an irate email about only having Ukrainian language help in the Ukrainian guidebook (in the Crimea they speak Russian), a problem that has been fixed in the later editions. I highly recomend Lviv.
Reply Submitted by EzyEd on Thu, 06/27/2013 - 13:35
Of the eight previous trips taken with Adventures Abroad this one was the poorest. I would not rate it higher than a 7 out of a possible 10. The leader was excellent, as were most of the accomodations, but the itinerary was lacking. Lviv was not covered adquately, and the local guide there was mediocre. The Golden Circle Tour was a waste of time in my opinion. We would not have even seen the Swallow's Nest (most famous site in the Ukraine) if we had not demanded it, as it was not on the itinerary. I could go on, but I do not want to appear so negative. This trip was just not up to the normally higher standards usually provided by Adv. Abroad. I suggest that you check with Explore Worldwide, a British company with offices in the US, that offers a trip to this area with a better itinerary, better modes of travel and a significantly lower price.
Reply Submitted by EzyEd on Thu, 06/27/2013 - 13:36
Reply Submitted by thursdaysd on Sat, 07/06/2013 - 07:05
I don't take tours very often these days, preferring to travel independently, but I did recently use Explore for a tour of Jordan. While the itinerary wasn't bad, I cannot otherwise recommend them. The ground agent was inefficient and downright rude, the local guide was a bore, and some of the accommodation wasn't great. I will not use them again.
As I wrote, I traveled independently in these countries, and I can only imagine that things are easier now than in 2007.
The first departure for the
The first departure for the OAT trip is March, 2014. The only group tours I know of going to these countries now are Original World, Explore, Mir and Adventures Abroad. Perhaps people who have been to Ukraine and Moldova with other companies will comment on the destination as I am interested in this part of the world also.
I didn't use a tour company
I visited Ukraine and Moldova in 2006. For a detailed report see http://wilhelmswords.com/eur2006/index.html For hotel reservations in the Crimea, plus the train ticket to Odessa, I booked through http://www.blacksea-crimea.com/ For the Odessa hotel I used http://www.travel-2-ukraine.com/ I would have booked directly with the hotels but at the time the hotels I used didn't have English language websites, I would expect things to have changed. For Moldova I used http://marisha.net/ but I wasn't as happy with her as I was with the Ukrainian companies. Instead I would book an apartment directly with http://www.adresa.md/en/ Also, http://bestway.com has a five day tour to Moldova, although oddly they don't have one to Ukraine. However, I think both countries can be done on your own. (I wouldn't travel with OAT again if you paid me, but I know some people love them.) I used the Lonely Planet guidebooks, although I sent them an irate email about only having Ukrainian language help in the Ukrainian guidebook (in the Crimea they speak Russian), a problem that has been fixed in the later editions. I highly recomend Lviv.
Of the eight previous trips
Of the eight previous trips taken with Adventures Abroad this one was the poorest. I would not rate it higher than a 7 out of a possible 10. The leader was excellent, as were most of the accomodations, but the itinerary was lacking. Lviv was not covered adquately, and the local guide there was mediocre. The Golden Circle Tour was a waste of time in my opinion. We would not have even seen the Swallow's Nest (most famous site in the Ukraine) if we had not demanded it, as it was not on the itinerary. I could go on, but I do not want to appear so negative. This trip was just not up to the normally higher standards usually provided by Adv. Abroad. I suggest that you check with Explore Worldwide, a British company with offices in the US, that offers a trip to this area with a better itinerary, better modes of travel and a significantly lower price.
Not Explore
I don't take tours very often these days, preferring to travel independently, but I did recently use Explore for a tour of Jordan. While the itinerary wasn't bad, I cannot otherwise recommend them. The ground agent was inefficient and downright rude, the local guide was a bore, and some of the accommodation wasn't great. I will not use them again.
As I wrote, I traveled independently in these countries, and I can only imagine that things are easier now than in 2007.
Ukraine & Moldova
Thanks for all the info on Ukraine & Moldova. CTS