Would you go for a guided tour or just Backpacking in Hongkong??
By livvy
@livvy092002 (1032)
Philippines
August 17, 2010 10:52am CST
We went for a vacation in Hongkong and we had lots of fun! Although, our schedule was a bit hectic since we opted to go on a guided tour because it was our first time in hongkong.. for three days, we had included in our intinerary tours in hongkong city, hongkong disneyland, macau and shenzhen! It was okay however, we experienced a lot of delays especially in picking up other tourists included in the tour, waiting in immigration, tour guide arriving late, being stuck in traffic, etc. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the tour and vacation so much! We tried going on our own to see Victoria peak and Madam Tussauds wax museum. We had lots of fun in just taking an adventure of being on our own..asking directions, riding the mtr, operating the ticket vending machine, locating bus stations, riding a taxi, getting lost and others.. although we spent a lot of time doing tour on our own, we enjoyed the experience!
How about you mylotters? Have you been to hongkong as a tourist? Were you on guided tour or did you prefer going on your own as a backpacker?? Share your experience! =)
6 responses
@eden_shii (506)
• Australia
19 Aug 10
I've never been to Hongkong but I've been to other countries. I don't usually go for a guided tour since I always want to save money, so I always go Backpacking. With backpacking you are totally in control of your time and itinerary and you can save a lot of money. Plus, it is a total adventure!
I can recall when I went to South Korea alone. I was backpacking and everything was a total adventure. I was able to travel at a low cost.
@livvy092002 (1032)
• Philippines
20 Aug 10
That's nice! Hope I can do that too. Yes we had a guided tour but it was really worth it, i mean, economic-wise. We got to avail a promo offered by a travel agency, so it wasn't really that expensive. We paid for a very reasonable package price and it already included meals, hotel accommodation, transportation/fare. I guess, when we go back to Hongkong, we'll gonna fine backpacking. We already learned some directions and on how to ride the mtr. hehehe.
@eden_shii (506)
• Australia
20 Aug 10
That's good! At least you have tried both options. And as far as I know, having a guided tour the first time you go to a place is much safer. I was just trying to save some money and trying to have some adventure on my first tour in Korea so I decided to backpack.
Since you've been to Hongkong, it can also be good to go backpacking and have more adventure ;-)
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
19 Aug 10
When I was 28 years old I visited Hong Kong for a few days. I was on my way to Western Australia. I was a backpacker and not a tourist. I stayed at the youth hostel on the top of Mount Davis. The view over the city from there was amazing. I liked seeing the harbor, the trams, the shopping streets and the beach at an outer laying area. I don't tend to go on tours because I am an indepedent traveler. I am glad you had an excellent vacation in Hong Kong.
@livvy092002 (1032)
• Philippines
20 Aug 10
Thank you maximax!
When i return to Hong kong someday, i'll be a backpacker and explore more the places and get to know the people and they're culture. It will be an adventure and i'm sure it would be more memorable than just sightseeing.
When i return to Hong kong someday, i'll be a backpacker and explore more the places and get to know the people and they're culture. It will be an adventure and i'm sure it would be more memorable than just sightseeing.
@livvy092002 (1032)
• Philippines
20 Aug 10
Yes, that's exactly what we did.. and we had a very hectic schedule. But we enjoyed our on-our-own adventure the most!
But we enjoyed our on-our-own adventure the most!
@livvy092002 (1032)
• Philippines
20 Aug 10
Yeah, that is what i like in HK. Informations are readily available, maps and directions can also be downloaded in the internet. And we can easily communicate and ask questions with people around because they also speak and understand english.
@jonnifc (1017)
• Philippines
20 Aug 10
Just like most tourists, we did both. We were part of a guided tour that brought us everywhere, even way out to Shenzen. It's nice being in a tour group. You get to see a lot of the regular tourist spots and you won't have to worry about trasportation. Sometimes if you don't know your way around, you lose a lot of time figuring it out. Then we also explored the city by ourselves. For that we did a lot more walking but we got to get to know the place more intimately. When you're walking, you get to see more stores and discover places that you wouldn't normally see if you're just with a tour group. So I guess it's best to have some time with a tour group and also some time by yourselves.
