Dean & Jo's Midlife Travels

25/04/2025

Off on our next adventure 🇪🇸

24/04/2025

For our final night in Thailand and Bangkok after an epic 2-month trip, we decided to experience a dinner cruise along the river. What we didn’t expect was the chaos at Icon Siam just to get our boarding tickets!

After a bit of a wait, we finally managed to get our pass and saw some beautiful boats arriving to pick up passengers—exactly what we had pictured. But when our boat turned up… it was nothing like the photos. A completely different vessel—dated and uninspiring.

Inside, the mid-deck looked dated and dull, and I wouldn't recommend sitting there if you want to enjoy the experience. We were thankfully given outdoor seats, though we ended up right at the front of the bow. At first, it seemed like a great spot—but there was barely any lighting, and we couldn’t see or hear any of the entertainment. It was pretty disappointing.

Luckily, we were eventually moved to a much nicer spot upstairs at the front. The food wasn’t anything special, and the buffet scene was chaos—like people hadn’t eaten in days!

The saving grace? Free beer on tap—and we made the most of it! Despite the “interesting” entertainment, we still managed to have a fun final night.

Bangkok River Cruise Disaster | We Were Given a Different Ship Than Advertised with GYGOur dream evening on a Bangkok river cruise quickly turned into a majo...

22/04/2025

A Spontaneous Adventure in Bangkok!

When we made a quick stop in Bangkok, we weren’t sure if it was worth taking a taxi out to the local weekend floating market—but we’re so glad we did! It turned into a fantastic day full of colour, flavour, and fun.

Our top tip: go hungry! The food on offer was absolutely incredible. From sizzling street snacks to sweet treats, most of it looked (and tasted) amazing.

One of the highlights was the thrilling ride on a long-tail boat through the canals surrounding the market—so much fun and great value too.

Sometimes the spontaneous decisions make the best memories!

Join us for a local adventure just outside of central Bangkok as we explore the vibrant Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market – one of the city's most authentic a...

18/04/2025

The rain was still falling as we set off on our cruise to Ha Long Bay.
Choosing a trip was a bit overwhelming – there were so many options, and the prices varied a lot. We took a bit of a gamble on this one as it didn’t have many reviews, but the ship looked fantastic and the price seemed like great value to us.

It turned out to be a brilliant decision. The ship had just been newly refurbished and had only recently started sailing. We explain the full cost in our video, but for what we paid, we felt we got an amazing deal.

The staff were faultless, the food was excellent, and our room was beautiful.
Oh, and that lamp in the video was working – we just didn’t realise it was touch-sensitive!

Join us on an unforgettable 1-night cruise through the stunning Ha Long Bay, Vietnam! 🌿⛴️ Despite some rainy weather, this 5-star experience exceeded our ex...

16/04/2025

It was supposed to be the dry season in March—but wow, did it rain that day!
Despite the weather, the cycling, boat ride, and stunning views made it an unforgettable experience.
If you're in Hanoi, Ninh Binh is an absolute must-visit. Hopefully, you'll get drier weather than we did!

t rained all day during our visit to Ninh Binh, but that didn’t stop us! From misty limestone peaks to soggy sampan boat rides through the Tam Coc caves, we ...

15/04/2025

From sunshine to scarves!

Arriving in Hanoi from Hoi An was a shock to the system—temps dropped to 10–12°C, which felt freezing after weeks of warm weather!

Hanoi is chaotic but full of charm. One of the highlights? Train Street—we may have had a few too many drinks while waiting for the train to roll through… totally worth it!

Join us as we dive into the heart of Hanoi, Vietnam — a city buzzing with life, culture, and a touch of chaos! From the bustling Old Quarter to the infamous ...

10/04/2025

When we were in Hoi An, it was supposed to be well into the dry season. However, during our stay, we had a lot of rain and cloudy weather. We took our trusty bikes and cycled to the beach to see what it was like. As you can see in the video, it wasn’t exactly inviting, and we really felt sorry for the local businesses—the weather must have been costing them a lot of money. We'd love to go back one day and see it in the sunshine.

Oh, and watch out for the bike parking scam—we nearly got caught!

An Bang Beach in Hoi An, Vietnam is a popular spot for both tourists and locals—however the poor weather is really having a impact on the locals as it should...

08/04/2025

It was definitely touristy—but also so much fun! We highly recommend a visit if you're heading to Hoi An. We paid just £6 for both of us to enjoy a ride on the iconic coconut boats. The journey there was just as lovely, with a scenic cycle ride from Hoi An along the riverfront, through peaceful rice fields, and on to Coconut Island.

Join us as we take a wild ride through the lush water coconut forests of Hoi An, Vietnam in the iconic coconut basket boats! 🚣‍♂️🌴From spinning boat tricks...

06/04/2025

We had a great time doing a cooking class at Vegetable Village. The staff were wonderful, and in addition to the class, we enjoyed a tour of the gardens and a lovely head and foot massage at the end. It was incredibly good value for everything that was included.

Join us in the heart of Hoi An's lush Vegetable Village as we dive into an unforgettable Vietnamese cooking class experience - all at an incredible bargain p...

05/04/2025

Absolutely beautiful today on the English Riviera.

04/04/2025

The Pottery Village is a fantastic place to spend a few hours if you're staying in Hoi An or Da Nang. The location we visited in the video had incredibly friendly and engaging staff with a great sense of humor. It costs just 30,000 VND (£1) per item to make and paint.
Easy to get there by taxi or do what we did and cycle there.

We Visited Pottery Village Hoi An And Made Some Pots! 🏺 Bargain Day Out in VietnamJoin us as we explore the charming Thanh Ha Pottery Village in Hoi An, Vie...

02/04/2025

My Son sanctuary was a beautiful place to visit despite us having rain. The trip was an absolute bargain (£14) which included transport, River trip & lunch which was delicious. We had to pay to enter My Son and that was about £3 each.
Well worth doing if you are in Hoi An and we have put a link to book in the YouTube description.

We had an amazing day exploring the breathtaking My Son Sanctuary! Before that, we visited a local rice paper farm, and later in the day, we enjoyed a scenic...

29/03/2025

Did anybody see the partial eclipse this morning?

25/03/2025

One thing we hadn’t planned on doing in Hoi An was a lot of cycling—but we ended up doing just that! In this video, we take some complimentary bikes from our hotel and ride through the rice fields to the beach.

If we ever return, we’ll definitely choose a hotel that offers bikes for guests!

Join us as we cycle through the breathtaking rice fields of Hoi An, Vietnam! 🚴‍♂️✨ Experience the beauty of lush green landscapes, peaceful countryside path...

24/03/2025

After cutting short our disastrous hotel stay in Da Nang, we decided to spend the rest of the week in Hoi An. That terrible hotel actually did us a huge favor because we ended up loving both our accommodation here and Hoi An itself far more than Da Nang—and it cost less than £20 per night!

For anyone planning a trip to Hoi An, I highly recommend this hotel. It's a 25-minute walk to the main tourist area or just under £2 by taxi. Plus, you're close to both the beach and the rice fields, making it a perfect location.

Description:Looking for an affordable and charming stay in Hoi An, Vietnam? We found the perfect bargain—the Blooms Boutique Village Hotel for just £18 a nig...

22/03/2025

This is the hotel we stayed at while in Da Nang, Vietnam. We were misled into booking it by its photos, which, as you'll see in the video, looked nothing like reality, as well as its surprisingly high rating of 9.2 out of 10. We booked a week in what was advertised as a VIP suite with a whirlpool bath bath, but the reality was far from VIP. And the swimming pool? Well, that was a whole other story!

We booked a week at The Star Hotel in Da Nang, drawn in by its impressive 9.2 score on Booking.com. We reserved the VIP Suite with a whirlpool bath bath, expecting ...

21/03/2025

When we stayed in Da Nang we went independently to the Marble Mountain. We really enjoyed it here but highly recommend getting the lift! The taxi from the centre of Da Nang was only about £4. Personally we didn't like Da Nang and cut our week short here.

Join us as we visit the famous Marble Mountain in Da Nang, Vietnam, exploring it independently after catching a taxi from the city center. While taking in th...

19/03/2025

When we were in Phu Quoc, we visited Sunset Town and took the cable car to Hon Thom Island. It was a fantastic ride, and the water park was great fun. We were amazed by the scale of the construction on the island and the amount of investment going into Phu Quoc as a whole.

oin us as we take a breathtaking ride on the Hon Thom Cable Car, the world’s longest sea-crossing cable car, soaring over the stunning turquoise waters of Ph...