Authentic travel experience in Asia At UME Travel,We specialized in customizing authentic guided tours to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia (Bali), Malaysia, Laos, Singapore, Philippines, Japan etc. as well as multi-country tours across the region, based on your interests, budget and tastes. We are good at arranging honeymoon, birthday or annual vacation, soft adventure and family trips.
Reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the exceptional support provided by travel agents who patiently tailor custom itineraries to fit specific budgets, timeframes, and family needs. Furthermore, consumers appreciate the knowledgeable local guides and attentive drivers who make every excursion safe, engaging, and deeply informative regarding local culture. Travelers also note that all logistical arrangements, from hotel bookings to high-speed train tickets, are handled seamlessly to ensure completely stress-free vacations.
Some reviewers were not happy with occasional coordination gaps, mentioning issues like transportation oversights upon arrival, minor communication disconnects, or limited tour availability in certain smaller areas.
What an amazing vacation! Our first time traveling to Japan and I didn't have to stress over a single thing. UME, Eva Wang, handled absolutely everything! I could not have imagined having a better trip, and because of Eva we will definitely be using UME in the future and also another trip to Japan, as we fell head over heels in love during our 2 weeks there.
UME provided Me & My Sis a Fantastic Birthday Trip to Thailand!!
UME provided me and my sister and EXCEPTIONAL TOUR to Thailand! Communication and services werr excellent. From beginning to end, our agent Lan Lui explained what could be provided, payment info, and understood our interest and personalized our tour to fit our needs. It actually, exceed our needs. As when we landed, we had a phenomenal guide name Nena who absolutely superb. Her knowledge, demeanor, and personalized touches made our Thailand experience one to cherish. [We felt like we met a friend].
From pickup at airport, to transportation to and from hotels, excursions, lunches; the sights, sounds, taste and mostly the culture was made smoothly and seamlessly and took the hard work out of how to get to the places we wanted to see, where best to stay, how to get around with the language barrier. UME took out the hardwork and we were truely able to fully enjoy our surroundings without distractions or stress on what to do next, as there is sooooo much to see, do, eat and explore in Thailand!
If you're sitting on the fence, or always wanted to go but felt overwhelmed when all the planning please let UME do it for you. Let them know your interest, your must do's and likes. You won't be disappointed. I highly recommend them.
Be sure to ask for our wonderful agent Lan Lui, she absolutely fantastic at what she does and is always able to be reached during your planning process. And of course for our wonderful guide, who was on the ground, Ms. NENA!!! WHERE YOU'LL FEEL LIKE YOU MADE GOOD FRIENDS.
Nava was our coordinator , we a party of 6 who booked our trip with Eva through UME travels. Eva was so helpful. Throughout the process she was so helpful in coordinating our last minute trip to Hiroshima and it was great that we were able to visit the historical place. She made changes as needed . She ensured our trip went smoothly. We covered Tokyo, Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima
Our tour guides Kyle , Cha Cha and the drivers were very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and always on time.
I highly recommend both UME travel and Eva for any Asian tours you may be interested in.
All the Best .
Viji Thuraisingam from Boston MA
So happy we went with UME for our travel to Thailand! Amber was our first point of contact and she did an amazing job accommodating our needs and changing the trip according to what we wanted. It was easy to go back and forth communicating with her. She did a great job setting up our honeymoon and checking in on us to make sure everything turned out great.
We cannot rave more about Monshai and Lee! Monshai met us at the airport and took care of us right away. He had clear communication on meet up times and what was planned. He did an amazing job explaining the culture and giving the back story to the excursion. More importantly he had us laughing and enjoying every step of the way. This was a truly memorable honeymoon. The one to one personal connection we made is unmatched. He let us go at our own pace and was not rushed to go to the next thing. There were plenty of opportunities for photo ops and we took every opportunity. He took care of us from the very beginning to the very end. Telling us what we need to try and advising on pricing. When Monshai was around we knew he had our back and trusted him completely.
Lee was an AMAZING driver. We felt very safe in the car when he was behind the wheel. He always opened the door for us with water on hand. When we were ready to go Lee was there to pick us up.
This dynamic duo is top tier and I would recommend them to anyone coming to Thailand.
We are a party of 6 (3 couples) and we booked UME Travel with (Ivan) to go to Bali- Ubud, Lembongan, Penida & Lombok. Ivan arranged everything & this trip exceeded our expectations. We had our own private driver and guides on land and on water. We saw parts of this country that we would not have seen or experienced on our own. We did so much: swings in Ubud, rice paddies, Monkey Forest, snorkeling with Manta rays, turtles, visited temples, markets, tea/coffee businesses, etc etc. Our accommodations and food was top rated. This was the perfect vacation from beginning to end. Ivan at UME Travel out performed our expeditions. He included us in all the planning & made many valuable suggestions for us. And one of the best things is that this trip cost us less by going through Ivan, then if we had planned it on or own. Highly recommend UME TRavel- Ivan
We booked our trip to Bali with Ivan through UME travel. Throughout the process, from beginning to end, Ivan was so helpful. He made many suggestions, changed things as needed, and ensured our trip went smoothly. We are a party of 6, 2 of whom were added after we had made most of our arrangements and he easily fit them in to our plans. Our tour was an “island hopper” so we got a taste of several places, which gives us reference for what we may wish to return to for longer stays. We visited Bali, Lembongan, Penida and Lombok. We experienced beach huts, jungle huts, beautiful hotel accommodations as well as amazing snorkeling, temples, amazing cuisine and wonderful, friendly people. Our guides were knowledgeable and always on time.
I highly recommend both UME and Ivan for any Asian travel you may be interested in.
Monchai was AMAZING!!!! His knowledge of all of the historical and current areas of Bangkok was truly impressive!! This Girls’ trip was WELL worth the price and is one that will remain a joy in my heart always. I will be using UME Travel when I bring my family back to enjoy the beauty of Thailand and the beautiful people!!
Eva was amazing with planning our China vacation. She put together our custom itinerary which involved several cities with several guides and drivers. We were never left stranded. Our guides did all our translating and were very nice and knowledgeable and the drivers were all very safe. Thank you for planning such an awesome and unforgettable trip for us.
UME made my husband's and my dream honeymoon a reality. From the ease of choosing the best tour for us, making adjustments based on what we wanted, and working with in our budget. The corridnator Dan Li, and their team of tour guides Karen, Leo,Krystal, and Bianco were so kind and knowledgeable about all aspects of our trip. Everyone was so nice and thoughtful, the private personal drivers were amazing as well. We are truly so thankful to have gotten to experience so much of Japan with the amazing team at UME.
Booked a tour for 7 to Shanghai, Suzhou & Hangzhou for a week with Ume Travel. Eva Wang has been very helpful in the whole planning process and have tried to accommodate with the various requests along the way. We were assigned mini bus throughout the trip and it fits us comfortably with the luggages.
Had 2 guides covering different parts of the trip, Wayne & Maggie, they are generally knowledgeable.
Would be better if the guide could be more attentive towards the elderly in the group during the Hangzhou trip as there were quite a fair bit of walking.
Also the tour ends by evening, and we realise some of the spots would have been nicer to visit at night. Will definitely consider that for my next trip.
Tanni made our girls trip to Bangkok absolutely incredible. Always professional and on time, she was an amazing tour guide around the temples. They provided cold waters and towels between the stops, too. She even let us adjust our itinerary to add another stop because it was on the way back to the city. I've never used a travel agency before and Ume absolutely exceeded all my expectations. 100% recommend.
Great Japan Tour
Summary
Overall, this tour was great. We didn’t have to worry about much and had a tour guide when it was important and they did a great job on explaining, translating and guiding us through Japan. The itinerary was robust and had us moving every day. The primary issues, which were minimal was the short timeframe of information provided (drivers, reservations, guides, tickets, etc..) and delayed interaction with the planner who is in China. Overall solid 4 out of 5.
We did a 17 day Japan tour with UME. Our experience was a mixed bag. Eva Wang who worked with us to plan the itinerary was organized and conscientious, however she was not based in Japan and had no first hand knowledge of things there. She had to depend on the “local team” which I am afraid was less than efficient and knowledgeable.
Most of the guides were sub par with no knowledge of the sites they were taking us to. Had no English communication skills even though they were supposed to be “English speaking”. Eva did her best to fix that but when the pool of guides is bad it is impossible to select a good one. The hotels were not good for the 4 star selection that we paid for.
We had given Eva our comments as we went along which we hope the company will take seriously to improve their service. Unless that happens we will not be recommending UME to anyone.
UME Travel 回复2025-04-18
Dear Prashant,
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. We are truly sorry to hear that your recent trip to Japan did not meet your expectations, and we deeply regret any discomfort you may have experienced during your stay.
Regarding the hotel accommodations, we understand that room size is an important aspect of comfort. In Japan, hotel rooms—especially in central areas—tend to be more compact than those in the US and other countries. That said, we always strive to provide accurate descriptions and room dimensions prior to booking to help set clear expectations for our guests.
We are also sorry to hear about your concerns with the guiding service. We hold our local teams to high standards, and we sincerely regret if the language skills and site knowledge did not align with what you were expecting. Your feedback has been shared with our Japan operations team, and we will continue to strengthen the selection and training of our guides to better serve international travelers.
It is disappointing to hear that you do not wish to travel with UME again, but we do appreciate your honest review. Feedback like yours is crucial in helping us grow and improve. Should you ever reconsider, we would welcome the opportunity to provide you with a much better experience in the future.
Thank you again, and we wish you all the best in your future travels.
Warm regards,
Natasha Luo
Customer Service Manager
UME Travel
We went on a 18 day Japan tour with UME. Our experience wasn’t that good. The company placed us in cheap hotels with small rooms. It is not an operator that can make tourists from USA comfortable.
Their guides are horrible - people that have no knowledge of the place with poor English skills.
Never again with UME
UME Travel 回复2025-04-18
Dear Kalpana,
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear that your experience in Japan did not fully meet your expectations.
We appreciate your recognition of Eva’s efforts and dedication in supporting your trip planning. We are working to further strengthen the coordination and quality assurance between our planning and local operational teams.
Regarding the hotel rooms, we understand your disappointment. Japanese hotel rooms do tend to be more compact compared to Western standards, especially in major cities. However, we always provide clients with detailed room information, including size, prior to booking for full transparency.
We also sincerely apologize for your dissatisfaction with the local guides. We regret that some of them did not meet your expectations in terms of English proficiency and site knowledge. Your feedback is extremely valuable, and we are currently reviewing our guide selection and training processes to ensure all guides meet the communication and professionalism standards our clients deserve.
We are saddened to hear that you would not recommend us at this time. Nonetheless, should there be a future opportunity, please know that we would be committed to doing everything possible to deliver a much improved and memorable experience. Your comments are taken very seriously and are vital in helping us improve the quality of our services moving forward.
Thank you again for your review.
Warm regards,
Natasha Luo
Customer Manager
UME Travel
Eva Wang was my travel consultant and was very patient with me during the planning process. I had specific needs and wants and she managed to figure out an itinerary within my budget. Most of the downfalls of my experience in Japan were due to my lack of budget so it couldn't be helped that my experience wasn't everything it could have been. I was traveling with a child on my own and it was a very packed itinerary with some late nights. But we had a great time and everything went well.
The only thing I wished was done a bit better was perhaps more information on the events and entertainment and some options on the bookings. For example, I had asked to see a Kabuki theatre show, and it hadn't occurred to me that these shows regularly run 4+ hours. I assumed it was around 2 hours as most shows where I'm from are only about that long. There were options to purchase one act tickets and that's all I really wanted to see, but I didn't know about this option until about a week before leaving and everything had already been booked and was non refundable.
Just little things like that would have been nice to know so I could tailor the experience a bit better.
Another thing was I had panicked about a week before leaving because I didn't receive my itinerary and letter of confirmation when I was told I would get it. I waited 2 days before sending a message and was told it was sent to me. I didn't receive it and I checked my spam folders and other messages frequently so I wouldn't miss it, as I was quite nervous about everything leading up to our flights. I did eventually get it in a reply to my email asking where it was. So everything was fine. It just scared me at first.
Otherwise, Eva checked in during the trip a few times to ensure everything was running smoothly. The guides were on time and communicated with me as needed.
We had a wonderful time!
I did feel pressured to write this review, but my review is an honest one based off my experiences.
UME Travel 回复2025-03-24
Dear Catherine,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We're thrilled to hear that you and your child had a wonderful time in Japan and that we were able to tailor an itinerary that worked within your budget. Your satisfaction is our top priority.
We also sincerely appreciate your constructive comments. Regarding the Kabuki theatre experience and the duration of the shows, we apologize for the oversight. We will ensure that more detailed information about show durations and available ticket options, such as one-act tickets, is clearly communicated moving forward. Your feedback is invaluable, and we will use it to improve our service for future clients.
We also regret the delay in sending your itinerary and confirmation letter. We understand how important it is to have everything in place before your trip, and we apologize for any stress this caused. We are reviewing our processes to ensure timely and reliable communication in the future.
We are glad to hear that Eva checked in with you during your trip and that the guides were punctual and helpful. We will continue striving to provide excellent service and make each experience as smooth as possible.
Thank you for your honest review and for sharing your experience. Your feedback is incredibly helpful in guiding us to make continuous improvements. We hope to have the opportunity to assist you again in the future and create an even more seamless travel experience.
Wishing you and your family all the best, and we look forward to serving you again!
Warm regards,
UME Customer Service Team
I consulted with a couple other companies including American Express before contacting UME Travel and they were the most reasonable. They asked were and what we wanted to do before making up the itinerary. The tour guide and drivers were all professional and great! The hotel at Mt. Fuji was awesome. The last hotel we stayed in we wouldn’t recommend. Also, I wish they would have had our suitcases transferred from Tokyo to Kyoto so we didn’t have to worry about it the bullet train.
I would definitely recommend UME Travel. Overall, they did a pretty good job.
We just completed a 11-day trip to China arranged by Eva Wang, our travel advisor at UME Travel and she did a good job. I was not confident at the beginning as I picked UME on google search without any references, just based on some good reviews they got. Overall, our trip schedule went smoothly and the service standard provided is as expected. The guides and drivers were on time, attentive, helpful and knowledgeable. Transportation provided is generally good. Locations of the hotels were great except the one in Kunming, our last stop, which is isolated with no amenities close by.
I have made arrangements with UME travel several months before our trip to Japan! They were prompt in picking us up from our hotels and took us down from Yokohama to Fuji Mountain View hotel the first night! A great hotel to stay. Direct view of Mount Fuji and a lake behind! There were a slight issue with the first guide but Dan expedited the change of a new guide. Next morning God granted us the favorite to see the full view of Mt.Fuji for over 40 minutes then it was covered by clouds for the rest of our trip! The driver met us at the Bullet train station platform and directed us to our van! We spent 3 days in Osaka and were pleased with our van driver Mr. Maeda, spoke excellent English, very courteous and considerate.
I really appreciate Dan have tried to accommodate our requests at various times and somehow they were all resolved smoothly! Not what we expected but they were done and Dan did tried his best! He even offered to pay extra to try to resolve our issues. Thank you!
I have changed my review to 3 stars because this company responded in a professional way to my concerns. I hope they follow through with the changes needed to make this tour truly exclusive. I appreciate their response and will now consider booking another tour with them in the future. The type and location of hotels was disappointing. 1 hotel was next to several girly bars. I also had to endure a 4 hour trip on an old boat alone. No one to talk with. Food on boat was not good. Then a 6 hour drive in an old van that bounced so much, my neck got sore. The only thing scheduled was temples. I would think that there was much more to offer in Cambodia.
The best thing was the tour guides. They were very friendly and knowledgeable.
UME Travel 回复2024-11-12
Thank you for updating your review and for giving us an opportunity to address your concerns. We deeply appreciate your feedback, as it helps us to refine our services and enhance the experience we provide to our valued clients.
We’re delighted to hear that our tour guides contributed positively to your experience. Our guides take great pride in sharing their knowledge and making the journey enjoyable for our guests, and we’re glad this came through.
Once again, thank you for your candid insights and your willingness to consider traveling with us again. We look forward to providing you with a more seamless and enriched experience in the future.