I am going to Thailand with 2 other women next Feb/March for the first time. Because none of us have been there before, we booked with a Smartour "Amazing Thailand" tour. Any feedback on this company/trip appreciated. Hopefully, this was not a mistake. Not big on tour groups, but the price was good, single supp. very low, and the places visited looked like what we wanted. Here's my question- we probably won't do many of the optional tours so what should we do? We'll be in Bangkock for 3 full days. There is a 1/2 day tour to Wat Trimitr, Wat Po, and the White Marble Temple included. Tong seems a good option for 1-2 days, but what are the places to have her take us? I'm so overwhelmed!
Next it's on the bus for 3 days (yuck)up to Chiang Rai with some interesting stops along the way. We have 1 free day there-any suggestions? Then on to Chiang Mai for 2+ days. Again, suggestions? Would a tour guide be a good option in these places?
We are all experienced travelers, but expect some jet lag on arrival! Ages are late 20's and an active 50! We're interested in the important sights and experiences that make Thailand what it is. Also, shopping(mostly fashion, purses, etc.), food, and the massages look good. Anything else not to be missed? A cooking class sounds like fun, but only to 1, so not this trip. Same for the beaches that sound amazing, but no time this trip either.
I know this is a lot of questions, but all help is appreciated!

suggest that you dump the tour and do it all on your own....doing things in thailand is very easy on your own....it will be cheaper or nearly cheaper and you will have a much nicer time and have much nicer hotels and be able to totally control the whole thing yourselves...

we will be glad to assist you here...

Can you cancel without a huge penalty? You booked a group trip (and you'll have probably 40+ people on it) that you are not thrilled about. It's traveling on buses which you've said you don't like, etc. Why do it? It is very easy to do Thailand on your do, and do exactly what you want. (And, frankly, you'll save money.)

You really don't need a tour or a guide. You can opt to have a day or two with Tong or a driver in Bangkok or elsewhere, but you don't need it to do the things you want to do.

You seem worried about filling you time (what to do with one free day?) but you'll have no difficulty filling your time spontaneously. Don't over-plan, leave some space for the really memorable things to occur.

Smart tours is a very good company. You will have a lot of time on your own, since you won`t be doing the optional trips. Just start reading the trip reports on this site, and you will do fine. Of course, going on your own is always the best, but smart tours does offer great prices.

If you continue with tour and have free time in time in Chiang Mai, Sergeant kai can provide a fun time. Check out ChiangMaiTours.com.

I'll second Pat's comments. We did the ST/Friendly Planet thing in Jan/Feb, 2006. Great pricing, very well organized, nice clean hotels in good locations, they handled transportation efficiently and pleasurably. We opted out of all but one optional tour, spending the time on our own. We are NOT tour group people, but this worked out great for us. No stress, no hassle, less money, great tour guides. Absolutely no complaints from virtually everyone on the tour - most of whom would also claim to not be tour group people. Stay with them and enjoy.

While Thailand is a very easy country to get around and english is spoken in the main tourist places, many people opt for a tour the first vist and then on their own in any future trips. Nothing wrong with this. The "Amazing Thailand" tour is excellent and within the 12 days, you see a fair amount of the country, other than the beaches. And you have time in Bangkok and Chiang Mai to explore on your own. The hotels that you stay at are of the 3-4 star catogery so you will not be staying in dumps. The best part is the cost which is unbeatable compared to doing on your own. You don't really need a driver/guide in Bangkok since using a combination of skytrain/subway/ferry will get you to most places of interest plus shopping and restaurants. Taxis are very cheap also. In Chiang mai a guide is benifical and Sergeant kai (recommended by Gpanda above) comes highly regarded.

If you can spare another week you might consider going to Siem Reap or a beach holiday with a few more days in Bangkok. Since you will now have seen how travelling is so easy don't book any tours to these places but go on your own. In SR you will need a driver or diver and guide to visit the temples anyway.

Have a great trip

I would say if you have more time you should simply add time to bangkok or northern thailand. Save Siem Reap for another trip.And the beach is just a beach -- you can go to one a lot closer to home.

Thanks for the help. We are committed to Smartours and can not cancel without losing deposit. Pat, Acctg, and Scotters thanks for your comments about the tour. It really sounds like it will be a good trip. Any particular tours we should take? I'm not afraid to have free time and go with the flow, it's just that I would like to know which flow to go with! There is so much to take in. Acctg,how was the trip up to Chiang Rai/Chiang Mai? If we do get a tour guide in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, where would it be good to go with them that we probably wouldn't go by ourselves? Thanks

I would agree that for a first time you might feel more comfortable with a tour. Bangkok is an amazing city, but I'm really glad I had someone to show me the ropes the first (few) time(s). I'm going alone in two months and am looking forward to it, but this is my 10th time to Thailand. I know where I want to go, where I want to stay, what I want to do, etc. from prior experiences there. It might feel more comfortable to let someone who knows the city be your first-time guide, by way of joining a tour.

I traveled on a bus for about 13 days with 43 Australians in the Australian outback nearly 20 years ago, and I had such a wonderful time!! I was traveling alone and met so many great people on that trip. Since then, I've been on my own in OZ five more times and am comfortable with it.

Can anyone suggest a good reading list for Thailand? Fiction as well as non-fiction. Thanks

I think Kathie posted a list a while back. You might try to find that. I did read THE REVOLUTIONARY KING by William Stevenson, per her list, plus several others on the list. Guide books, like my Insight Guide to Thailand, also have a list in the back. I think the best reading is trip reports on this site.

Walker, The only optional tour we selected was the HillTribe tour. While I recognize there is a certain tourism/circus aspect of it, it was still a real highlight for us. And ST manages it well - getting us there earlier in the morning than most other groups. The included trip to the elephant park was a great highlight - again, we were earlier than most other tours. Do the optional elephant ride and enjoy.

We did all the included tours along the way - but no other optionals. We hired one of Ratt's drivers in Bangkok for a day and were glad we did. Otherwise, we walked and did taxi's and waterboat tours in various cities. Tuk-tuks in Chaing Mai, but avoided them in BK (as advised by fodors forum). The first night dinner with ST at the hotel was not a great meal - we should have watched the dancing show then left for a nearby restaurant to eat. But breakfasts were fine to very good in all hotels. Most hotels were very well located, the only exception being the Rincon Resort. The grounds there were lovely, but I wasn't fond of the hotel itself - but I like being in the middle of things. It was a very well done tour. You'll enjoy it.

btw, you might want to look for my post about Chaing Mai restaurants. We foudn a few really special places that are worth seeking out.

Stick with Smartours don't worry. You will be satisfied. I am not a goupie but I went to Thailand on their tour in January. Take the optional tour in Chiang Rai. Everyone loved it. Also the tour of the temple on the mountain in Chiang Mai. Yes, there were 40 people on my trip, I was horrified but we never felt like a herd and not one person was unhappy. I' planning to go again with a friend. The price is very reasonable when you consider that airfare is included.

I always go groupie tour on my first trip to any Asian country. Sure, I expect to be herded around in bus and only get to visit touristy sites. But most important of all, it's safer and I get to cover more places than DIY trips. In Europe and US, concise signages and info kiosks are everywhere, making it extremely easy to cover a city. My first trip to BKK was a groupie tour in 1993. After spending a week there and getting to know the city, my subsequent trips were DIYs.

Stick to guided tour if you're a first timer.

BTW, if you love shopping, I have a tip for you. Take a taxi to Hotel Regent in BKK in your free&easy hours. Behind the hotel is a vast bazaar where locals do their shopping. It's not in any tourist map. The shoes and handbags there will floor you.

I loved this tour so much (Jan 2005) that I am going again with my fiance this winter. There is no way you could attempt to do the drive between all those cites on your own, and if you flew, you would miss some of the best parts of the trip. Not to be missed: making your own paper, holding a 140 lb. snake and having baby monkeys sit on your shoulder. True, some of the optional tours are a waste, but you know what you like, you'll figure it out. Do not miss the Chang Mai night market, or breakfast, ever (skip the eggs and go for the more exotic stuff.)Also, the trip with the hilltribe people is so beautiful, and the children are too cute! Start collecting little hotel soaps and shampoos to bring for them, as the tourguide might ask. Another thing that might occupy your time is visiting a tailor. Bring photos of clothes from magazines and they can re-create it for you. I still wear everything that I had made. Enjoy!

By the way, it was me and my sister (20's) and our mom (60) and we all had a blast, adventurers and cautious alike!

Oh you will have such a great time in Chang Mai..... although the trip was a bit tacky... we did enjoy the elephant camp ( dont' recall the specific name.. it has some rafting trip that goes along with it .... if that's any help.... but, it was great fun ( and yes, I have ridden elephants in other parts of the world. At first, we weren't going to do it, after a few days in Chang Mai, we decided, "what the heck" and did it... we were glad we did.

We came in from Laos so we were ready to chill in Chang Mai.... although Seim Reap is not far away, I would save it for another trip... Just spend a few days chilling in Chang Mai......

It's a relatively easy city to navigate on your own... ENJOY!

Smartours Amazing Thailand is a great tour, a truly superb value for the dollar. It is good for first timers, or even for those who are alone and want the company of a group..

I actually lead many Smartours trips in India. so if u like the Thailand tour, by all means, u might consider INDIA TOO someday..iT is also a wonderful trip!@ it is more costly than the Thai trip, but still a very good value for what it is..