Pre-booking day tours
 

Visiting Hong Kong 4 days, Bangkok 4 days and Phuket 7 days in November. Should we pre-book day tours before arrival?

No. You'll pay much more by pre-booking. Wait until you get there and decide if you want day tours. If you do, book them locally.

Absolutely not! Happy Travels!

I agree with the previous posters that tours will be much cheaper when you get there than if you pre-book. Also, I have noted that the hotel tour desk is generally more expensive than an independent tour operator that you might find outside of the hotel.

Thanks all

That begs another question. We've travelled Europe without guides. My sense is that Asia travel may be alot easier with organized tours/guides. Should we try doing it without tours/guides. Just how hard is it to see this region on our own?

Absolutely anyone who can get around he or her own home town alone can (and should) travel around Hong Kong without a guide.

Why Asia should be different from Europe on the matter of guides I've never understood.

Bangkok is certainly easy enough to get around, there are plenty of English speakers, plenty of maps in English, and plenty of signs in English. Difficulties are largely in the mind of the visitor, not in the nature of the travel itself.

Of course things are 'easier' if you don't have to think for yourself at all. But are they better? I'd say no, because getting yourself around on public transport or by taxi is part of the fun, and cultural and historical background is always available in printed form, and you are fully in control of how long you spend at any particular destination, and which particular places you visit. But you may say yes, because you just want to cram as much as possible into each day, and find it more relaxing to have everything predictablea and taken care of.

But is it hard to get around these heavily touristed places on your own? Absolutely not.

Peter N-H
http://members.shaw.ca/pnhpublic/China.html

Bangkok is very easy to see on you own and diy can be more rewarding and you operate to your own timtable. You still have the option of doing it 100% yourself which is still easy or organising a driver/guide . I have been to Bangkok many times and never been on a tour but this December visit I will go on an overnight cruise on the Manohra Song because its an intimate an specail tour.

drwahwah,
we will be going on Manhra cruise in October, I will report.
Sophia

Sophia
Who did you book Manohra Song cruise with? and do they still offer overnight tour vs 3 days 2 nights - I am still waiting on response from online agent and the www.manohracruises.com site is down
look forward to hearing about your experience

Paul