I am just beginning to plan a trip to Thailand for 2014. My husband and I want to have our itinerary and hotels booked in advance. We are thinking Four Seasons Golden Triangle, Chang Mai, Phuket or Krabi and maybe Bangkok if we have time. We are looking at approximately two weeks in Thailand.

We are searching for a company to arrange a custom tour. I've read that both Geographic Expeditions and Asia Transpacific Journeys specialize in custom tours of Asia. Does anyone have any experience with either agency - either custom or group tours? Would you recommend one over the other?

Thanks.

Absolutely no need for a custom tour. Your booked your hotels and flights, now just go. If you want a guide somewhere, you can hire one on the spot or your hotel can arrange it. Mostly, you don't need a guide. I've never used one in my more than two dozen trips to Thailand. Going through a tour company will greatly increase your costs. And a group tour means forced shopping stops, waiting for others, and not getting to spend the time you want at places that interest you.

I embark on my 17th thai vacation in nov.. it is a breeze to plan a trip there..

start with a good guide book... lay out what interests you... come back here and ask detailed questions... give us rough budget data, likes and dislikes, etc..

Bangkok is very worthwhile and interesting... I am part of a group who do not care for chiang mai--its just boring..

I wholeheartedly agree. We were hesitant and my buddies above helped us plan a great trip without a group, but with guides 2/3s of the time. We will be happy to help you!

We used ATJ last year, and they were great. While there may be "no need" for a travel agent in well-traveled areas, I found the peace of mind to be very valuable, and the guides that ATJ hired were phenomenal. Also, if there are any travel disruptions, an agent can (and will) take care of all of that. We had a cancelled flight from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur, making our Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap flight impossible, and before we even got to the airport ATJ had re-booked us through Bangkok.

Save your money no need for a tour very simple to get around in Thailand.

I agree about glitches and, although we usually book flights on our own, for $30 a ticket (and this was many flights, I think 7), we used an agent for that very reason, knowing they would take care of a problem if needed.

Bangkok is great! IMHO it would be a big mistake to not spend several days there. Great hotels, restaurants, the Palace, Wats, the river, even the snake farm if it is still there. Plus the best pedicure of my life. Wonderful shopping if that is your thing.