I know most of you are independant travelers but I'm looking at a Grand Circle trip to Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai for next February. It's 18 days (15 actual in Thailand). Has some free time so I'll be looking for extra things to do. Would like to know of any opinions re Grand Circle. The price is certainly right - about $1600, a lot of meals included. This is from Los Angeles. Thanks for your help.

My wife and I went to Thailand with Grand Circle's small-group subsidiary, Overseas Adventure Travel, last February and believe it was one of the best trips we have ever taken. We took the extensions to Cambodia and Vietnam. Email us direct with any questions.

Grand Circle Tours currently represents one of the best value package tours available to Thailand. There bulk buying power provides excellent quality venues at prices that nobody else can match. The majority of guests tend to be in the over 50/60 age group.

Pas 14, <BR> <BR>Grand Circle does not have the best prices to Thailand. You should check out Pacific Delight Tours, which has the largest volume from the US to Asia, including Thailand. For example, Pacific Delight has a 18 day escorted tour to Thailand called the "Thailand and Golden Triangle Tour" that covers BANGKOK, AYUTHAYA, CHIANGRAI, CHIANG SAEN (GOLDEN TRIANGLE), CHIANGMAI & MAE SA that includes: <BR>1. Round-trip transpacific air transportation via Northwest Airlines <BR>2. All intra-Thailand air/land transportation <BR>3. Escorted throughout Thailand by a professional Tour Manager <BR>4. 16 nights in deluxe and superior first class hotels <BR>5. 30 meals: 15 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 11 dinners <BR>6. Round-trip transfers between airport and hotel, baggage handling, hotel taxes and service charges <BR>7. 2,000 WorldPerks® Bonus Miles toward free travel, in addition to actual mileage flown, with the purchase of each tour package <BR>8. Free $100,000 Automatic Flight Insurance for transpacific air reservations ticketed by Pacific Delight Tours <BR> <BR>From LA, the price is only $1560 from Sept. thru November, then drops to $1520 for the first 2 departures in December, and then drops further to $1510 from Jan thru March 2002.

Thank you Carolyn for the information. <BR>Certainly it is desirable to shop around and to get as much advice from actual travellers as you can. There are definitely good value good quality packages to be had, but one should also beware of packages that are too low priced, since one tends to get what one pays for. (I am not referring to Carolyn's company, since they can obviously justify their lower prices through their bulk buying power - but for sure beware of the very small company that offers similar prices, as they are likely to be too good to be true)