The next question I often get is "Why did you go on a tour, when you are a tour guide?" For me that answer is easy, it made it possible for me not to think about traveling. Sounds weird, right? This summer I spent most of my time going to places I had never been and dealing with the issues that arise from traveling around trying to see as much as possible. My thought was if I went with the right company, that had my travel philosophy, that it would be great to not have to worry about any planning. I found the right company, my own, Intrepid. They are the parent company of Suntrek, so the way they travel is the way I like to travel. It didn't hurt to get a small discount either. I chose the 28 day tour that covered both north and south Thailand, the best part was the beach time would be in the last week, so we would have our down time at the end. The trips are never more then 12 people, using public transportation and staying in smaller guest houses and hotels convenient to the heart of town or camping and home stays as a part of the adventure. We were able to meet and talk with the locals and learn about their culture first hand and not just from a guide on a bus.
It was a great experience, letting someone else handle every aspect of the tour. I have no regrets about traveling under somebody else's control and we had plenty of time on our own. I also had a great traveling companion, Kim, a fellow tour director. Having her along helped to cope with the only drawback to a group tour, the other guests. I have few complaints about our fellow travelers, however, they did not necessarily have the same mindset as Kim and me about how to enjoy a foreign country.
In the end, I loved the tour and having other people along to share in the experience. I highly recommend using Intrepid if you want to travel like the locals, in a small group and see things that would never find on your own.
Thanks for reading.
