Surprising Benefits of Touring with a Small Group in Thailand

I would highly recommend using a small group travel company like G Adventures if you plan to see a lot of places in a developing country like Thailand. The #1 reason is that the itinerary has been decided for you based on places and things that other people recommend and they provide lovely air conditioned vans or flights for you to get around. I never would have planned a train ride, visit to a war museum and a cemetery but that is where we visited on day two.

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Bridge over the River Kwai

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Train ride on the Bridge over the River Kwai

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We walked across the Bridge over the River Kwai (The one from the movie).  During WWII the Japanese forced the POWs and many Thai people to build a railway from Burma to Siam (now called Myanamar to Thailand). Over 130,000 people died due to terrible conditions. The motto above the museum said “forgive, but never forget”.

The #2 reason for a tour is the tour guide.  Ours is from Thailand and she gives us information on the culture, history and language.  She also brings us to places where the food is safe and there are western toilets.  Sometimes we do have to use the Thailand toilets and squat over a hole.  We all have our own TP but can sometimes buy it as well.

My 3rd and last reason today for traveling with a small group is you have instant travel buddies. So after you visit war museums and such, you can hang out at the hotel pool, order drinks and dine together in lovely outdoor restaurants.

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You also have friends to hike and swim together with at the waterfalls.

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Erawan National Park, Thailand

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Best you can pose with friends so that you don’t have an album full of selfies; maybe just a couple.

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Ok. That’s a bit scary but worth a giggle!  Finally it is fun with a group when all three things are combined.  Tonight our tour guide took us on a river cruise around Ayuthaya.  The sun set  and we enjoyed a delicious meal on board the boat. She told us the history of the ruins and temples that we passed. We enjoyed each other’s company and the country that has welcomed us.

Click here to read about our day bathing the elephants and jungle trekking in the Thailand rain forest. 

G Adventures provided us with a well run tour and a knowledgable guide leaving smiles all around.

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travel Thailand with a small tour group

runawaywidow

At the age of 51 I unexpectedly became a widow. For the first 6 months after my husband died, I was in shock and numb. I journaled and with the help of friends, family and therapists was able to get back to living my old life, even if it is now very different. Before I was married, I had spent a semester in England and backpacked around Europe. My husband and I moved from New York to California for 8 years and started a family. Travelling took a back seat to raising a family and going to work everyday. Since the loss of my husband I have visited a lot of places with family and friends and took a solo trip to Thailand. I am enjoying sharing my stories and adventures as well as some of my insights to how I am traveling the path of being a widow. I hope to share my stories and adventures as well as some thoughts on being a middle aged widow. While I have some great experiences traveling to Thailand and cruising to Central America, some of my adventures involve a trip to see a Broadway show in nearby Manhattan and a shopping trip at Bed, Bath and Beyond. If I can inspire anyone to go out and continue to live a good life that would be my greatest accomplishment.

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6 Responses

  1. Where's My Other Sock? says:

    Love your guidance and advice as well as the beautiful photography!

  2. Randy Jay says:

    hi, my husband passed away in june, I am look
    ng for small tour companies, can you kindly share ?

  1. March 12, 2018

    […] NY and 10:30 pm here on Saturday. I will have a solo day in Bangkok tomorrow then I’ll meet my small tour group and my roommate. So […]

  2. October 4, 2022

    […] massages. They offered Thai massages so I requested one. I remember all the stretching from my time in Thailand and looked forward to it. It was great but a lot more pressing on pressure points than I remember. […]

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