1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The elephant riding and the Thai cooking.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

I would do the north bit for sure but the south I reckon could be done individually as this trip almost did it the wrong way round.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

8/10 - was truly amazing and we did see a lot - but there was so much travelling involved and I wasn’t fond of the tour leader in the south.

Read the operator's response here:

We would like to thank Sarah for her comments and feedback. Most of our tours, such as the Northern Mountains, Southen Beaches end with a few days of relaxation and a beach break prior to people's return. Experience has shown that for most people this enables them to have a few days of reflection and a ceasation to travelling prior to often long flights home. For this reason this tour does the more active Northern part before the Southern part. Unfortunately in a tour taking in both North and South Thailand a few long journeys are inevitable and we do try to vary the mode of transport and make these as much a part of the experience as possible.

In terms of independent travel versus an escorted tour obviously both have advantages. An escorted tour which has been pre-planned and organised by local specialists enables one to get off the beaten track and experience the area in a way which is logistically difficult for the independent traveller or requires a much greater time than a standard 2/3 week holiday.