Going into my trip to Thailand , I had no idea what to expect. I’d never done a group tour before and was used to my independence and having the freedom to choose what I wanted to do each day. I was also coming off the solo backpacking trip of a lifetime and wasn’t sure how I felt about following a structured itinerary. That said, I was excited to relax and let someone else worry about getting from point A to B and where we were going to stay that night.

The roughly 12-hour journey from Sydney to Bangkok (with a layover in Singapore) went smoothly (shoutout to Singapore Airlines for having the entire first season of The Handmaid’s Tale to keep me entertained), but by the time I landed I was exhausted. I stumbled through customs and immigration in a haze, to be greeted by Jess, one of my group leaders, and two fellow travellers who would become some of my closest companions on the trip. Despite my weariness and culture shock, I was immediately relaxed. The flight was the hard part – I didn’t have to worry about anything else. If I needed anything, Jess was there .

I had no idea what to expect from Bangkok, but my days there were amazing. I ate delicious food, discovered my love for the best mangos on Earth (seriously – do NOT miss out on Thailand’s mangos), and went everywhere from glittering temples to peaceful parks to sky-high bars (84 stories to be exact) and back.

I got an amazing (and cheap) traditional Thai massage from a woman who got out knots I didn’t even know I had, which was much needed after a 12-hour flight. I was amazed by the diversity of the city and its propensity for contradiction. We got blessed by a Buddhist monk and experienced the insanity of Khao San Road’s nightlife – complete with street vendors offering everything from laughing gas to woven bracelets with lewd sayings – in the same day. Everywhere you turn in Bangkok there’s something new to see and experience , and I couldn’t get enough.

Normally, a city like Bangkok would’ve made me anxious. I wouldn’t have known where to stay, whether it was safe to walk around in certain areas alone, how much to pay for tuk tuk rides, etc. But because I didn’t have to worry about transportation or booking anything, I was able to relax and fully enjoy the experience . This sentiment rang true throughout the entirety of the trip – from Bangkok to Khao Sok and Koh Phangan, I was able to de-stress and take in all of the amazing activities. I would never have thought to take a traditional Thai cooking class or try Muay Thai (with a two-time world champion!) on my own.

I also most definitely would not have stayed in accommodation as nice as I did – beachfront bungalows in Koh Phangan complete with an infinity pool? My idea of luxury was a hostel that had both bedside outlets and in-room lockers. It was the true, relaxing paradise that people picture when they think of a Thai island vacation .

However, my favourite night was most definitely the floating bungalows in Khao Sok National Park. No WiFi, no phone signal, nothing but stunning limestone cliffs and deep blue water. I had no clue that there was a national park in Thailand prior to this trip, and even if I had, I doubt that I would’ve been able to visit. But the trip made it so easy, seamlessly arranging multiple forms of transportation to make getting to a lake in the middle of nowhere a breeze. There was no way I could’ve done that on my own.

I was also incredibly surprised by how much freedom I had on my group tour . I love scuba diving and was a little disappointed that I was going all the way to Thailand without visiting at least one of the incredible dive sites the country had to offer. However, one night I was talking to Martin, my other group leader, and the topic of diving came up. To my surprise, he asked me if I wanted to go, and told me that as long as I was certified, it shouldn’t be an issue. He went out of his way to make sure that I got to go (along with two other people from my trip), and less than a day later everything was sorted. I didn’t have to worry about whether I was going with a reputable company, if I was getting ripped off or not, or do any of the work. All I had to do was wake up the morning of the dive and get in the taxi to the dock. I ended up seeing a whale shark up close, and it was one of my favourite days of the trip.

I loved my group tour experience, I made incredible friends that I still spend time with and my days were filled with enriching and entertaining activities. I was still able to maintain my freedom, and my group leaders were nothing but helpful and supportive. I honestly don’t think that I would’ve been able to do everything I did on my own , and I could not be more grateful for all of the experiences I had. Thanks INTRO!

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