Back in November I was reading The Times travel section and wondering where to go on holiday. I had no travel companions for the trip, and I was working full time, so it would have to be a tour package, I thought. The word ‘package’ conjured up nightmarish visions of screaming kids, name badges and umbrella wielding guides, but I began to search the net for tour operators, and it wasn’t long before I came across Gecko Travel. In fact it was pretty much a one horse race as far as websites were concerned. Gecko’s had itineraries for all the tours, everything you could ever want to know about the tour arrangements, endorsements from lots of happy customers (including one from the Thai tourist board) and up to date pricing info. The photos were stunning and navigating was a doddle. I was hooked.

Gecko Travel is a small company specialising in adventure tours in south east asia, with small groups of no more than nine. The tour that caught my eye was called ‘Jungles and Islands’, which I won’t elaborate on here as you can read about it on Gecko’s website.

I decided to arrive a week early and have a poke around Bangkok myself before I joined up with the tour group. I didn’t like the thought of having to stick rigidly to a schedule determined by someone else then just go home. Today I’ve received a packing list and luggage tags from Gecko, and even a small business card with my hotel’s name and address on it in Thai. Whatever I’m destined to think of Gecko after the tour has finished, their preparation is awesome.