Three days prior to departure

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.