Classic Thailand

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however order of events and sightseeing may vary according to the local conditions.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of £295.00pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

A visa is not required before you travel to Thailand; you will be issued with a tourist visa valid for 60 days on arrival into the country. Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. We strongly advise you check your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity.

Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your e-ticket and final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Check in baggage is included with your flight. Weight restrictions will be finalized on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. If you wish to arrange Airport car parking or accommodation at preferential rates, we recommend you book this in advance with Holiday Extras on 0871 360 2000, quoting HX313.

IMPORTANT: A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you. Please note that you should carry your invoice with flight details on it as you will need to show this at the airport.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights, climb stairs and get on and off coaches and boats. The tour pace of Classic Thailand is rated as Intermediate. A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for approximately four hours in a day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. Your tour involves climbing steep stairs, getting on and off coaches and boats. It also includes travelling by overnight train. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties. Our guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary.

The currency in Thailand is the Thai Baht (THB). We recommend that you exchange you currency before you leave the UK, however cash machines are available in all the major cities to withdraw money in the local currency. It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country. Money can be exchanged at the airport or branches of government banks. Credit and debit cards are accepted in most hotels and some shops and restaurants.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels.

You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any dinners where these are not mentioned on your itinerary and personal purchases, such as souvenirs, extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £200-£300 per person should be sufficient for the duration of your tour.

Tipping

Tipping is not compulsory and is at your discretion to tip both your driver and guide. We would recommend to tip approximately £1-2 per person per day. This is a total of £22 per person to budget for tips on your trip. Tips will be collected at the beginning of your tour. Tips are accepted in the local currency.

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 11, and the maximum will be 30. If in the unlikely event there are less than 11 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

This is a fully escorted tour meaning that you will be met on arrival and will have a guide with you throughout your stay until you depart Chiang Mai, ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times.

Private Tours: If you have booked a private tour then you will be accompanied by a Driver Guide or a Driver and Local Guides. These will be available to you during all scheduled sightseeing. Private Tours can depart on any day of the week depending on flight and train schedules and the opening days of the attractions. They will follow the itinerary as described in the brochure unless you have been advised otherwise and you will still have all of the same meals, sightseeing and local excursions included.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and Thailand. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs. If you have booked a triple share please note that your room will be a twin room with a rollaway bed or sofa bed added. This may limit the floor space in the room.

Breakfast is always western style and served in the hotel each morning. Lunch and Dinner (when included) will be taken in local restaurants or at the hotel. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way. 1 bottle of water are supplied per day.

The three most important Buddhist holidays are Makha Bucha Day, Visakha Bucha Day and Asahna Bucha Day. All three are public holidays in Thailand. During this time many shops and business close for the celebrations. Because they are such important religious occasions, there are temporary restrictions in place on alcohol sales with entertainment venues in some areas also closing.

During visits to Churches/Temples please note both men and women need to wear long trousers or skirts to cover knees, tops with sleeves should be worn to cover shoulders.

On your arrival in Thailand you will be met just after the Customs office by a representative from our local agent, Tour East. The Mercury Holidays/Asian Trails representative will show you to your transfer vehicle.

If you need to contact Asian Trails, during your stay the details are:

Asian Trails Ltd, 9th Floor, SG Tower, 161/1 Soi Mahadlek Luang 3, Rajdamri Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand Email : travis@asiantrails.org

24 hour emergency contact information: Travis Clark - +66 (0)6-3080-5580, Email: attinboundenglish@asiantrails.org / travis@asiantrails.org / supen@asiantrails.org