Our guides
Thirty-four people on payroll, most of them from the region they guide in. That is the single biggest difference between a tour that works and one that is a sequence of facts.
Why salaried matters
A freelance guide in Thailand is usually paid per booking and often earns a commission from the shops and restaurants they bring you to. It is not a conspiracy, it is how the economics work for them. Our guides are salaried with a fixed monthly income, which removes the incentive entirely. It also means they stay — the average tenure is nine years, and the northern team has been together since 2016.
How they are chosen and trained
A licensed guide in Thailand has passed the TAT exam, which covers history, geography, culture and law. Beyond that we look for two things: whether they can read a group, and whether they will tell a guest that a plan is a bad idea. Both are harder to teach than facts. New guides shadow for three months before leading, and everyone renews first aid annually.
Who you are likely to meet
Ploy — eleven years, Bangkok and the central plains, our most requested guide for families.
Nattapong — northern, based in Chiang Mai, walks the Doi Inthanon road weekly and knows every coffee stop.
Aom — southern specialist, Phuket and Phang Nga, grew up on the Andaman coast.
Somchai — fifteen years, Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, the person we send guests who ask hard historical questions.
You are told the name of your guide before you pay, not the morning of the tour.
Can we request a specific guide?
Yes, subject to their availability. About a third of our bookings do.
Do guides come into the temples with us?
Yes, and they handle tickets, dress code and timing. They are licensed to guide inside, which freelancers often are not.
Is tipping expected?
No. It is appreciated and never expected, and our guides know their salary does not depend on it.
Tell us the trip you have in mind.
Dates, people and the one thing that must happen — we come back with a route and a real cost.