✈️ THE STORY BEHIND THIS TRIP. In September of this year, we booked a package tour to Thailand. Before that, we'd been traveling on our own for years. The last time we used a tour operator was back in 2013, also in Thailand, with Biblioglobus. We chose to go to Rayong province instead of our favorite Pattaya that time. We were the only ones heading to that part of the country, and the rest of the group got dropped off in Pattaya along the way. There were no plans to meet the guide in Rayong, since none of them wanted to go there. We arrived, got a little upset, and ended up calling a taxi to head to Pattaya instead. The tour operator only remembered us a day before our departure to confirm the return transfer, but when they found out we'd bailed for Pattaya, they refused to provide the service, which we'd already paid for. We had to buy our excursions on the street, and that's how we became self-sufficient travelers, going on trips without tour operators from then on.

2012: An excursion to the Temple of Truth with BiblioglobusWe'd flown with Globus to Thailand a year prior, in 2012, and remembered that trip for the numerous excursions. We bought 11 excursion programs for 17,000 rubles for the two of us, including a two-day trip to the Kwai River! It was our first visit to the country, and the fears instilled by the guides about insurance not covering excursions bought elsewhere kept us from buying anything else. But honestly, I don't regret it. Those were peanuts for 11 excursions. However, the downside to Globus excursions is that they'd take you to all sorts of places – souvenir shops, jewelry stores, leather goods, wine, latex, ointments, honey, spices... you name it. We wasted so much time on that nonsense. Excursions bought from street vendors didn't have any of that. They'd stick to the program the whole time.And the myth about them dumping sewage into the water on Wednesdays... So, in these days, you have to take an excursion to the islands... What do you think? I thought that was old news, but it turns out it's still a thing they scare tourists with... And they've come up with a whole bunch of other scare tactics.

SO, THE STORY OF THIS YEAR.

💲 Moscow - Pattaya Package Tour Cost
I was all set to book everything myself, but the prices on the airlines' websites were a major letdown. Our vacation was starting to look uncertain. So, out of curiosity, I decided to check out the package tour price. I was surprised to find that the tour saved us 62,000 rubles. Not to mention the extra cash we'd have spent on taxis to and from the hotel and insurance (which we'd have bought separately anyway). That's an extra 80,000 rubles we wouldn't have had to shell out!

What it would've cost us to book flights and a hotel separately, without a package tourIt turned out that we booked our tour with Bibliog Globus on the dates we needed, with a direct Aeroflot flight, accommodation in a bungalow at our favorite hotel, Green Park Resort, with breakfast, airport transfers, and insurance. The whole shebang cost us 173,000 rubles for two. That's 254,000 rubles less than if we'd booked everything separately, with a flight that would've had a super inconvenient layover, whereas this one was direct.
The Green Park Resort in Pattaya, which we won't be returning to The bungalow we stayed in throughout our vacationAs for the hotel and flight, I've written separate reviews, and I won't be dwelling on those here. I don't think they're relevant to Bibliog Globus's merits.📝 My review of the Green Park Resort Hotel

📝 My review of my Aeroflot flight

The factors that influence my rating of the tour operator are: the tour price, transfer services, insurance, the work of the welcoming guides, and the quality of the excursions, if any were purchased.

Price was on fire, we've already discussed that.
Transfer from the airport and meet the guide.
That's where the fun begins. After we landed, we easily found the guide, and they showed us the way to the bus. I wanted to rush to the exchange office with a favorable exchange rate, which is located on the minus first floor of the airport. After 10 years of traveling, I can find it with my eyes closed. But the guide didn't let us go, saying we might get lost and the whole bus would be waiting for us. I agree... Who are we to hold up the whole bus of people rushing to drink a Chang and swim in the Gulf of Siam?We headed towards the bus. We sat... and waited for TWO!!! Two!!! Hours!! See, according to the regulations, they're supposed to wait for the last tourist for three hours after the plane lands. Apparently, one couple went on their own and didn't inform anyone. We waited for two hours for NO ONE! Who's to blame - the tourists for not warning anyone and sneaking off quietly? No! The tour operator's to blame. That's a stupid rule. Three hours to get out of the plane, collect your luggage, and go through security? Even snails could do that in 1.5 hours max. We took our time and did it all in an hour, even managing to get a SIM card. By the way, Globus used to give tourists SIM cards. That's in the past now; they only give you a promotional brochure in a shoe bag. You can now get a SIM card at the airport, buy one at 7-eleven, or get it before your trip.

One of the perks of this transfer is that we didn't make any stops along the way, as we'd all voted against it.

The return transfer was scheduled for 7:45 for our 13:20 departure (the journey takes a bit over an hour). At 7:15, we handed over our numbers and went for breakfast. At 7:30 (15 minutes early), they started calling us, saying they'd already arrived. We didn't even get to finish our sausage and rice. But the main thing is that they didn't keep us waiting. They dropped us off at the airport well in advance (with more than 4 hours to spare). We had time to browse the duty-free, grab a burger at Burger King, and even hang out near the departure area.

excursion to the monkey island with Biblioglobus in 2012Meet and greet guide and hotel guide.
In the bus on the way to the hotel, the guide usually tells you about the specifics of the holiday in the country, safety measures, and other details of the holiday. We had a blast listening to him. I feel sorry for the tourists who, with their ears flapping, believed this nonsense and then told me stories in the hotel, wondering how it was possible that we didn't meet the guide separately?here are just some of the horror stories the guide told us on the way to the hotel:

So, apparently, you're supposed to carry around copies of your passport in case you get stopped by some serious-looking people on the street, who will ask for your documents, and you'll show them a copy of your passport.

She said that if you don't show up to the meeting with the guide, you'll be in big trouble. Apparently, the hotel sends some info to the migration service, and the guide checks to make sure they've done it. If they haven't, you'll get fined 2,000 baht when you try to leave the country.I'm skipping ahead here, but I didn't actually go to the meeting, and I still managed to get the info about my return transfer. The guide didn't even bother to look at the voucher I brought.

Apparently, the fate of those tourists who were waiting for the bus is now uncertain. We don't post the info about their return transfer at the reception anymore, and they don't know when to meet the guide, who collects their phone numbers for some kind of newsletter. So, they won't know when their transfer to the airport will arrive, and they'll probably miss their flight. Who do you think will end up buying them new tickets? Yeah, they'll have to pay for them themselves!We got the info about the bus schedule via WhatsApp the day before, and we didn't go to the meeting with the guide. We also had a Thai SIM card, which nobody knew the number to. But the info still came through! They must have our contacts already. They'll find you somehow – at the hotel, in your room, or by leaving a note at the reception. It's in their interest to do so.

Apparently, the only place where you can eat fresh durian that's cut right in front of you is on our tour. I guess the markets on every corner don't count.Overall, her whole monologue was about how if we don't show up to the meeting with the guide (which is only in our interests) and don't bring them our passport and vouchers, we won't get the info about our return transfer, and we'll end up in big trouble. At the very least, we'll have to pay for a new ticket.

Check out the note on the paper: 'bring vouchers, flight tickets, insurance, and cash to meet the guide' We asked the guide in the bus, 'What if we leave tomorrow and don't show up to meet the hotel guide?' She said there's a hotline number on the flyers they gave us. We need to message them with our reasons and they'll reschedule another day. We already knew we weren't going to take any excursions. Everywhere we went, and now either we take public transport or taxis or buy from street vendors. We came to the meeting with the guide out of politeness and told them we wouldn't be attending. The guide asked us to write him a WhatsApp message right now saying 'we're such-and-such. We're opting out of meeting the guide.' What does he need that for, for reporting purposes? And when I sent the message, he said, 'SO YOU DON'T GET DISAPPOINTED LATER THAT THE GUIDE TURNED YOU DOWN!' Oh, come on, get a grip!

Printouts of excursions from Bilio Globus without prices In the bus, they gave us these branded backpacks (more like laundry bags) with a Thai theme. They're cute. Inside the backpack was a booklet with a brief overview of the country, culture, and travel tips, along with a tab with excursion information. Notice how there's no price listed anywhere? Why bother? Before they scare you with prices, the guide will do a great job of showcasing their marketing skills. You won't have time to compare prices with street vendors. They'll convince you to buy everything here and now, since you were told to 'bring cash.' They'll use the same scare tactics, convincing stories about street vendors not having documents, their untrustworthiness... they'll tell you that the insurance won't be valid if you book through street vendors, that Bilio Globus is the only way to go. Sneaky? That's why I decided to ignore these meetings. 🩺 TRAVEL INSURANCE INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE.

Okay, so the classic story about buying excursions outside the agency - that the insurance won't be valid if you book elsewhere! Friends, insurance is for when something goes wrong, no matter where you are or how you get there! Whether you take an excursion or public transport, it's all covered. And if there's a clause in the insurance policy about this, then maybe you shouldn't be getting it in the first place. I prefer to get a separate, good insurance policy because I don't trust package deals!

You get a basic insurance policy with the tour package, but let's be real, it's super basic. It won't cover anything serious. And the guides will freak out, telling you it doesn't apply here or there. I didn't find any of the things the guides warned me about in the actual contract, maybe they're just trying to sell their own tours. I'm not about to test the limits and see what happens. I'd rather get a different policy and not have to worry about it. Even in the brochure they gave me with the backpack, there are a few warnings about the insurance they include in the tour:

Tap water in Thailand is a no-go. Use bottled water for drinking, and don't eat from street vendors or beach stalls – you might get food poisoning. Be careful with the air conditioning in your room. Start with 25°C and adjust as needed. If something happens and you need to make a claim, call the phone number on your insurance policy. Give the operator your name, birthday, country, region, policy number, coverage period, and a brief description of the issue. They'll send you to the nearest hospital. Just a heads up: if you have a deductible, you'll need to pay that upfront when you get to the hospital. If you go to a hospital and pay out of pocket, be sure to let the insurance company know so they can reimburse you later. Here are some situations where your medical insurance won't be valid:

You get hurt in a car accident while riding a rental scooter, bike, or whatever. You're drunk or high, or you don't have a valid driver's license for the vehicle you're using.

Weird notes in the information booklet of the globes I think they're basically nullifying their insurance policy with this. Why would you offer your tourists something like this? Thailand's not the kind of place where you sit in a hotel and follow a guide around with a leash. It's a country for traveling and exploring.
To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure about the insurance policy conditions - is the tour operator lying or is the insurance policy really that useless and worthless? But I'd definitely recommend getting a proper insurance policy on your own. Muang Boran near Bangkok - you have to visit it 🌴 MY TAKEAWAYS:I saved a ton of money on flights, hotels, and transfers thanks to Biblioglobus. That's already 4 stars and a big thumbs up. That's where my relationship with them ends. From now on, I'll be booking a separate transfer when I arrive, so I don't have to spend half a day waiting for other tourists in a bus. And I won't be wandering around the airport for four hours on the way back. I've also made my thoughts on the insurance policy clear.
I'll be cutting off all communication with the guides. I'll also be avoiding their transfers and excursions in the future. The only thing I'll be using from them next time is the flight and hotel booking.
I'm taking off one star for the nonsense I had to listen to from their guide and the two-hour wait in the bus after I arrived.