Your tailor-made Asia Holiday - the opportunities are endless
This was never going to be an easy travel guide to write. Perhaps we had put it off for so long for that very reason. It simply seemed easier not to write about tailor-making an Asia holiday. Surely there were too many routes to list on just one page; too many travel possibilities to squeeze in; certainly far too many highlights. We were going to have to dig deep - and find a way to keep it within 2,000 words!
The start
The best place to start is always at the beginning and, when planning a holiday, that means drawing up a mental wish list of what you want to achieve from your stay in Asia. Pull together all the incredible experiences friends and family have told you about and the numerous travel articles you have read in the Sunday supplements. Recall the mysterious destinations that have inexplicably stuck in your mind since you flicked through an Atlas to help while away double geography class as a teenager. And think about the sort of experiences, rather than simply destinations, you would like to include - incredible sunrises, trekking in the mountains, deserted beaches, the amazing Asian cuisine, climbing through temples, sipping freshly brewed local coffee as the terraces of paddy fields turn from black to gold and finally to lush green, climbing, cycling... the list goes on and on.
Next dig out a map or use the various aids on this website to start to get an idea of the geography. Think of how a route would most logically fit together - the golden rule nine times out of 10 is to keep travelling in a continuous direction and not to ‘back-track’, which means wasted days travelling and wasted budget.
Take advantage of the wealth of information to be found on this website: use the destination guides, take a look at each country's recommended itineraries (these will help give you a realistic idea of budget and logistics), research your hotels and read extracts from previous clients’ holiday experiences. For many, one of the itineraries on our website will be perfect as it is. Some may wish to make small changes, while others will want to start with a totally blank canvas. It's your holiday - you make the rules.
Finally, think budget. How much do you want to spend on your Asia holiday? This is vital because, without a guideline of budget boundaries, it will always be incredibly hard for anyone to advise you on a suitable itinerary. We work to your specifications rather than suggesting a holiday that is completely out of touch with both your expectations and your wallet.
Your key research pages are:
Get in touch
Armed with some or all of this information you will probably feel a little overwhelmed, which is when it's time to get in touch. We suggest giving us a call - talking through your plans is always far easier than sending numerous emails back and forwards. Your specialist Selective Asia consultant will have many years of experience not only working with tailor-made Asia holiday plans such as yours but also travelling and, at times, living in Asia. We also personally inspect a vast number of hotels each year and re-travel routes looking for new experiences, updating, or simply refreshing, our tailor-made holidays where necessary to offer you the very best each country has to offer. One phone call later, your consultant will be ready to think through your wish list logically before compiling a possible itinerary for you, based on their own travel experiences, that takes in all the places you wish to visit and indicates the length of time you should spend in each destination, the various climates you will encounter and the journey times you must factor in.
From here on, it starts to get really fun with hotels to choose, beaches to consider, unique experiences, unusual modes of transport, cooking schools, elephant rides...the list goes on and on....