Oh Thailand, how you stole my heart. It is no wonder why Thailand is known as the “Land of Smiles.” From the beautiful beaches, breathtaking country side and the hustle and bustle of the city, Thailand has a little something for everyone. Thailand was on my bucket list, for forever. I could not wait to hop on a plane and head to Asia for the very first time. If you want to get a good taste of what Thailand has to offer while not blowing your budget, look no further, the itinerary below is for you!
- Currency: Thai Baht
- Population: Over 68 million
- Language: Thai (Hello, Language barrier!)
Planes, Trains, Automobiles and Longtail Boats
Getting around Thailand can be a bit overwhelming at first. Follow the tips below and it will be smooth sailing and tons of Pad Thai from here!
Planes: Travel Thailand by air with ease on one of the many low-cost airlines available. AirAsia, my preferred airline, offers budget friendly fairs to numerous Thailand destinations. I had such a great experience with AirAsia and had no issues with delays or checked baggage. I would recommend downloading the mobile phone app for flight check in and status updates. It is required you check-in at the front desk at least 45 minutes prior to departure for your boarding pass so be sure to plan your travel accordingly.
Trains: Train travel in Thailand was by far my favorite mode of transportation. Train travel is extremely cheap and allows you to soak in the beauty of the county on your way. You are able to purchase your train tickets the day of your travel at the train station or you can go to the Thailand Railway website to purchase tickets in advance. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) allows passengers to purchase online tickets from two hours, to up to 60 days prior to departure. Make sure you remember to print out your ticket .pdf file in advance as you will not be permitted to board without it. There is a convenience charge for online purchases — 40 baht for a first-class ticket, 30 baht for 2nd class, and 20 baht for 3rd class. Depending on where you are going, this could be as much as your ticket itself so if you have flexibility I would recommend just purchasing at the train station day of. The only exception to this rule is if you intend to take an overnight train and you want to secure a berth; I would suggest booking these in advance as they do sell out!
Automobiles: The two main types of transport on wheels are by taxi and tuk-tuk. Hold onto your hat, because you are in for a WILD ride. Between the bumper to bumper traffic and the lax (or non-existent) driving laws paying 100-200 Bhat per ride feels similar to standing in line for the scariest ride in an amusement park. Don’t be afraid to barter for a lower fair, the Thai get pleasure from back and forth bartering for a price each party feels is fair. If you aren’t one to live on the wild side, your safer bet is a taxi. Be sure that any taxi you hop into uses a meter, if they refuse to use a meter wait for the next taxi to come along that does. It is inevitable that during your visit to Thailand you will need to take a taxi or a tuk-tuk, but I would suggest that you choose your accommodations in an area that is near the metro.
Longtail Boats: If you plan on visiting the islands you will do some travel on the iconic longtail boats. Not only are these boats a pleasant way to reach the gorgeous islands in Thailand they also allow you to appreciate the gorgeous views. Longtail boat tickets are sold from booths on the beach and generally do not depart until they are full. So, depending on where you are going and the time you are going you may have to wait for other travelers to show up before sailing off to your destination. If you get desperate you often can pay for the remaining seats on the boat.
Bangkok
Spend 2-3 days here to kick off your adventure! I would suggest flying into Bangkok as it is a rite of passage when visiting Thailand and is not to be missed. I was hit by the heat, smells and hustle bustle of this city like a brick wall. Bangkok is a sprawling city of sky scrapers, fancy shopping malls, busy markets and ancient temples (Wats). Bangkok is organized chaos and will most certainly induce culture shock. Bangkok is broken down into several popular areas: Chinatown, Siam, Silom, Sukhumvit, Khao San (Old City) and Riverside. No matter where you choose to stay you will have more then enough to do and will enjoy your time in Bangkok.
I stayed in Old City, specifically the Khao San road area, which is a popular area for backpackers and budget travelers. Staying in this area had its upsides and downsides. To get to Khao San road from the Suvarnabhumi Airport you can easily take a taxi, or if you are feeling froggy like I was, you can take the S1 bus (keep your eyes peeled for a big orange bus) at a whopping 60 Bhat (2 USD) per person. Once you get to Khao San Road the main means of transportation will be by foot, taxi or tuk-tuk, which would bring me to the downside. There is no easy access to the BTS (sky train) or the MRT (metro) from Old City which is a bit inconvenient. The upside to staying near Khao San Road is you are in walking distance to virtually all the main sites. If I did it again, I would stay in Sukhumvit as there is easy access to both MRT and BTS making super easy and convenient saving you from hopping into a taxi or a tuk-tuk.
Here are some ideas on how to spend your time in Bangkok
- Head to Khao San road for cheap drinks, scorpions on sticks and amazing people watching.
- Visit the Chatuchak Market for cheap eats and the bustling atmosphere
- Sail along the Chao Phraya river
- Wat Arun, Bangkok’s most iconic temple
- Grand Palace
- Wat Phra Kaew – Temple of the Emerald Buddah
- Wat Pho – Temple of the Reclining Buddah
- Visit Soi Cowboy
Ayutthaya
Hop on a train and take a day trip to Ayutthaya. From Bangkok you can take a train from the Hua Lamphong station to Ayutthaya for the day, purchasing tickets day of. It was crazy cheap at 30 Bhat per person and if you do yourself a favor and take the express train, you will arrive in 1.5 hours. This train gets PACKED so you don’t want to be on any longer then you need to be. If you have your belongings with and don’t want to lug them around you can pay 25 Bhat to check your bags at the train station.
Here are some ideas to spend your time in Ayutthaya
-
-
- Rent bikes to explore the ruins
- Relax and have lunch with a view
Chiang Mai
Spend 4-5 days here. Heading north (either fly or take an overnight train) to Chiang Mai will offer a laid back vibe in comparison to Bangkok. I opted for the overnight train and was glad I did – nothing like a slumber party on a train! Chiang Mai is AWESOME and hands down my favorite place visited. Northern Thailand is much cooler so make sure to pack accordingly. Chiang Mai is great for hiking, exploring traditional Thai culture, and overall a great place to un-plug and recharge. Chiang Mai is broken down into several areas, however I decided to stay in Old City, as it is budget friendly, historic and is walkable to a lot of shops and restaurants. Nimman is also a great option for those looking for a more modern or trendy vibe, however not quite as budget friendly as Old City. Transportation in Chiang Mai will be on foot, by tuk-tuk or songthaew (taxi).Here are some ideas on how to spend your time in Chiang Mai-
- Spend the day loving up on elephants, not riding them. Elephant Nature Park is an elephant sanctuary that supports the saddle off movement saving elephants from a terrible life of logging or abuse from tourist traps. There are a variety of options, however I chose “Pamper a Pachyderm.” You get 1:1 time with the elephants walking in the forest, feeding them , bathing them and you get a really nice picnic lunch.
- Take a Thai cooking class! I opted for a 1/2 day (which I thought was long enough) at Smile Organic Farm School which was so fun….and delicious.
- Brave the crowds at the Saturday night walking street. It gets CRAZY packed but worth the experience.
- Get a Thai massage…….who doesn’t love massages?? Try out the “Women’s Massage Center by Ex- Prisoners.” Hands down the best. This offers ex-prisoners an opportunity to reintegrate into society, don’t let this scare you off!
- Visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and walk up 309 steps to the top for the view and gorgeous temple.
Railay Beach, Krabi
Spend 5-6 Days here. Fly directly to Krabi international airport from Chiang Mai. If you are interested in hitting the islands during your visit to Thailand I would highly suggest Krabi, specifically Railay Beach. Railay Beach is where the real magic happens – it is paradise, surrounded by jaw dropping views of limestone cliffs. The Krabi airport is roughly an hour away from Ao Nang which is a cute little beach town, where you will need to catch a long tail boat (you will see were to buy tickets on each corner in the little town) to Railay Beach. You can purchase tickets day of and hop on a long tail boat with all of your luggage (consider traveling with only backpacking backpacks – you will thank me later). In order to board the longtail boat you need to wade through waste deep water, luggage in tow, so a large suitcase is not ideal. Railay Beach is divided into Railay West and Railay East. I personally chose to stay on Railay West as the beaches are a bit nicer, however the entire Island is walkable by foot, so if you don’t mind a 10 minute walk you could stay on Railay east and save yourself some Bhat for tropical drinks.Here are some ideas on how to spend your time in Railay Beach-
- You are in paradise, relax on the beach while sipping on fresh coconut water.
- Hang by the pool all day. I loved the pool at Railay Bay Resort and Spa.
- Go Island Hopping! This can be organized for you at your hotel/hostel
- If you are into adventure, go rock climbing
- Visit Phra Nang Beach and check out the Pranang Cave (Princess Cave). Here you will find a cave full of…..penis’s (seriously).
- Hike up to the Railay view point and lagoon
- Hang out with monkeys
- Enjoy the most beautiful sunsets you will ever see
Final Tips Before Heading to Thailand
-
- Be smart about packing, and by smart, I mean pack LIGHT. Invest in a backpacking backpack. I love my Deuter and find it to be small enough to carry as a carry-on on larger airlines.
- Get yourself some packing cubes, these are a life safer especially if you are only take a backpack
- Invest in bug spray, if you are packing light try bug wipes, and remember to use them
- There are no vaccination requirements, but consider getting the Hepatitis A and Typhoid Fever vaccination at your local travel clinic prior to departure
- There are ATM and currency conversion stands all over, but you will need Bhat virtually everywhere so consider bringing a small amount along with you
Safe Travels!
Xoxo
-A
-
Alex In Wanderlust 
Omg i totally want to go to Thailand now!
LikeLike
Hi Heidi – You definitely should! Let me know if you ever need any travel tips, happy to share! Thanks for reading!
LikeLike
I love love love Thailanbd. Specially the Railay beach. have you spotted any water monitor in that peninsula?? 😛 I did and probably thats what I loved the most. Also, I loved the pictures you have put up there.
LikeLike
Hi!!! I love Railay beach so much! I did not spot any, sadly. Thank you so much for the comment!
LikeLike