Thailand travel guide

Where do I start?! Thailand holds a special place in my heart. It was my first solo backpacking trip. It found it difficult to leave the country because I fell in love with the food, the people and the stunning scenery.

I practically yo-yo’d the country for 3 months and visited many places more than once. My favourite places were Chiang Mai, Ko Tao and Ko Sok. I definitely will be doing some extra blog posts on these places, because I could talk for England about them.

Let’s start from the beginning, when I landed in Thailand, I started on a 3 week organised tour that visited places in central Thailand and southern Thailand. I then roamed on my own for 2 and a half months. If you’re staying in Thailand for more than two weeks, I would suggest grabbing yourself a local sim card. My tour group organised a sim card for me, but honestly, it’s super easy to get one. All you need to do is find a local shop or supermarket where you can purchase one from. If I remember correctly, I spent 500bhat which is £12.40 for unlimited data for a month.

Getting to different towns, if you’re solo travelling, is very straight forward. Most hostels with help sort your transport to wherever you need to go. If you’re in a tourist area there will be shops or travel agencies on the main streets that you will be able to buy a car, bus, plane, train and boat tickets from.

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TOP TIP:

Ask questions everywhere you go! From asking questions I found the cheapest tickets, the best place to rent a scooter, and even tagged along with other travellers going in the same direction.

Questions spike conversations and conversations create friendships!

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North Thailand

The north of Thailand is a very different vibe to the south. The greener scenery forces it to create more of a chilled atmosphere, especially in Pai. The main towns that people visit are; Chiang Mai, Pai and Chiang Rai. These places present numerous beautiful temples and magnificent Buddha statues. If you’re in Chiang Rai you have to visit my favourite Buddha, a giant white buddha situated on top of a hill, with stunning carvings and interior inside the Buddha’s head. You can even look through the buddha’s eyes to witness the view.

The easiest way to get around the towns of Thailand is by scooter. If you have never popped your bottom on a scooter before the north is the perfect place to learn. The roads are wider and quieter, so it offers the best place to practise.

SIDENOTE; if you’re a new learner I would suggest to not follow the crowd and drive from Chiang Mai to Pai. The roads are crazy steep and the bends are super sharp. The route is popular with backpackers, but it’s a difficult drive and not one to be done if you’re a new driver.

If you’re a yogi, then get yourself to the north. Yoga is crazy cheap in Asia! I talk more about where’s best to go in my guides to Pai and Chiang Mai. It ranges from private classes to yoga in the park, hence why I spent most of my time in the north of Thailand. I used yoga as a way of bringing balance and stillness in my life whilst travelling, I’d highly recommend it.

Khao Soi is not to be missed! It’s a delicacy in northern Thailand and it’s my favourite Thai dish. I must have tried well over 30 Khao Soi dishes whilst I was there, I wanted to find the best Khao Soi in all of Thailand and It turned out to be around the corner from my hostel in Chiang Mai, at a local street vendor. With a dessert of fried banana, of course, another great Thai dish.

South Thailand

Party, party, party! If you love to drink, dance on boats and watch fire shows then south Thailand is the place to be. I think I had a constant hangover from my time spent in the south. The scenery is beautiful, but there aren’t many activities other than drinking and partying.

My favourite island in the south would have to be Ko Tao. It is stunning! It’s only a small island but offers so many beautifully quiet beaches. Like many of the islands, you can hire kayak’s and paddleboards to explore the island.

SIDENOTE; myself and a friend went kayaking when the sea was fairly calm. Between us, I would say we were fit human beings and even we found it hard work. My tip would be to hire the kayak longer than you think, as it takes a while to cover a big distance and you don’t want to arrive back to a big bill or end up stuck on the water.

The south offers great scuba diving and snorkelling excursions. The scuba diving can be pricey so if you’re on a budget I would skip this. Although, it’s probably the cheapest place to scuba dive if you have ever wanted to try it. A lot of boat parties have a snorkelling part of the day trip too, before you get absolutely rat arsed. Head over to my blog on Koh phi phi where I talk a little bit more about this.

Central Thailand

Of course, you can’t miss out the centre of Thailand. I found the places here offered many markets and temples. Starting in Bangkok, the centre of it all. Here is the best place to watch your ladyboy shows if that’s what you’re in to and buy your travellers pants.

The markets here range from on a train track to floating on the water. If you’re after a bargain and to taste foods you’ve never heard of, then you will love this part of Thailand. Make sure you try the fried banana, it’s my favourite.

One place you have to visit is Erwan National Park. It’s a 7-tiered waterfall within a national park that offers beautiful scenes and gorgeous waterfalls. You can swim in the waterfalls, but if you’re not a fan of fish then I wouldn’t suggest taking a dip as they can often touch you as they swim by. One fish decided to bite the blister on my leg, which scared the hell out of me and made me jump out the water faster than you can say “omg what was that“?!

On my organised tour, in Kanchanaburi, is where I went to visit the Elephants. Many people tend to do this in the north of Thailand, but I wanted to make sure that the place we visited was legit. These elephants were rescued elephants and were being well looked after.

SIDENOTE; Make sure you research the sanctuaries you visit. Some places still allow you the ride and stand on the elephants. You want to visit a legit sanctuary that don’t cause any harm to the animals and are well looked after.

I spent around £1000 per month and that includes everything; accommodation, travel, food, activities, souvenirs, scooter rental, the lot. Thailand is safe, I never had any problems whilst I visited. If anything, I felt safer in Thailand than I do in England. Overall Thailand is a great place if you want activities to do and beautiful beaches to sunbathe on. I would go back to Thailand any day!

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