Travel in Thailand

Travel in Thailand

One of the world's most popular and delicious cuisines.  Beautiful beaches and islands.  Friendly, charming people.  Warm weather all year round.  Reasonable prices for most everything. Colourful, enchanting temples.  An exotic culture preserved through the ages by a country that has never been colonised.  Where is this?  Thailand, of course!

Located in the heart of Asia, Thailand has been captivating foreign visitors for decades.  Visitors return year after year and as the word spreads, first-time visitors come flooding in.  The number of foreign visitors to Thailand continues to increase and year after year, records are broken as international visitors flock to this fascinating country.

Arguably the most exotic destination in South East Asia, Thailand offers travellers and holidaymakers a huge range of vacation possibilities.  It doesn't matter whether you're a budget traveller wanting to explore a foreign land on a tight budget, or a well-heeled traveller who wants to be pampered and experience the very best, Thailand has something for you.

But despite such huge numbers of international visitors, Thailand has not been unduly damaged by the ravages of mass tourism.  It is still quite possible to find a pristine stretch of beautiful white sand beach that you can have all to yourself.  Lazing away the days on a hammock under a palm tree on a mile long beach, without anyone else in sight, swaying in the breeze under a cloudless sky as the waves gently break against the soft white sand....is an experience that can still be had.  Welcome to Thailand!

There is a huge amount of information about travelling and holidaying in Thailand online.  In my usual, no nonsense, BS free style, I have tried to create a worthwhile site that cuts through the guidebook nonsense and tell you what it is really like!  As always with my writings about Thailand, I try and get beyond political correctness and give you the sort of information that can help you enjoy your holiday more, as well as avoid becoming a victim!The coverage of a limited number of destinations on this site reflects my experiences in only the places that I have been to and / or spend adequate time in to develop a feel for the pace.  I have visited most of the 76 provinces in Thailand, over-nighted in about 40 of them, but there are plenty of places that I have never been to that are therefore not covered and other places that I have visited but have not mentioned as I consider that I wasn't there long enough to develop a real feel for the place.
While I hope to provide some useful information, if you are planning on staying for anything more than a short holiday in Thailand, you should consider picking up a guidebook, such as the excellent Lonely Planet Guide To Thailand.  Like all publications, it's not without its faults, but in my humble opinion it's still the best Thailand guide book.

A lot of other information about travelling in Thailand can also be found in my extensive Working & Living in Bangkok section.  That article was written for those looking at relocating to and becoming an expat in Bangkok, and also includes sections on food, transport in Bangkok, Thai people, problems and the police that are just as relevant to tourists.  There is plenty of overlap so it may be worth checking out.

This lengthy article can be separated into two sections.  The first part gives general information about travelling in Thailand with sections on transport, getting around, scams etc. while the second goes into detail about some of the specific places to visit.