Meg Goes Global

I spent about 5 weeks travelling Thailand with my best friend last November and had the most memorable trip. This is a look into the itinerary we took, recommendations, and if I would change or add anything. Thailand is a beautiful country and can easily be achieved in 5-6 weeks, but I would totally recommend it as part of an all around SEA trip if you have that extra time and money, as it makes the most sense geographically. Nevertheless, here’s what we got up to.

We flew directly into

Bangkok for 3 nights

Here we visited temples, explored markets, ate lots of food, had rooftop drinks and partied on Khaosan Road. We stayed at Bed Station Hostel Khaosan Road, which I’ve stayed at a couple times since, and would really recommend if you want a super social, central hostel. Facilities and location were good and it’s great if you like to party. Definitely look at staying in other parts of the city if you’re not into crazy nights out and want to get away from the typical post uni/ gap year experience: there’s so much more culture to Bangkok than this. There are hostels in the Silom area that would be a good alternative place to check out, and although I really enjoyed staying in Khaosan, next time this would be top of my list.

We had a tuk tuk ride round the city and visited lots of temples and religious monuments. This was a great way to get around, as long as you negotiate a price before, and are clear where you want to go. Our driver was super friendly and we learnt a lot from him about the Buddhist traditions, but I know a lot of people don’t get so lucky and scams are common, so be vigilant. Three nights was a perfect amount of time for us, as we were keen to get away from the hectic capital. Some other fun things we didn’t get round to doing would be the floating markets or the railway markets which I’ve heard good things about too. There’s heaps of places in the city selling tours to these attractions, and it’s a good idea to compare prices from get your guide, but always try to buy direct from locals where you can!

Then the original plan was to go to Chiang Mai, but tickets for the sleeper train were sold out. If you want to get the sleeper train, you’ll most likely want to grab at least second class so you have aircon. If so, definitely book it at least a few days in advance, or maybe up to a week, and don’t leave it until the day before like we did. So onto plan B…

instead we grabbed some cheap tickets and flew to

Ao Nang, Krabi for 4 nights

This was a really cool spot with lots of places to eat and explore: we didn’t have the nicest weather but still made the most of it. You definitely should catch a boat over to Railay Beach for a bit of a different vibe, and make sure you catch the gorgeous sunsets!

We did a day boat trip around the Phi Phi islands and Maya Bay: I think this was enough time to see everything we wanted. Although so many choose to stay on Koh Phi Phi for a few nights, and it’s definitely a fun option; I think the Phi Phi islands are focused on a lot of party too, so we didn’t feel the need to spend an extended amount of time here. This was one of the most memorable days of the trip so you absolutely have to do a boat trip and get some photos at the iconic spots. Trips like this can also be a great way to meet people from other hostels and they just make for the most enjoyable days.

Our biggest mistake here was the hostel. We stayed at the Balcony Party Hostel and probably should have expected how crazy it was going to be from the name. The hostel was literally on top of 3 stories of clubs and bars, and a had a bar right outside the rooms. Not many people were mad enough to stay here (in fact a group of people that moved into our room didn’t even last a night), so it was dead quiet in the day and only came alive in the early hours of the morning. If you do stay here, good luck sleeping before 4am because the beds will be literally vibrating from the music for the whole night. This is coming from two girls who lived in the famous Gilligan’s hostel for 2 months, so we’re no stranger to sleeping through some noise, but this was on another level. Nomads or Kbunk Ao Nang would be better options and we heard people from here that had no complaints.

From here I would definitely go to Khao Sok National Park. We missed out on this one but it’s surely worth the time and money, so 100% do a tour here and stay at the floating bungalows. There’s lots of tours and experiences to choose from and different levels of luxury depending on your budget but there’ll be an option for you. This is high up on my bucket list now for when I am next in Thailand: it’s such a unique experience.

We grabbed a bus to Surat Thani and then a ferry straight over to

Koh Tao for 3 nights (which we extended to a week)

Both of us absolutely fell in love with Koh Tao like so many others. There’s so much to do from partying, to scuba diving, to muy thai classes. I spoke about this more in my favourite islands and it’s really somewhere you’ll want to stay. We extended our time here after just the first day, realising that three wouldn’t be enough, and ended up staying for a week. We stayed at Save House hostel which was super chill and in a great location. We met lovely people in our room and the staff were friendly, so it made the experience even better. Taco Shack is another hostel just up the road, and a great alternative that was more catered to diving. There’s lots of party hostels on the island too, that are fun to just go to for the social aspect in the evening, rather than stay at to be honest.

Don’t miss out on all the cute cafes, and you have to have a night at Fishbowl which we became regulars at. Also snorkel at Shark Bay, or do a scuba diving course, as it’s one of the cheapest and best places in the world to learn. The lady boy drag show was a real core memory from our time here. Even if it doesn’t sound like something you’d normally be into, it’s a big laugh. I’ll definitely be back to the island, and hopefully get some better weather this time to actually see some reef sharks!

We then hopped on another ferry to

Koh Phangan for full moon party for 5 nights

It’s a beautiful island but only really lively the few days around the full moon party. The island provides a nice place to relax all month round and is often overlooked so I would definitely give it the time of day. We stayed at a resort which was just across the road from the Phangan Arena Hostel, which meant we spent a lot of time here to meet people. Although we heard from guests staying there that the facilities were not the best, it had a great bar, pool and beer pong tournaments. I don’t think you need too long on the island, so our 4 days was enough here, but definitely if you can get a scooter it will make your time more worth while, and you can see much more. A favourite spot of mine was Amsterdam bar, a rooftop bar with beautiful panoramic views to watch the sunset. Although if you’re not confident riding a scooter, the drive up is super sketchy so consider this.

Another ferry took us over to

Koh Samui for a week

We took this time to stay in a nice hotel and decompress from the intense partying we had been doing at the start of our trip. It was a decent spot but you don’t need as long as we did. It didn’t help that the weather was not on our side when we were here so we didn’t get up to too much. We did some water fall chasing and saw some beautiful view points like the overlap stone which was pretty cool. Ultimately I wouldn’t feel like I was missing out if we skipped this location, as it turned out to be my least favourite of the three eastern islands. It’s also the most built up of all the islands, and full of resorts, so is more expensive and catered towards family holidays and honeymoons. If you have the time (and a scooter) there’s still lots you can do but I wouldn’t say it competes with the likes of Koh Tao.

I would love to explore different islands like maybe Koh Lanta. If I was going to skip or swap out anywhere it would have to be this location but by no means let this put you off if this is already part of your itinerary.

We got the ferry back to Surat Thani where we stayed for a night. There’s literally nothing to do here as a backpacker, but it breaks up a long journey.

From here flew up to

Chiang Mai for 5 nights, plus a night in the jungle

You can get a bus or train instead, which is what I’d suggest doing as it’s just so much better for the environment to try and avoid flights where possible. But flying was the best option for us on a time limit and also turned out to be affordable.

The jungle trekking and elephant sanctuary was the most incredible experience. I’d really recommend getting out of the city and into the jungle whether or not you decide to go to a sanctuary, but make sure you do your research (and bring a lot of mozzy spray). We booked this through a tourist office early in our trip and the only thing I regret, is not booking this part myself, so I could read up on the company ethics. Although the elephants were treated well, left to roam free, and obviously no riding, I still have some concerns about if elephants should be in contact with humans like this at all. Even so, it was a once in a lifetime, unforgettable couple of days.

Overall I really enjoyed Chiang Mai. It had it’s own unique charm with lots going on and a more relaxed and authentic feeling than Bangkok and the party islands. There’s loads of fun day trips to do from here too like the sticky waterfalls, which was really worth the visit. This is also a popular place to try out a Thai cooking class, and there’s loads of opportunity to do this in the city.

If I had time, I would definitely recommend going to Pai as most people do from here. Just don’t get stuck in a ‘Pai hole’ as they say. It’s a beautiful part of the north of the country, which people often overlook and head straight to the islands. Next time I would love to stay here too and explore the nature. Even further north there is also Chiang Rai which is another unique place, more off the beaten backpacker path, but still accessible. It would be a good option to head off here first, and travel up north into Laos to begin exploring more of SEA.

Finishing up we got an overnight bus back to Bangkok, which an interesting experience with both of us having food poisoning to say the least. We stayed here for a night before catching a flight home the next day.

My overall advice as with any backpacking trip would be to stay as flexible as possible. We planned most of this trip from the get go, so that didn’t leave much room for movement, and I think that’s half the fun of travelling. The people you meet definitely make your experience, so if you meet an amazing group of people you’ll want to be able to adjust your plans. Equally the best research you can do is talking to people, and listening to their recommendations. Ultimately everyone’s opinions are going to be different so just get out there and see it for yourself!! Happy exploring.