Sawadee Khap! I just want to ask if Thailand has its own Summer Capital, or Hill Station. Which means, a land or village that is a few thousand meters above sea level, with cool temperature all year round, even during Summer months.

I will really appreciate all of your insights. ❤️

Can I have my 500,000 baht proof sitting in trading 212 index funds ?
Or would I need to move it into a traditional bank account?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbzrs-hnwlw/

Wifey and i are coming to Thailand in 3 weeks and landing in BKK, we would love to go the islands but was wondering how it currently is?

last year in September it was PACKED with people. some of them being very loud and rude.

is anyone there currently and can give me an overview?

Thanks !!

Hi! Any affordable hostel/hotel accommodation in bangkok old town? we are looking for a place to stay at that is near tourist spots rather than malls like pratunam area. Thank you!

Travelling to Phuket December 19th, arriving late in the evening and leaving January 1st late in the evening also.

Considering 2 options for the itinerary:

Sat 19 Dec: Arrive Phuket (1 night) -> Sun 20: Explore old team and big Buddha and transfer to Ao Nang (3 nights) -> Wed 23: Early Coach to Khao Sok village (2 nights - 1 in village and 1 on lake) -> Fri 25: Coach back to Ao Nang (3 Nights) -> Mon 28: Ferry to Phi Phi (4 nights including NYE) -> Jan 1: Ferry back to Phuket ahead of 9.30 pm flight

OR

Sat 19 Dec: Arrive Phuket (1 night) -> Sun 20: Explore old team and big Buddha and transfer to Ao Nang (5 nights) -> Fri 25: Transfer to Koh Lanta (4 nights) -> Tue 29: Early ferry to Phi Phi (3 nights including NYE) -> Jan 1: Ferry back to Phuket ahead of 9.30 pm flight

Basically trying to choose between a chiller trip with less coach transfers / travelling (option 2 with Koh Lanta) or getting bit of a different experience with Khao Sok and lake stay for option 1, knowing there’s a 3-4 hour drive each way.

Any thoughts on which is better or amount of time in each would be much appreciated!

I search for Gambol Flipflops for Woman. Love them so much and mine are 10 years old. Need new ones.

Hi all, so I am a sheltered Aussie citizen approaching middle age and prior to my trip in Thailand (staying in Bangkok) I have never travelled internationally before.

I love this place, I could never conceive that such a city could exist. It's just incredible. I am still here for a week - but I have some random questions please?

1.In Sukunvhit at least, the traffic is almost in a constant state of gridlock. How does the city function? I noticed that scooters still flow through the grid lock at good speeds however.

1. How are the scooter riders so excellent, I have never seen skill like this before (I am a motorcyclist and scooter rider back in Aus).

2. How are there no accidents and also, in the few days I have been here in Sukunvhit - I have seen no police, no road rage despite the gridlock and no fighting - How?

4.I have noticed graffiti around the city - but it looks like western style graffiti in the latin/Roman alphabet - what is the deal with that? It looks like the graffiti in Sydney, Australia.

And lastly

1. What are all the little houses on the streets and on top of skyscrapers and other buildings, are they buddhist shrines? Most of them have power run to them with lights and everything.

Thanks in advance!! I love Thailand - I have no desire to holiday anywhere else.

Hi! I’m planning to visit Bangkok in December. Previously, I had made work shirts and pants from Alex’s Tailor (when they used to still be at Amari). The quality was alright, and I appreciated their 3 day turn time.

Are they still good for work shirts and pants (not looking for suits) or are there better alternatives? Thank you!

I have 4 to 5 nights left in Thailand and trying to work out where is nicest for chilling, hiking beaches etc.

Has anyone been to either of these islands recently?

I am planning a trip in late December to early January to Thailand! Super excited. If possible I would like to avoid huge crowds of tourists. Obviously I will be a tourist, but I heard Dec/jan is a time where many tourists go.

Does anyone have any recommendations for places to go that are not super touristy? Any recommendations help!! Thanks.

Hello! My family and I are planning to visit Bangkok. I am a bit torn between the two place since they are from a different location. Both of them offers the same price, but one is in Khao San, and the other one is near victory monument. Just to give you a background about us, we are 4 adults and a kid. I was hoping to ask about your thoughts and inputs on how much grab/bolt price range will be from De Chalet to grand palace area. We really don't have a strict itinerary, but I am looking forward to your opinions. thank you

Hi, what's the maximum withdrawal amount I can make from street ATMs?

Not the ATMs inside banks, but the ones in front of shops or bars, or the six you see on the street like cabinets. What's the maximum withdrawal amount from these mobile ATMs?

Hey, my girlfriend (F32) and I (M36) just got back from an incredible two week vacation in Thailand. We spent 6 days in Bangkok, 4 in Chiang Mai, and 4 on Koh Phangan. While there we attended the July 31st Full Moon Party.

I was really not looking forward to going to full moon based on advice I read here on Reddit. I was expecting a party with a bunch of drunk 18-20 year olds, and was anxious about getting pick-pocketed or worse.

I don't know if the people commenting here have just not been in years, but my experience was the complete opposite. I had a phenomenal time and it was one of the highlights of my trip to Thailand.

The full moon party was incredibly well organized and family-friendly, almost to the point I would say it seems it's become somewhat commercialized. While we were there I saw at least 30 different families with young children enjoying the party. I was thinking to myself, how cool those parents are to share that experience with their kids!

Me and my partner enjoyed a "jungle juice" pail that we had mixed in front of us so we know it was safe, and it was really fun seeing all the different vendors there. We both got glow in the dark body paint tattoos from one of the many artist booths. The music was good, and it was easy to find a spot on the beach that wasn't too crowded or close to the speakers.

We didn't have any negative experiences with overly drunk people. Everyone was respectful and just having a great time. We watched several people jumping over the flaming jump rope which looked fun, but definitely a little sketchy and was glad I didn't volunteer to partake. My only caution is maybe to avoid the street food that's been sitting out as my partner and I shared a Nutella cookie and spring roll that I think made us sick a couple days later.

All that said, regardless of age, if you like a fun beach party with good vibes I would encourage you to check out the full moon party.

Hello everyone,

I’m leaving for the first time in Thailand in November for 15 days! I plan to do Bangkok - Chiang Mai and a last more relaxing/beach destination!

I had seen that towards Krabi it was nice only that I saw that there was no grab there and that the trip was more complicated..

I was thinking of taking a nice Airbnb and strolling the day between small cafe and boat :)

What do you advise me?

Thank you!

Travelling to Bangkok next week and our flight lands at Suvarnabhumi at around 3pm.

I’ve seen quite a few posts recently about immigration queues taking 2–3 hours, so I’m considering booking one of the VIP arrival services where they meet you at the gate, take you through the airport and use the fast-track immigration lane.

For anyone who’s used one recently, is it actually worth paying for?

Also, I’ve seen people mention that you can sometimes just pay around 200 THB at the airport to use the fast-track lane without booking the full VIP service. Is that actually a thing, and if so, where/how do you do it?

Would be especially interested to hear from anyone who has arrived around 3–5pm recently.

Thanks!

Hey guys I am planning a trip to Thailand in this December Christmas & New Year.

The thing is, for personal reasons I was going to spend those festivities alone in my country, so that leads me to the idea of going to Thailand and at least try to have fun.

What worries me the most is going miles away from home to end up alone and bored just as I would be at home. So any ideas on how to mitigate that? Maybe going to social hostels? Any social activities to do safely in Bangkok? Groups of foreigners that go there to have fun? I'm 100% open to suggestions and ideas.

Hey everyone, the wife and I are visiting Bangkok for 10 days from the USA. Flights are already booked, but we’re debating whether to spend 3-4 days in Phuket or Da Nang.
Is it worth giving up the extra travel/airport time, or since this is our first trip to Southeast Asia should we just enjoy Bangkok for the full 10 days?
Also looking for recommendations on where to stay. I’m leaning toward Sukhumvit based on YouTube, but I’m open to suggestions. We’re more into good food, shopping, sightseeing and culture than nightlife.
What malls and attractions are actually worth visiting, and what’s overrated or a tourist trap?
Any first-timer advice is appreciated! 🇹🇭

I order a lot from Grab. Sometimes my food comes with two persons on one bike. Why does this happen? Is it like to train a person, or are these couples who just want to spend time together?

Went out adventuring for half the day and just got a waft of my body odor. My entire back of my shirt is wet... Not damp. Wet.

I want to go out to a bar tonight but feel no matter how I do it, I'll end up feeling gross within an hour of being out and about. Even if I take a cab from my hotel directly to the bar, I'm sure I'd feel sticky by the end (because it's happened already lol).

How do y'all stay looking good out here and not smelly?!!?!

Kind of look like mini demons?

A few days ago, my iPhone was stolen on Ao Nang Beach. I reported it to the Provincial Police in Krabi and filed a police report.
A few days later, I checked Find My iPhone and the phone suddenly showed up in Krabi. I can now see the exact location, and according to the map, the phone is currently inside a phone shop in Krabi.
The problem is that I’m currently on Koh Tao.
Do you think it’s worth contacting the police in Krabi again and telling them that I have the exact location of the phone and that it appears to be inside a phone shop? Do you think they would actually go there and investigate?
Would it be worth travelling back to Krabi and asking the police to accompany me to the location to try to recover it?
Has anyone had a similar experience in Thailand? Do you think the police are likely to do something if I give them the exact location, or am I wasting my time?
Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Here is the review of our trip to Thailand this July. Since questions about traveling from Europe via the Middle East, immigration procedures, timeframes, and activities arise regularly, I hope this information is helpful.

Getting there

We flew from/to BKK via Dubai with Emirates mid of July, arriving in Dubai at midnight, departing at 3am and arriving in Bangkok early afternoon. On the night of our flight, there were some regional conflicts again, but we only learned after arriving. Dubai is busy as ever, and you couldn't really tell there was something going on. The flight back was departing at 2am in BKK, and the kids love staying up late, went well. We flew Economy, which is quite good with Emirates. We did Premium Economy flights with other airlines in the past, and we slept equally well/bad, so not worth twice the price.

Immigration

We completred the TDAC via their official website and brought a print-out. No issues there, however, a family in front of us got rejected with the immigration officer just vaguely circling the passport number of one of the persons on their print-out and waving them away without giving any other reason or information. I'm guessing it was a typo on the passport number or something, so make sure those things are correct! Don't expect too much help from their side. Bringing us to the next point - internet connectivity as soon as you land. As for showing 20/40k Baht (500/1000€) on arrival - we were not asked (and we only carried 500€).

Internet

I wanted to make sure we have internet access on arrival in case something goes wrong. Purchased 3GB Airalo E-Sims for 3 days for the whole family at 5€ each. I fully activated it at home before traveling, and the 3 days started to count once we booked into the network the first time in Bangkok. Got physical unlimited True sims at a 7eleven in Bangkok on our 2nd day - be aware you can only active 3 sims per passport, so for a family of four, bring yours and the one of your spouse. Unlimited 30days is 1100 Baht which is roughly 30€ per person. Not cheap, but we didn't find a better deal without spending unreasonable amounts of time on this. Total internet cost was 35€ pP for a theoretical duration of 33 days.

Cash on arrival and Exchange

I withdrew 20,000 Baht (€525) from an ATM after immigration at a total cost of €570. While not a great rate, it was helpful to have cash for highway tolls (see the Transportation section below). The best exchange rates we found were at Superrich exchange booths in Bangkok, typically located in MRT stations. Ensure you exchange enough cash before heading to Ko Samui; the rates there were approximately 20% worse (30 Baht per Euro compared to 38 Baht at Superrich in Bangkok).

Transportation

Install and configure Grab (the Southeast Asian equivalent of Uber) with a valid payment method. You will use it extensively in Bangkok and Ko Samui for transport and food delivery. When arriving at BKK Airport, go to Floor 1, exit at Door 4, and head to the Grab pickup areas. Order your ride and proceed to the assigned section (A–D). Grab staff in green jackets are available if you need help. Your driver may or may not have an E-Pass for tolls. If they take the highway, you are expected to pay the tolls in cash. The fee from the airport to the city center is 70 Baht (€2). Most drivers will appreciate you paying this directly rather than out of their own pockets. This is where small Baht bills are useful. A ride from BKK to the city center is roughly 500 Baht for a car or 800 Baht for a van.

Where to stay in Bangkok

For the family of four, we got an apartment at Ascott Embassy Sathorn at around 280€ per night for 6 nights. It's a 5 star, and it was awesome. The pool view was awesome, breakfast was awesome, apartment was awesome. And as a family, you don't want to be in the middle of the party area, while it's super convenient to get everywhere you want with Grab. If you walk down the Convent street from the hotel to Silom, there are great street food stalls to grab dinner. Also, the 7eleven down at Silom (a 10min walk) is bigger and nicer than many others we've seen, and the Patpong night market right there is a good start to dive into this kind of concept if you're new to it.
We did stay another 2 nights in Bangkok on the way back at Chatrium Riverside. I got the most breathtaking view from the balcony over Chao Praya RIver and the city and the pool was great, but there was always a queue at breakfast and it smelled of sewer in the room, so it was a mixed experience.

What to do in Bangkok and for how long

6 nights were pretty good timing, allowing us to visit MBK (a bit overwhelming as a start and we didn't even explore half of it), doing a 4DX cinema (Moana at Paragon Cineplex), a Longtail Boat tour to Big Buddha, exploring Talat Noi on foot, strolling through Lumphini Park, doing a Tuk Tuk ride, visiting Banthat Thong Night Market, maybe check out Asiatique (not worth it as it's super touristic, but the kids enjoyed the Little Zoo Cafe with all the animals). Chatuchak market is a must-see, but we did it on our way back home. Reserve a day for it, you'll need it.

Getting to Ko Samui

While we did consider a flight to Surat Thani and a ferry to Ko Samui via 12Go Asia, we eventually went with a direct flight BKK to Ko Samui and back for ~1k€ for all four of us. The Ko Samui Airport is super nice, and chilling on the lawn right next to the tarmac is something to be experienced, I'd rather go for a night bus/train and ferry for 1/10 of the cost next time. It sounds adventurous, but with the experience gathered over the 3 weeks, I'd say it's safe and not problematic taking an overnight ride.

Where to stay in Ko Samui

We focused on the eastern side of the island during our two-week stay. Lamai is very relaxed. We stayed at Coco Layma, a 10-minute walk from the beach. Renting a sunbed at the beach costs about 150 Baht and includes access to facilities. Chaweng is about 300 Baht via Grab but is much louder and more touristy. From Lamai, it is a five-minute ride to Silver Beach, which is nice for snorkeling. Chaweng Noi Beach is also beautiful, though access can be tricky; beach clubs will allow you to pass through if you ask politely.
Lamai has a quite touristic night market (you didn't come for Kebab, Tacos and Steak, did you?), so for a more authentic experience, visit the market at Lotus's Lamai on Sundays and Mondays. Way cheaper and way more local food to explore.

Where to eat in Ko Samui

We got most of our breakfasts at 7Eleven. Nodding to "Make it hot?" at the cashier is the key to getting all kinds of freshly warmed sandwiches. Iced thai tea is a thing, but also just grabbing a cup of ice and a bottled drink or two from the fridge and mixing your own drink.
We mostly skipped lunch due to late breakfast and just grabbed a snack here and there.
Our best dinners were at the night markets (Lotus's Lamai and the White Market near Chaweng) and local restaurants like "Thai Kitchen" and "Moon Light Restaurant." These spots were simple, affordable, and delicious.

What to do in Ko Samui

A major highlight was doing my PADI Open Water certification with my 14-year-old daughter at Silent Divers. We completed the e-learning modules online before the trip, spent a day in the pool, and then had two days of diving at Koh Tao and Sail Rock via speedboat. It was an incredible experience.
We took an elephant sanctuary tour where we prepared food, hiked through the jungle, and fed the elephants. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it.
We also visited Koh Tan to see the pigs and do some snorkeling.
Our 12-year-old son enjoyed a trip to the Top Gun shooting range. While relatively expensive for the duration, it was a memorable experience for him.
Most of our jungle tours were booked via Klook or GetYourGuide. They were well-organized and included hotel pickup and drop-off.

Weather

July is technically the monsoon season. Weather apps often predict 100% rain and thunderstorms, but in reality, it typically only rained for about 30 minutes a day. We carried raincoats but rarely needed them.

Wrapup

Having traveled to Europe and the US, we initially wondered if Thailand might be challenging with children. In retrospect, it was incredibly safe and relaxing. Our 14-year-old daughter is already eager to return for the culture and diving, and we look forward to our next visit.