I am going to Thailand! Almost for sure!

I'm a huge fan of Chiang Mai - I lived there for a while in school, and I visited recently. It's a great time of year to be there - cool but not cold, and the weather should be clear.

Chiang Mai will be a great contrast to Phuket. In the mountains, with a strong agricultural industry, but also lots of wats (temples) to visit, arts and crafts, and amazing fresh food and markets. There's even a tea plantation you can go to. The Lanna (northern Thai) culture is very different to other parts of the country, as is the food. It gets a lot of tourists, but is nowhere near as touristy as Phuket.

Chiang Mai is easy to get around in English, albeit it's not as widely spoken as Phuket or Bangkok. But people working in tourism and younger people will speak English. With 10 weeks there already I'm sure you'll have learned at least a few words :)

On the travel agent thing, I'm surprised they're still in business. Personally I would recommend just booking direct. If you're flying into BKK, you can either fly to Chiang Mai, or take the train.

English is spoken somewhat in all touristed areas in Thailand. I'm curious why you would prefer an urban area but regardless, Bangkok or Chiang Mai are the two choices unless you leave the country. If you like beaches and outdoors, I would suggest instead spending your extra time in Khao Sok NP and/ or the Krabi area, both of which are very close to Pkuket. Renting a car is easy. If you still want to do a city, I like Chiang Mai much better than Bangkok, but it depends on what you want to see and do.

Some good ideas posted already about Thailand. Bangkok is definitely worth a few days -- maybe do that at the start of your trip? Two places outside Thailand, but both a short flight from Bangkok, that I liked very much are Luang Prabang in Laos, and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) in Cambodia. LP is a smaller city, quite beautiful, on the Mekong River, with a really good, laidback atmosphere. Siem Reap is also a smaller city, the gateway to the amazing world-class site of the Angkor Wat temples. There are other things to do there besides temple-viewing, as well. Both places are firmly on the tourist trail, with all the necessary infrastructure (hotels, restaurants etc.) and plenty of English speakers. You will need a visa for either Laos or Cambodia, which I obtained in advance last year for my trip (with a tour group), but I believe they are available on arrival also. Nothing wrong with Vietnam, either the south (Ho Chi Minh City) or the north (Hanoi) for a week, but that wouldn't be my first choice compared with the others mentioned. You would need a visa in advance for Vietnam.
Fun fact about Thailand: It has more 7-11 stores than the United States, and is second worldwide (only Japan has more). It seems like there is at least one on every block in Bangkok. There are no 7-11s in Luang Prabang, Laos, however.

I would not drive in Chiang Mai or Bangkok as suggested above, but drivers or taxis or tuk tuk are easy to hire and not expensive. Perhaps Coffee Girl can expand on her driving experience.

I’ve not been to Laos or Viet Nam, but the Siem Reap suggestion is also excellent. I’ve been to Siem Reap and the Thai locations multiple times.

You can book yourself. Look at Tripadvisor for your locations for ideas, hotels, transport. Air can easily be booked. Chiang Mai and Siem Reap have urban elements. Siem Reap with the Angkor Wat national park area also has lots of open space and Chiang Mai ( or Chiang Rai) also have outdoor options - hiking, scenery, etc. Bangkok is very urban with traffic and congestion - along with fascinating sight seeing options. Check on open jaw air possibilities.depending on where you decide to visit.

I also recommend going to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. It's an easy flight from Bangkok. Once in a lifetime place to visit, it was a bucket list item for me and did not disappoint. It is a tourist area, plenty of people speak English and hiring a local guide is easy and inexpensive.

I used Korean air to fly to Bangkok, they have a good flight from Seattle - Seoul, then I caught a flight to Bangkok. If it were me, I'd stop over in Bangkok for a couple of days to see the city (worth a visit) and recover from jet lag (you will very likely have it - significant time change and you lose a whole day). Then fly from Bangkok to Phuket - plenty of frequent flights between the two. It's easier to fly back to USA from Bangkok, Seoul, or Hanoi than directly from Siem Reap. You can use Google Flights to plan a multi city ("open jaw") itinerary, but you might have to buy some individual round trips separately (e.g., Bangkok to Phuket). Sorry I don't know of any travel agents, but I'm sure there are many choices in Seattle.

BTW, if you choose to stay in Vietnam, you need to get a visa which requires some planning ahead (they kind of have a visa on arrival, but you still have to do some paperwork ahead). Cambodia/Siem Reap has a true visa on arrival so that is easier. It sounds like you are aware you need a visa for Thailand for more than 30 day stay.

These are very helpful suggestions indeed! Thanks a lot. I will keep monitoring this thread.

This is a reply to ORD Traveler about driving in Thailand. I reread my post and agree it's not clear. There is no reason to have a car in Bangkok or Chiang Mai as a tourist. I meant that if the OP wanted to visit the Krabi area or Khao Sok NP, it would be an easy drive between those places. We lived in Bangkok for two years and did a lot of driving around the country; once you get out of the cities, driving is easy (but on the left). Hiring a driver would be possible, too.
Angkor Wat in Siem Reap is amazing, as is Luang Prabang, but there's a lot to see in Thailand, too.

Thanks Coffee Girl! That does clarify. Driving outside the cities is quite different from in Bangkok or Siem Reap!!

I have booked a flight to Bangkok. It's on! Now the hard part begins. I am applying for my first visa, and it's hard! it seems like I am being asked to account for every day of my 3-month stay. It hardly seems practical. And the site is not helpful at all. A few questions about their questions:

3 . Travel booking confirmation: Is this needed for both entry and exit flights?

5 . A copy of flight confirmation/reservation (The name of the applicant must be indicated clearly): How is this different than question 3? And again, is it for both entering and exit flights?

4 . Proof of accommodation in Thailand, e.g. Accommodation bookings, invitation letters from family/friends in Thailand: Do I have to book accommodations for the entire 3 months before I apply for a VISA??? Are there common workarounds for the application, like getting a refundable reservation and then cancelling it when you get your real ones? How do people handle this?

6 . Financial evidence: amount of not less than 20,000 THB, e.g. bank statements, sponsorship letter: What do people use for this? An online banking screen shot? I don't really want to give them all my banking info...

7 . Document indicating current residency: Driver's license? Something else?

I am sure I will have more questions, and I am not sure if this forum is the best place to handle it. Does anyone know of a good way to get help with this? And / or is there anyone in the US west coast time zone give or who has time for some hand-holding?

Thanks in advance.

So I am going to be in Bangkok for 8 or 9 days. Does anyone have an urgent recommendation on an inexpensive place to stay? And do any of you have thoughts on excellent day trips, or possibly overnight ones, or places to go within the city? I will do lots of research on my own of course, but additional input will be very helpful.

One more random question while I am thinking about it: is there a "street exchange rate" that I need to worry about? I hear that in some countries it can vary a lot from the bank rates. Can I just hit an ATM and get a decent rate?

Two good day trips from Bangkok are Ayutthaya (temples, river) and Kanchanaburi ("Bridge on the River Kwai"). The traditional area for low-cost accommodation for Westerners in Bangkok is called Khao San Road, especially for young backpackers. You might want to try the Tripadvisor Thailand forum for your visa questions. The Rick Steves forum people like me try to be helpful, but the focus of the forum is Europe, and since Thailand has visa free entry for 30 days, plus you can get another 30 days if you come and go from a neighboring country, it is relatively uncommon to need a Thai visa. A forum just dedicated to Thailand will likely have more knowledgeable users about that.

Re: your latest set of questions about the visa, the questions are "hard" because you are staying for longer than average, they have an interest in verifying your intentions. Thailand is a popular place people try to retire permanently, they are going to want some proof you will leave again. This isn't any different than process for making long term stays in any country. I agree with Slate that you may have better help available in the Tripadvisor forums. Also your fitness camp should be able to help you if they're regularly bringing people in country for 10 weeks. Or call the Thai embassy, they will have English speaking staff https://thaiembdc.org/contact/

I would agree with others to ask the tripadvisor forum. Thailand loves it paperwork and bureaucracy for sure! There are ATMs right after you pass immigration in Suvarnabhumi Airport. No need to bring cash, ATMs are easy and in most places. I would highly recommend installing Grab (like Uber). It works for taxis and private cars for when you can't take the subway. Taxi drivers at that airport will rip you off, so take a Grab to your hotel. I would suggest staying somewhere in Bangkok near the subway, as traffic is horrendous.

Thanks for the helpful suggestions. I will check out that Tripadvisor forum, and call the embassy directly if needed.