Please sign in to post.

Thailand. Family of 4 in late May/early June. Need itinerary ideas.

Posted by on

Starting from scratch here. I know there are a couple threads already but seemed that most of those were during the winter months where ours has to be after the kids are done with college classes and frankly just wanted to start my own and get some clean slate ideas.

For me, planning this is a bit overwhelming as there are so many places to see that i just don't know where to start and travel seems long and difficult particularly if you don't have a good plan.

My wife and I are in our mid-40's and our kids (boy and girl) are 22 and 23. All in excellent health and active.

Seeing some Temples, experiencing the culture, food and some history are desirable. Long stretches on beaches are not a must but obviously would like to spend some time at them. For me, I love to see jaw dropping scenery and sites.

Hope that gives enough info to give us an idea on a decent itinerary.

Coming from the Mid-west so probably taking flights out of Minneapolis or Chicago.

Posted by
2527 posts

Have you read some of the threads on the Travel Forum? Use the search box at the top of the page. Some good information available to help you plan a trip to Thailand.

Posted by
15576 posts

I loved Thailand, hoping to go back this winter. I don't know what the weather's like, but since you don't have a choice . . .

Easiest is to fly round-trip to Bangkok. Then take local (cheap) flights to the north and the south.

The two big destinations in the north are Chiang Rai near the border (golden triangle - Thailand, Malaysia, Laos) and Chiang Mai. You can get a private guide and drive in Chiang Rai and visit villages, learn a lot about the country. I used Jermsak and he was delightful: great sense of humor, very good English, very flexible in planning the day tours and even changing the plans during the day. I'd say 2-3 full days there. On my last day, we toured from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai, stopping in several places including to interact with a colony of monkeys, and he dropped me at my hotel at the end of the day. I'd say 3-4 days (or more) in Chiang Mai. There's lots to see and do independently (take a cooking class), then day trips you can arrange there - be sure to visit an elephant refuge. The north is mountainous, so it's a little cooler and less humid (at least in winter).

I don't know the south well. There are a few temples, lots of beautiful beaches, corals and tropical fish. I do know that Phuket used to be the "go-to" place and now it's reputed to be very touristy, other places in the south may be better choices.

Bangkok is crowded (but no one's pushy or "in your face"), clean, bustling, with lots of great sights and shopping (take an empty suitcase).

Posted by
347 posts

Thanks for the help. Before anybody spends any more time on this I just wanted to let you know that we instead decided to change our destination to the UK. Several reasons but one being we were a little worried about going to Thailand in May. Our travel dates are not very flexible so we'll just have to try another time

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.