I have never been to Thailand and am thinking of going on vacation there in the next few months. I thought, who better to ask than the people here?

I remember there was a coup or something, and I am not sure what's happening now with respect to tourism etc. I have heard a lot about Koh Samui, and want to check it out and have heard there are better places as well.

I would really love to hear about all the tips and tricks about Thailand as well as where to stay (beach hut is fine as long as it's safe) and how reliable the internet is (I will still work a bit).

Ok thanks!

How long do you plan to stay there? Is it just beaches that you want to hang out at?

Lot better places to go than Samui, Ko Toa, Ko Chang, Ko Pang Yang, Chang Mai all worth a look.

I travel a lot. Atleast once every month.

Most of the time, i rely on Wikitravel, tripadvisor and Virtual tourist. Works fine for me.

Virtually all of the well know tourist destinations have good access to the internet including WiFi in many hotels. It will just depend where you are staying.

I lived in Thailand and have found it at all time safe unless you are complete plonker and invite trouble. The best food is often on the street corners and you should not pass up on the offer of some fried grasshoppers....

The coups that Thailand have suffered in the last 50 years rarely affect the tourist destinations , you are more likely to get your face smashed in by another drunk tourist!! but as always just be careful.

Thailand is a beautiful country with lots of great things to see, the people are even nicer. Don't think that you are going to some third world country because in some ways Thailand is far more advanced than Switzerland when it comes to consumerism and the free market. If you barter remember that 50 baht is not much to you but to a Thai it can be a lot. Working in a factory 50-60 hours a week will yield a Thai a wage of 7-9,000 baht (300 Fr.)

Have fun!

I am in Bangkok as I write this,

Coups in Thailand are like popular initiatives in Switzerland - frequent, and sometimes create a fuss. Word on the street is the political instability is ont the rise.

Water festival is 2nd week of April and one heck of a lot of fun.


Strongly recommend 2 days in Bangkok itself, highly recommend the Reclining buddha, Grand Palace, Wat Arun and Chinatown.

Pattaya is great and devoted to the art of human indulgence, but not the best place if you have kids. I would not spend more than 2-3 days as it gets rather tired fairly quick. One of the most unique places in the World IMHO. You should practice fending off the tailors, as they are the most aggressive of the bunch(compared to hookers, massage girls, lady-boys, etc.)

Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Sukhothai, Ban Chiang would be other places to see, depends on what you are looking for in history and culture.

If it is beaches you desire, stay away from Pattaya and focus on the island retreats. Will be more expensive but you will not regret clean beaches and relaxation.

food is cheap and delish, bring your seafood appetite.

Hints: Use rice instead of water to sooth your mouth from the spicy food. The beer is pronounced "Sing" even though it is spelled "Singha". Don't speak ill of the King. Don't even think about making a joke. seriously.

after the beach's take a trip upto Chiang Mai, lots of temples, culture, elephants riding, river rafting....really great place to visit

Avoid red / yellow tops, as these are the colours worn by the supporters pro Thaksin / pro PM. You don't want to be mistaken to be "the other party's supporter" in case there is a street protest.

When I was holidaying in Bangkok, my husband and I had massages everyday. Cheap and good. But check with your hotel concierge for the authentic ones.

Hi there, This is an email I sent to a friend of mine who wanted to know about Thailand. I have just Google Translated this from french to english, so it may sound a little weird, but I am sure it will help you. Feel free to PM me if you need more help / advice


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· Traveling in Thailand is very easy and security is not a problem for women. It is not necessary to go on an organized tour before leaving.


- It costs between 40 and 70 francs a day as a budget for travel simply by doing all the same pleasure. The food is always good is cheap. The guesthouses also, but if you want to stay in hotels with air conditioning and TV, it takes much longer.


· In 3 weeks, you can make a grand tour of the country, enjoying some places like an island or you can ask you for a few days.


· You probably will arrive in Bangkok. BK as much capital does not represent the country. It is a city choking, so do not stay there too long. That is to say. Yes 2-3 days max. There are some things to visit (temples, water market ... etc.) but nothing you can not see other. Guard your time for other destinations. Stay in the neighborhood of backpackers (Ko San Road) to easily organize your bus filled for next destination


· Means of transport is good. There are cheap planes (Bangkok Airways, Air Asia) but I recommend you either take a bus or the "luxury" night train to do big distance. The luxury bus is a big bus but you're lying. For now there are several classes. We traveled 2nd class is was ok. There are also many mini buses which specializes to the tourists. It is OK for small distance of less than say 3-4 hours. But to avoid a long trip. The aircraft is a good idea if you must cross the whole country North-South and if you do not want to do twice the same way.


· Ok, after BK must decide North or South. We know that the North is. It is an area or tourists do not come. There is not much to do and I do not recommend you go if you do not have a specific purpose (as work) and 2-3 weeks of vacation. I do not know what to do between Chian and BK May.


By · cons you should go to Chiang Mai in the north. It is also great but very cultural city with lots of things for tourists. The cuisine is famous, is a "cooking class" is de rigueur.


• Second you should probably return to Bangkok, or take the plane to go to the South. (to Phuket, Satun, or any south)


· Avoid going to Pattaya. It is a place frequented by large German 65ans with their new Asian women 25 years old.


· Prachuap Kiri Khan is interesting because it is the city or the king lives. There are also plenty of seafood you can eat at the beach.


· From Surat Tani, take the holiday to go to one of these islands:

o Ko Samui: The largest and most developed quite expensive. We do not know

o Ko Pha Ngan: L'ile de la fete. We were there and when you do not stay near the port and away from the crowd, is a magical island. We were there remain 4-5 days I think.

o Ko Tao Island to make the plunge.

All these islands are cool, but are developed to max. Except perhaps Ko Pha Ngan. The advantage of this ranking is that the tsunami did not hit and therefore the funds are intact submarine.


· Go towards Phuket. I do not recommend staying in Phuket itself, is a place where European tourists go there in droves. It'sa bit zero, the beach is good but not exceptional. It is also the you can go to the Similan Islands which are beautiful. It is a natural or you can go camping on the beach. If you look at the photos online you will understand why it's unbelievable.


· Krabi on the east coast and tourist development. We did not go but apparently very nice.


· Was told Ko Lanta is a tourist trap. We left rather on Ko Tarutao (a little known south) is we had found paradise. I do not know how the park is after the tsunami. At the time, but had the most beautiful places in Thailand. The islands are some distance from coast, and few tourists go there. Also, people are different. These are sea gypsies who live there.

For Bangkok, something off the beaten track:

1. Take a canal cruise along the Chao Praya river and check out the vibrant communities living on the river. Very interesting to see how they live.

You can either take the ferry to the northern most stop Nonthaburi, to hire the traditional Thai style long boat (the ones they use on the floating markets) or a river taxi - which you can easily get from the World Trade Centre or along the Oriental Hotel. Doesnt cost more than 20 THB for the river taxi.

2. Koh Kred is the home to the Mon people and easily accessible as a day trip from Bangkok. Rustic and the Sunday markets are delightful - not as crowded and stuffy as the Chachuchat market in Bangkok city. Beautiful handmade jewelery, pottery and trinkets and definitely much cheaper than Bangkok prices.

Beaches wise, I personally love Hua Hin and Phuket. There are various beaches to choose from in Phuket - namely Patong ,Kamala, Karon, Surin, Bangtao, and Kata.

Patong is the most touristy (beach touts coming up to you every 10 seconds for massage, fruits, sarongs etc), Bangtao has loads of higher end resorts, Kata is a fav with surfers and I am not sure about the rest.

You can choose to stay off Phuket island and live on Phi Phi island which is more rustic.

Have fun

I'm not a beach person, which rules out lots of the reasons for visiting Thailand, but I've still been a few times and loved it.

I should give Bangkok another go, but apart from a couple of restaurants and the Chatuchak Market I wasn't a fan when I visitied about 8 years ago.

So why do I go? Chiang Mai. Cheap, friendly, honest people, not too hot, great fresh food, Chinese influence (for a bit of variety), fantastic bars (I recommend the Riverside Bar & Restaurant) and small enough to walk around.

If you fancy a cooking school I recomend this one http://www.thaicookeryschool.com/. Although it's popular with tourists, it's authentic (I think so, anyway), decent value, and well run. You're also well-placed to escape the heat at nearby lakes (take food for a BBQ) and waterfalls. I don't recommend the touristy "meet the long-neck-women tribe" day trips. I've not done it but have been told that these tribes just put on a front for tourists and nothing is based on current reality.

Phuket is awesome if you keep out of Patong, I going to rawai muay thai for a few week every year, to do a bit of excercise, then you have the whole day to chill in the mountains or by the sea, and take an overnight trip to Phi phi islands, the Beach was filmed on the non tourist national park phi phi leh.

the Royal Palace in Bangkok deserves a visit.. as well as the temples ..
Take a ride with a tuk tuk (a short one though). Be prepared that Bangkok is extremely poluted!

You can find both cheap and expensive restaurants! Visit the backpackers area (this is where we staid and where you can find very nice small hotels/hostels).

I should agree with the rest about Chang Mai - relaxing with a lot of activities. Be aware that most are very touristic (some people complain that Chang Mai is too touristic and the activities are not too adventures). If you want a lot of adventure and organized/with a guide, you should pay more. Near Chang Mai you can find a crafts village where you can find very nice staff (incl "the biggest" jewlery store/outlet).

A lot of the guest houses/small hotels have A/C and are cheap - I always check and follwo Trip Advisor. The places where we staied, we not expensive, they were not 4-5 stars, but had unbelievable atmosphere!

You can find a lot of information on the forum of Lonely Planet

and you bargain for everything! In addition to the pricese, don't expect that all is cheap. Once you enter a chain, you pretty much pay what you pay here (which is shame on the corporations but that's another think). And you bargain for everything.. bargain... it makes them happy too.

I could recommend flying with Air Asia if you want to fly around.

this helps a lot! I am thinking of Koh Samui to begin with, and thenfind the best hut so I can live dirt cheap... maybe on dirt. Who cares. As long as I have internet near, and a safe hut with a lock.

then I can travel wherever. Is there cell phone internet? Like here? can I buy a USB stick over there? Or am I pushing my luck?

anymore travel tips over there would be REALLY appreciated!

thanks for all the tips so far.

Wow, there are a lot of advice and comments. I'm a middle-class Thai lady and I have a decent job in Bangkok. I love travelling domestic and abroad. I would like to touch a little bit about Pataya, it's only 1-1.5 hrs from Bangkok. Pataya is not all bad, there are also some areas for normal tourists who do not aim for such entertainment such as Jomtien beach. You can also visit Koh Lan which is about 30 mins by boat from Pataya, there is a white sand beach there. There are a lot of fun activities to do in Pataya too such as Paragliding, water scooter, sailing, paintball, Go-kart and so on. Cabaret shows by lady boys (queers) are quite interesting, just think about it as 'performance'.

I myself like to go to Samet Island, it's about 3 hrs by bus from Bangkok to Ban Phe, and about 30 mins from mainland (Ban Phe). I like to stay in Ao Phai (Phai Bay), there are a lot of wooden bungalows there such Jeab's, Ao Phai Hut and some others. Silver Sand and Samet Villa is a bit more luxury with concrete single huts. You can spend a few days there, the beaches are nice and you can go around the island by Song-thaew (pick-up truck) or rental motorbike.

I will write more later. I have to work now.

Take care.....Mushroom

You can buy prepaid sim card (AIS, DTAC or True).