1 Week in Thailand: What I Would Do Differently

It’s always interesting to reflect back on trips and contemplate what went right, and what went wrong. There is only so much research you can do about a location to know what to expect. In most cases, you must actually visit a destination in order to truly grasp the nature of it. In Thailand, this was absolutely the case.

Prior to arriving, I had done an abundant amount of research, and welcomed plenty of tips from friends and family. My mind went into information overload, and could barely keep my thoughts straight. Some of the information I received was spot on, while other suggestions fell flat. Here are some of the things I would do differently if I were to book my trip to Thailand now:

Spend more than 24 hours in Bangkok

Multiple people advised me that one full day in Bangkok would be more than enough time to enjoy the capital. I strongly disagree. Sure, I was able to see the temples I wanted {with the exception of the Grand Palace}, but I know there is more to Bangkok than temples. I love a good, bustling city, so being in Bangkok felt liberating. There are so many restaurants, rooftop bars, markets, and neighborhoods to explore. I felt like I was given a sample at Costco, then immediately asked to leave the warehouse before making any purchases. I had a taste, and it left me wanting more.

Pick accommodation closer to a metro line in Bangkok

While we are on the subject of Bangkok, I wish I had picked accommodation closer to a metro line. I was well aware that my hostel was not located near a metro line prior to arriving, but I figured I could still walk to the nearest station {silly me}, even if it meant an extra long journey. Unfortunately, it was impossible to walk to the nearest station from my location. It required travel via water taxi, in addition to an extensive amount of walking. While it was merely an inconvenience during the day, the real issue arrived when I had to travel to and from the airport.

I rarely climb into a taxi when I travel alone, mostly because it costs an arm and a leg. That being said, I was left with few options the morning I had to catch my flight to Krabi. Therefore, I found myself paying nearly four times what it would cost to arrive via public transportation. With that being said, Once Again Hostel was a great choice for exploring the temples in Thailand. The Grand Palace, and surrounding temples, were only 20 minutes by foot. If your only focus is temple hopping, it’s a perfect location.

Splurge on a resort {at least for one night}

I have always been a big advocate for hostels while traveling abroad. With that being said, I’m now 27 and learning to appreciate certain aspects of travel I hadn’t before. I used to sacrifice everything and anything to save a penny. I would stay in the cheapest hostels, find the cheapest items on the menu, and agree to 12 layovers to avoid spending money on a flight.

Now, however, my comfort has become more of a priority while traveling. I still stay in relatively inexpensive hostels, but have deal breakers that I refuse to debate. One example: air conditioning. My skin is extremely sensitive and I have experienced miserable holidays because of it. Therefore, I require my accommodation to have air conditioning available 24/7, which isn’t always common in SE Asia.

Since Thailand is such an affordable destination, I regret not taking advantage of that fact in terms of accommodation. It’s rare that you’ll find the same luxury, for the price in Thailand, than you will anywhere else in the world {with exceptions of course}. But you catch my drift. If I was going to splurge on a resort, Thailand should have been the place to do it.

Budget for a higher price point

Although it is one of the most affordable destinations in the world, it’s not necessarily the case everywhere in Thailand. Obviously, the more touristy destinations have an inflated price point when it comes to, well… everything. I found myself paying for meals, specifically, in Thailand that resembled prices from those back home in California.

I take partial credit seeing that I could have skipped the $10.00 USD smoothie bowls, and opted for street food. But even so, I was shocked at some of the prices I witnessed. I also didn’t budget for things like taxi rides in Bangkok {as mentioned above} or extra fees while visiting the islands. Of course it’s all relative, and the fact remains that Thailand prices are still significantly lower than those in the states, and even other Asian countries.

Skip Krabi Town

Before arriving to Ao Nang, I stopped in Krabi Town for a bite to eat, and to check out Wat Kaew {pictured above}. While the temple was beautiful, I don’t think it was worth the visit. There just wasn’t much going on. Krabi Town is at 20+ minute drive from the airport, and another 20+ minutes from Ao Nang. While travel via public bus is available, it takes significantly longer to travel between destinations. Therefore, taxi’s once again become a convenient, but expensive, resource. Overall, I suggest skipping Krabi Town altogether.

Buy a scarf

While I eventually purchased a beautiful scarf in Kuala Lumpur, I wish I had done so earlier in Bangkok. I meant to before even leaving South Korea, but simply didn’t allocate the time to browse the shops downtown. It would have come in handy at the Grand Palace when I was denied entry based on my outfit choice, and just in general when traveling through SE Asia. It’s a very common tip people suggest when visiting SE Asia, and I’m simply here to reiterate it.

Split my time on the islands between Ao Nang and Railay Beach

After island hopping through Thailand, I am now more aware of the do’s and don’ts. You can read more about them here, however the biggest regret I had was only using one destination as my base. My plan sufficed just fine in terms of practicality, however once I arrived in Railay, I desperately wished I had booked accommodation there for a night or two. Instead, I was meant to return to Ao Nang where I was staying for the remainder of my trip. If I were to do it over again, I would split my time between two destinations.

Things I’m glad I did:

We all live and learn, and that’s the true beauty of travel. Luckily, there are platforms now that allow us to share our newfound knowledge in order to avoid others making similar mistakes. I must give a shout out to the bloggers before me that learned valuable lessons traveling through Thailand. They allowed me to avoid certain mistakes, and prioritize my trip because of information they gathered abroad. Therefore, I also wanted to share some of the things I was glad I did while traveling through Thailand:

Purchased a SIM card

Upon arrival to the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, I immediately purchased a SIM card from AIS. I paid ฿299 {approx. $9 USD} for 3GB usable within 8 days of travel within Thailand. The entire process took maybe three minutes. There are people online who recommend waiting until you arrive in the city to purchase a SIM card because you’ll find a better deal. And while I am usually all about a good deal, I honestly couldn’t be bothered.

I was happy to spend $9.00 if it meant avoiding the hassle of finding a store {without data I might add} and then, in addition, dealing with a language barrier. Sometimes convenience trumps savings. Overall, having data was extremely helpful when navigating my way through Thailand. While I didn’t opt for SIM cards in either Malaysia or Singapore, I can’t deny I missed the ease of travel I experienced in Thailand because of it.

Avoided Phuket

I am very happy with my decision to use Ao Nang and Krabi as my base, instead of the infamous Phuket. That being said, I’ve learned I shouldn’t judge a destination without visiting for myself. Even so, not many people were advocating for Phuket when I asked on Instagram. It’s impossible to visit every destination within a country when only visiting for a week. Decisions simply have to be made, and overall, I’m happy with mine.

Visited the Phi Phi Islands

A great example of a destination that surprised me was the Phi Phi Islands, in particular Phi Phi Don. I was initially extremely skeptical about visiting the islands after reading negative reviews online. With that being said, I recently wrote a blog post all about whether or not I believed the Phi Phi Islands to be overrated, which you can read here.

Prioritized Wat Phra and Wat Arun in Bangkok

After spending hours on Pinterest and Instagram in preparation for my trip, I decided I wanted to prioritize temples that weren’t the Grand Palace in Bangkok. I did this for no reason other than I simply enjoyed images more from Wat Phra and Wat Arun. While I am still disappointed I did not get to see the Grand Palace at all, I am extremely satisfied with my decision to visit Wat Phra and Wat Arun early on in the day. Some of my favorite captures from my trip to Thailand include the beautiful ceramic tiling of Wat Arun in the background. I’m happy I got to experience these nearly deserted temples {at opening hours} with less crowds.

Spent full days on islands instead of taking a tour

A lack of freedom sometimes deters me from joining organized tour groups. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against them in any way and have been on many in the past. There are certain experiences in which taking a tour can make your adventure a million times more meaningful. That being said, there are also certain experiences that I suggest avoiding them.

Island hopping happens to be one of them. I explored a different island each day I was in Thailand {read more here}. This allowed me to fully appreciate the space for what it was, and relieved me of stress about rushing my afternoon. For a girl that constantly feels the need to be moving, it felt refreshing to take full days on the islands, and dedicate them to slower travel.

Ate pad thai as often as possible

The only two meals I consumed in Thialand were pad thai and smoothie bowls. And I have zero regrets. Pad thai happens to be one of my favorite meals in the world. Therefore when I visited the birthplace of this delicious dish, I wasn’t going to waste my time {or tastebuds} on anything else.

Coming up on the blog, I’m sharing more adventures from Southeast Asia, specifically Malaysia and Singapore. Then after that, we are covering my very first trip to Japan! Do you have any upcoming travel plans for the end of the year? I’m happy to report I’ll be spending the rest of 2018 in my {temporary} home, South Korea. Though 2019 is a whole other story altogether…