If you are a DIY traveller, love to explore, this travel blog could be your ultimate guide to Travel around Thailand in two weeks within a budget. I was finishing the first year of management studies when I made my clandestine visit to the littoral land with my love of life. Probably that added to the visceral feel for the country I am cherishing till date. That story can wait, let’s hone into the quick pointers…
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Reasons to visit “The land of Free”
- Scenic with mountains, sea, islands, bustling cities (sucker of city life here)
- Arguably the best beaches of Asia
- Seafood that ignites your carnal love
- Massage another add on for carnal pleasure
- Cheap dresses of nice quality
- Cheap electronics equipment (Even Apple products)
- City-life, as vibrant as it can get
- A perfect start to explore South East Asia with all her exotics, well connected to other parts of Asia
Also read, explore the most beautiful waterfall in Laos!
Major places to explore while you travel around Thailand in two weeks
- Bangkok: Capital of Thailand and your travel to Thaiand shall start from this city.
- Ayutthaya: Ancient Capital of Thailand, one day trip is possible
- Phuket: Beach city of the western coast, beautiful
- Krabi: Beach city on the eastern coast
- Pattaya: Beach city near Bangkok, suggested only if you are hurricane touring
- Chiang Mai: Northern Thailand ( I have not been there yet)
- Koh Samui: A beautiful island (Must do in my bucket list)
- Hua Hin: A relatively new destination, near to the capital, not as crowded as Pattaya
Also read, Sofitel Luang Prabang, a luxury experience!
Cheap flights to Bangkok: Easy ways to reach
- Flights: Air-Asia operates multiple flights every day from all major cities of India. Generally, the cheapest flights are from Kochi. Indigo operates from Kolkata and flies multiple times. It takes 3.5 hours to reach Bangkok, DMK airport
- By Road: Words of an 11-day road trip is doing the round. Start from picturesque Manipur and proceed through Myanmar. It sure is an experience.
- By Sea: Swim!
Also read, the best Thai dishes in photos!
How to get a Thailand Visa for an Indian
The tourist visa stays valid for three months.
- Pre-book through Visa office (VFS)
Pro: Hassle-free arrival, a smooth transfer from Airport
Cons: Invest a bit of time before travel
- Visa on Arrival
Pro: Flow of the process (but can get really crowded!)
Con: Crowd, Queue, People (if you are an Indian Passport holder, remember we count in billions)
To explore many parts of Thailand, from the mountain in the north to the azure beaches in the south, plz book your transport in advance here with Bookaway. Bookaway lets you choose effortlessly how and when you want to commute between many destinations in Thailand. You can book trains, ferry, bus or flight all in one single website. Their service is reliable with great customer care and large network in the area.
The city of wats, Bangkok!
Want to book a stay for the next vacay
Also read, four days in Bangkok!
How I planned my travel around Thailand in two weeks?
I was lurking behind AirAsia website for a “cheap-cheap” deal. As soon as it came out, I jumped out to grab it.
On a serious note, the first time I travelled to Thailand (my first ever foreign trip), I got a deal for INR 7000 with a return ticket. September, end of monsoon season and Airasia promotion: all things gentle added up. I traveled from Bangkok. For the second trip, I was charged INR 12000 for round trip, end of January season.
AirAsia flies you till Don Mueang International airport(DMK). All you see around is Indian faces speaking your native language. For Subarnabhumi, which essentially is the new and biggest functioning international playground of the city, you should rely on other carriers.
From DMK, I use Uber, Airport Shuttle or domestic flights for internal travel.
Pro tip:
- Travel on weekdays, at an odd time. Weekends are expensive. Also, a 3 work day week is a treat, trust me.
- Thailand internal travel only permit 1 ltr of alcohol in flight, so splurge responsibly at the duty-free store. (for the alcoholics)
How long is too long in Thailand? And what are the places one can visit from Thailand?
Now, this is tricky. I know how difficult it is to say goodbye to the places you have discovered virtually, researched on and stayed. At least a stay of a couple of days is recommended to feel the pulse of a land.
I met people on the road backpacking SE Asia for 3 months at a go. With regular office work, many of us do not have the luxury of suck prolonged vacay in general. In my opinion, one should extend their stay in the below mentioned places as per the activities they are taking up.
- Bangkok: 5 nights (Shop: I shopped for 3 days at a stretch, China Town, Ancient capital, City tour, Safari World, Shows)
- Krabi: 3 nights ( Railay, Ao nang, Emereld Pool)
- Phuket: 5 nights ( Island tours for 3 days, Karon beach, Kata beach, The big Buddha, Patong beach, Water sports, endless leisure actually. For an offbeat diving experience, visit pristine Similan Island as a day tour )
- Pattaya: 1 night is good enough for exploring the Walking Street
I will be talking about each place and experiences in detail in the following blogs.
Food galore when in Bangkok, do visit the amazing Floating markets, the further they are, the better!
Both of my Thailand trip-itinerary
- 5 days: Bangkok 3 nights and Pattaya 2 nights in September 2015
- 11 days: Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Pattaya in January, 2017 (It rained a lot, unusually)
From Thailand:
This quick travel around Thailand in two weeks guide will only leave you longing for more of travel bliss. For example, I had a terrible time when it came to leaving the country and come back to the monotony of regular life. If you have the luxury of slow travel, you may consider exploring following countries nearby. Multiple cheap flights from Bangkok make Airfare is cheap and they offer their own share of beautiful culture.
- Laos, the landlocked country
- Cambodia, the land of Angkor Wat
- Vietnam, ARCANE
- Myanmar
- Indonesia
- India (My native)
Meanwhile, if you are looking for inspiration and detailed planning for South East Asia travel, I suggest reading this backpacking guide for South East Asia!
Also read, the most beautiful sunset in the world at Masai Mara, Kenya!
An Approximate Budget for a Two Week trip to Thailand
Capping travel budget is an entirely private choice. If you decide to cruise through the Andaman Sea, the pocket pinch will be uber cool whereas a hostel stay will cost you less than $3 in BKK.
I prefer comfortable-travel with a dash on luxury once in a while. A 11 day Thailand stay came to be INR 50000 ( $700) for me sans shopping.
Where I could save more?
- A late heavy breakfast instead of three meals
- Streamlining day’s visit, prior planning
- Refusing to take Tuk Tuks altogether, they are costly
- Trying Charcoal icecream (yes, I did that)
- Not plunging into the sea with my camera (basically avoid risky moves that may entail an accident)
Suggested read:
I strongly recommend reading a book or two before you set your feet on a new country. One wisely written book can play the part of conditioner for the culture and practices prevalent in the land. I was hooked to the book “Sightseeing” by Rattawut Lapcharoensap for days before I reached Thailand. It is a brilliant combination of eight short stories that depict the life of Thais beyond tour packages, city tours and hustles of massage parlours.
Good to know: Khabon Kha is “Thank you!” and “Soi” is Lane. All the tour operators, the boat companies, have two sets of guides, one speaks English, other one speak English and Chinese
Also read, the floating markets of Bangkok!
How many of you have decided to visit Thailand while embarking on the first ever foreign trip? Do you love Thailand the way I do? Do you have a suggestion for the next must visit place for me in Thailand? Please suggest…
- Have a day to visit James Bond island on a boat cruise
- Have another day at Phuket? Plan a trip to Maya Bay/Phi Phi Island.
- Want to tour Thailand virtually?
- Eat your heart out and more
- Relish the amazing spreads of Bangkok’s China Town and famous floating markets
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Very comprehensive post! I’ve been to Thailand a couple of times. I do like Railay Beach, very laid back. Some suggestions for next time you go to Thailand? Try visiting Khao Lak national park, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai or Sukhothai.
Yes, I have a plan to do Thailand and Cambodia together, sometime in next 2 years. Will be visiting North soon. Chiang Mai is a must, have been hearing about Kaho Lak quiet a lot, will try to cover that.
Railay was pretty amazing, It rained for 2 days we stayed at the island and how romantic the place was. will be blogposting Railay soon. Thanks 🙂
I would give Pattaya a miss. Phuket and Koh Samui are better options if you want sun, sand and sea. Go to Chiangmai if you can. It’s completely different from Bangkok.
True, chiang Mai is my next to go place.
Try to visit Chiangmai in November. They have the sky lantern festival during that month and its magical. I have a blog on that.
Wow great post!
This is so informative, I guess I’ll need this information and tips when I’m going to Thailand in november :)!
And the pictures are soo pretty!!
xx, Sophie
I love how your post is reader oriented. you give so much useful details. The amazing photos really make me feel like grabing my passport and booking a flight. well done !
Haha, thank you, means a lot.
Do visit Thailand, it is beautiful 🙂
Love this. In Finland your social life is usually cut in half any time from October-March, because everyone is in Thailand. It’s definitely on my bucket list. And I’ll keep your post in mind.
Ah, the cold, the thick blanket of cold, I get it.
You get to see northern lights from your country, is not it?
If you go I put north, yes. When I’m there, I’m in Helsinki, so not that much. I kind of split my time between Helsinki and Budapest (complicated story). In Hungary, northern lights are but a distant dream. ?
Ah, I see. I am yet to explore Europe. Have my PhD friends and brother there, my knowledge comes from their stories 🙂
Cool. Which countries? I’m sure they have amazing stories to tell. ? I really liked Denmark when I visited, and Finland when I lived there. Hope your friends and family are having a good time there.
Ah, they are mostly in France and Portugal. Come to India sometime 🙂 I am sure you will be overwhelmed with our exotics
That’s funny! I’m part French, and growing up my parents’ best friend was Portuguese. I think she was largely responsible for making me speak French, since we were all over the place (Germany and various U.S. states). India’s been on my radar since I became obsessed with it when I was thirteen. My then crush’s family had adopted a girl from India, so I wanted to know everything about the country. Then, I had friends from there, got into Bollywood movies in England, when I was idly watching TV, and it was somehow always around. ? Point is, I’d love to come to India and check it out! Thanks for the invite! And you have to see Finland!
Yes, we have plan to see the northern lights by next year, Finland is in bucket list. Do lemme know before you visit India, I will host you in Kolkata if it is a part of your itinerary.
Great to know you are multilingual. I just speak Bengali, English, Hindi and elementary French.
You’re so sweet! I will make Kolkata part of my itinerary. And if I’m in Finland when you guys are there, you will of course be my guests.
That’s about the amounts of languages I feel comfortable with. I have to confess I’m not that familiar with Hindi and Bengali. Is Bengali to Hindi as English is to French (where you can often guess at the meaning), or is it more like Spanish and Portuguese where, depending on the region, you can carry out a conversation in your native language and be understood? I’ve witnessed some friends do it, and it was so much fun. Or, are they completely different, with maybe five words that are similar?
I love Rattawut Lapcharoensap’s collection, Sightseeing, too. I also recommend Pira Sudham’s short stories, People of Esarn, too — and, of course, my own novels! The first one, Behind the Night Bazaar, is set in Chiang Mai.
I was reading the excerpt of behind the night Bazar yesterday. This has been listed in my bucket list. 🙂
Few stories from sightseeing have touched my heart. Pira Sudham’s book I am gonna google now.
Thank you for all the suggestions!
Nominated you in a tag.. Do it only if you want to
https://bookreviewsbyshalini.wordpress.com/2017/06/24/the-blue-sky-tag/
Thanks for the tag. Will write something soon 🙂
Great… Eagerly awaiting
Thailand is definitely on my bucket list! Thank you for sharing such an informative post.
There are some really great tips in here, especially for those (like me) who’ve never been to Thailand before. It’s on my bucket list now and I’m pinning your post for help!
Do visit Thailand, I am in love with the country 🙂 stay tuned more Thai blogs coming tonight 🙂
Btw, very warm welcome to my blog 🙂
Lovely post and fun pics looks like you enjoyed it a lot 🙂
Oh I did!
Your sunset photo is absolutely stunning! Thanks for following Oh, the Places We See. Although we haven’t seen what you’ve seen, we find that the beauty of reading blogs is in the sharing. We look forward to having you travel with us!
The sunset is from Railay beach and it is the highlight of the place. Thank you 🙂
These days, before planning a travel I search for “name of the place” travel blog they are so relevant and organic
now this is how you are supposed to write a travel blog.
🙂 thank you and welcome to orangewayfarer. Much love for your kind words <3
Beautiful post once again…..nice pics….
I am so glad you liked it. Thank you and welcome to orangewayfarer! 🙂
I have already started following it….:)
BTW we are launching an online magazine and are requesting subscriptions from bloggers and anyone interested in sending their contents to it…….i am sending you the link with the details in it……kindly go through it…..and if you get interested, send your contributions accordingly……:)
https://musicalsoundscapes.wordpress.com/2017/06/02/say-hello-to-bumblebee/
Sure thank you 🙂
It contains so many details with beautiful photography…enjoyed reading.
welcome to orangewayfarer. You are the mastermind of photography! Thanks a lot!
Love how detailed and comprehensive this post is. Very informative. Would re-visit it before I plan my trip. (Hopefully, soon) 🙂
Thank you :). Please take reference for this is what I felt while traveling in Thailand with my own itinerary and feel should help anyone crafting a DIY plan for their own 🙂 I have tons of article related to Thailand. Hope they are helpful for you 🙂
beautiful post…… that food table is so colorful…… enjoyed reading….. you have a lovely blog…….
Thank you so much. It is a beautiful world I live in indeed.
How exciting for your first foreign trip! Looks lovely ?
Beautiful post, thank you for sharing! Thailand has always been high up on my list of places to go, it looks gorgeous! Not to mention the food, especially the seafood.. You’ve got me thinking about lunch already! ?
This one most should serve as a guide for those planning for Thailand.
aami at ki boli? pore pbhibhuto…
Hello ,
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P.S.
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Ummm… Moneytizing a blog along with SEO takes alot of learning and experimenting. What works best for me is constant content creation which is of high value to your readers and try to solve a problem they may face. (For example, I do my trips DIY and conduct a lot of research, and share my personal experience here.). I think our niches are very different (yours is finance while mine is travel) hence I need to Write a blog post and link in your blog post as they deem fit about managing money on the road. Feel free to refer to my blog link as you deem fit! Thanks for your subscription 🙂
Loved your post. Very informative.
Thank you. This was my first ever blog post and I am happy that it is of your help 🙂
You got yourself a new follower.
Thailand is a beautiful country, if you plan to visit again, try exploring the North – Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai. I have had so many wonderful experiences this time. I even ended up eating the insects in a night market in Bangkok. I am posting this comment from Thailand, it’s my second time here.
I am visiting your blog for the very first time, and I really like the tagline, which is taken from one of the Bob Marley’s interviews <3 I have watched that video several times. Ha-Ha.