First family trip to Thailand

Hello, We’re heading to Thailand in late February to early March for two weeks (school holidays, zone C), and we’ve decided not to go to Chiang Mai because of the burning season. After all, it’s just a personal preference, but for me, the word "vacation" doesn’t go well with the word "smog." If you *really* want to visit Chiang Mai, you could start there and then head down to Bangkok afterward—it’ll save you a round trip. That’s what I’d planned to do before I found out about the burning season. So instead, I swapped Chiang Mai for Kanchanaburi.

Since we're traveling at the same time, I can't recommend hotels just yet. For my hotels, I checked the ratings (above 8), location, price, pool, and whether the hotel actually exists (Google Maps, YouTube, etc.).

We booked Sabai Sathorn Apartment Hotel in Bangkok, but I can't say anything about it yet.

Hello,

-We’re arriving in Bangkok around 7 AM. Which hotel would you recommend so we can rest after landing?

Bangkok to rest? Bad idea. For that, I’d spend my first 3 nights in Ayutthaya instead—it’s only 3–3.5 hours from the airport by taxi + minivan (or 2.5 hours entirely by taxi). These times include the traffic jams you’ll hit at that hour in Bangkok. After that, take the overnight train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai. Save Bangkok for the end of your trip.

Chiang Mai overnight train—better for the outbound or return trip?

Just the outbound. On the way back, you might have the option to take a direct flight south, low-cost or not, depending on which island you choose.

We love the authentic side, meeting locals...

You won’t find any of that on the typical tourist highway you’ve planned. Your only interactions will be with other tourists and Thais who stand to make money from you, directly or indirectly.

In 3 weeks, you could spend, say, two-thirds of your time on the tourist trail (there are still some great things to see) and 7 days off the beaten path for "that authentic side, meeting locals..."—without having to trek to the middle of nowhere.

Thanks for your message—we thought the burning season was later. We’ll take another look at it. I got the *Guide du Routard*; I don’t think it’s great!

Thanks for your tips! I’ll look into changing my arrival, etc...

Thanks for your message, we thought the burning season was later. We’ll take another look at it. I got the *Guide du Routard*, but I don’t think it’s great !

I can’t remember exactly where, but on one of the two forums (this one and Routard), someone posted a link to the pollution-level history, and it was at its peak right at the end of February–early March. After that, if I understood correctly, it’s variable, but I preferred not to take the risk. I’m originally from a very polluted industrial city, so smog-filled vacations aren’t my thing.

I found this:

https://aqicn.org/station/thailand-chiang-mai-%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B9%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2-%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%8A.-%E0%B8%95.%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B8%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%9E-%E0%B8%AD.%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87-%E0%B8%88.%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%88/fr/

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Good evening Songsam and other contributors to this discussion,

You seem to know your stuff, so I hope you don’t mind me asking for advice. I’m also heading to Thailand from mid-January to mid-February for about 4 weeks with my 10-year-old daughter. I’d love for us to immerse ourselves as much as possible in the daily life of locals and meet people. Where would you recommend going to get off the beaten track? I’m looking for ways to connect with hosts for homestays (preferably in rural/mountain areas) or spend time with an association. Ideally, we’d like to spend 1 week with a family or community and 1 week with an organization, so we can meet other kids. I know we need to stay in one place for a while to get to know people and interact, even if our trip is relatively short. And of course, we also want to explore the landscapes and a few temples. I’ve looked a bit on Workaway, but it feels like a lot of it is very business-oriented tourism.

Thanks, Rozenn

Hello,

-We arrive in Bangkok around 7 AM. Which hotel would you recommend? I’d like us to rest when we arrive.

Bangkok to rest? Bad idea. For that, I’d suggest spending your first 3 nights in Ayutthaya, which is only 3–3.5 hours from the airport by taxi + minivan (or 2.5 hours entirely by taxi). These times include the traffic jams you’ll hit at that hour in Bangkok. Then, take the overnight train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai. Save Bangkok for the end of your trip.

Chiang Mai overnight train? Better for the way there or back?

Just the way there. For the return, you might have the option to take a direct flight to the South, low-cost or not, depending on which island you choose.

We love the authentic side, meeting locals...

You won’t find any of that on the typical tourist trail you’ve planned. Your only interactions will be with other tourists and Thais who stand to make money from you, directly or indirectly.

In 3 weeks, you could do, say, two-thirds of the tourist trail (since there are still beautiful things to see there) and 7 days off the beaten path for "the authentic side, meeting locals..." without it being a trek to the middle of nowhere.

Good evening Breizhwoman,

I’d love for us to immerse ourselves as much as possible in the daily life of locals and meet people. Where do you recommend going? I’m looking for ways to make contacts to stay with a host family.

You’ll find that in any village or small town without tourist sites, served by regular but infrequent public transport, surrounded by countryside that’s quickly accessible for walks or bike rides, and with at least a few accommodations—because don’t count on being invited to stay with locals, or if you insist, they’ll think you’re looking to settle down with a local widowed or divorced partner. I assume you’ll have learned a few words of Thai because don’t count on them speaking English. To immerse yourself as much as possible, you’ll have the daily morning and/or evening market, the public outdoor activities in the late afternoon like tai-chi, gymnastics, gymtonic, pétanque, or basketball (there’s usually at least one of those). If you stop to watch, it won’t be long before they invite you to join in. Walking around the local "promenade" as night falls is also a great way to immerse yourself. After 2-3 days of wandering around the village, they’ll recognize you and be even more inclined to chat. For meeting other kids, that’ll happen (and stand out!) around 3-4 PM when they get home from school.

As examples of villages, I’m thinking of those along the Mekong (which I consider an added bonus) on Route 211 between Nong Khai and Chiang Khan. I’ve talked about them at length (transport, accommodations, etc.) in a thread on another forum—I’ll send you the link via PM.

Ideally, we’d like to spend 1 week with a family or community and 1 week with an association, so we can meet other kids.

You’re talking about it like it’s a whim for a tourist activity—I find that off-putting. Anyway, I don’t know where to find that kind of setup.

I looked a bit on Workaway, but it felt like a lot of it was very business-touristy.

I wasn’t familiar with it because I don’t need that kind of thing for unspontaneous meet-ups with an annual fee—I came away with the same impression as you.

Group gymtonic session in Si Chiangmai:



Village of Pak Chom:

I replied above to Breizhwoman based on her more specific request, but just so you know, you can step off the tourist trail without going as far as the kind of villages I recommended to her.

How far along are you with your study of the *Guide du Routard* (or another guide)?

Hi there,

The alert about the burn-offs made me a bit nervous. So we’re definitely thinking of heading south instead.

I’m looking for a first stop fairly close to Bangkok (ideally within 2 hours max), somewhere relaxing—maybe Samut Sakhon? Sleeping in a coconut grove?

Then we’d head further south.

We’d love some nature and to visit one or two parks… which one though?

We’d also like to visit one or two islands.

And maybe head back up with an internal flight?

What I’ve read about Prachuap Khiri Khan and the surrounding area makes me want to go there.

So many places are tempting—it’s hard to choose! I bought the Lonely Planet guide and I’ve been looking online a bit, but I don’t have much time right now.

If you have any links to help me get a better idea of the routes (trains, ferries, flights), that would really help me plan my itinerary. I’m struggling to find all that info.

Thanks so much!

Here’s a link: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=6221971;#6221971

You can also check out my 2015 travel journal.

I'm looking for my first stop fairly close to Bangkok (ideally a max of 2 hours' travel time), somewhere relaxing—maybe Samut Sakhon? (...) Want some nature, to visit one or two parks... which one...

I only know Samut Sakhon from its train station and the street you take to get to the ferry port—I didn’t realize it had any other appeal.

For a relaxing town within 2 hours max from Bangkok’s northern minivan* bus station or the train station, the city that’s generally—and rightly—recommended is Ayutthaya, which also has a lot to see. Plan to stay there for 2 to 3 nights. From there, after a "short" train ride, you could head to Pak Chong to visit Khao Yai National Park in a day with a wildlife guide. Kids are welcome (and usually love it), and it’s easy to organize through the accommodations around the park. Plan for 2 nights at this stop. Then, for example, about 2.5 hours by minivan* to Bangkok’s northern minivan station, and from there another 2.5–3 hours by minivan* to Kanchanaburi, a town with recent historical interest. In this province, you could spend a week visiting Erawan National Park, the temple whose name I always forget (a few km southeast of the town—see the 3 photos below). During this week, you could spend 1 or 2 nights in peaceful Thong Pha Phum, which will give you a sense of being at the end of the world (there are several spots to stop for an hour or two between Kanchanaburi and Thong Pha Phum). Then, of course, a 3rd stop in charming, peaceful Sangkhlaburi for 3–4 nights. All these towns or villages offer accommodations and public transport to get there. After Sangkhlaburi, take a bus** or direct minivan back to Kanchanaburi during the day, followed by a 55-minute air-conditioned bus 81 (every 20 minutes) in the late afternoon to Ban Pong, where you can catch an overnight train to any major southern station. Alternatively, if you spend one last night in Kanchanaburi and get up early***, you can take the Special Express DRC No. 43 daytime train to Prachuap Khiri Khan. From the south, I only know the non-beach sites in Trang, Phatthalung, and Nakhon Si Thammarat. For beach destinations, it’s best to wait for other members to chime in once you have specific questions.

*These minivans run frequently, every 2–3 hours. On minivans, luggage goes on your lap or you can pay for an extra seat (4–5 € per person for these routes) to put it there. **There are 4–5 buses per day—these are regular buses, so the trip takes 5–6 hours. ***The Express DRC 43 leaves Ban Pong at 8:42 AM. It’s a 10–12 minute walk from the bus stop in Kanchanaburi to the train station.

If you have any links to help me visualize the routes (trains, ferries, flights), that would help me plan my itinerary—I’m struggling to find all this info.

For possible train routes, there’s no site that’s both comprehensive and available in English or French. Once you know your departure and arrival cities, you can use the official Thai train booking site: https://dticket.railway.co.th/DTicketPublicWeb/home/Home (change the language in the top right corner). For ferries, search by destination. You should also find this info in the Lonely Planet guide. Flights: This site https://www.airasia.com/en/gb covers most airlines. For Nok Air, go here: https://www.nokair.com/ Be careful in Bangkok—there are two airports: BKK (the main one, where you’ll arrive) and DMK. They’re not close to each other.

Hi Songsam,

Thank you for taking the time to reply in such detail and for your precise info. I’m not familiar with Asia, so my apologies for any cultural missteps. Thanks for these insights—they helped me look up some info (a few polite phrases in Thai, etc.). It seems to me that traveling itself is already a bit of a whim. Staying with locals wasn’t meant to be disrespectful—I’m just trying to travel as ethically as possible. Simply because when I’ve traveled to other continents, I’ve preferred sharing moments and meeting locals over visiting tourist sites. In my experience (South America, Oceania, etc.), I’ve sometimes been naturally invited into people’s homes. I hadn’t considered that an invitation might not carry the same meaning across cultures. Thanks for making me reflect on all this. A big thank you for all these exchanges on the forum.