Planning a Trip to Thailand for Beginners

Let’s get smart and plan your first trip to Thailand! Having lived here for 8 years, I’ve written the ultimate guide for planning a trip to Thailand for beginners. Take the stress out of researching, follow the below steps and make your trip such a success that you are ready to come back to Thailand again in the future!

This is all the information you need to know, broken down step by step so you can plan smart and get excited! It can feel like a lot, especially when it’s your first time visiting Thailand and this country may work very differently to your home country. Luckily I’ve got you! These steps cover how to plan your trip, itineraries, accommodation and how to book it, activities you can enjoy here and what to watch out for.

I’ve shared insider tips from a decade of exploring Thailand including my favourite islands, national parks and ethical wildlife experiences!

This advice is best for first time visitors or those who visited a long time ago. It will also be useful for people who need some help planning and organising, even if you have visited before!

When to Go to Thailand

The question that first time visitors ask the most, and worry about the most! Thailand has two seasons: dry and rainy. Dry season runs from November to March, which is also the most popular time to visit. April is the hottest month of the year (a sweltering 40°C+), but it’s also when Songkran (Thai New Year) takes place a huge Thai festival in which a lot of the country becomes a massive water fight.

Rainy season is usually from May to October, but the weather can vary by region (The Gulf of Thailand is often the opposite way round so consider this if you want to visit Koh Tao, Koh Phangan or Koh Samui – more on that later!). Having said all this in recent years the climate patterns have been quite messed up and we have had rain during dry season which was very unusual when I first moved here.

Don’t be completely put off by rainy season. I’ve visited beaches during rainy season and still had gorgeous blue sky days. You just have to find a sense of humour if/when you get drenched at some point!

Step 1: Choose Your Airport

When planning your first time in Thailand, it is best to look at where you can fly into internationally. At the time of writing, there are 4 main international airports throughout Thailand.

• Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK)
• Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK)
• Phuket (HKT)

Some people may book flights to Koh Samui but all of these (at the time of writing) transit through Bangkok for immigration first. I always compare flights using Skyscanner to find the best ones for me.

Step 2: Choose Your Itinerary

My main advice is to go SLOW. So many first time visitors rush around trying to see as many things as possible (myself included) and it’s good to have a reminder that you are never gonna do it all. I’ve litera;;y been living here for 8 years and there are still places on my Thailand bucket list because this country is huge and there’s so much to see!

I have written multiple itineraries here many of which I’ve done or friends and family have done when exploring Thailand. I’ve created different itineraries to suit different types of travellers so you should be able to find the itinerary that is best for planning your first trip to Thailand.

One week itineraries	Two week itineraries
three week itineraries	one month itineraries

For a week, spend a few days in Bangkok and then a beach or island trip.

If you are not beachy then consider Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

If you have longer for your first time Thailand itinerary, then always consider staying a minimum of 3 days in each place so that you can explore. 

Step 3: Prioritise Your Destinations

Common places to visit in Thailand for first timers will most likely be Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi and islands like Koh Phi Phi and islands in the Gulf of Thailand such as Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. For help picking an island you can read my mini reviews of (almost!) all of them here.

In my opinion, for beginner Thailand vacations it is better to stay on the common tourist route for first timers. Getting to more off the beaten track places can be slightly more complicated, take a while and are not set up for tourists. For places that are less well known but still achievable for first timers I recommend heading to a national park in Thailand – they are amazing! 

If you want to check out my favourite island in Thailand then head to Koh Lipe. Bear in mind it can take a while to get there, but that’s why it’s so great!

Step 4: How to Book Thailand accommodation

There are two main websites that I always use for booking hotels in Thailand. Compare prices between Agoda and Booking.com when researching hotels, guesthouses or hostels in Thailand.

I usually find that Agoda has better rates (and I much prefer it as a platform!) but if you are already using Booking.com then you might have discounts there for being a frequent user.

It is possible to just show up and find accommodation in backpacking areas such as Koh Phi Phi and Koh Phangan although I do not recommend doing this if visiting during busy times. December is peak season for most of Thailand so for Christmas and New Year I always recommend booking accommodation in advance. Songkran (Thai New Year) also gets busy with most of Thailand on the move so April 13-16th you should also book hotels before hand. For my favourite hotel picks you can check out my list here.

If you are a party goer and heading the infamous Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan then accommodation near the beach in Haad Rin gets booked in advance. There are also some hotels that stipulate you must stay a minimum of 4 days! If you go further afield (which I always did in the 5 times I’ve been to the Full Moon Party then other beach areas will be fine and you can stay for a shorter time if you wish.

Step 5: Research Your Activities

These will, of course, depend on or sway your decisions for destinations. There are so many different activities that you can do, whether it is your first time in Thailand or your 30th!

For what to do in Bangkok, I have all my posts here as it’s the city that I’ve called home for a long time! Some activities you might decide to do may be adventurous activities such as jungle trekking and hiking in the beautiful national parks of Thailand. 

Spending time island hopping around Thailand is often a must for those traveling to Thailand for the first time. If you are after quiet beaches in Thailand then here are all the quietest islands in Thailand that I love!

Many visitors in Thailand for the first time enjoy an ethical elephant experience (here is why you should never ride an elephant and amazing ethical elephant sanctuaries that you can visit instead).

If you are interested in scuba diving then Thailand is a wonderful place to learn how to scuba dive or if you are already a qualified diver then make sure you check out the best dive sites in Thailand. Here is also a bucketlist Thailand for those that love adventure travel. 

Step 6: Organise Your Transport

Getting around Thailand is incredibly easy and transport is well set up for exploring many areas of the country.

If you are only visiting Thailand for a short time then definitely consider flying as it is faster and more convenient. I always use Skyscanner to compare domestic airlines and find the best one.

If you are happy to slow travel Thailand then trains are a cheap and adventurous way to travel around Thailand. Note that the train routes in Thailand only go to certain areas so to access Phuket or Krabi from Bangkok, for example, you would need to fly or take a night bus.

If you are visiting Thailand on a budget then take night buses and night trains to save on accommodation and here are more tips to keep the cost of travelling in Thailand low. 

In terms of taxis in Thailand, Grab and Bolt (our Uber equivalents) are popular for both car taxis and motorbike taxis.

Bangkok Transport

Meter taxis are also common in Bangkok although the drivers are not always knowledgeable about their area of Bangkok so I recommend this for if you know where you are going and can direct your driver to a specific place.

Within Bangkok, there is the skytrain (BTS) and the underground trains (MRT) and both are easy to use, cheap and a great way to avoid being stuck in traffic.

For booking long distance travel, use 12go.Asia. Many minivans and buses will leave from either Ekkamai Eastern Bus Terminal, Mochit Northern Bus Terminal or Sai Tai Mai the Southern Bus Terminal (out East of Bangkok). You can also generally show up and get a bus or a miniva if you are in the slow travel mindset and don’t mind waiting for them to leave. This is usually only possible in the day time.

Boat Transport

Ferries are easy to organise through your accommodation or from the road side tour agents all around Thailand. This is my preferred thing to do as it brings money to small local tour operators who can book the ferry or onward journey for you. One major perk that I’ve found of doing this is that they will, more often that not, throw in a hotel pick up included!

Ferries tend to be big, slow boats and cheaper. Speedboats are more expensive and faster. You don’t need to book in advance outside of the peak times I mentioned earlier.

Step 7: Packing

I have a whole post about what to bring to Thailand here which has helped many readers before.

Thailand FAQS

For any questions that you may have as part of your research I have probably answered them here already on my Thailand FAQ post! If not then feel free to contact me for any specific questions, I am always happy to help. Note that I have never travelled Thailand with young children so this may be something to consider as you plan your trip to Thailand for the first time.

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