Thailand Holiday Trip Plan

Juggling Your Options
A few questions for the dilemma of trip planning. Add a few more for the implications of weather, tight budgets, and time limits. Planning gets tougher, yet is imperative for a successful holiday.

• Should your Bangkok itinerary be at the beginning or end of your holiday?
• Are Phuket or Ko Samui beaches on your list?
• Is trekking Chiang Mai or Kanchanaburi better for your itinerary?
• Are you more comfortable with package tours or solo travel?

An itinerary that fills every hour of the day works for some and not for others. But even for the "A" types, rushing to make every connection can be a drag. For most of us, it simply ruins a vacation.

A good itinerary maximizes enjoyment, available time and financial resources yet remains flexible enough for change and opportunity.

Listing your travel objectives can be a first good step .. even if your objective is to wander about aimlessly with no itinerary or specific destinations.

Be Realistic - How much time is required to get to the destination and enjoy the activity you have planned? Travel time between destinations can be a major factor.

Flexibility and an open mind are key assets for avoiding disappointment or disaster. You may hear about somewhere that suddenly seems an "absolute must do". Or maybe that rafting expedition is cancelled because the operator went broke.

Study your proposed itinerary and ask yourself

• How easy is your itinerary to change?
• Can you work in an extra stop if you hear of something great?
• What options are available in the same geographic area?

Check and recheck your destinations stops.

• Research them carefully, especially with reputable guides
• Don't rely solely on information supplied by a tour operator
• Read pertinent USENET groups and internet "trip reports"

Weather should be a significant factor in planning activities. While it doesn't rain "all day, every day" during the rainy season in Thailand, planning a long mountain trek in the mountains of Northern Thailand during October might be questionable.

But the rainy season can be a good time for some travelers since:

• The weather is cooler
• You will find fewer tourists
• Prices are as much as 50% lower
• White water rafting is great
• Thailand becomes green again

Travel Planning Resources

• What to pack for your trip
• Article on USA pre-departure baggage inspection baggage security inspection