Southeast Asia forum

Hi Plawhon,

Your itinerary looks technically sound to me, although you'll be spending a great deal of your time getting from place to place rather than being there. I know it is difficult to decide what to cut out, but you might want to think about spending more time in fewer places.

As far as specifics go, be sure to book your train from Ayutthaya to Bangkok (I'm guessing you want to take the overnight sleeper train?) before you arrive in Thailand to make sure you get the space you want on the day/time you want.

I'd also book your hotel ahead of time in Luang Prabang if possible (although many places don't book ahead) to make sure you've got a place to stay during that busy time.

The buses from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng all leave early in the morning as far as I remember. That might be something to keep in mind if you were planning to stay up late to welcome in the New Year.

You might also want to consider taking the overnight train from Nong Khai to Bangkok rather than flying from Udon Thani to Bangkok.

Similarly, you might consider flying into Phuket and taking a bus up to Khao Lak rather than taking the overnight bus. I only mention that because I really don't like taking the overnight buses in Thailand and don't think they are particularly safe.

I hope those comments help. Have fun!

Thanks both of you for your replies and advice.
If we were going to reduce the itinerary, does anything spring to mind as redundant or less important?
We just did a 9 week trip in Central America in August-October and the longest we stayed in one place was around 6 days (in Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica; Leon, Nicaragua; San Pedro, Guatemala; and Mexico City). In some of these places it actually started to get boring just sitting around with other backpackers in a "traveller town" not really doing anything. Other than that we were moving between places every 2-3 days. Nevertheless we didn't really feel we were rushing around too much. Actually we often enjoyed the journey of getting from one place to another as much as being there.
I understand that traveling in Asia is more relaxed and chilled out. We weren't really planning to reserve places more than a few days ahead of time, so getting locked into future bookings shouldn't be a problem (assuming we can find available rooms). Also, although we like to visit lots of places, we aren't the types who feel we have to see and do everything that is available in one place. That gets exhausting.
Some ideas I had to simplify:
Skip the second half of the Nam Ou river trip and travel by road from Muang Ngoi to LP-would this even save time?
Less time in Vientiane and more in LP
Fly to Phuket (just found an Air Asia ticket for less than $20 after taxes)

In any case, the whole point of making a detailed itinerary is to have a plan to depart from when things change...that's what happened in Central America, and I'm sure it will happen here as well.

"Jan. 4th - 6th Vientiane
Jan. 7th -9th Nong Khai, bus to Udon Thani for flight to Bangkok"

This doesn't make sense to me. You'd be much better off flying straight from Vientiane to Bangkok.

In Chiang Mai I can recommend the Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School - the original and the best. You can book in advance at www.thaicookeryschool.com

Book your Ayutthaya-Chiang Mai ticket as soon as you arrive. The train is often full (particularly in 1st and 2nd class - and you wouldn't want to do the trip 3rd class, honest!).

"Jan. 29th-Feb.3rd – Bangkok, shopping, maybe a short break to Koh Samet (if we want more beach time and a little partying)"

You can easily see all the major tourist sites in Bangkok in 2-3 days. This seems too long to me. I suggest you plan for a Koh Samet trip.