Thailand forum

My advice: start trawling through the forums and the TF website and start forumulating some ideas and then some more specific questions.. There is a wealth of information here. We have all posted our thoughts, ideas, suggestions, recommendations, must-sees, do-not-do's, and other advice.

Madmac:
Was he fat, balding, middle-aged with a red nose from heavy drinking- because I think I saw the same guy.
Yes,Pattaya is wonderful if you like watching a never ending parade of half-dressed girls who seemed to have rehearsed at the same drama school.
'Hello, you very hansome man, you buy lady drink.....' End of conversation.

Mad Mac - You don't post on the Thaivisa boards as well, do you? Well kids, good idea to keep your minds open, but if you don't have an idea of what you want to do, you may well end up spending the month on the banana pancake trail with the others who didn't dig into some research beforehand. The most important thing you should think about is, what you want to do? Do you want to party? Do you want to immerse yourself in the "cultural" experience? Do you want to do trekking or other outdoorsy things? Do you want to get off the beaten track to where other tourists don't go? Or do you want to lay on a beach and read a book all holiday?

For good advice, you should check out this site, it's great in helping you plan and research:
http://www.travelfish.org/country/thailand
Also, go back and read the past few months of posts on this board and read what others have posted about this same inquiry. If you have any specific questions that aren't answered there, ask away! We'd all love to help if you were a bit more specific. Hope you enjoy your holiday guys (or girls).

I think if you want beautiful beaches, islands, partying and lots of amazingly cheap seafood and beer consider crossing the border and visit Sihanoukville in Cambodia.
I expect Madmac probably is a better source for prices on Thai beaches but I hear they are not cheap.
Sihanoukville.
for example:
Fresh, yes fresh, tuna steak barbecued with chips (french fries) and Russian salad $3,
half litre of good lager beer 50 cents.
All served to you while you sit on a lounger under a sun umbrella a couple of metres away from the sea.
Decent clean accomodation with 24 hour security, fan only but at this time of year it's good enough $8.
Sex as well, if that's your thing, but be careful and lock your valuables in the hotel safe.
The only drawback is a procession of beggars.I don't know if you get this problem in Thailand but it's something you have to get used to in most parts of Asia.

Sayadian
I don't know squat about Thai beaches other than what I've had people tell me and what I've read here. I don't like the ocean very much, so I don't go there for vacation. I prefer Issan.

Hi Svwelch,

I am a young backpacker and am currently traveling the region. I have been in the South of Thailand for the last month and I am going to Chiang Mai tomorrow and then heading to Loas, Cambodia and Vietnam over the next few months.

It really helps if you specify your interests but personally I just had the most amazing time in the South of Thailand (Koh Phi Phi, Koh Phangan and Koh Toa)-
Koh Phi Phi and Koh Phangan are beautiful islands and both have good party scenes and lots of young people. Phi Phi is more expensive and commercialized than some of the other islands (cheapest accommodations are around $16 for a double room or bungalow w a fan and food can be cheap or expensive, its got it all) but I love it. If you are interested in getting diving certification - Koh Toa is one of the cheapest places in the world and is a really nice island. But there really is an island or beach in this region for whatever you are looking for.


To experience some of the other natural beauty and culture of Thailand, I would also recommend going into a national park or heading to the North to do a trek (Chiang Mai perhaps). I've also only heard amazing things from other travelers about Pi and Loas, which you might consider.

Good luck planning, and if you want more suggestions just post what your interested in. Oh, and the best advice I can give you now is to be flexible in your plans. If you are anything like me and my friend you may end up loving a place and staying way longer than you expected!