This is my first group travel trip that I’m planning. My partner and I currently live in Sydney, Australia and we’re meeting up with four friends from back home (the UK). Two of them travel quite frequently and I know would be totally fine to travel to Thailand alone, or anywhere really. However, the other two, I’m not so sure.

Neither have left Europe except to go to Disney World Florida but they are CRAZY excited to travel to Thailand.

Given the cost of living crisis in the UK and the fact that no-one from our generation seems to have much money, we’re doing this on the relative cheap, all whilst trying to hit the major spots.

So here is 2 weeks in Thailand for a group of 6 including 2 idiots that we adore immensely.

Where are we staying when we travel to Thailand?

First up, we are staying exclusively in AirBnBs. As we are (nearly) all in our thirties, we wanted to skip the dorms. As there is a large group of us, the cost per person per night for some incredible AirBnBs is as little as AU$50 (£30) a night, which is not bad when every single one of our locations is a private residence with it’s own pool and everyone has their own bedroom. One of them even has a swim up bar.

When I do the review of our trip, I’ll add the photos and links to our AirBnBs. I’m super excited for all of them and praying we’re not going to be disappointed.

Day One: Fly into Bangkok

We’re landing in Bangkok at different times due to our time differences. My partner and I will be landing the Friday night, whilst the others will arrive the Saturday morning. This gives us a little alone time before the madness begins and means we can get breakfast ready for a full day exploring Bangkok once they’ve dropped their bags off.

This is more of a “do what you like” day… if you want to explore, explore. If you want to chill at the AirBnB, chill at the AirBnB. We won’t have seen our friends for nearly a year and a half so I will no doubt be crying, hugging and then hitting the booze to celebrate.

Day Two: Floating Markets

This is such a unique thing to do when you travel to Thailand. I’m sure other countries have them too, but this is generally not something you will be able to see in the UK or as far as I know, Australia.

So hire a guide and float around the market and pick up some delicious food to cook later or eat as you paddle around.

There are tours that will take you from your hotel in Bangkok so you can sit back and relax and let someone else deal with the logistics and the price is pretty reasonable. Click here to take a look.

In the afternoon, we would head out for food and a few drinks but we’re leaving the schedule clear for spontaneity.

More than likely, we will head to the infamous Khaosan Road. A hub for backpackers, this is the place for drinks and partying. Be careful though, there are a lot of pick pockets that target this area and unsuspecting tourists.

Day Three: The Grand Palace

In contrast to Khaosan Road, the Grand Palace is the diamond of Bangkok and the official residence of the Kings of Thailand since 1782. The complex is huge, with a museum, throne rooms, and temples to marvel at. The buildings contrast significantly with the modern skyscrapers that have risen across Bangkok.

You can prebook your tickets to the Palace here. It’s recommended to book in advance. You can of course, use a tour operator as a guide but otherwise, you can buy tickets for as little as AU$22 (£12) per person.

Extra:

If you have time to take a day trip out of Bangkok, head southeast to Ancient City in Samut Prakan. If you haven’t seen the park on TikTok I would be surprised. The aerial shots people have taken are incredible.

Essentially, the humungous 200 acre park has replicas of ancient Thai temples that you can visit. You can hire a golf buggy or cycle around each of the temples.

From my research, it seems that it’s a little tricky to get to. There’s no public transport and no tours from Bangkok (that I can find).

The best bet would be to hire a car or a use a tour guide service and request the destination if you have a group of you like we do. This should split the cost between you all.

Tripadviser does have a few options but none of them seem to have any reviews which always leaves me skeptical. Click here to check out what I mean.

Day Four, Five, Six and Seven: Chiang Mai

Make your way up north to the city of Chiang Mai. We’re planning to get there by plane which with Air Asia is ridiculously cheap. However, you can also travel by train or bus. I took the sleeper train when I travelled here in my early twenties. It was an experience for sure. I was on the top bunk and you kind of put straps up so you don’t roll out of the bed.

I’m not sure my 30 year old back could handle the sleeper train now so a flight and a proper bed will do me just fine.

When we get to Chiang Mai, we have a number of things we want to do.

Elephant Sanctuary

Of course – would we travel to Thailand without seeing the elephants? Umm no.

So we’re definitely going to go to an elephant sanctuary. We wanted to make sure that we’re going to an actual sanctuary that looks after the elephants and doesn’t treat them like shit basically.

So, with that in mind, I’ve found this tour. The reviews seem to be overwhelmingly positive. The elephants are happy, the tourists are happy, and the guides are happy. Win-Win-Win.

As well as seeing the rescued elephants in their natural habitat, you’ll be able to feed them and wash them in the river – too cute.

With this particular tour, you’ll also head out on a bamboo raft, swim in a waterfall and have a traditional Thai lunch.

The Golden Triangle Tour

I actually did this tour when I visited back in 2013. This was a great tour and gave me the chance to see a little more of the country.

The White Temple was possibly one of the most incredible buildings I have ever seen and I’m super excited to go back and visit again. The outside is incredible with every detail so thought out. Much to my surprise at the time, this is a modern temple made in a traditional style. However, when you look closer, you’ll see the statues and artwork all have a modern theme.

This tour also takes you to some hot springs and then onto Chiang Rai where you will be able to see the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos all meet.

Whilst in Chiang Rai, you’ll be able to visit the House of Opium which is a museum that shows the history of the opium trade in the area. The overall purpose of the museum is to educate visitors on the dangers of opioid addiction.

Chiang Mai Night Safari

Modelled after Singapore’s safari, the Chiang Mai night safari is meant to be a showcase of animals in the area.

Now when I was researching, I liked the idea of going to the zoo when nocturnal animals are more active. However, zoos are in essence, a bit of a sticky topic for me. I never really know how I feel about visiting them and always feels a little guilty after I leave.

Thailand is particular has a bit of a bad rep when it comes to the treatment of their animals. I wouldn’t want to give my money to somewhere that mistreats animals at all.

So when I researched for this particular activity, I just couldn’t seem to find a tour operator that had a good amount of reviews. Now that doesn’t mean to say that the zoo is mistreating its animals. I’m not saying that at all. I have no idea how good the zoo is. But none of the reviews seem to be particularly good for the tour guides. Who knows why that could be.

So if you do want to visit a zoo, make sure you do your research about how they treat their animals.

Day Eight to Thirteen: Phuket

OK, I am most excited about the AirBnB in Phuket, it is a private residence with a wrap around pool, a pool table, and a gym. It was like $50 a night each and honestly, I’m buzzing. I hope and pray the photos are all legit and we haven’t been duped but we will soon find out.

So we have a lot more flexibility in Phuket as we have about a week here. We’re in no rush and a lot of our days will either be by the pool or on the beach. That being said, of course, the activity girl here has a list of things she’d like to do so here we go.

Island Hopping + Snorkelling – Phi Phi Islands and Bamboo Island

One of main draws of Thailand is to island hop. Can you really travel to Thailand without doing this? In the southern part of the country, there are numerous islands to visit. As we’ll be based in Phuket, we’ll be doing day excursions to some of the islands.

One that I found that looks best, is this one. This is a long old 8 hour day of jumping around. But lunch is included and you’ll get to spend time on the islands doing what you like. It also includes snorkelling which is always a win for me. I’ve never visited the islands that it plans to visit so it includes things to tick off my bucket list.

James Bond Island

Ok so not officially called James Bond Island – it’s just named after the film. This trip is kind of similar to the island hopping one, however, this is a bit more chilled – less hopping.

You will visit the island as well as a floating village. You’ll speed through the famous Thai rock formations in the bay, and canoe through caves on this trip. It seems like a little different from the island hopping tour previously mentioned, whilst still being in the great outdoors.

Muay Thai Boxing Match

This is such an experience and one that I definitely want to do again when we travel to Thailand this year. The price seems a little expensive on the website I found, you may be able to book something when you’re there that is much cheaper.

Day Fourteen: Travel home

So there you have it, two weeks in Thailand. There is so much to do in this beautiful country, I can’t wait to go back and do this itinerary.

Remember the great thing when you travel to Thailand is there is lots of space and places to relax – the beaches are free so it’s not all about spending money.

The link to my spreadsheet is here. Enjoy!

Where are you headed next? Check out my itinerary for China.