We went to Thailand in December 2015, when Megan was roughly 2.5 years old. In this post I share some of our hints and tips when it comes to planning such a trip.
Why Thailand?
It was on our list and I heard the infamous words…..
“You can’t take a young child to Thailand!”
Those words are like a red rag to a bull for me, I mean why can’t you bring a child there?! Is it illegal? No! Kids have grown up and flourished in Thailand for many centuries.
We decided we really wanted to go, and so we did!!
Booking flights
We done our research and looked at many airlines. We wanted flights with as little transfers as possible, no hidden extras such as food or baggage charges, at decent times, and definitely over Christmas!
British Airways had a good deal on for the dates and times that suited.
So we booked….
Thailand Planning
With the flights booked, it was time to plan our route. Having experienced a week long holiday in one destination, we knew that wasn’t for us, so backpacking seemed ideal!
We had 3 weeks to play with and so we needed a good plan! The challenge was to find a route which would take in as much as possible, but also give time to relax and explore in each place.
After sitting down with guide books and google, we decided on the places listed in the itinerary below. There is no right answer to sorting out an itinerary, everyone will have their own views, do your research! You’ll notice we didn’t really bother with all the islands, which are usually first on peoples to do lists, but they just weren’t for us.
Our Itinerary
I will write about each stage in greater detail in future blog posts, but for now here’s a very quick breakdown:
We opted to spend a couple of nights in Bangkok on arrival to get Megan settled with the heat and food.
After reading about ChiangMai, and the cultural side it brings to a Thailand visit, we decided to head north with Air Asia. It was meant to be cooler, it certainly wasn’t! ChiangMai turned out to be our favourite part. Northern Thai food is amazing!
We then flew south and spent Christmas in Phuket, before moving onto Koh Phi Phi and Ao Nang. I 100% recommend Christmas in Thailand. Lets face it who doesn’t want to sit on sandy beaches or by the pool eating Thai curry while your family back home are eating left over turkey and watching Eastenders!
Then we decided to make the epic 27 hour journey, using buses and an overnight train to Hua Hin for the WFFT elephant sanctuary and to celebrate the New Year.
Before, one final train back to Bangkok.
Injections / Medications
We went to our local GP practise, where they advised us what was required. This now must be done though a travel clinic. Do your research though because the likes of Boots offer the same advice for free. Further information can be also found on your own countries government website:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/health
We didn’t take malaria tablets, but we did take a probiotic especially designed for travelling abroad, which are suitable for adults and kids. We had very little ‘funny tummies’ while away – which may or may not have been down to taking these.
Accommodation
We did want to try and just wing it on arrival however, while that might work for backpackers…. It left us uneasy at the thought of turning up with a small child, plus it was peak season so accommodation was limited. With this in mind we decided to pre-booked everything via one of the many hotel search engines. Thailand covers all budgets, from backpackers looking for a cheap shack, to the rich and famous wanting five star plus, luxury! Go with what you can afford. We choose a nice variety, opting for cheap and cheerful in some places, and pushing the boat out in others.
Visa
I was under the impression that while there is no visa needed in advance, we would have to pay for one on arrival. Yet, this wasn’t the case and we passed on through without question. I guess this kind of arrangement can change, so I recommend you keep up to date with your own countries government website for further details:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/entry-requirements
Travel insurance
This is so important (our personal experience of this is for a whole other blog). I have travel insurance through my bank account and always check before booking that it’s up to date and worldwide. Remember Thailand has some of the best adventure activities including, climbing, trail walking and scuba diving. If you plan to do any of these, make sure your insurance covers you!
Money
You will read so many different reports on how much things will cost, for example Phi Phi is near double the price of ChiangMai. We brought enough to cover around £60 a day and whatever was left rolled into the next day.
Meals were very inexpensive, you could eat very well for very little – except when you take a fussy toddler, pizza and chips can be almost double the price of an adults meal!
ATMs are easy to find, we normally used ones within a shopping centre, etc. Lift as much as you can at a time, as the charges can be expensive, or get yourself a Revolut card, which we now have, to cut out these charges.
What to bring
Pack light! Everything you really need is available for purchase in Thailand, they have all the usual branded milks, etc. The only thing we couldn’t find was swimming nappies! The other item I would recommend bringing more off is sun cream, we found it to be expensive, I was also sceptical about it actually being real.
It was really cheap to wash and dry clothes in Thailand, you will find launderettes all around the place. The price varies depending on when you need your clothes back by, if you can wait a day or two for them, it’s much much cheaper than getting them back on the same day. You will need long trousers for visiting temples, but you can get them on all street stalls for very little money.
We didn’t bring a pram/buggy, but couldn’t have managed without our ergo baby carrier. It was a life saver for walking around markets and busy streets, hopping on and off boats and tuk tuk’s where a pram would have been a nightmare.
For the plane
Megan at this stage was well used to flying, she had flown at least 10 times, although, this was by far the longest flight! You never know what way a child will react so it’s about covering all bases as best you can.
My top must haves would be-
1. Lots and lots of their favourite shows for them to watch on a DVD player / tablet. Remember to bring headphones over ear ones, as the whole plane doesn’t want to hear Peppa Pig on repeat for 12 hrs.
2. Enough snacks to keep them going, especially if they are fussy and won’t like the food on offer on board.
3. PJ’s to get them super comfortable and hopefully when it gets dark outside, they will fall asleep for a few hours.
4. Toys/teddy bears/colouring books, anything that might entertain for 5 minutes.
5. Dummy (pacifier). We actually gave Megan’s to Santa in Thailand in return for chocolate on Christmas Eve. This was fine all holiday and on the return journey, until we started our descent into London the pressure on her ears sent her into melt down.
6. Calpol is handy to have in hand luggage rather than packed away, encase of sore ears or throats with the air conditioning.
Away we go
Top tips
1. Don’t be afraid, Thailand didn’t get the nickname “the land of smiles” without good reason. The people on the whole are genuine and helpful. They love kids. There are people wanting to scam you, but only if you allow them.
2. Try travelling around a bit to get a taste for everything the country has to offer.
3. While the prices will be higher, try to go during one of the Thai holiday seasons.
4. Learn some Thai, out of respect to the locals you should at least attempt to speak some of the lingo.