15 Reasons To Visit Thailand

Reasons to visit Thailand:

Oh Thailand, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways.

We’ve been to Thailand four times, and each time has been unique, amazing and we honestly never want to leave. If you are looking to escape to a foreign, exotic and affordable country, there is no better place than Thailand. If the pristine white beaches and the relaxing atmosphere don’t win you over the food and people will. Not only is it one of the most beautiful places on earth, but there are endless historical sites, attractions and adventures for any type of traveler. If you’re like us, you’ll probably have such a great time that you won’t want to leave.

Here are 15 reasons to visit Thailand right now:

The Food
Thai food is popular for a reason. Of course everyones taste is different, but in Thailand everyone should be able to find a nice dish. Noodle dishes, rice dishes, curry dishes, and countless variations of each of them, vegetarian or not, they’ve got you covered.
And the best thing is – all this good food is amazingly cheap as well:
Low prices
Many might say Thailand is already too developed to be cheap, but that’s not true. Even though Thailand is the most developed country in the area, it still offers the most affordable food and hostel accommodation you can find in South East Asia. With proper meals often starting at just one Dollar and hostel beds often available from four Dollars, your money will last you very long in this country.
On the other hand, especially tours and drinking has become quite expensive over the last few years, and overland transport is not the cheapest anymore either.
Friendly Locals
People keep telling you that you need to be beware of most Thais wanting to rip you off, and that they’re just after your money. While that’s true for some and of course you shouldn’t be too naive, the vast majority of people is actually super friendly and welcoming. After all, it’s called The Land Of Smiles for a reason.
Safe
We haven’t come across many countries where we felt so safe walking around at night as in Thailand. Actually, most cities in England or Germany seem sketchier to us, than exploring Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Phangan or other places, especially after dark. There are just no people that seem like they want to do something bad to you.
Beautiful Islands and Beaches
In the Gulf of Thailand as well as in the Andaman Sea, you’ll find hundreds of islands of all kinds of sizes. At least 30 of them you can actually visit. A lot of these offer great beaches and landscapes, some offer great nightlife, others are more known for relaxed beaches or diving, islands like Phuket or Samui are famous for luxury resorts. Thus, all the different islands offer their own kind of unique experience.
Skybars
Bangkok is the city with the most – and actually affordable – open air sky bars in the world. Better yet, almost all of them offer spectacular views of the bustling capital city below. Check out our tips for the best value sky bars in Bangkok here.
Popular for backpackers
Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for first time travellers all the way up to experienced backpackers. No matter what type of traveller you are you’ll find it all in Thailand. The other 14 reasons, pretty much sums up why it is so popular for backpackers, and with any traveller arriving in the country, it won’t take long for them to realise why Thailand is such a popular destination to travel.
Cultural/Historic Ruins
It will be hard to not visit one of Thailand hundreds, even thousands of cultural and historic sites. Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Bangkok are home to and windows of Thailand’s historic past, with ruins dating back centuries. Many of the ruins date back to when Thailand was ruled by the Khmer and the Burmese. With temples dotted throughout the country, it’s a perfect way to hop, skip, and jump your way to learning more about Thailand’s history.
Great Diving
Thailand has some of the best dive sites in the world, and the cheapest! The diving around Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui is famous for its brightly coloured marine life and coral.
As previously mentioned, Thailand is also one of the cheapest places in the world to learn to dive, obtained your advanced PADI or even learn to become a dive master. We’ve got our advanced PADI from Koh Tao back in 2014, and are hoping to return in 2018 to do our Rescue Diver. That being said, you shouldn’t worry about the quality either, to date Thailand has shown us some of the most professional and fun instructors we’ve come across!
Warm Weather
It never gets cold, ever. The southern parts of the country stay around or just under 30°C (86°F), day and night, summer and winter, no matter what. Even in the mountainous regions up north, the coldest winter nights will still be as warm as 15 to 20°C (59 to 68°F) and during the day, you’ll see the regular 30°C.
Lush Jungles
If you’re not in the middle of a city or on a beach, you’ll find yourself surrounded by very lush rainforests. Especially a little further up north, there are huge untouched areas of green jungles. A great way to experience them is to go on a raft or a bamboo raft. Your rafting experience most likely won’t compare to adrenaline rides like you find them in Australia or many other places. It’s more like a gentle ride through the remote areas of Northern Thailand with vines hanging above the rivers and the sounds of many jungle animals in the distance.
You cannot get bored in Thailand
There is always something to do, everywhere. Activities, nightlife, sightseeing, exploring, eating, drinking, hanging out and chatting with others. The literally countless options make it extremely hard for you to get bored, even if you’re travelling on a budget and / or on your own. There is definitely something to suite everyone, whether you came for the landscapes, the spirit, the party, the culture, you name it…
Ease of Travel
Because Thailand is very popular amongst backpackers as well as tourists seeking luxury accommodation, there is a really good system of public transport. Flights, trains, ferries, buses and mini-buses / songthaew taxis go everywhere you could possibly imagine. All these are usually quite cheap, however not dirt cheap compared to western prices. Especially during high season, overland trains, buses and even ferries can often be booked up a couple of days before actually departing.
And even if all this fails, it’s really easy to rent a scooter or even a car and just go wherever you want. On the islands, this is actually the best way to get around.
Be aware though, that (apart from air travel) only the most expensive companies offer online bookings. Thus, you’ll usually find the best prices by actually going to the bus terminal or ferry pier and get your ticket there.
Nightlife
Many tourists lead to a lot of nightlife going on. Even in the less popular spots, you’ll most likely still find some sort of bar where you can hang out until late. In the bigger cities or on the bigger islands like Phuket, Samui, Phangan, Tao and many many more, there will be parties on every night. Even on the “party island” Koh Phangan though, nothing is easier than escaping the truly amazing nightlife. At least 9 out of 10 beaches are absolutely peaceful, quiet and relaxed.
Massages
Everywhere, anytime, and really cheap. In most places, be it by the beach, in a village, or in the jungle, an hour long massage will set you back around US$10. More than reasonable! Most of the masseuses are very good at what they’re doing as well, and you can usually choose between a very wide selection of treatments. For the traditional Thai massage, you actually leave all your clothes on, and the treatment consists more of thoroughly kneading your arms, legs, back and neck, and bending them into a lot of different directions. It might hurt a bit, but it’s definitely worth it!

It’s hard not to get carried away with naming so many reasons to visit Thailand. Just writing this, has given me serious wanderlust to return back. Massages everyday by the beach, yummy food, cheap living, beautiful sunsets with a cocktail and a hammock. It really is the life!

If I haven’t convinced you to book flights to Thailand, then I’m not sure what will!

Check out Etihad for booking flights. They have some great deals on, and we managed to grab a one way flight from Germany to Bangkok for £165 (US$200)! It doesn’t get much better than that!

For accommodation we highly recommend using Agoda, it’s definitely the best hotel booking site for Asia.
If you’re looking for more budget accommodation Hostelworld has a huge variety, best rates and a wide range of availability. We don’t use anyone else when we book hostels.
Alternatively Airbnb is a great way to travel throughout Thailand if you want to stay in homes or apartments instead of hotels and hostels. We’ve also given you £30 (AUD$50) off your first stay! This is an exclusive offer with us! You’ll get all the comforts of home, the chance to stay in a local, non-touristy parts of where you are going, and pay a fraction of the cost of a hotel room – especially in large cities.