I'm planning a trip to Thailand for a couple of weeks in the Spring. It'll be an escorted tour that takes me all over the country. Has anyone been? Any hints or tips?

Yes, I went backpacking in April/May of 2001. Boiling hot. Too hot at that time of year for me.

Started in Bangkok, then got Thai airways flight (v.cheap) to the north to Chang Mai and went trekking. Then got another plane to Ko Samui in the south east (a bit touristy) and finally a boat to Ko Pan Yang (famous for full moon parties) and a fishermans boat to Ko Tao and another little island (good for scuba diving).

I heard Pukhet is a bit like Blackpool - thats were most British package holidays go.

Ask any questions you like. Just don't make me jealous!

Steer clear of the Chickens !!!!!

It will be very hot at that time of year, so be prepared! Try and get there for April 13th, for Songkran, the Thai New Year, celebrated through the water festival.

If you've got the confidence travel yourself, it's very cheap both in terms of travel and accomodation, and it's a much more rewarding experience. Thailand from my experience is a very safe place to be.

Avoid Samui and Phuket unless you like Blackpool, people these days are heading more to the East; Trang, Ko Samet, although Krabi is always a good bet, with a few days on Phi Phi. Depends what you're after really, there is a part of Thailand to suit all tastes.

Health Spa in Hua Hin is big with celebs for example.

I spent December in Thailand a few years ago with my girlfriend.

Initially stayed in Bangkok with my brother, who was working out there. Great place, full of life, loads to see and do and contrary to what many people believe, very safe and friendly. In fact it felt safer to wander about at night than most British cities.

Took an overnight bus and then ferry to the island of Ko Chang (near the Cambodian border) which is a stunning place. A rainforest island in a marine nature reserve. Popular with the Thais and not overrun with Brits. Only downside here was our cameras were stolen as we rather naively left them in our hut when we went for dinner. After an interesting pursuit in a jeep through the jungle with the owner of the huts we were staying in (he had his gun sitting in-between us ready for action which was a little disturbing) we caught up with the culprits but they had already stashed the cameras :( )

After a few more days in Bangkok we hired a car to drive about, went up north to see the temples of Sukhothai, then drove about 700 miles south to the beaches around Krabi. Some of them are a little crowded despite being only reachable by boat, but still extremely beautiful. Nice place, very chilled indeed - you could buy weed over the bar and there was a cool, multicultural crowd there.

Then, drove back to Bangkok to spend Christmas day there, which was pretty low key as you'd expect in a predominantly non-Christian country.

December is a good time of year to go as it's after the rainy season, and not too hot, though by our standards it was still really hot.

Don't hire a car unless you're a very confident driver. The traffic in Bangkok is mental, and everywhere else you share the road with everything from donkeys to big trucks. The only rule of the road is really being give way to the bigger vehicle, which makes for some entertaining driving.

All in all a fantastic experience in a refreshingly friendly country. Many of the locals went out of their way for us and were extremely helpful. I'd love to go back and spend more time there, this time perhaps going over to the less well known islands in the south, and up to the northern jungle areas and up into Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

The Lonely Planet guide is well worth buying.

How hot is 'hot' when you describe 'hot' in April/May? Is it hotter than our evil hot summer that we had last year?

Any advise on health tips? I've got a mossie net to take, but are malaria tablets necessary? What's sanitation like in the north?

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Originally posted by Classic Rock
How hot is 'hot' when you describe 'hot' in April/May? Is it hotter than our evil hot summer that we had last year?

Any advise on health tips? I've got a mossie net to take, but are malaria tablets necessary? What's sanitation like in the north?

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'Hot' is 36 degrees c / 97 degrees f. Its the hottest time of year in Thailand.

Malaria tablets aren't neccessary but you should make sure your polio and tetanus jabs are up to date. Go to your docs for a typhoid jab too. You shouldn't need any other jabs unless you are going really off the beaten track - then you would need rabies (£100), hep A and jap encephalitis: a bit costly and need to be planned weeks in advance.

On the subject of malaria again, you should use a DEET repellent.

For the latest health advice you should check with doc or foreign office type of website.

Sanitation depends on where you stay - I didn't encounter any problems.

Everything is so cheap out there I wouldn't pack very much! Fake and real designer goods and products are stupidly cheap but as for Thai products? Silk (clothes/cushion covers etc) and don't forget to get a massage!

Agree with above, would take a good hat for the sun, but not much more, cool comfortable shoes are a good idea, I'm not much of a sandals fan, avon skin so soft for the mossies, and your skin. Gin and tonic also works well or so I'm told, I'm sure it's the tonic, but the Gin helps it go down.