It is only 2 months left until we will quit our jobs and leave Iceland to travel the world. So far we have been in Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Russia and Iceland but never been in Asian countries. That means it’s gonna be a whole new experience for us. In this article I will write about preparation of our trip.
Flight tickets.
To get cheapest deals on tickets you have to always check flights search engines. We managed to find tickets from Copenhagen to Bangkok for only 97 € one way per person (because after Thailand we are going to Malaysia and not coming back). The flight will take place in November. The deal we found was on MOMONDO. But before booking a trip we always check a lot of different websites because prices can vary. For flights from UK we check www.airtickets.co.uk. Qatarairways almost always have a good deals in Asia and we recommend to use this link with Voucher code for up to 10% off and also skyscanner.net search database.
Vaccination and medicines.
We were reading a lot about taking vaccines before going to Thailand and a lot of people weresaying that we don’t need that it is no risk and bla bla bla.. But we decided to do that. Just in case. Paid a lot. In Iceland health care is very expensive.
Thats the short summary what vaccines or medicines you are recommended to take before traveling to Thailand :
Make sure you are up-to-date on routine vaccines before every trip. These vaccines include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot.
CDC recommends this vaccine because you can get hepatitis A through contaminated food or water in Thailand, regardless of where you are eating or staying.
You can get typhoid through contaminated food or water in Thailand. CDC recommends this vaccine for most travelers, especially if you are staying with friends or relatives, visiting smaller cities or rural areas, or if you are an adventurous eater.
Cholera is a risk in parts of Thailand. CDC recommends this vaccine for adults who are traveling to an area of active cholera transmission. Most people do not travel to areas of active cholera transmission. Avoiding unsafe food and water can also prevent many cholera infections. Cholera is rare in travelers but can be severe. Certain factors may increase the risk of getting cholera or having severe disease (more information).
You can get hepatitis B through sexual contact, contaminated needles, and blood products, so CDC recommends this vaccine if you might have sex with a new partner, get a tattoo or piercing, or have any medical procedures.
You may need this vaccine if your trip will last more than a month, depending on where you are going in Thailand and what time of year you are traveling. You should also consider this vaccine if you plan to visit rural areas in Thailand or will be spending a lot of time outdoors, even for trips shorter than a month. Your doctor can help you decide if this vaccine is right for you based on your travel plans. See more in-depth information on Japanese encephalitis in Thailand.
When traveling in Thailand, you should avoid mosquito bites to prevent malaria. You may need to take prescription medicine before, during, and after your trip to prevent malaria, depending on your travel plans, such as where you are going, when you are traveling, and if you are spending a lot of time outdoors or sleeping outside. Talk to your doctor about how you can prevent malaria while traveling. For more information on malaria in Thailand, see malaria in Thailand.
Although rabies can be found in dogs, bats, and other mammals in Thailand, it is not a major risk to most travelers. CDC recommends this vaccine only for these groups:
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Travelers involved in outdoor and other activities in remote areas that put them at risk for animal bites (such as adventure travel and caving).
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People who will be working with or around animals (such as veterinarians, wildlife professionals, and researchers).
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People who are taking long trips or moving to remote areas in Thailand
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Children, because they tend to play with animals, might not report bites, and are more likely to have animal bites on their head and neck.
More information about diseases you can find in official website of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Packing our backpacks
In Thailand we will be on budget and we are not going to rent a car or bike. We will hike, use public transport and maybe hitchhike so we need to have a light backpacks. We decided to take as less things as possible. Two small backpacks will be stuffed with :
1 laptop
1 tablet
1 camera
Remedies (pain relievers, stomach helpers, bands and basic stuff)
Documents (passports, visa documents, etc)
Clothing (socks, underwear, t-shirts, pants)
Food (all space that is left we will fill with food)
And on our backpacks we decided to put Backpack Rain Cover that we bought from amazon because of possibility of a lot of rain.
Places to visit in Thailand
Last thing we had to do is to decide which places we will visit in Thailand during our 2 months trip. We made a MAP with places in Thailand that we think are most interesting to see and to document. And so far our plan is like this (probably it will change a lot) :
After landing at Bangkok airport at 7 am in the morning we will try to get directly to Koh Samet beach. It was quite hard to do research about how to get to Koh Samet. But that’s what I found – from BKK airport we have to take a train to Phetchaburi MRT Station. From Phetchaburi MRT Station walk to Asok station. From Asok station take a train to Bangkok Bus Terminal (Eastern). From Eastern Bangkok bus terminal take a bus to Ban Phe where we will find a pier and a ferry to island. The only one hostel that we booked before our trip is in Koh Samet. We booked Miss Tim house for 2 nights because we needed to show some proof of accommodation before getting our visas. And also that was cheapest hostel in the Koh Samet. We didn’t planned anything after Koh Samet. We just have a list of places to visit in Thailand :
Ayutthaya Historical Park
City Pillar Shrine
Kaeng Krachan National Park
Khao Chong National park
Khao Luang Cave
Khao Sok National Park
Khao Yai National park
Ko Chang
Ko Lanta
Ko Lipe
Ko Phi Phi
Ko Samet
Ko Surin Nuea
Ko Tao
Ko Tarutao
Koh Jum
Koh Samui
Loei Phu Kradueng National Park
Mae SA Waterfall Doi Suthep-Doi Pui National Park
Muang Sing Historical Park
National park Phu Phan
Pa-Hin-Ngam National-Park
Phimai Historical Park
Phraya Nakhon Cave
Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary
Phu Pha Man National Park Toll Booth
Phu Wiang national park
Sai Thong National Park
Sala Keoku Park
Samrong Kiat Waterfall
Sukhothai Historical Park
Tat Ton Waterfall
Tham Pha Phuang Forest Park
Than Thip Waterfall
Wat Buppharam
Wat Chedi Luang
Wat Chiang Man
Wat Khao Lanthammaram
Wat Klang
Wat Lok Molee
Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew (Wat Lan Khuad)
Wat Pa Pao
Wat Phan Tao
Wat Pho Chai
Wat Phra Kaeo
Wat Phra Singh
Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu
Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep
Wat Prasat Preah Vihear
Wat Rong Khun
Wat Saen Fang
Wat Tham Pha Chan
Suan Hin Pha Ngam
If anyone knows any places that should be attached to our list we would be grateful if you contact us.
Where to stay
We are not planing where to stay during our trip. On our way we will do a search on booking.com and agoda.com to find best deals.
After our trip we will post video footage and articles with our experiences during our visit in Thailand so make sure to like us on facebook and subscribe on youtube.
Safe travels everyone !
Planning trip to Thailand