Family Travel Tips for Thailand
Thailand is an exotic, culturally rich and family-friendly destination. The distance and heat can be daunting, but with some forward planning, these family travel tips can create an unforgettable trip to Siam and the “Land of Smiles.”As a mom, former Southeast Asian Travel Guide and US Peace Corps Volunteer, this is my list of Do’s when planning a family trip to Thailand. Many of these tips can also easily apply to all of Southeast Asia.
This list assumes that you will arrive into Bangkok, but you can easily adapt the ideas if you land in Chiang Mai or Phuket.
Kai, 9 years old, drives the long tail boat in Bangkok on our first day in Thailand.
Do
Prepare for Jetlag
If you are traveling to Thailand from the United States, you are looking at over twenty hours in the sky and around a twelve-hour time difference. Prepare for it and even use it to your advantage. On day one, stay up as late as possible and do these five easy, gentle and safe activities.
1) Visit Wat Pho, which is less hectic than the Grand Palace but will still wake you up to the fact that you are now in the Kingdom of Siam.
2) Take a canal tour – you can rent a private boat at the pier (Tha Thien) behind Wat Pho for less than $30 for two hours, taking you along the canals of this “Venice of the East.” There just may be a floating saleswoman to sell you some snacks and the kids may be invited to drive the boat.
3) Get a foot massage near your hotel.
4) Grab some fruit at a stand and try some new flavors. Some sellers will cut it right on the spot. Fruit cutting is an art form here and is a mandatory subject in public schools.
5) If you find your family up at odd hours, go out and enjoy the early morning. Look for the monks on their alms rounds. It still happens between 6-8am. (Please keep a respectful distance.)
Or take a late night tuk-tuk ride. Or explore mall life that doesn’t fade until 10pm. (See below) Be aware if you go out past 10pm with kids though–especially near Soi 21 or Patpong neighborhood where your kids may have a LOT of tough questions.
All of a sudden, I was the only one awake!
Splurge for a Pool
Thailand is hot and humid. Your body will need some time to acclimatize, and an end-of-the-day swim can be the difference between happy campers and cranky kiddos. Many hotels and Airbnb’s have pools where your kids can cool down and meet some other children. Make sure your accommodations look kid-friendly to avoid annoyed honeymooners. If you don’t have a place with a pool, shower often. The locals usually shower morning and night.
Prepare for Prickly Heat
“Prickly heat” is a skin rash that commonly happens to foreigners arriving in Thailand, usually in the first few days before they acclimatize to the heat and humidity. It’s a harmless but uncomfortable rash and kids are more susceptible. Again, get in the habit of showering often to help prevent it. I highly recommend buying some prickly heat powder either before you leave or after you arrive. And even if you don’t get the rash, the powder is fantastic after a shower.
Renting bikes in Ayuthaya. It was hot and the brakes were iffy, but it was by far the best way to tour the ruins.
Find Activity Outlets
My kids have a hard time calmly listening to a tour guide without being able to move. We enjoyed using bikes to explore. My kids on a bike in a city of 8 million, what? I thought the same thing, but the bike tours are usually on safe, back alleys and not in the center of the city. Many companies use tag-a-longs or child seats. We especially enjoyed Grasshopper Tour Company. Their Bangkok tours include a shadow puppet show and their bicycles and helmets are properly fitted and well maintained. On a Grasshopper tour, your kids will learn a ton with lots of physical exercise in between. There are many independent cycle rentals at the ruins of Ayuthaya and Sukhothai, but the bike maintenance may be dodgy at best so check the brakes before you head out.
Shopping is a Cultural Experience – Embrace It
Thai people view shopping as something like a national sport. From local markets to megamalls, trade and commerce is alive and well here. If you know the numbers or like to use a calculator for conversion, anyone outside of a mall appreciates and expects you to bargain. If you are in a modern mall with a price tag, it is a fixed price. Our favorite Bangkok shopping places are the weekend market, Chatuchuk, in the north of Bangkok; Terminal 21 (especially the food court on the top floor that has a great vegan stall) on Soi 21; and EmQuartier on Soi 35 has 2.5 million square feet of retail space and a five story waterfall.
I hope these suggestions are valuable and that you enjoy Thailand to its fullest! From the hubbub of Bangkok, you can adventure to the quiet beauty of the beaches in the south, the waterfalls and ancient ruins just north of the capital, or to the mountains in the far north. But the best sight of Thailand is the smiles of its people.
Chok dee ka!
