My Favorite Things in Thailand

Thailand is hands-down one of my favorite places on earth that I’ve visited thus far. I’ve spent just under three months in this gorgeous country and I wanted to share my favorite things in Thailand. From the spirituality of this country, the delicious food and everything in between, I can’t wait to show you what captured my heart about Thailand! 

ALL THE ORNATE TEMPLES

There is just something about Buddhist temples that I cannot get enough of. They spark a joy, a creativity and a calm in me. I love the chanting, the frescoes on the walls, watching different blessings + traditions. The smell of incense will instantly take me back to Buddhist temples. Many people who travel to Thailand tend to find themselves “templed out”. This is when temples start to blend together and you’re no longer interested in visiting anymore. That never happens for me. Therefore, visiting temples is aptly placed at the top of the list for my favorite things in Thailand. I don’t think many days passed that I didn’t visit a temple during my travels in Thailand. I studied anthropology + Eastern Religion in college, so it’s a major interest and is very personal to me. If you visit Buddhist Temples in Thailand, or anywhere else, please do so with respect.

MOUNTAIN VIEWS

I’m a mountain girl through and through. When we found a stunning hostel in Kanchanaburi with mountain views from every room it made my heart so very happy. I loved soaking up those mountain views and climbing on top of to shrines and Buddha statues. Then, outside of Chiang Mai, we climbed to the highest peak in all of Thailand – on a tour of Doi Inthanon. There are mossy, fern-covered trails around here, jungles, waterfalls, and even two stunning pagodas all through the national park that holds this gorgeous range. We even found smaller mountains on the sleepy island of Koh Chang and we followed beautiful mountains along the Mekong in Northern Thailand. People often cite the glorious beaches, but the mountains are equally impressive and should definitely be explored – just don’t forget to look into travel travel insurance! We love World Nomads!

THE PEOPLE

Thailand is known as the “Land of Smiles” and you’ll have daily encounters that prove that to be 100% correct. The first time I visited Thailand in 2015, I volunteered at a zoo and befriended many people on the staff there. Because of one dear friend in particular, Salapong, I learned some niceties in Thai and it only enhanced my experiences with locals. When Matt and I came back to Thailand we traveled around Kanchanaburi Province with Salapong visiting big Buddha statues on the back of his motorbike. In addition to that, we found many people to be helpful with directions, give suggestions of things to do, or just generally wanted to be friendly or were super sweet! I think the locals in a destination can make or break a destination and the exceptional people we met in Thailand more than made this country.

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ALL THE DELICIOUS FOODS

Thai food is one of my very favorite styles of food. I love the explosion of flavor you get in each bite of Thai food. It’s always well-balanced and fresh-tasting. Many people will visit fancy restaurants in different destinations to find some of the best food in a country. In Thailand, you just have to hit the streets. You can get an insanely delicious meal of rice, soup, pad thai/cashew chicken/curry and spring rolls for less than $3. Plus, you’ll be eating with a lot of locals when you do this and get that lovely experience as well. If you’re looking at street food options, always choose the one with the line of locals. Want to try some amazing foods you might never find on your own? Take a street food tour – we loved this one in Bangkok! We also took this cooking class in Bangkok that we highly recommend. Then you get to take home the delicious recipes as well!

THE ABILITY TO FEEL AS COMFORTABLE OR “UNCOMFORTABLE” AS YOU WANT

Thailand definitely has a well-blazed tourist trail and some major expat/travel hubs. Because of this it means when you get homesick, you can get your favorite western chains like Starbucks, McDonald’s or Auntie Annes Pretzels. You can also visit major shopping malls, stay in luxury hotels and resorts. Or you can visit rural areas, do homestays well outside of the big cities and get authentic experiences that allow you push your boundaries. I don’t think being “uncomfortable” is a bad thing, it’s just different, and I think you grow and learn the most from these experiences. These experiences can alter how you look at things and even how you look at yourself and your own life.

THE FLORA + FAUNA

One of my favorite things in Thailand is just soaking up the natural beauty of it. There are all kinds of plants that I had never seen in the before. I also really loved seeing animals, in an ethical way, that I could never see in the wild back home either. I’m a major plant-lover, so I loved learning more about the plants native to Thailand and seeing how the plants I know from home grow differently. I also loved being startled by monitor lizards, seeing elephants and even a couple vipers on a hike!

CITY PARKS

One of my favorite things in Thailand is getting a break from city life even within the city itself. That’s right! Within both Bangkok and Chiang Mai we found some really incredible city parks. They’re a hub for the people filled with exercise equipment and classes, historical landmarks, beautiful statues and so much more. Each one is unique though: there are statues, shrines, bridges, fountains and more. They’re a lot of fun to explore and worth popping into when you need or want some downtime.

THE AMAZING AFFORDABILITY

Visiting Thailand is shockingly affordable. People who’ve never been are often surprised when I tell them that Matt and I got along comfortably in nice guesthouses or private hostel rooms, eating anything we wanted when we wanted and seeing all kinds of amazing things for an average of $54/day. That’s for two people! No wonder so many people choose Thailand for a long-term travel destination.

COMBING THE MARKETS

There are markets for just about everything. We walked through night markets finding quirky things to put in our future home. Some markets had row after row of elephant pants, which I bought about a million pairs of. It’s basically a rite of passage. We went to local markets for fresh fruits and street food. We even strolled through a 24-hour flower market in Bangkok. You can even take tours of markets, like this one, or stroll through at your leisure. Definitely be sure to bring cash, and bring small denominations. Also, be ready to barter. It’s a rich part of their culture and the only way you’re going to get a good deal!

ICED COFFEE + THAI TEA

I am not a person who enjoys going without her daily dose of caffeine. Luckily, in the mornings all you have to do to get that fix, is take to the streets – especially in big cities. Each morning in Bangkok I would find a local selling coffee on the street somewhere along our path to our next adventure and buy an iced coffee or iced Thai tea. Plus, unlike a stop in a coffee shop in the states, you get a large iced coffee for about $0.75. The one thing I hate about stopping for tea or coffee is they used so much single use plastic! Plastic cup, plastic straw and sometimes even a plastic strap that they slide around your cup so you have a handle for your coffee (yes, really). The next time we’re in Thailand I’m going to try to get them to put it in a reusable cup – we’ll see how it goes. Now, just because I say take to the streets, doesn’t mean that the cafe scene isn’t great, because it is! If you’re a cafe fan, check those out too!

CHASING WATERFALLS

Waterfalls are one of Matt’s favorite things in the entire world. The only thing he loves better than seeing waterfalls is photographing waterfalls. That meant when possible we would wake up early, early so we could get him to waterfalls in the most beautiful, even lighting. We hiked to the multiple levels of Erawan Falls in Kanchanaburi (a great day trip from Bangkok), saw a handful of waterfalls in Doi Inthanon National Park and explored a couple around Chiang Mai as well. I know there are loads more to see next time too, especially since chasing waterfalls would be the top of Matt’s “my favorite things in Thailand” post. Ha!

7-ELEVEN STOPS

7-Eleven was our one-stop-shop for almost everything we needed in Thailand. I know that there wasn’t a single day in Thailand that I didn’t make at least some sort of purchase at 7-Eleven. We found budget meals and beer there along with refreshing beverages, snacks, bandaids, hair ties and air-conditioned relief from the humidity outside. If you spend anytime at all in Thailand, you’ll undoubtably fall in love with 7-Eleven. When we were there they had the stamp promo that earned us money off our purchases! It was amazing! If you travel to several countries in Southeast Asia, you’ll definitely miss 7-Eleven when you cross borders.

THE MANY, VARIED FESTIVALS

There are all kinds of fun, interesting festivals in Thailand. I’ve had the joy of experiencing two unique festivals: Songkran and Loi Krathong. Songkran is Thai new year – the whole country takes part in this crazy water fight. It’s officially three days (April 13th-15th), but it’s often celebrated for the entire week! We celebrated in Kanchanaburi and we couldn’t even walk to get a meal without being doused with water and getting our faces wiped down with baby powder. Its roots are in Buddhist blessings and just think of all that water being thrown on you as such. It’s symbolic of washing away misfortunes and negativity. Loi Krathong is the festival of light, and it’s most famously celebrated in Chiang Mai with the floating lanterns. However, it’s celebrated throughout the country, including Bangkok. Which is where we purchased krathongs (offerings) from monks and placed them into the river and asked for blessings. It’s special moments and spiritual nature of these festivals that make them one of my favorite things in Thailand.

CHANG BEER

Chang is a Thai pale lager. Therefore, it’s a beer for the masses and not something I would typically drink back home, but its mild flavor compliments the complex flavors found in Thai food perfectly. It’s super easy to drink too. However, the thing that makes Chang Beer one of my favorite things in Thailand is the fact that it’s tied to many special memories. I drank Chang while getting a tattoo in Kanchanaburi, after work with friends at the zoo, paired with street food, drinking with my dear friend Salapong on the dock of our hostel and so much more!

BEAUTIFUL BEACHES

Although I’m not a beach-lover, I have to say, there are some beauties in Thailand! I’ve been to a couple of Thai islands and enjoyed discovering the different beaches for sunsets or sunrises and definitely for an evening cocktail! While it the number one thing that would make me visit Thailand, it certainly doesn’t hurt the situation! Koh Chang had a much more laid back feeling with loads to explore. Koh Tao was a place that cured all my cravings because I had just about every western craving from pesto to sweet tea.

THAI MASSAGES

I wish I had taken the time to get more massages while I was in Thailand. For the low, low cost of $7.55 I had a 45 minute massage that feels like a combo of massage, chiropractic, yoga and a smidge of torture. That said, the next day I felt like a brand new woman: stretched, refreshed and ready to explore!

Thailand is easily one of my very favorite countries. Sitting down and compiling this list of my favorite things in Thailand was not only easy (because I love so much about it) but a lot of fun as well! There are so many amazing opportunities to be had here. Now all you have to do is buy a plane ticket and start creating your own list of favorite things in Thailand! Looking for more tips on traveling to Southeast Asia? Check out this post with 52 quick tips!

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