What is the best way to travel around Thailand?

Dear Elske,

To travel through Thailand you have many options that are much more pleasant than a mapped out route with tour operators.
If you have a lot of time, you can use public transport (buses) for longer distances. To complement your experiences, you can also add a train journey to your travel plans.
Locally you can find tuk-tuk, motorbike-taxi, bicycle and on foot to your liking. You can also rent a bicycle here at many, especially more touristy places - a spring bicycle is of course also possible, but I strongly advise against this during your first exploration of this country. Traffic regulations are not always properly followed here, quite the contrary.

If you already have some idea of ​​where you want to go, I would certainly like to give you more tips on how to go about it.
How long do you want to stay here the first time is of course important to know what is possible and what will be impossible or difficult to achieve.

If you come during the rainy season, you should also take into account some flooding here and there.

If you want to ask more specific questions, you can certainly do so.

Safe journey
Guy

In Thailand I have had almost all carrier options. Only not the elephant, they are often mistreated and I do not sponsor that. Washing an elephant in a sanctuary is a better way.

I travel as much as possible “like the locals do”. So I won't be sightseeing with 20/30 Westerners (Farangs) anymore. Ok, sometimes you can't avoid it.

Tuk tuks are less of a travel option and more of a mode of local transportation for short trips. You negotiate the fare with the driver. And that can be quite tricky. For short trips, prefer to use Bolt and Grab (App), you and the driver know where you stand in terms of fare, but importantly, the driver also knows exactly where your location is and where you want to go. Unlike in the Netherlands, you can also pay in cash. The Songtaew, or Bahtbus, is another option for short trips. Sometimes this is a fixed route and price, sometimes they wait until they are almost full before leaving.

Train: If you book a sleeper, make sure you have the lower bench, the lighting stays on all night.
Take an inflatable cushion with you in case you end up in 3rd class, the 3rd class seats are hard.

Long-distance buses are often luxurious and equipped with air conditioning, but the smaller minivans are also suitable.

Domestic flights are very critical with baggage weight of both hold and carry.

Elske, the tuktuk in all versions is for short distances. You are stuck with your nose in exhaust fumes and the older models hardly have any suspension.

Bus transport in Thailand is well organised, especially from a big city to another big city. But if you travel outside the main routes, transferring is a must and a transfer in a songthaew may be necessary. The latter means of transport is the body of a pickup with two benches and a hood, but it can also be placed in the loading platform, or on the back of a moped... If you go into the periphery, knowledge of Thai is a must; many local buses have destinations only in Thai.

Trains and most air travel all start and stop in Bangkok; you hardly find other flights like, for example, from Udon Thani to Chiang Mai. If you want to cross the country, there is only the bus.

If you really want to explore the periphery, rent a car with a driver; you have a guide and interpreter with you. Or rent a 'moped' and bring a valid motorcycle license and international driver's license.

Dear Elske,

My advice is......don't plan too much in advance. Let it happen to you. Everything is possible with public transport. So also, for example, the sleeper train. First spend a week in Bangkok, then you will automatically make contact and Buddha will show you the way.

Hello Elske.

If you travel around between the famous places, the story is as follows:

Taxi, comfortable, fast, relatively expensive (not compared to the Netherlands of course), available exactly at your destination on every street corner.

Minibus, less comfortable (travels with others), less fast, cheap, ends up in the center or at the station. Can be booked through a travel agency or hotel, you will often be picked up from your hotel at a certain time.

Large bus/coach, quite comfortable, but slow (often stops at stops), dirt cheap, ends up in the center or at the station. can be booked through a travel agency or hotel. But you often have to ensure that you get to the departure point/station yourself (on time).

TukTuk is actually only for transport within a city itself. Less comfortable (=I think)
,reasonably cheap and reasonably fast. but please note/arrange well in advance (especially in Bangkok) that they do not take them to a clothing store or jewelry store.

In the big cities absolutely Bolt and Grab über. In Bangkok the metro is your best friend and you can easily get on the boat at the river. Nice experience. I avoid tuktuks as much as possible. There's no harm in experiencing it once in a while, but I'll stay away from it.

Sleeper is super chill and the buses are super luxurious. What I do myself is mainly book the flights on time. This is possible with the AirAsia app. The rest can almost always be done at the last minute. During the high season it is useful to book on time.

Bangkok 3-4 days is more than enough and staying overnight the last night is also so convenient. Bolt is actually too cheap there.

Rest of Thailand depends on where you are. I personally always rent a fairly heavy scooter in really busy tourist areas, but I would not recommend it. Driving against traffic is quite normal. And if you look at people's legs, almost everyone has wounds on their legs from the scooter.

On the other hand, you are in a quiet, less touristy area. Grab that scooter and go explore. Especially when you have a comfortable, heavier scooter, it is really nice to be surprised by a restaurant located somewhere on a family's property where they literally pick the vegetables and herbs from the garden after you order. Be careful with roads up the mountain. If you have no experience with this, it is not easy.

But in general, transport is always available everywhere, both public and via the app as a taxi. Agree on your price in advance.