So you're heading to Thailand? Let's get it right.
We've put together the ultimate guide to visiting Thailand — everything you need to know. Which islands to spend a week on and which to skip. Bangkok decoded by neighbourhood, Chiang Mai + the north properly. Where to stay, our favourite hostels, the food worth flying for, the Full Moon Party done right, how to get around, the scams that catch every first-timer — and so much more. Over 1,000 hours of research, time on the ground and community submissions. This is the guide you need.
Every review is from a paying Aussies In member — unfiltered, unedited.
"Most comprehensive thing I've read on Thailand, full stop. Lonely Planet feels like a brochure next to it. The scams section alone earned its keep, I'd already been hit with two of them in my first 24 hours."
I've been to Thailand four times. Still picked up five things I didn't know from this guide. Worth $15 just for the under-the-radar Chiang Mai recommendations.
Backpacking with my brother. Used the budget estimator + the guide together. Came in $300 under what I'd planned for. Now buying every guide they ever release.
I'd been three times before and still learned new things. The Chiang Mai vs Phuket vs Krabi breakdown is the kind of honest comparison you can't get from a blog with affiliate links.
Excellent. Marked down only because I'd love more on family-with-kids travel. Most of it assumes you're a couple or solo. Otherwise top shelf and we'll be back for more.
Reviews are from verified Aussies In buyers. Names abbreviated for privacy. No reviews have been removed or edited beyond grammar.
4 preview chapters are free below. 9 chapters — the bulk of the guide — unlock with purchase.
Most travellers spend 20–40 hours researching a trip like this — scrolling Reddit threads, saving Instagram videos, watching YouTubers in monetised content loops, comparing 12 blog posts that all say the same thing. This guide is what those hours should have given you.
"Knowing what to skip is worth as much as knowing what to do."
Bangkok, the North (Chiang Mai + Pai + Chiang Rai), Andaman coast, Gulf islands, Khao Sok, hidden gems
Pad krapow, pad see ew, boat noodles, khao soi, mango sticky rice — where to eat them, what to order, what to skip
Dates 12 months ahead, ferry routes, where to stay, what to bring, how to do it safely
Tuk-tuk gem shops, closed-temple bait, jet ski damage, taxi meters, ATM skimmers — every angle, every defence
10 days, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 1 month, 2 months. Pick yours, copy the route
Sleeper trains (book on 12go), overnight buses, the slow boat to Laos, when to fly domestic instead
Thailand is famously easy but the right prep separates a great trip from getting fleeced on day one. Songkran (mid-April) shuts the country down for 5 days, motorbike crashes are the #1 traveller insurance claim from Thailand, and the visa-free window just doubled — but only if you fly in. Walk through this and you'll arrive ready.
Australians + New Zealanders get 60 days visa-free since July 2024, extendable once for 30 days at immigration (~A$80) for a total 90 days. If you're planning longer, apply for a Tourist Visa from the Thai embassy.
Motorbikes are the #1 way Aussies get hurt in Thailand. Most cheap policies EXCLUDE motorbike incidents — read the fine print. World Nomads + SafetyWing cover it; many bank-included travel insurance policies do not.
Stray dogs are common in rural Thailand + the islands. A bite means urgent post-exposure jabs which are difficult to source outside Bangkok/Phuket hospitals. Pre-exposure vaccine costs A$300 but de-escalates a bite to a manageable issue.
Songkran (mid-April), Christmas + New Year, and Chinese New Year all triple ferry + flight prices. Book at 4+ weeks ahead via 12Go.asia or AirAsia/Bangkok Airways direct.
Songkran (Thai New Year) is a 5-day water festival — flights + accommodation in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket fill up + triple. Pick ONE city + stay put. The whole country travels — don't try to move during it.
Bolt + Grab are the dominant ride-shares (Uber left in 2018). Grab is everywhere, Bolt is cheaper in Bangkok. Thai script is unreadable for most travellers — offline translation is essential.
Thai SIMs are easy to buy at the airport (~A$15 for 15 days unlimited) but eSIMs (Airalo, Trip.com) work instantly without the queue. Either works.
Pharmacies in tourist areas are everywhere but pricey + sketchy on antibiotics. Bring DEET repellent, tiger balm, electrolytes (Hydralyte), and your own paracetamol/ibuprofen.
Police checkpoints in Phuket + Koh Samui will fine you ~A$20 cash for riding without an IDP, regardless of your home country's licence. Get an IDP from your local Australia Post for ~A$45 — valid 1 year.
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi has a taxi queue that's metered + fine. The touts at arrivals will charge 3-4x. Same goes for Phuket + Krabi airports — use Grab/Bolt or the airport bus.
Most Thai ATMs charge a ~A$10 foreign-card fee per withdrawal. Withdraw the max (usually 20,000 THB / ~A$870) each time to amortise. Always decline 'pay in AUD' (dynamic currency conversion).
Thailand is a country where you can take a 12-hour sleeper train for A$25, a domestic flight for A$30, or a 14-hour overnight bus for A$15 — and you'll use all three on the same trip. Book everything on 12go.asia (the local aggregator that beats every booking platform).
Bangkok → Chiang Mai overnight = ~13hr in a 2nd-class air-con sleeper for A$25-A$35. The new "Uttarawithi" Chinese-built carriages on the route are genuinely comfortable. Book bottom bunk for the window view.
TIP — Skip the booking-platform mark-up — 12go.asia is the local site that lists every operator at the real price.
Bangkok → Krabi or Bangkok → Chiang Mai for A$30-A$50 one-way on Thai AirAsia, Nok Air, or Thai Lion Air. Often cheaper than the equivalent bus + ferry combo and saves a day.
TIP — Book 2–3 weeks ahead. AirAsia's checked bag fee is the gotcha — pre-pay at booking, not at the airport.
Bangkok → Koh Tao = one ticket: bus to Chumphon overnight + ferry across in the morning, A$35 total. Lomprayah is the recommended operator — air-con, reclining seats, on time.
TIP — Avoid the cheap Khao San Road bus operators — "VIP bus" doesn't mean what you think it does, and the bag-pilfering on the cheaper services is real.
Every mistake below is one this guide prevents. The numbers aren't theoretical — they're sourced from our community's actual reported losses on previous trips. Add them up and the math becomes hard to ignore.
You'll get every avoidance technique, every booking lead time, every scam-dodge, every Aussie-tested workaround. Lifetime updates. Money-back if it doesn't earn its keep.
Where to go. Where to stay. What to eat. How to get around. What to skip. Every answer in one place — researched by Aussies who've actually been.