I AM THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND EARLY NOVEMBER. WHAT IS THE BEST GUIDE BOOK TO BUY BEFORE I VISIT THAILAND?

I starting to begin saving for hopefully the 3 week legal holiday of the lifetime.Can anybody recomend the great examination book of Thailand. Also places to outlay time in when am there & who offers the most appropriate deals upon airline tickets.Thanks for any answer,they have been all appreciated!

Tagged as: before, best, book, early, Going, Guide, november, THAILAND, Thinking, visit

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

Susan July 4, 2010 at 2:55 am

Hi
I travelled to Thailand and used the Lonely Planet Guide (South East Asia on a Shoe String). It was really useful and came in handy particularly for the maps and accommodation options. The cultural information and history they have for each region is really useful and good to read when you are on trains/buses/planes travelling from A to B.

You can now also purchase chapters of the books and download them which may be useful if you don’t fancy lugging a heavy book around! Here is a link to them – http://www.thousandmilejourney.com.au/Travel-Resources.html

The Lonely Planet did recommend hiring a bike and cycling from the temple at the top of the hill in Chaing Mai back into the town centre, which I would actually advise against however!!

In regards to flights and deals it depends where you are coming from. I booked some internal flights when I was there for a good price and got great service from the local travel agent. I would not hesitate to do that again.

Have a great trip!

Dave July 4, 2010 at 2:59 am

Thailand is a fabulous country spending your holiday at, there’s all sort of travel guides with as most famous the Lonely Planet guides you can purchase. Yet the best medium to find accurate travel information is the internet. As experienced traveler to Thailand here’s some additional information you might find handy:

Airline tickets depend from which country you’re flying in too, from Holland it’s best to fly China Airlines while Germany Thai Airways is the best option. Assuming your in Europe/South or North America it’s best to get a direct flight as its’ quite long. It can be quite exhausting. For four weeks or less you won’t need a visa instead you will receive a tourist visa upon arrival.

While three weeks in Thailand, try to go round and not spend all your time in one city. Each city has different pro’s and con’s, if you’re seeking nightlife, shopping the following cities will be of help: Bangkok (Patpong, Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza), Pattaya (Walking Street and Beach road soi 6/7/8) and Phuket (Patong Beach area). While if you’re seeking more culture and tradition you should visit Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya for beautiful temples, traditional cuisine and lifestyle.

Try using regular metered taxi’s while traveling around in Bangkok, bkk traffic is terrible and a lot of accidents happen. Metered taxi’s are cheap and can be hailed down at the street.

karazyal July 4, 2010 at 3:06 am

Most of the travel guides will give you a good overview of Thailand. If you are wealthy and will be allowing travel agencies plan your trip and book everything then consider Frommer’s and Fodor’s travel guides. They sort of cater to “wealthier” travelers, even their travel forums often have questions about needing cheap hotels around $100 a night! Grey Poupon crowd!

If you are going to buy your own tickets, book your own hotels and in general want to save a little money then get a Lonely Planet travel guide. If you are in the US you can even check one out of the library for free and return it at the end of your trip.

Start in Bangkok and end there! Too many travelers want to avoid seeing Bangkok and head out to some beach, etc. See the city for a few days, take in some tours, book flights or get train tickets during this time. Spend the last night in Bangkok so you will only be a short taxi ride to the airport and you can do some last minute shopping and perhaps take in an evening dinner cruise.

Keep in mind that even in Bangkok and Chiang Mai you can get a suntan just walking around! Thailand is pretty much warm from top to bottom. Try to fit Chiang Mai or some other areas in the northern part of Thailand into your holiday. Don’t only visit beaches!

You can use the following travel forums for specific information. A Google search of “what to see and do in Thailand” will give you lots of links to look over. Use TripAdvisor for info on meter taxi from airport and in the city. Read up on local transportation (trains, buses and planes. Read up on scams, etc. When you need hotel recommendations mention how much per night you want to spend on a room, use a baht figure. Wait until you get to Thailand to change your money over to Thai baht for your best rate.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g293915-i3686-Thailand.html
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forum.jspa?forumID=51
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/
http://www.travellerspoint.com/forum.cfm

Good luck.

Damon July 4, 2010 at 3:44 am

Lonely Planet books & phrasebooks are the best.

Air travel to Thailand:
Look at a site like Kayak or Farecast to try and figure out how to get here cheaply.

Air travel within Thailand:
Nok Air
Air Asia
1-2-go
Bangkok Air

All of the above offer cheap flights within Thailand and/or in the Southeast Asia region (Airasia).

First-time visitors usually do something like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket or Koh Samui. That being said, Thailand has a ton of great beach areas and I would personally recommend looking at Krabi or Khao Lak if you’re looking to get away from heavily touristed beaches. I am also including links below to some of the top things to do in Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Phuket. I would recommend spending at least 5 days in Chiang Mai to get the most out of the cultural center of Thailand.

Sr July 4, 2010 at 4:42 am

November is 3 months ago

Douglas July 4, 2010 at 5:31 am

go to BookMe. You can compare prices on all the major travel sites from one location. It’s the only way you can guarantee the cheapest prices online.

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