A fun trip to Thailand: My Travel Experience

I just got home from a wonderful 1-week solo trip to Thailand. I had a time filled with highs and lows, excitement and relaxation, and far more Thai food than I ever expected to have.

I recently took a career break as I decided to explore my inner passion for travel and photography. For my first destination, I was very sure about visiting Thailand. It was always on my bucket list because of the natural serenity and the adventurous city life that it offers.

I started searching for tour packages, and came across Thrillophilia’s name- I went through their packages and some of the Thrillophilia reviews of previous customers. I found their itineraries to align with my expectations, so I decided to choose Thrillophilia as my travel booking partner. I sent my travel enquiry on their website, and their destination expert reached out to me within an hour to curate the trip of my dreams.

Bangkok’s Buzz-

My flight took me straight from Delhi to Bangkok, and there I met my tour guide, Suzan, assigned by Thrillophilia. The first task I had was to withdraw local currency, for which he helped me find a Western Union Bank, and from there, I effortlessly got some cash converted to Thai Baht.

I spent my first day in Bangkok recovering from jet lag, spending the whole day sleeping. As my first activity, I tried learning to cook authentic food with the locals at a culinary school. It was a two-day workshop, and the experience was kind of tough for me initially, as getting familiar with the ingredients took me long. The chef introduced me to several unique herbs, spices, and the key components they use. It was with the help of the chef’s guidance and my dedication that I understood the characteristics of making Thai food. With this, I ended up preparing a Tom Yum Soup, for which I got appreciated from my chef and the other instructors as well.

Later, all the fellow participants enjoyed the dishes we all made, eating together and making memories for a lifetime. On the final night, I went out to explore the famous Chatuchak weekend night market, and then went to Khao San Road where I tried the traditional Thai beer.

I also took a Chao Phraya river cruise, but what stole the show for me was attending a Muay Thai Match at Rajadamnern Stadium, with which my Bangkok story came to an end.

Chiang Mai and Its Delicacies

I left Bangkok after 2 days, taking a flight to Chiang Mai. Here, the vibe was extremely relaxed compared to Bangkok’s. As for the Cross Riverside Resort, where I booked my stay, it was something I would recommend to every traveller. It was well-kept and had an extremely friendly staff, which enhanced my travel experience all the more.

Here, I also had the chance to try the special dish of Northern Thailand, called Khao Soi Chicken. By far, this was the best Thai food that I tasted on the journey. The juicy chicken in the broth, served with noodles and vegetables, and topped with crunchy fried chips- it all tasted heavenly. Along with this I also tried some of the street foods such as Soi Thonglor Boat noodles from the floating market.

Next, I headed towards the beaches, and that brought me directly to Koh Samui.

Koh Sumai’s Beach Therapy-

Koh Samui is one of the largest islands on the eastern side of Thailand. My stay here was at Chill Inn Beach Hostel, known for its relaxed vibe and beachside views, all of which resonated with its name. The only issue was that it was far from most of the places to explore on the island. But, thankfully, Suzan had already made arrangements to rent a scooter, so most of my time was spent simply sipping on Chang and roaming around the island on my own. At the Angthong Marine Park, I had endless fun kayaking over the serene blue waters. This sounded very tiring to me at first, but it was an adventurous ride to hop on which gave me memories to cherish for a lifetime!

My visit to Koh Sumai came to an end by having a Green curry with a delicious Pad Thai enjoying the scenic beach views.

Koh Tao’s Calm-

The next destination was Koh Tao, one of my favourite places that I visited in Thailand. I loved the vibes of the place so much that I extended my trip at my own expense here. I stayed at the Summer Hotel while in Koh Tao, and I found the property to be very lively- it was easy to find people here to get along with and become friends with. We even ended up going out together during the nights, or staying up just playing card games in the common area.

The island is most popular for Scuba diving, with a diving school on every street corner. I had a talk with Suzan, who helped me find out a good place where I could get an open water certification. After having my training session, I was so happy that my heart did not want to leave this place. I spent my remaining days trying out various other water activities with my local friends, like parasailing, surfing, and swimming. One of the best things about this trip was that my friends here took me to some offbeat places about which I had no idea.

After leaving Koh Tao, I took a 4-hour ferry to Chumphon, and from there an 8-hour bus to Bangkok to catch my flight.

Getting back home and to my normal life was difficult for me as it took me some time to process everything I’ve done over the last week.

Conclusion-

For me, Thailand was very easy to travel in. As far as the cost of travel goes, I ended up spending slightly above my budget, however, that was after I decided to become Scuba certified in Koh Tao. I also had a seamless experience while roaming around the streets, using the app Grab, which was suggested to me by Thrillophilia’s destination expert. In all honesty, my trip to Thailand did not involve visiting popular tourist attractions like museums, palaces, and temples. Most of my time was spent walking around in cities, eating food until my stomach begged me to stop, exploring nightlife, and finding lesser-known places.

While reflecting on the trip, I realised that knowing the insights, such as where to stay and what to eat, is necessary while travelling internationally. So, I would highly suggest having someone experienced with you, just like I had Suzan, always a call away. For this, I will always be grateful to have booked my trip with  Thrillophilia.

Overall, my expectations matched all the reviews of Thrillophilia that I had come across before the trip. As a traveller, I would always recommend one to choose them as a travel partner. They had exactly what I was looking for, covering what I was expecting from my trip.