Thailand

If there's a country that I fell in love with and think about going back to all the time, it's Thailand. The islands look like Photoshop in real life – the color of the sea and the surrounding vegetation make the scenery not seem real – and the cities have a vibrant and unique culture.

If you don't know where to start planning this trip, my suggestion is to read the post with tips and itinerary for Thailand, where I talk about the main points (security, language, currency, food and prices) and also give ideas for itineraries to see the best of the country.

I also wrote a post with tips on where to stay in the main places – such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket, with suggestions for hotels and hostels for all budgets. If you have space in your budget, take a look at the four and five star suggestions, they are super cheap and the experience is sensational. My favorite was Novotel Beach Spa & Resort in Karon, Phuket.

Additionally, it is worth reading about the mistakes I made during my trip. With such a different culture and a place with so much to do, there was no way some things wouldn't go wrong, right? But it's part of it, and I still recorded all the problems I went through and what I would do differently, so that you have an even better experience than mine on your trip.

Do you already know which cities and islands you're going to visit but don't know what to do? ESo take a look at my posts about some of the country's main attractions such as elephant sanctuary (ethical tour where animals are not mistreated), dinner in the dark e Maya Bay, setting of the film The Beach.

Lastly, I already mentioned it in the posts but I need to remind you once again: Don't forget to take out travel insurance. In addition to a very different cuisine (which can irritate the stomach), Thailand also has countless adventure activities such as diving and climbing, and unfortunately accidents can occur. Be prepared and take out insurance that will guide you through the entire process of medical care and other difficulties that may occur during the trip.

Access this page and answer all your questions about Travel Insurance, and find out where to find reliable insurance at a great price (this is how I get insurance for ALL my trips).

Looking for an ethical elephant tour in Thailand? Then discover Elephant Nature Park, in Chiang Mai! Click on the link to read all about this incredible place!

Elephant Nature Park – Ethical elephant tour in Thailand

By Alyssa Prado Updated 2 July 2018 Thailand

I hit the button a lot responsible tourism here and on the blog's other social networks.

Maybe that's why I was so apprehensive on the way to the Elephant nature park.

Visit a elephant sanctuary it was the number one activity on my list when I thought about the trip to Thai. But I couldn't stop imagining that I would fall into one of those tourist traps, and end up in a place where animals would be subjected to mistreatment.

For a while I even I gave up on the idea and not included in the itinerary. Until Amanda, who accompanied me on this adventure, told me that she was also interested but that she wanted to go on an ethical tour with elephants in Thailand.. And that's when we started researching.

Several names came up, but most had complaints about the treatment of the animals, you just had to look a little deeper.

The only one that didn't have this problem was the Elephant nature park. Complaints about work?? Several. But nothing cruel.

We knew it was a serious company, as it ranked second on the list of tours of this type in the TripAdvisor (today it is #1), and we decided to reserve a date for May 10th.

I'll tell you everything about the place and my experience in the rest of this post, but I'll leave you with a spoiler: It was the best experience of the entire trip!

Maya Bay practically empty, that's the advantage of doing the Sunrise Phi Phi Tour! Find out everything about this tour by clicking on the link!

Visiting Maya Bay in Thailand with Sunrise Phi Phi Tour

By Alyssa Prado Updated June 2th, 2017 Thailand

Sitting in a van at 5am, in the dark, just me and my friend, with a driver who didn't speak English.

Hoping to arrive at an unknown pier, to take a tour that we bought at an agency where the charge was shown as a “tattoo” on the card statement.

At that moment all I could think was “why did we get into this?”.

And that's how my adventure to reach Maya Bay in Thailand began.

Maaaaas, although the beginning was a little scary, I can say that it was one of the better days of my entire trip, and we managed to take photos without anyone around.