Steal My Itinerary: Two Weeks of Travel & Teaching in Thailand

Lucky me! I got the chance to spend two full weeks showing my favorite person the country I’ve been living in for the past two months. Thanks to some time off around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, my boyfriend was able to visit me in Thailand and experience not only some of the country’s must-see destinations, but also my everyday life here as a teacher.

If you’re looking for a good way to see a lot of the country in a similar timeframe, this itinerary we made felt like the perfect balance of everything. We spent some time centrally in the capital city Bangkok, up north in Chiang Mai, down south in Phuket, and northeast in my placement city, Khon Kaen. Feel free to steal it and tweak it to fit your own travel style!

Bangkok - 2 nights

We kicked off our time together in Bangkok! It’s a super fun way to be introduced to Thailand and allowed him to relax and adjust after the long hours of traveling without immediately hopping on more flights within the country. I believe this is the second year in a row that Bangkok has been the most visited city in the world, so you know it’ll make a fantastic first impression.

I am a huge fan of Bangkok, as I had already made a couple weekend trips there in my first two and a half months and accumulated a lot of activities, cafes, and restaurants I wanted to share with him. Naturally, we had to do a lot of the touristy stuff, but also ended up discovering a few new gems along the way.

Chinatown

Bangkok is home to the biggest Chinatown in the world! The packed streets and seemingly infinite food stalls make this area a lively place to explore. The energy at night is especially unmatched.

Songwat Road

A trendy area with cute shops and cafes. There are two coffee shops I really like here, so since both of us are big coffee drinkers, this is how we got our mornings started. We explored the shops, took pictures, and walked around the neighborhood.

ICONSIAM

An absolutely massive mall and major Bangkok attraction. The basement level is essentially a simulated market, with tons of stands for food and goods – there’s even a “floating market.” We did some shopping on the upper levels, then headed to the 8th floor terrace to get a nice view of the river and city skyline.

Rooftop and/or Michelin restaurants

Dinner above the city was an especially awesome vibe for his first night in Thailand. We went to a Michelin recommended restaurant on the 76th floor of a building in the heart of Bangkok. Both the food and the views beyond amazed us. Bangkok is also just a hotspot for Michelin guide/recommended food, so foodies should definitely have fun in this city.

Khon Kaen - 1 night

Now to give him a preview of my home for the last two months! It’s in the Northeast region, about an hour flight from Bangkok. We pit-stopped here mostly for more practical reasons – to consolidate his two suitcases into one for the week of travel we had ahead of us. A more in-depth couple of days in Khon Kaen would ensue later. This day, I just took him to some cafes I really enjoy (can you sense a common theme with me), ran some errands, checked out some night markets, and walked around the nearby lake a little.

Chiang Mai - 4 nights

We flew to Chiang Mai early on New Year's Eve. Here, the main attraction we were coming for was the New Year’s lantern festival that takes place about an hour outside of the old city in the mountains. Chiang Mai is many people’s favorite place in Thailand, and for good reason. It has a mix of city and mountains, it's beautiful with a lot of good food and activities to do.

Lantern festival 

Truly a once in a lifetime experience! This was one of the most incredible and beautiful things I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. The event is so organized, making it an easy and low-key celebration that included traditional Thai food and cultural activities. The festival opened around 6 p.m., so there was a lot of time to explore the grounds before the countdown. I cannot emphasize enough how magical the lantern release and fireworks at midnight were. I fear every New Year's Eve now will never compare.

Artist’s Village 

Chiang Mai is really known for its craftsmanship, and has a whole local artist’s village you can wander through and even take part in. The area is comprised of artists selling their unique products, and almost all additionally offer workshops where you can DIY these products as well. They make for great souvenirs and a fun daytime activity.

Temple exploring

The old city of Chiang Mai is rich in history and has many temples scattered throughout. Conveniently, it’s a very walkable area, so we could make our way to a couple of these breathtaking temples in an afternoon. One morning we were able to make a trip up to the temple Doi Suthep, a deeply revered temple in Thailand sitting within a national park that offers the most amazing panoramic view of Chiang Mai down below. 

Cooking class

My boyfriend loves to cook so this was a perfect activity! We got to make our choices of soups and curries (I made tom yum soup, he made hot and sour soup, then we both made Khao Soi), then everyone got to make pad Thai and mango sticky rice! The class was so good I was in shock that I was, in fact, the chef of this great tasting food.

Flower festival 

When we were there, the Chiang Mai flower festival happened to be taking place (typically some time in January/February). This was a fun activity for us, walking amongst the arrays of gorgeous flowers around sunset time. There was also a firework show and a huge night market within the park we could enjoy at the same time as well.

Jing Jai market 

A great weekend spot showcasing local vendors selling food/drinks and beautiful handmade goods.

Phuket - 3 nights

We splurged on a nice resort in Phuket to round out this part of the trip. It’s vacation after all! Here, we (possibly regrettably, but not to us) mostly just enjoyed the resort’s restaurants and pool and didn’t see much of the city itself. After the stress of the past couple months and jam-packed days we’d had so far, the temptation to just chill out was too strong. We are definitely wanting to do that another time/explore another beach town in the south in the future.

Phuket Elephant Sanctuary 

Our one excursion here and one of our favorite parts of the whole trip. It was the first ethical elephant sanctuary in Phuket. 

It was founded with the help of Lek Chailert, a well-known pioneer in a global movement for elephant welfare and conservation, so I felt confident that this would be meaningful. The experience included education about the dark history of elephant tourism and how the sanctuary is rehabilitating these retired working elephants. 

Phuket Elephant Sanctuary has Thailand’s longest canopy walkway, so we could observe the elephants from above. We were also able to walk on the grounds and admire them a little closer up, but with limited interaction. It was an incredibly special experience and grew my love for elephants!

Khon Kaen - 2 nights

Back to Khon Kaen for my very own Bring Your Boyfriend to Work Day! Luckily, my school is super excited about and welcoming of foreign teachers bringing our visitors to school. We woke up bright and early with the first of two school days being my gate duty day, so we spent that morning greeting students and walking some to their classes. He got to meet my students and was very entertaining to them – a highlight for everyone involved. He was also able to sit in on my lessons and pretend to be a teacher. 

Bangkok - 2 nights

We flew to Bangkok after the second day of school so we could spend his last full day doing stuff in the city. That night, however, we got in a little late so we caught a movie at the other major mall, CentralWorld. His last day included a lot of the things we enjoyed doing the first time in Bangkok, with some new awesome restaurants and a stroll through Lumphini Park, where we saw a lot of monitor lizards!

Perfect Balance of Travel & Real Life

Two weeks felt like a great amount of time to experience a lot of Thailand without feeling too rushed. This itinerary allowed us to visit multiple major regions of the country with a mix of culture, nature, and relaxation.

What made this trip so special wasn’t just where we went, but how it fit into my life here. Being able to travel together was the experience of a lifetime, but bringing him into my classroom I spend most of my time in was just as meaningful. A perfect blend of travel and real life. Cheers!