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Traveling in Thailand
Once outside of Bangkok travelling around Thailand is very easy and very comfortable. Low cost airlines now go to all major destinations, buses are frequent, comfortable and cheap and the train system gives you a taste of old world grandeur.
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The road system in Thailand is excellent. All major towns are served by well maintained highways of two to eight lanes. In Bangkok, once off the toll ways, the roads become congested, but in the rest of the country getting around by road is swift and easy.
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Buses are the primary form of inter destination transport within Thailand. The network is extensive, very well run and very inexpensive. There are various classes of long distance buses but in reality the service on all is good. The only real problem is that on some routes videos of dubious value will be played at ear splitting volume. Another point to bear in mind is that the air conditioning is usually on at full capacity so it's worth bringing a sweater. If it's rainy season this is doubly true since the combination of wet clothing and four hours on an air conditioned bus could actually be a serious danger to health.
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There are three major train lines in Thailand. One goes north to Chiang Mai via Nakhon Sawan. The other goes north east ending at Nong Khai. The third heads south to Malaysia via the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. The journey time to both Chiang Mai and Nong Khai is between ten and thirteen hours. To the town of Had Yai on the southern border is further. Travelling by train in Thailand is a very sociable and civilized experience. There are a number of different classes but for the tourist travelling over night it is the decision to travel aircon or non aircon that is most pressing. In the hot season between April and July air conditioning makes sense although it is always at maximum power so come prepared for the arctic. In cool, late rainy season and through the cool season from August to late February there is no pressing reason to travel with aircon since the breeze through the carriages is quite cool enough.
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For daytime journeys you can book a reclining chair seat. Trains are far slower than buses but they are also more pleasant. You can walk about, have a meal in the restaurant car (which on at least one major route is converted to a late night disco by entrepreneurial staff) or watch the world drift rhythmically by.
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Taking internal flights is very easy. They can be booked on the internet or by phone or you can simply turn up at the airport before departure as you would when taking a bus. There are now budget carriers, such as Airasia and Nok Air in addition to Thai Airways. If you are flying to or from Bangkok be sure to check whether you will be using the new airport at Suvarnabhumi or the old airport at Don Muang which is still used for domestic flights.
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Although the symbol of Thailand is often said to be the tuk tuk, in reality the real beast of burden all over the country is the humble, step through motorcycle. The Honda dream is usually the family vehicle where ever you go. There will also always be motorcycle taxi drivers in all towns who can ferry you short distances for a few baht. For longer distances they can be quite frightening because they often like to drive fast.
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Also in most towns there are 'songthaews', meaning 'two rows'. These are open vans with two facing bench seats inside. They ply set routes and can simply be hailed.
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There are different kinds of tuks tuks depending on where you go in Thailand. Mostly they will be the usual smoke belching, noisy three wheeled vehicle that Thailand is famous for worldwide. There are variations though. Ayuthaya has its own retro designed fleet of vehicles looking like something from a fifties sci-fi movie and in Sakeow province they are designed almost like Roman chariots attached to a sawn off motorcycle.
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If you want to drive yourself then car hire is no problem subject to the usual conditions that apply internationally. Driving in Bangkok can be wearing on the nerves but once outside, apart from the Thai predilection for speed, driving is generally straightforward enough. As with the UK, in Thailand they drive on the left.
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About The Author
Alex Smith maintains and manages the Cheap Thailand Travel website at http://www.cheapthaitravel.com - All of the materials on this site are the sole property and responsibility of Cheapthaitravel.com. This material may not be reproduced in any form without express written permission.
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