Slow Travel in Thailand

Flat geometric illustration of a narrow isthmus with sea on two sides, a border gate arch, a wooden longtail boat and cashew fruit, deep teal, mustard and cream

Islands & Beaches

Ranong Is Thirty Minutes From Myanmar and Almost Nobody Has Heard of It

The narrowest point of the Malay peninsula, a border town nobody visits, a cashew island offshore and the gate to liveaboard diving. Why I went and what I found.

Flat geometric illustration of a covered night market lane with food stalls, string lights, a noodle bowl and a stall roof, deep teal, mustard and warm cream

Street Food

Chiang Mai Has Three Night Markets and Only One of Them Is Worth the Taxi

The Night Bazaar is the one everybody photographs and the Sunday Walking Street is the one everybody should actually be on. Here is the difference, with opening hours.

Flat geometric illustration of a map of Thailand split into weather zones, a bright sun, a rain cloud, green paddy terraces and grey haze, in teal, mustard, terracotta and cream

Slow Travel

Thailand Has a Season for Everything, and You Are Choosing One Right Now

The monsoon is not a national thing. It hits the Andaman in May and the Gulf in November, the air is worst in March, and the month you pick decides which country you actually visit.

Flat geometric illustration of a small speedboat cutting across a wide bay to a green island with a sandbar, piers and no buildings, deep teal, mustard and cream

Islands & Beaches

Koh Yao Noi: No Cars, 400 Baht From Phuket, and the Ferry Stops at Five

The one Andaman island where the jet skis cannot get in. How to reach it, what it costs, what to do on a beach that changes shape twice a day, and the honest verdict.

Flat illustration of a mountain ridge, a river gorge, a forest canopy and a trail marker post, deep teal and gold

Slow Travel

Thailand Has Twenty-Five National Parks and You Should Only Visit One

The famous ones are crowded, the remote ones are a day of driving, and the one you want depends entirely on whether you want a hike or a swim.

Flat illustration of a map with three location pins, a compass, a plane and a suitcase, deep teal and gold

Slow Travel

Choosing Where to Live in Thailand Is Choosing Which Country You Are In

Every base in this country optimises for something different and nothing optimises for everything. The decision is not a preference, it is a personality test.

Abstract illustration of a wok, a mortar and pestle, and a noodle bowl in deep teal, gold and coral

Street Food

Seven Days in Chiang Mai on 300 Baht a Day

I tracked every baht for seven days in Chiang Mai eating the way a local eats: morning khao kha moo, midday curry, evening noodles. The number that surprised me was not the food. It was the coffee.

Abstract illustration of coins, a market stall and a noodle bowl arranged in a calm geometric still life, deep teal and gold

Money & Costs

What Thailand Actually Costs in 2026

Every cost-of-Thailand article quotes the same four numbers, and none of them come from anyone who paid rent. Here is a month I actually spent, broken down.

Abstract illustration of a suitcase, a motorbike helmet and a temple spire in a calm travel still life, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Twenty Things Nobody Tells You Before You Land in Thailand

The motorbike rental counter is the most profitable scam in the country and almost everyone gets caught by it, because the warning is always in a language you do not speak at that moment.

Abstract illustration of rain over a mountain silhouette and a lit window, in deep teal and gold

Slow Travel

I Moved to Chiang Mai in the Rainy Season. It Was the Right Call.

Everyone tells you not to come in the rainy season. I came in June because the room was 4,000 baht instead of 9,000, and stayed for two years. The rain is not what people think it is.

Flat illustration of a scooter parked outside a rental shop with a passport and a set of keys on the counter, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

The Motorbike Deposit Scam, and the Two Words That End It

I have watched a man lose 8,000 baht in eleven minutes over a photocopy, and I have seen the same argument end in thirty seconds because he said 'photo first'.

Flat illustration of a hazy Chiang Mai skyline with a temple spire and mountains behind, clearing to clear blue sky, deep teal and gold

Slow Travel

Chiang Mai in October: The Two Weeks Everyone Waits For

The smoke clears in the first week of October and the city changes character completely. The two weeks either side of that are the worst of the year.