Independent Travel in Thailand: Practical Tips and Planning

Why solo travel to Thailand isn’t scary (and how to make it feel easy)

You’ve made up your mind: Thailand it is. Brilliant choice. Even better—you’re planning it all yourself. You pick how long to stay in each spot, no fixed group schedule, no obligatory tours you don’t care about, just pure freedom. Sounds perfect, right?

But maybe there’s a twinge of worry: what if something goes wrong? You’re in a foreign country, different culture, and you don’t speak the language… then what?

Can I travel to Thailand without an organized tour?

We once stood exactly where you are now, which is why we wrote this post: answers to frequently asked questions and an honest overview of the pros and cons of planning your own trip.

What to expect in this post

• Answers to the most common questions from solo and independent travelers to Thailand
• Concrete tips for safe, stress-free travel

Where do I buy a (cheap) plane ticket to Bangkok?

You can buy a ticket directly from your favorite airline, such as KLM or EVA Air; they offer direct flights from Amsterdam (AMS) to Bangkok (BKK). You can also book via platforms like Skyscanner, which are perfect for comparing prices across airlines. To save money, you can consider adding a stopover.

The airport you’ll most often fly into for Bangkok is the international Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). It’s Bangkok’s main international hub, located about 25–30 km east of the city center.

Bangkok also has Don Mueang International Airport (DMK), which mostly serves budget airlines and regional flights. There are many small airports in Thailand, making it easy to travel quickly between destinations throughout the country.

Tip!

Is Thailand a safe country?

Thailand is generally safe for tourists—the majority of visitors have an easy-going trip—but petty crime and scams are more common in busy tourist areas. You’ll see this, for example, with taxi drivers who refuse to turn on the meter (even though it’s required) or people claiming an attraction is closed and steering you somewhere else where they earn commission. Remember: if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is—and that alone helps you avoid many problems. During our trips, we never felt truly unsafe and were never physically threatened.

Thailand is tourist-friendly and fairly well organized—public transport, guesthouses, and tours are easy to find—but traveling independently does increase your exposure to everyday scams and petty crime. With good preparation (research, up-to-date reviews), you can avoid a lot.

Remember: The Thai people are generally very modest. They will never just ask you on the street where you’re going. They might do this at most in a small hamlet where tourists are normally never seen, and certainly not in fluent English. Simply say “No thank you,” and they’ll know you’re aware; otherwise you’ll get a story like: “This temple is closed, but I know a better one.” Thais are rarely aggressive and will leave you alone.

Planning an itinerary: this way you won’t miss anything

Planning your own travel route in Thailand is super fun: browsing the internet for the most beautiful islands, tours, beaches, nature, and the best restaurants to eat at. Because you don’t want to miss anything, of course!

Do you find it difficult to plan your route? Then take a look at our Thailand travel itinerary or check our complete Thailand Travel guides. They’re full of tips and sample routes you can combine, complete with how to get from A to B, what the most beautiful sights are, and which hotels and restaurants in the area are best.

How do you safely book tours and excursions without a guide?

You’ll usually book a snorkelling, jungle, or cycling tour at a local travel agency — on every island or at any tourist spot you’ll find one every few hundred meters. Prices rarely differ much, so compare reviews across multiple platforms (Tripadvisor, Google, Facebook, and local forums) to make the best choice. You can also book tours online; for example, check out our page with the most beautiful tours in Thailand.

Always ask clearly what is and isn’t included. A tour may look cheaper at first glance, but sometimes the national park fee or the transfer isn’t included and you’ll have to pay those separately — while a slightly more expensive tour does include them. Is a tour much cheaper than others offered in the area? This usually means a larger group or lower‑quality service, less convenient times, etc. Decide whether that matters to you.

How to get from A to B in Thailand — within cities and between islands

If there’s one country in the world where travel is made easy for tourists, it’s Thailand. You can book bus or boat tickets to every corner of the country on almost every street corner. Even easier is using 12Go—these days, it’s the only way we book. You can arrange your train and ferry to, say, Koh Samui from the Netherlands in advance; in fact, you can map out your entire trip yourself if you want to. That way, you organize your whole journey without giving up your freedom. For inspiration, check out our 21-day Thailand itinerary.

With 12Go, you can arrange all your transfers in one go: overnight train tickets to the islands, bus and boat connections, and your train journey to Chiang Mai. Convenient, reliable, and time-saving!

Arrange your own transport and train tickets — Here’s how to do it

You can buy train tickets in Bangkok at the station starting 30 days before departure. Many travel agencies snap up tickets for their clients right away, so second-class sleeper tickets sell out quickly in peak season on popular routes—think Chiang Mai and the southern line for Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Phangan.

12Go buys the tickets for you at the station and, if you want, handles your onward journey by bus and ferry. No more juggling connections, no surprise costs, and no unnecessary waiting. For this service you pay a small commission — usually no more than 100 baht (well under 3 dollars/euros), sometimes even less — and you’re guaranteed a seat, which is especially handy in high season.

How do you book domestic flights yourself?

Flying within Thailand is often dirt cheap—ideal if you want to save time between cities and islands. Popular domestic routes:

• Bangkok ↔ Chiang Mai: fast, comfortable, and plenty of flights each day — perfect if you want to skip the long night train. Or, like many people do, take the train one way and fly back.
• Bangkok ↔ Koh Samui: convenient if you want to head straight to the beaches.
• Bangkok ↔ Phuket: quickly in the most touristic part of Thailand
• Bangkok ↔ Krabi: quick routes to the south and the main jumping-off points for island hopping.

Most booked flight routes in Thailand you can book yourself

(one-way, economy, low season)

• Bangkok (BKK/DMK) → Chiang Mai (CNX)
  • Flight time: 1h 10–1h 20
  • Price range: 900–2,200 THB Approx.: 25–60 USD / 22–55 EUR
• Bangkok → Phuket (HKT)
• Flight time: 1h 20–1h 35
• Price indication: 1,000–2,500 THB Approximately: 28–70 USD / 25–63 EUR
• Bangkok → Koh Samui (USM)
  • Flight time: 1h 10–1h 20 (often BKK to USM)
  • Price indication: 1,500–4,000 THB Approximately: 42–110 USD / 38–100 EUR
• Chiang Mai (CNX) → Phuket (HKT)
  • Flight time: 2h 0–2h 15 (direct)
  • Price indication: 1,800–3,500 THB Approximately: 50–97 USD / 45–88 EUR
• Chiang Mai → Koh Samui (USM)
  • Flight time: 2h 0–2h 30 (direct or via BKK)
  • Price indication: 2,000–4,500 THB Approximately: 55–125 USD / 50–113 EUR
• Bangkok (BKK/DMK) → Surat Thani (URT) — Voor Koh Phangan / Koh Tao
  • Flight time: 1h 10–1h 25
  • Price indication: 900–2,000 THB Approximately: 25–55 USD / 22–50 EUR

Tip!