Thailand

Thailand holds a special place in our hearts. The Land of Smiles was the first place we ever travelled to in Asia and the country that inspired us to quit our lives in London to travel the world indefinitely. Since then Thailand has become our Asian home and we’ve returned time and time again to explore the jungles and mountains in the north, sun-soaked southern islands and bustling cities. We’ve lived in Chiang Mai as digital nomads and travelled the country as backpackers. Here are our travel stories and experiences from Thailand.

Back in the not-so-distant past, when Covid was keeping borders firmly shut and planes grounded, I used to dream of Southeast Asia. I’d try to recall, as vividly as possible, the soupy heat and mosaiced temples; passion-fruit shakes and foot massages; the bath-water beaches and macaque-filled forests. More than that, I longed for the feeling I only get from being in Asia, the endless freedom...

We’re itching to get back to Asia when travel finally returns so, when the Tourism Authority of Thailand asked us to share memories of our time in the Land of Smiles as part of their #ThrowbackThailand campaign, we were happy to oblige. With that in mind, here’s a look back at our experiences volunteering in Thailand and projects we’d love to volunteer with in the...

Imagine thousands of paper lanterns, lit by flickering candles, floating into the night sky against a full moon. This moving spectacle is the highlight of Thailand’s Yi Peng festival, which we celebrated around this time two years ago. Here’s a look at some more top Thai celebrations, from the famous Songkran water festival to the Full Moon Party and Loy Krathong.
As the year draws to a close and we prepare to leave for South America in January, it’s time to take a look at our 2017 travel roundup. I feel incredibly blessed to have enjoyed yet another year full of new experiences, adventures and travel. In 2017, we managed to live in Thailand, trek to Everest Base Camp, explore Sri Lanka and road-trip around Europe. We got married, went vegan, continued to earn a living remotely and, of course, blogged about it all.

So, it happened. This week we said a very sad goodbye to our life in Chiang Mai. Two days and three delayed flights later we arrived in Nepal’s dusty, chaotic capital city, Kathmandu. Even though our lives are more transient than the average person’s, I still find change hard, especially when I’m moving on from a place that I love. So, on the first night in this strange new city, I’m not ashamed to admit that I shed a few homesick tears for Chiang Mai.

Sawadee Pee Mai – Happy New Year! Last week we celebrated Songkran, the Thai New Year Festival, which is also known as the world’s largest water fight. Here in Chiang Mai, the streets were flooded with people wielding neon water guns for three days of partying, parades, Buddhist ceremonies and watery fun. This was our second Songkran experience and we’re so glad to be ending our time here in Chiang Mai with a splash (we leave for Nepal next week!)
The stormy afternoon sky dissolved into a fiery sunset that painted the clouds neon orange. Despite being in Thailand for almost eight months, this was the first time we’d sat on a beach and felt the sand between our toes. We watched a fisherman row to shore as the sun sunk slowly into the Andaman Sea and congratulated ourselves on choosing Koh Lanta as the destination for our final Thailand holiday before we jet off to Nepal at the end of the month.
Our final Thai visa run took us back to our former home in Vietnam’s hectic capital, Hanoi.  We relished the chance to hang out in our old city while painlessly applying for our final Thailand tourist visa before we head to Nepal in May. Here’s everything you need to know about applying for a visa at the Thai embassy in Hanoi, including the address, cost and what documents you’ll need.
Things are hotting up in Chiang Mai, quite literally. As temperatures hit 38 degrees, we’ve had to switch on our air conditioning and start avoiding the scorching midday sun again. That’s how we found ourselves rising at 6am last weekend to trek in the relative morning cool up the Monk’s Trail, a forested path marked with orange monk-robe cloth, which snakes up Suthep Mountain.