I recently wrote this up for a friend and thought I would share.
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So, here’s what I would do in Southeast Asia w/ 30 days:
Notes:
A: This is set up as “beach first”, but could easily be reversed.
B: This is a macro view, you can easily google things to do in each place, or even just figure it out when you get there.
C: My rec is to try to visit Cambodia as well, because Angkor Wat is a truly beautiful and incredible place.
D: When we did this, we didn’t have anything pre-booked. We’d just roll up to a place and figure out accommodations and TTD while there. This wasted some time, but gave us a lot of flexibility to stay longer or leave earlier.
1. Fly straight to Phuket, via BKK. Plan to spend a week or so in the south. Pick an island (or two) and hang out there for a few days or the whole week. We liked Ko Lanta and Ko Ngai, but these are further south and less developed. (We were coming from south and had been traveling Asia for almost a month.) Phuket has an airport and might be a good starting place for you guys, thought it’s pretty big. Also consider Ko Phi-Phi and Ko Samui. Check out Krabi town and the nearby beaches. Take a rock climbing class with the kids, snorkel, kayak, etc.
2. Take the train up to Bangkok. Spend five days to a week there, less if you don’t like big cities. Do all the major tourist stuff: Grand Palace, Wat Po, river cruise, etc. Get a Thai massage at wat po. Ride the metro. Visit a local mall, e.g. MBK. Visit the floating market.
3. Make your way up to Ayutthaya, eg by bus. (Note, it was flooded out a few years back, check to see if it’s been cleaned up.) Visit the temple complex there. (Rent bikes.) Couple days max.
4. Take the train to Pitsanulok. Spend a day or two there roaming around. I don’t recall any huge draw but it is good to break up the trip to Chiang Mai and is a very “untouristy” town. Check out the cock museum .
5. Take the train to Chiang Mai. Plan to spend four days to a week there. CM is a great “chill spot” to hang out. Take an all-day cooking class that starts with a market tour. There are some cool wats (temples) there. Don’t miss the night market.
6. Find a way to get to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Looks like the four of you can fly AirAsia via Kuala Lumpur (worth a stop if you have the time for $550, or to do on the cheap take the train back to BKK and arrange ground transport to the cambodia border and from there to siem reap. You can probably do for under $100 roughing it or under $200 in “relative” comfort. Plan to spend at least 3 days in SR. Visit the market in SR.
7. Take the boat from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. The kids will love the ride. Visit the palace, the Killing Fields, S21, the central market. If you’re into this, you can go to the shooting range and fire a machine gun or even an RPG. Couple days here is fine.
8. Fly from Phnom Penh to your next destination via BKK, KUL, SIN or whatever, or if you can’t get enough of Asia, change your plans and take a boat down the Mekong Delta to Saigon!
