CUSTOMIZE

Thailand Family Tour: Your Most Comfortable & Ultimate Travel Guide in Thailand

Are you worrying about travelling to Thailand with kids? We can help you with that. If you'd like to dip your toe in the water of Asian family travel, taking kids to Thailand would be my top recommendation. Because Thailand is a well established travel destination and because of the modern, developed nature of much of the country, Thailand with kids is no sweat at all.

Why the kids will love Thailand

Best Regions for Kids

Eastern Seaboard & Ko Chang

Shallow seas are kind to young swimmers and the low evening tides make for good beach-combing. Older children will like the interior jungle, elephant interactions and mangrove kayaking.

Upper Gulf

Hua Hin has a long sandy coastline for pint-sized marathons, and hillside temples for monkey-spotting. Phetchaburi's cave temples are home to bats.

Ko Samui & Lower Gulf

Ko Samui, especially its northern beaches, is a hit with pram-pushers and toddlers, while Hat Chaweng is social, commercial and ideal for teens. Older children can snorkel at Ko Tao.

Phuket & Andaman Coast

Phuket has amusements galore (including great surf schools), though steer clear of the Patong party scene. There are at least a dozen islands along this coast where families can frolic in the sea.

Chiang Mai

Families come in droves during European summer holidays to expose their kids to culture, zipline among the gibbons and cycle about town.

What to do

Attention Seekers

Small foreign children are instant celebrities in Thailand and attract paparazzi-like attention. Babies do surprisingly well with their new-found stardom, soaking up adoration from gruff taxi drivers who transform into loving uncles wanting to play a game of peekaboo (called 'já ăir'). If you've got a babe in arms, food vendors will often hold the child while you eat, or take the child for a brief stroll to visit the neighbours.

If your children are shy, stick to tourist centres instead of trotting off to far-flung places where foreigners, especially children, will attract attention. A polite way to deflect spectators is to say the child is 'shy' ('kîi ai'). Older children should be safe from Thai attention.

City Hassles

Some kids might get nervous about the natural chaos of Thai cities and the confusion that arises from being in a new place and having to negotiate transport. Consider giving your children a role in travel planning: reading the map, setting up an itinerary or carrying the water bottles. You're moulding future travellers.

Thai cities can also be claustrophobic and the heat can make it hard to wear out energetic children. Staying at a hotel or resort with a pool will give the kids enough exercise not to bounce off the proverbial walls.

Eating with Kids

In Thailand, the vagaries of children's food preferences are further complicated by a cuisine known for its spiciness. Luckily, even Thai children are shielded from chillies and there are a handful of child-friendly dishes that every server can recommend. Because of the heat, remember to keep your little ones well hydrated, either with water or a variety of fruit juices, including fresh young coconuts or lime juice (a surprising hit with kids).

Health & Safety

More Relative Post