19 Tips for Tavelling to Thailand with Kids
We already knew a lot about Thailand, having lived there and travelled multiple times before. We knew what to expect and felt we were prepared to travel to Thailand with kids.
Before we left on our most recent trip we shared our thoughts on planning a trip to Thailand with kids, which is a helpful guide to anyone taking on this adventure.
However, we also discovered there are some things about travelling in Thailand with kids we weren’t prepared for.
Thailand with Kids – 19 Lessons we Learned
1. Get a direct flight to Thailand. We flew from Sydney via Kuala Lumpur (4 hour wait) and it was too long a journey for the girls and an unnecessary extra leg of travel each way. Sorry Air Asia, but I think our “long haul” relationship with you is over. Yes, you were cheaper, BUT next time we will fly direct and pay the extra.
2. Try and time it so you arrive at your children’s bed time or before. We FINALLY checked in to our hotel in Bangkok at 2am (Australian time). This was a little too much for the girls to handle.
3. Make your first day after arrival a relaxing day. Going to the very busy Grand Palace the morning after an extremely long day of travel and tiring flight was the recipe for a meltdown in the most important temple in Bangkok.
4. If you can, save Bangkok until the end of your journey when the kids have adjusted to Thai culture. Bangkok can be a little too full-on for a young, fresh-to-the-country mind to absorb. Plus, you won’t have to carry all your “shopping purchases” around with you.
5. Allow for several days before your children adjust to the change in time, temperature and culture.
6. Only do one big activity a day and make it in the morning while they are fresh. Relax more in the afternoon.
7. Take an umbrella stroller, they will be lighter and easier to move around the crazy, uneven streets.
8. Save money for a taxi to and from the airport in Bangkok into Siam if flying with Air Asia which operates out of the old Don Mueang airport. (approx 500 – 600 baht). It is worth the spend.
Having to get the shuttle bus from the airport to Chit Lom sky train station, and then into the city can be a hassle. Not all sky train stations have escalators, and it can be hot, or raining, and tiring with your kiddies and all your luggage.
9. For toddlers, make sure you check your hotel room has baby cots, unless you co-sleep. It is not common and you don’t want to be chasing a toddler around the room at 4am.
10. For short-term holidays, plan to go to just one or two places. Moving around a lot is too taxing for your children and you.
11. Most baby essentials are easy to find across the country, but if you or your child is fussy to a certain brand then pack enough supplies.
12. It’s rare to find a seat belt, let alone a baby car seat in Thailand. Be prepared to wrestle your toddler the whole trip, or bring your own car seat if you are that concerned (not sure how you will go hooking it up though!). If you are travelling in a van or a bus, you may be lucky enough to have enough space to pop in your pram with baby strapped inside (what we did).
13. You’ll be able to find Western food easily enough, but if you want your child’s taste buds to explore then we recommend Pad Thai or Pad See Ew as an easy way to start. Other foods might be a little too spicy for your child’s stomach You can ask for a dish to be not too spicy (nid noi) which means little bit in Thai.
Pad See Ew
14. Keep your children hydrated with plenty of water. 7/11 stores are EVERYWHERE and you can buy bottled water for 7 baht. Fresh coconuts, if they like the flavour, is great for hydration (and cheap 20-40 baht).
15. Duck into shopping malls, 7/11 stores or even Starbucks for a little AC cool down. This can really help your child readjust to the heat and give them a break. Hot children can turn into cranky ones fast.
16. If you are staying in a hotel, they often have babysitting and kids club services. And the Thai’s are GREAT with kids. Use it once or twice for a break.
17. Have lazy beach or pool days or mornings / afternoons so they can relax and have fun.
18. Involve your children in activities they will enjoy. There are plenty of fun things for kids to do. Kalyra loved doing the cooking class with me and she was fascinated learning about preparing coconut and rice and of course drinking Thai condensed milk tea and coconut milk sweets. She also loved getting her hair braided.
19. Be prepared for your children to be adored by the Thai people. i.e Picked up, cuddled, photos taken of them, and playing games with them to allow you a moment to breathe!
Have you visited Thailand with kids?
What tips can you share in the comments?
Caz
Caz Makepeace is the co-founder of y Travel Blog and has been traveling and living around the world since 1997, first solo, then with her husband, and now with her two daughters. Don't miss her 9 best tips to help you travel more. Follow her on Google+
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17 comments on “19 Tips for Tavelling to Thailand with Kids”
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Hi! We’re Caz and Craig…
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Yes I have, we did Bangkok, Koh Samet, Ayuthaya and Hua Hin this time last year. We had a great time, no problems with anything. The boys did get very fed up of being pinched and poked by child obsessed Thais a few times. Bangkok was fine for us, as you say, we went early to the big attractions and came back to our guest house for a rest and a play in the afternoon. We also took them to Dusit Zoo, that was a winner. No problems with trains or transport at all, the boys loved them, even when we were delayed for 4 hours. They were Tuk Tuk crazy too.
The tuk tuks are so much fun for kids. Kalyra loved riding around in one.
You went to some lovely, quiet areas, except Bangers of course!!
We used to go to Hua Hin for the weekends when we lived in Bangkok, we loved it there.
We take our girls there every year and love it so much!
You’re so right about doing the one big activity in the morning. I also find that if you’re staying somewhere with a pool, letting them swim in the morning before the activity is essential, otherwise they’ll nag all day until they do.
We swim between 8.30-9.30 then head out on adventure, making sure to be back by 3.30pm before the almost certain rain.
The heat of the day is best spent in shopping centres with them I find.
Also, if they are getting too tired and fractious, my magic wand tip is to take them for a massage. We all go together and within a couple of minutes they are sleeping in the chairs beside you while you’re relaxing to your hearts content. MAGIC!
Great tips Candice! We did let Kalyra swim early in the morning a couple of times to escape the day long nagging too!! Makes such a difference.
Love the massage idea- will try that one next time. We had a massage while Kalyra had her hair braided. She loved that and so did we
Great tips, I agree with all of these! Even though we don’t have any kids these are good overall tips for travelers! We were there in March which is the hottest month, and boy was it! We were at 7/11 every hour for either water or a Chang! We landed at 945 Bangkok time so we went to bed at midnight and were fine when we woke up, after the 21 hour worth of flights we were ready for bed! This coming December we are flying from Sydney to Bangkok and have that layover in KL but only 2.5 hrs but we also don’t have any kids…Great tips again!
We used to love 7/11 for our regular dose of air conditioned 5 minute comfort. That time of the year is stifling in Thailand.
I think the layover in KL is fine without kids. We would have managed it okay. It’s just far too long for them and for our sanity!
Agree 100% with all of your tips. Taking advantage of the time difference and doing activities in the morning when it’s cooler was key for us. Taking the afternoon off and snoozing or playing in the pool and then going out for dinner was plenty of “activity” for the rest of the day. We quite often ended up running out for takeaway or street food and eating out of plastic bags on our bed because even dinner was a bit much sometimes. Bring or buy a plastic bowl and spoon.
We loved the movies in Thailand. They were so cheap and a great way to cool off and have a break from walking around.
Yeah we did the Thai takeaway on the first evening when Kalyra started a meltdown on the streets.
time to go!!
The movies are so great in Thailand. We love the King’s song. Although sometimes they can be a little too cold
Such great tips! Bookmarking this page.
I have not travelled with my children to Thailand, but three quarters of these tips apply to adults as well, especially first time visitors to Asia.
These are great ideas for Asian travel with kids that could make the difference between a stressed out holiday and a pleasant peaceful one.
Agree with Jan, lots of really usefl tips that apply to adults here as well. Can’t agree enough though about doing trips/sightseeing etc in the mornings when the kids are fresh. Hot, sticky, grumpy afternoons are no fun for anyone.
Oh no those afternoons are the worst. You definitely want to be close by to a pool and a glass of wine!
Great Post. We (my son and i) are heading to BKK in under a week for a 4 month stint between thailand and Vietnam as part of our 12 rtw trip.
The pre-travel jitters have set in and the nerves of it all too but reading this post has been a great way to remember that practicality goes a long way. Its also reminded me of really how wonderful it will be…warts and all!
Thanks for re-inspiring me in my pre-jetting jitters!
Oh my pleasure! And thank you. This is exactly why we write posts like this to help others feel equipped and empowered to make their travels the best they can be. Enjoy your time, you will LOVE it!
Great to see you exploring the world with your family. Different challenges as they get older, but kids learn so much.
ciao
Simon
Huge list of great tips here. A lot of these are really good tips for ANYONE (not just families) going to ANY DESTINATION. Especially the tips about just relaxing and keeping your cool.
People often want to pack as much as possible into a trip. Moderation can be a good thing. Enjoy yourselves. Take your time.
Travel is a “leisure” pursuit. Be leisurely.
Holidays don’t always have to be fast-paced scavenger hunts… where you’re just rushing through a checklist and getting red faced in the process. (Though there is room for fast-paced travel in the world too… It’s just not for everyone, all the time.)
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