Travelling in Thailand with Kids–a Brief Practical Guide and Tips

A Trip to the Tropics 

Of course everyone is eager for the warm weather and sunshine (except for the Thais)–but here we are talking about the kind of tropical, humid heat that can gradually creep up on you and can wear you down despite your best intentions. 

We are talking about different levels of feeling hot & bothered here–aggravated even–by the incessant and overbearing temperatures which are part & parcel of a trip to the tropics for many people. 

Of course not everyone is affected that way. Many seasoned travellers are able to take it more in their stride–but add a few other potential ‘spanners in the works’ that tend to come to the unprepared, and you could be on the way to the holiday from hell–or at least one with similar temperatures!. 

The heat is incessant and sometimes things don’t work properly or always go to plan. So it’s worth considering the various ways you are able to maintain a cool head in rising temperatures–whether it’s moving much more slowly than normal, carrying a pocket fan, chain-smoking, or reciting a Buddhist mantra. 

You can ponder the prospect of many a family trip to Thailand that soon winds up log-jammed in a boiling hot afternoon taxi scenario with hot/hungry/tired/irritable/(you name it) little ones in tow while the vehicle chews its way through a 2-hour stationary traffic jam in an ill-planned taxi ride.

This is why you need to come prepared and not be too eager to get caught out by the seemingly endless gamut of unexpected eventualities that often come with foreign travel for those who didn’t get themselves clued-up in advance. 

Expect the Unexpected

Most unexpected eventualities encountered in Thailand are often just that–unexpected. So unless you know the place like the back of your hand the best advice is often to leave any preconceptions about how things are at home and be prepared for a spot of adaptability here and there. 

The main thing to bear in mind is that Thailand is still in many ways a developing country–often with startling contrasts. For instance one minute you might encounter a vast, state-of-the-art, air-conditioned shopping complex, the next a chain of minor frustrations with things like:

• Communication (language barrier)
• Transactions/Payments/Change etc
• Accessibility (for pushchairs and such like)
• Transportation issues
• Potentially dangerous situations (like motorbikes driving at you on the footpath, etc., etc.)

TIP 1: Being able to adapt to different temperatures, habits, and manners– particularly in terms of transportation or generally getting around–will go a long way towards helping you get the most from your visit when you have the kids in tow. 

TIP 2: The ability to navigate potential accessibility issues (if there are any pushchairs or such like along on the trip) is also a plus. Just being prepared (like having folding or collapsible buggies) and expecting the unexpected will instil a sense of resilience rather than despair, which is often exactly the thing to have in order to stay ‘in the flow’ of a trip to Thailand.

Transport–Getting Around

Although it depends a lot on the area you decide to stay in, this is the biggie for many families heading to Thailand. It may be especially an issue for anyone staying in the capital with really young children, who finds the chaos of the bustling inner-city metro systems anything but family-friendly (during rush hours –otherwise great and very cool inside).

Staying in beach resort areas like Phuket and even Hua Hin you’ll find the local transportation options and fares pretty fixed. Even short journeys are not cheap (cheap compared to western prices tough) on the islands but there is often little other option unless you hire your own vehicle to be prepared for that.

Options (Bangkok) 

The BTS Skytrain and the MRT Subway are modern and still-expanding systems covering the majority of the main areas in the Bangkok Metropolis. They are mostly efficient and quick cross-city transportation methods. In all honesty though they aren’t that family-friendly during busy periods when they are probably best avoided (think two packs of sardines both crammed into the same tin). 

With complaints of constant price hikes and an average ticket costing around 40 baht per person, these methods are not the most cost-efficient way to traverse the area when there are more than one or two of you either and could soon add up for a family of five.   

Other Options and Areas 

• Buses in Thailand are not impossible to use and they are quite cheap–but they are generally not geared-up for non-Thai passengers and are another thing to avoid during rush hours or busy periods. Forget them in Bangkok but for longer trips the pre-booked buses and coaches are an OK way to see different areas.
• Taxis are not without issues but this is slowly being remedied by the next option.
• Transport Apps like Grab and more recently Bolt along with a growing number of others have solved many previous issues common to regular taxis. This could be the need for fare negotiations, communication problems, and the driver not knowing the route.
• Grab is without doubt the most family-friendly and user-friendly way of organising, booking, and paying for a pick-up and drop-off from preselected destinations. This has made a massive difference even for visitors to Thailand who can now easily avoid potential previous common issues with transport as well as making home food delivery really simple. 

TIP: Take the lead politely in situations that don’t quite feel right and avoid looking like the clueless ‘frightened deer’ in the headlamps of the predatory-type taxis and tour operators.

What You Might Need to Bring

Patience, adaptability, and open-mindedness will certainly be some of the best assets to have when travelling to Thailand with kids. Aside from that you may need health insurance etc. Be sure of what you need and what you are covered for exactly before travelling by checking current requirements on your country-specific government website.

It might be an idea to bring along any usually-taken medicines likely to be required. That said, Thai pharmacies are pretty well-stocked and you’ll find one on virtually every street corner, although sometimes they’ll give you a locally-produced version of the medicine you require depending on stock. 

If you need a hospital generally the only realistic option for a foreigner is an international hospital and although the quality is generally high the fees are astronomical. The alternative is a local state hospital with incredibly long queues and little chance of any other language than Thai being spoken. 

Also consider downloading all the apps that may prove useful during your stay–most notably Grab for transport and food deliveries and a decent map navigation app. 

Popular Family-Friendly and Fun Destinations

Thailand is in many ways a kind of ‘get out of it what you put into it’ experience, so the preferred destinations will vary from family to family. 

Admittedly a lot of families (quite rightly) base their complete trip around one of the scenic southern island destinations–four of which feature here. Some of them like Phuket and Samui are easy to access as you can fly directly to their airports, while Koh Lanta and Railay Beach will take a little more adventure to get to if opting for the incredibly scenic southern region of Krabi, with the possibility of large and small ferries being necessary.

Other visiting families with slightly older children up for adventure may find it better to seek a mountainous northern location where the scenery is stunning and outdoor activities abound. This is easy enough as Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai also both have airports. 

Both Koh Chang and Hua Hin are within a couple of hours’ reach of Bangkok if you fancy checking out the capital or combining different spots during your trip. While these two places don’t quite compare beach-wise to the southern locations, they are still easy-to-reach in combination with other inland areas of Thailand.

• Phuket
• Koh Chang
• Koh Samui
• Ao Nang and Railay Beach
• Hua Hin
• Koh Lanta
• Chiang Mai

When to Visit

You and the kiddies may well be ready for some fun in the sun, but it’s worth bearing in mind that even the locals don’t go out much during the hot hot summer months here. 

The heat and overbearing humidity are quite frankly too much for many visitors and it takes the fun out of many holidays when temperatures peak in the 40s. This means a perpetually slowed-down, foggy, uncomfortable and sweat-stained affair for those taken by surprise. 

The months between March and May are typically the hottest of the year–specifically April when the cooling and slightly crazy Songkran water festival takes place. Many younger visitors might come at this time specifically to get involved in the fun, although it’s not the best family scenario in the world and is probably best avoided by most visitors with young families.

So the best time to visit s most likely to be somewhere between November and early March before the really humid temperatures start to close in. There’s no real winter in Thailand although those familiar with the temperatures will find it noticeably cooler (as in comfortably hot) between November and January.

Accessibility for Prams & Pushchairs

Although huge improvements have been made over recent years to improve access with things like lifts and ramps in public areas like transport and malls. But it’ll be a while before Thailand will have that kind of development covered nationwide. 

Until then you’ll still likely encounter the odd situation here and there that proves frustrating–like when you simply have no other option but to lug everything up an elevator–or even worse the stairs! 

But again much of this will depend where you are staying (i.e. beach, city, mountain regions, etc.), what kind of accommodation you have booked, and what kind of other arrangements you are likely to have made or intend to make (like private transportation etc).

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day a trip to Thailand with the family can create lifetime memories for many visitors, many of whom will most likely return again. The main point to be made here is that Thailand is still developing, which means a little care needs to be taken here and there. 

That means above all else a sense of awareness and developed intuition is going to be your best ally–along with patience and adaptability like you never knew you had in you. All the ingredients you need for some fun in the sun in the tropics and an all-round great trip!