Visit Thailand Now!

If you have ever considered visiting Thailand, go now!  Over the last couple decades, Thailand has become a hot spot for tourism.  From backpackers looking for bustling streets lined with clubs, vendors, and street food carts to families in search of pristine beaches, Thailand has drawn some major crowds.  Although Thailand was one of the first (and still one of the only) Asian countries open to tourists, the mountains of red tape one has to jump through to get there and the ever-present mental threat of testing positive for COVID and getting stuck in a foreign country has kept the tourists away.  This fact had a profound impact on our experience as tourists in Thailand.  Aside from a small scattering of Europeans at our hotel in Bangkok, we saw almost zero western tourists during our time there.  This had several downstream effects, some good and some bad. 

The effects of COVID on the tourist experience

1. All of the major tourist attractions were nearly empty. 

I had seen photos of the Grand Palace filled with so many tourists one could barely walk and we still had to walk along the winding path to enter the palace that was clearly designed to accommodate thousands of visitors a day, but, when we signed in at the Grand Palace around 9:30 AM, we were the 20-24th visitors for the day.  We strolled leisurely through the palace and took our time marvelling at the Emerald Buddha in complete serenity. 

When we visited the summer palace and its hundreds of acres of manicured grounds, we were the only visitors there.  It was just us and the groundskeepers.  In the ancient temple of Ayutthaya, we walked right up to the Buddha head growing into the roots of a tree that people normally wait in line an hour to take a short turn sitting for a selfie with.  This had the effect of making all of these amazing sites much more magical for us.  I can easily imagine these experiences being ruined by massive, pushy, sweaty crowds of people and we did not have that experience.  

2. The markets, famous backpacker streets, restaurants, and clubs that exist because of the tourist industry are either closed or running on a shoestring budget and nearly empty. 

All of our experiences visiting these types of places were disappointing.  The crowded, vibrant, bustling nature of these places are part of their appeal.  Seeing them nearly empty and devoid of life was sad.  With COVID mutating and still running rampant throughout the world, it will be a very long time until these places return to their former glory, if they ever do.  Skip these experiences.  Take our advice, do not spend an hour waiting on boats and walking to get to one of these places only to find them empty and seriously disappointing. 

3. Restaurants have suffered severely. 

Many lists of the best restaurants to try in Bangkok were completely irrelevant and outdated.  The previously thriving restaurants that depended on tourism couldn’t possibly continue to survive during COVID.  As a result, we sadly struggled through some very mediocre meals in a city that is known for amazing food.  Oddly, our best food successes were discovered in shopping malls, hotels, and after getting restaurant recommendations from someone who actually lived in Bangkok during the time of COVID.  

4. As a tourist, you will be treated well and everyone will be extra happy to see you.

Although there were some downsides, overall, visiting Bangkok without the crowds was well worth it.  I can only imagine how awesome the beaches and sights in Northern Thailand are with no tourists as well.  

Tips for visiting Bangkok during COVID

1. Very thoroughly read and follow the requirements for entering the country during COVID. Study them months in advance, check them again a month out, check them again two weeks out and begin filling out your documents at that point, and then check them again a week before, three days before, and the day before you leave.  They change abruptly and often.  You can’t be too thorough and organized.  The requirements changed 4 times in the two months leading up to our trip and the final change was only 5 days before our trip.  I am not going to go into the specific here of what we had to do to get in, because they have likely already changed again.  All of that being said, the process went smoothly and as expected.

2. Look for deals.  We got an incredible deal on a 5 star hotel in Bangkok (The Millennium) and it was so nice to have a killer, clean hotel as our oasis there.  Agoda.com is a good source for hotels in Asia.

3. Visit the tourist sights that are supported by and maintained by the government rather than those that are dependent on the effects of the free market.  Think temples, museums, and palaces.

4. Visit the large shopping malls. I’m normally not a shopping mall kind of gal, but the malls in Bangkok are something totally new to me, with cool art and interesting architecture. Furthermore, these were somehow still thriving.  Iconsiam was immediately beside our hotel and our single favorite spot in Bangkok. 

The first floor has an Epcot version of a Thai market with multiple street food style vendors. I’m not sure how these are still surviving, but I am guessing they must either be supported by someone with deep pockets or the government. Similarly, centralworld and the Siam center were still thriving and had a huge selection of delicious and affordable food options.

5. Before planning a visit to a market or previously bustling street, ask yourself, “is this a place that requires a crowd for the full experience?”  If the answer is “yes” save it for post-COVID times. 

6. Bring lots of masks.  People in Bangkok were religious about wearing masks.  I’m all for masks in crowds and indoors, but, in Bangkok, everyone wears a mask everywhere and you will feel oddly out of place if you do not.

And one more final list…our favorite things in and around Bangkok that are better or, at least still good, post COVID.

1. The Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  It’s a must.  It’s amazing.

2. Wat Arun. With its ceramic facade, it is beautiful and different from the other temples.

3. Wat Pho.  Impressive reclining Buddha and we loved putting coins in the 108 bowls and banging the gong.

4. Iconsiam first floor market.  All the food was sooo delicious and safe to eat.  This is the Epcot version of Thai street food and perfectly authentic enough for me.

5. The Siam Museum.  Really unique and interactive museum with cool, technology-heavy exhibits for kids that attempts to define the “Thai identity”.

6. Day trip to Ayutthaya.  We hired a guide and driver for this one and it was totally worth it.  Again, having these ancient sites to ourselves was magical.  The golden Buddha in Wat Phanan Choeng was our favorite.

7. Taking boats on the river.  The Chao Praya tourist boat is nice because you can buy a day pass and get on and off as many times as you want, however, the other lines are more cost effective and also pleasant if you are only going to be riding once or twice a day.

8. A short Tuk Tuk ride.  You need to try it at least once.  Two out of three of our rides were great and just crazy enough to be fun but not scary.  One ride took us on larger roads and over a longer distance and I was legitimately afraid we would crash and die. This is a good form of transportation for short (2-5 block) distances. See Wilsons post The Trials of Transportation in Thailand.

9. Thai massage.  Even the kids were able to do a group massage here and it was a great first massage experience for them.

Summary of COVID Thailand Travel:

If wandering through ancient golden temples in peace and quiet or having beautiful beaches to yourself sounds like your idea of a good trip, go to Thailand now.  If you are looking for bustling markets filled with European backpackers and fellow travelers, you might want to wait a while. I know a lot of people are still hesitant to travel internationally given the ever-present threat of COVID and I was too.  Of course, there is no guarantee that there won’t be problems, but, if you follow the guidelines, are vaccinated, wear your mask in crowded places, and do your research, it is totally doable.  We are all in this thing together at this point and it’s only a matter of time before the last zero-case hold outs give it up and open their borders too.  I recommend being one of the first to take advantage as the world loosens up.

On another note, we have recently been including on a few lists of the top family travel blogs. Check out these links for other good family travel blogs to follow:

Tiny Beans: 30+ of the Best Family Travel Blogs

Feedspot: Top 100 Family Travel Blogs and Websites

More Great Posts on Traveling with Kids: