hi! i'm currently planning my high school senior trip and brainstorming destinations so my friend and i can start saving up early. thailand has always been one of our top choices, and i'd love to hear some advice from people who live there or have traveled there!

i actually visited bangkok in the summer of 2024 for a little less than a week. i was traveling with older family members, so we couldn't stay as long as i would've liked, but i completely fell in love with thailand and have been wanting to go back ever since. i'd especially love to experience more of the country, including chiang mai, with one of my closest friends!

the only thing is that we'll both be recent high school graduates and 18 at the time of the trip, so we're wondering how safe and realistic it would be for two girls our age to travel around thailand on our own.

for some background, i'm thai, lao, and chinese, but my thai vocabulary is pretty limited. i can understand a decent amount, but speaking is a completely different story 😭 thankfully, navigating bangkok was relatively easy for me since english was pretty widely spoken in the areas we visited. i'm curious whether chiang mai would be similar or if the language barrier might be more challenging.

i'd really appreciate any advice on what we should consider before planning a trip like this! especially when it comes to:

• safety: how safe is chiang mai for two 18-year-old girls traveling without family? are there any particular precautions we should take?
• budgeting: how much would you recommend saving for a trip of around 1–2 weeks, excluding or including flights? we'd love to be comfortable without spending excessively.
• accommodations and transportation: where would you recommend staying, and what's the safest and easiest way to get around?
• planning and preparation: what should we book, buy, or arrange before arriving?
• language barriers: how manageable is chiang mai for someone who understands some thai but isn't very confident speaking it?
• parents: for anyone who traveled internationally at a younger age, how did you reassure your parents that you could travel safely and responsibly?

we're still in the very early stages of planning, so nothing is set in stone yet! we just want to get a realistic idea of what to expect, how much to save, and what we'd need to prepare before bringing a more detailed plan to our parents.

i'd also love any recommendations for places to visit, things to do, or experiences we shouldn't miss in chiang mai!

thank you so much in advance!! 🤍

Hi there I search a park here in Chiang Mai where ai could go every morning on the gras, barefoot and grounding myself while doing some movements. Do you have any recommendations? I have a bike so I'm flexible where to go

Hi all. Searching for some good cooking classes with small group say up to 10 people. Benny's Home Cooking comes up a lot and was looking for peoples' experience if they have been to one of their classes before? It is £40 and £20 or so more expensive than others I can see on GetYourGuide etc. and just wondering if it is worth it? Are the ones on GetYourGuide a bit more commercialised and larger group environment? Thanks in advance

Hey all,

Any updated info on guesthouses in old city that still have rates at 5000 or 6000 baht. Basic with fan is okay as long as it's relatively clean. It's been a while since I've stayed there and from what I know prices have gone up quite a bit. I'm not looking for studio apartments with lease commmitments, a cheap simple room with monthly rates. Thanks!