Travel · gap year · 2026

Seven weeks in Thailand, planned start to finish

During my gap year, after two company assignments, I spent seven weeks in Thailand, three of them travelling alone. Itinerary, budget, transport, accommodation: I planned it all myself.

When: 17 June – 2 August 2026
Length: 7 weeks, 3 of them solo
Role: Planned everything
Stops: 12, from the north to the Gulf islands

View over the two bays of Koh Phi Phi from the viewpoint — Koh Phi Phi viewpoint, 15 July

The planning

What I planned

01
Itinerary

I left as soon as my assignment ended, for seven weeks so I had time to see both the north and the south. I travelled the north alone, then a friend joined me in Bangkok for the south and the islands.
02
Budget

Funded by my savings from temp work, with a daily budget for each category: accommodation, transport, food, activities and shopping.
03
Transport

A flight from France, then vans, buses, a night train, two domestic flights, boats, the metro, car and motorbike taxis: I tried them all.
04
Accommodation

Hotels with a private room and bathroom, for under €20 a night.

Route

Stop by stop

The temples of Bangkok and Ayutthaya, then the northern hills, on my own. A friend joined me in Bangkok, then we headed south: Krabi, the Khao Sok jungle, the Andaman Sea islands and then those in the Gulf of Thailand.

Two elephants behind a wooden fence, Chiang Mai area

3 weeks solo, then 4 with a friend

Solo, three weeks
1 Bangkok 17 – 22 June
2 Ayutthaya 22 – 23 June
3 Chiang Mai 24 – 29 June
4 Chiang Rai 30 June – 2 July
5 Bangkok, again 2 – 8 July
The south, with a friend
6 Krabi 8 – 12 July
7 Khao Sok 13 – 14 July
8 Koh Phi Phi 14 – 16 July
9 Koh Lanta 16 – 19 July
10 Koh Tao 20 – 22 July
11 Koh Samui 23 – 29 July
12 Bangkok, before flying home 30 July – 2 August

Brick prang of a temple in Ayutthaya — Ayutthaya

Blue and silver facade of the Blue Temple in Chiang Rai — Chiang Rai, the Blue Temple

Turquoise lake and trees on a wooded shore, Khao Sok park — Khao Sok

What stayed with me

“The density of the vegetation, the temples and the whole culture around Buddhism and spirituality, the long working days of local people, and the children’s smiles.”

Photo journal