Anyone been to India/Thailand?

[Bimgy85]

Hi,
How many of you have visited either India or Thailand or both?

Really wanting to see other parts of the world and doing a lot of research online a lot of people seem to travel around India for the Scenery.

Where would you recommend, fly to Mumbai then up north towards jaipur, onto delhi?

Also what about Thailand, is it worth it?

And is India really as cheap as everyone makes out? I've seen some guesthouse rooms average price at €3 a night

[EnthusiasmIsDisturbed]

I love both especially Thailand

India is hard work at times unless you stay just in Goa which isn’t that interesting Kerla is much nicer

I would pick Thailand and maybe Vietnam traveling is very well organised even in a budget, interesting sights, great cities wonderful beaches food is fantastic

Read up on Thailand some places are terribly seedy and best to stay away

[TheGr3atEscapez]

I've traveled to lots of places, so far Thailand is my favourit place. Thai people are very family orientated. For those that are talking about females/males being exploited, this occurs in many other countries too !

[TheOrigFV45]

My father was from India (moved to the UK when he was 17), so I have family there. I first visited as an adult in the mid 90s.
7 weeks for that trip
Then a 2 week trip and then a 3 month trip with a 7yo DS.

To summarise, I have had the very best time of my life there, and the very worst!

Apart from the trip when FIL came to visit and insisted we stay in luxury hotels, we always travelled on a medium budget.

Hotels rather than hostels.

We were mainly in the North.
It is an absolutely amazing place. You need an open mind and a sense of humour. If you have those and are sensible and respectful you'll have a wonderful time.

[Rafflesway]

DH and i love Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Would strongly recommend - apart from Pattaya, Thailand and NhaTrang, Vietnam.

Have recently visited Sri Lanka - hated it! Cleanliness standards not good enough for me despite being in 5* hotels. People trying to rip you off so you feel like you can't trust anyone and the general CBA attitude with tourists we encountered. India now definitely off my list!! Indian clients spoke to Sri Lankan staff as if they were dirt. Generalisation from our somewhat sanitized experience I know but definitely won't be returning to that part of the world.

[AndBabyMakes3]

@Bimgy85 sorry just seeing your post. The internal flights were fairly cheap, the most expensive and longest internal flight was from Chaing Mai to Phuket but it was still affordable. If time is not an issue you can also travel by bus which is cheaper again. We used AirAsia for our flights I think but definitely shop around for the best deals. Also used booking.com for accommodation in each place; a lot offer airport transfer to the acommodation if that is something you are interested in - found it very useful in a strange country. Was not overly gone on Phuket/Patong beach (too old for the party scene!) but it is a fantastic location for tours of the nearby islands and experience tours also. Did not enjoy Bangla Road but would recommend experiencing it for yourself. In the day/early evening it is much less crowded but come nightfall I found the atmosphere too sleazy and there is basically a baricade of people with "menus" offering different girls/shows in the strip clubs (go go bars) trying to bring in custom. Definitely an experience though.... Paradise complex is much of the same but tailored to the gay community. There is an area just off Patong beach with hut type bars of Aussie and UK style, perhaps 20 or so of these hut bars in the area which is nice and relaxed if you want to avoid the full on party scene. Can give details of where we stayed/tours/etc. if interested. If booking tours it is best to go to a shop type tourist info place (usually attached to tattoo parlours or massage shops) rather than the pop up shops out on the streets - the pop up ones can just dissapear with your money and you have no way of following up; whereas the ones attached to shops are paying rent on the premises so are less likely to just up and leave. There are loads around so compare prices at each one and play them off against each other. If you are buying more than one tour, if you purchase all together from the one shop you can get better deals. Most tours you can arrange to be collected at the accommodation. Do not be afraid to haggle, Thai people expect this, especially in the market places. This is easier if there are 2 of you - one can be eyeing up an item and query the price and the other can comment that same item is half that price down the road so you can meet somewhere in the middle. Never pay the asking price without trying to barter first (it is apparently considered rude!). A lot of Thai massage parlours offer "happy endings" and the girls will be on the street outside the shops trying to attract interest. Avoid eye contact if you don't want to engage; some can be quite insistant. Sorry for typos; baby grabbing phone. If I think of more tips I will post again later.

[spreadingchestnuttree]

I would avoid Pattaya (not been but reputation), Patong beach in Phuket and also Hua Him personally though. Too sleazy. Rough Guide / Lonely Planet are useful for planning trips, or maybe look at itineraries from reputable operators like Intrepid / Exodus / etc for inspiration.

[spreadingchestnuttree]

Thailand is not horrible! Some parts I would avoid it's true, but it has lovely people, breathtaking scenery (Phang Nga bay I loved), rainforest, national parks, delicious food, temples, old ruins, wildlife, trekking... And as long as you book direct rather than through tour operators, and avoid international chains, it's fantastic value.

[specialsubject]

twice to the Andaman coast area of Thailand , including Phuket town and Karon beac h, Koh Lanta , Krabi, Railey, Phang Nga, Ko phi phi and Ko Lipe - some years back so sadly I read that the amazing snorkelling off the last.may have been trashed.

Phi Phi was a beautiful but very sad place with a missing generation (2006) but too many shrieking gappies and that has got worse. Lanta was glorious and Krabi and Phuket towns lovely. Phang Nga is the place for the bay tours and James Bond island.

no prostitutes or sleaze anywhere in this part. nb no further south due to an ongoing war, FCO no go zone

[TheGr3atEscapez]

Internal flights are cheap

[Bimgy85]

AndBabyMakes3 thanks for all that info!! I would definitely like the sound of the temples, elephant sanctuary, abseiling, all of that!

Your itinerary sounds like what I'd like. I will pm you. We're the internal flights very expensive or?

[19lottie82]

Pattaya is the worst part you could go to. Most poor countries with high tourism rates will have these problems. Just avoid those areas.

Thailand definitely isn’t “horrible”. There are plenty of beautiful parts without the problems of sex work.

[Nikephorus]

Thailand is horrible. Child abuse and exploitation. British men in sandals and socks holding hands with teenage girls. Small children being pimped as y9u walk by. Just disgusting. I hated it with such a passion, would never go back.
This ^^. It seemed to me as if everyone female was prostituting themselves (and to either sex, they didn't care as long as you seemed to have money). To be fair I was (unfortunately) staying in Pat(t)aya which is seedy. But I wouldn't go back to Thailand at all.

[raisedbyguineapigs]

Have you looked at Intrepid Travel or some of the other backpacking companies? You travel in a group but there were a few couples in my group when I did it. They check the hotels and transport for you but you still get the experience. I've been to both and I'd say Thailand before India too. Although Vietnam is the most beautiful place I've ever been and I dreamt the taste of the food for months after I returned

[TheGr3atEscapez]

I found Vietnam to have a different vibe to Thailand, probably to the fairly recent wars and occupation.
Thailand is much more relaxed and the people smile lots.

[NicoAndTheNiners]

I went to Thailand 20 plus years ago. On my own, had never been on a plane before, pre Internet (or limited internet) so just turned up and winged it.

Loved Thailand. I’m not sure I could recommend any places as they will all have changed so much. For instance Koh Samui was lovely and quite unspoilt but I hear now it has a McDonald’s and a Starbucks and loads of hotels.....was not like that when I was there.

[ThisIsntMeHonestGuv]

I would recommend YouTube for purple vlogging about trips. Davidsbeenhere is great for street food and more in india.

[Nomad86]

I've been to India - Delhi Agra, Jaipur and Shimla. Loved it but you have to be prepared to rough it or pay a fortune.
Never been to Thailand but loved Vietnam which I imagine has a similar feel.

[Festivecheeseandcrackers]

I am absolutely in love with India. I’ve been three times now and am hoping to go back later this year/early next year when we will take our toddler and baby.

The north is more of a shock than the south, although I love it! Somewhere like Kerala or Tamil Nadu would be a gentle introduction. Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi and Calcutta tend to be a bit more of a shock.

Hotels -

Our first trip we did on a budget. We didn’t go mega cheap but you can get decent (actually really quite nice) hotels for £25 a night (or you could in 2011 - maybe presume a bit more as we are now in 2018).

The next trip was our honeymoon so we stayed in more luxury hotels. You could then get a club room at the Four Seasons for £100/night! It’s gone up a bit more since then but still five star hotels are more reasonable than many places.

Hotels we see as being quite important, especially in cities that are a bit more intense as it’s nice to have somewhere to retreat back to that is calm if it all gets too much!

We tend to do a mix of cheaper and more expensive hotels now so we mix it up a bit.

Food -

We tend to eat vegetarian unless in an expensive hotel or a nicer restaurant, of which there are quite a few now in the cities. We’ve never been ill with a tummy bug (I’ve lost my voice due to the pollution). The vegetarian food is superb there and there’s such great variety.

You will likely get a lot of attention. At first it can come across as a bit threatening as people will stare as presuming you are white European, you look different however if you say hi to people, you tend to end up having a nice chat instead and you soon learn no one means any harm.

Trains are great fun but if you are not used to them then a bit of a shock. I would personally book 2/3AC or maybe 1AC (if available) although that feels a bit closed off. General class is fine in the day for short journeys, although it’s a little more trying for longer ones as trains can get very crowded!

Depending on what you want from your holiday, I’d look at the following places, some of which I’ve visited, some are on my list:

• Ranthambore (tiger safari, unlikely to see the tiger but fun none the less)
  
• Mahablipurum (lots of beautiful ruins, fab swimming pool at the Radisson Blu)
  
• Ooty (Hill station, tea plantations, colonial feel to it, interesting to see British influence on India)
  
• Amritsar (Sikh Holy City, border crossing ceremony)
  
• Varkala (coastal town on a cliff, slightly hippy vibe, chilled out)
  
• Ramashwaram (not been but looks amazing)
  
• Hampi and near by Badami (amazing ruins)
  
• Kochi and backwaters (calm, beautiful)
  
• Jaipur (bit intense but so many pretty and historic things to see)
  
• Calcutta (hectic but interesting)
  
• Varanasi (intense - wouldn’t stay for long but worth a trip for sure)
  
• Bangalore (modern city, nice climate)
  
• Delhi (lots to see and do, modern and old, amazing metro, great around Diwali)
  
• Bikaner (rat temple)
  
• Mumbai (we love. Very modern feel to it.)

[JJS888]

Thailand is horrible. Child abuse and exploitation. British men in sandals and socks holding hands with teenage girls. Small children being pimped as y9u walk by. Just disgusting. I hated it with such a passion, would never go back. India is just a place people live. We go there sometimes as it's only 4 hours or so flight. Be very careful crossing the road, the number of Brits I have seen trusting traffic lights and pedestrian crossings! Don't stay in guest houses, stick to proper hotels. You will get ill anyway but less severely in a hotel. Fisherman's Cove in Chennai is beautiful, not really into backpacking so can't advise on that.
I suggest Sri Lanka for less travelled Brits. It's safer, slower and utterly mindblowingly beautiful. You are less likely to get robbed, run over or dysentery which are likely if you want to explore India. Look At Galle, it's a beautiful town in the south, the Jetwing Lighthouse is very nice. Also some lovely places along the coast which are aimed at British gap yar students and cheap as chips and safe.

[Spanglyprincess1]

I lived in India for almost three years for work. Loved the travel and went somewhere most weekends.
What are you into? Eg historical places, mountains , adventure, cities

[AndBabyMakes3]

Have not been to India so cannot comment on that but Thailand was an amazing experience and met a lot of other tourists/backpackers there. Great sense of community and the locals were very friendly. Flew into Bangkok and spent a few days there (very big city with diverse architectures - 5* hotels next to shacks, some nice temples, big shopping district if that's of interest, China town, street vendors, the works); then flew to Chaing Mai in the north - this was the highlight of our trip. Stayed just outside the north wall of the old city, which is basically a one mile square of temples, food, architecture and lovely people. Could easily travel to the mountains and experienced an elephant sanctuary also that was an hours bus ride away. After Chaing Mai flew to the islands (stayed in Phuket about 20 mins walk from Patong beach - party area, close enough to experience it but far enough away that it wasnt all party etc.) Did a lot of island tours from Phuket and experiences (white water rafting, quad biking, abseiling) through very cheap package tours. Very different to the rest of Thailand. Really enjoyed Thailand as a whole; there is something for everyone at every price range! Accommodation ranged from £6 per night in Chaing Mai £20 in Phuket and splashed out for very fancy hotel on final night in Bangkok before flying home for £50 ish. PM me if you would like more details.

[TheGr3atEscapez]

Innoculations

[TheGr3atEscapez]

If you travel ensure you get your innovation injections and buy travel insurance. Have a source of emergency money. Lots of places don't have internet or WiFi or poor if you are off the beaten track. Photograph your bag and passport before leaving. Travel light, you don't want to carry a huge, heavy weight in hot country

[megletthesecond]

India in 2001. Escorted 1 week tour of the golden triangle staying in flash hotels i am a lightweight.

As pp have said, it's an amazing assault on the senses. I did attract polite attention as I was a lone female (albeit with a group of other adults) and some Indian tourists wanted photos of me because they'd never met a white lady before. They were lovely though.
Food was good in the hotels. Huge contential breakfasts to start the day, stuck to veggie food and didn't get ill.
This was pre digital cameras and I used a roll of film a day, so much to take in.
I definately appreciated my western lifestyle more when I got home. Being able to get clean water from the tap is a privilege millions of people still don't have.

The only thing that I struggled with was being hassled verbally by beggars. I did tend to give them a few rupees. On the last day we were at the Taj Mahal and I even automatically gave some money to a chap sitting inside the courtyard assuming he was a beggar but it later dawned on me he was probably just waiting for his family to come out of the toilets .

[Stirner]

I loved India when I went, but I'd stay away from the markets.