Does anyone like planning holiday itineraries?

[Justwanttotravel]

Hello
I really want to go to Thailand with my three teens.
I have been looking at companies like Exotica and Trailfinders but I know booking myself would be cheaper, but I don’t have a clue where to start.
Ideally I would like to include the following:

Bangkok with enough time to experience floating market, temples, tuk tuks
Elephant hills camping for jungle trekking, canoeing etc.
Maybe overnight train to Chang Mai
Some time at a beach/island resort that isn’t a washout in July.

Has anyone been on a trip like this? Would anyone be willing to give advice on best accommodation to book?

Any help would be gratefully received 😊

I just choose hotels with good reviews on booking.com, have a look on Google maps to ensure location of your preferred hotel is near restaurants and public transport options. You need east coast for best beach weather in July, maybe Koh Samui is your best option (I haven't been to Koh Samui myself).

There was a thread from someone offering this service a few days ago.

ChatGPT suggests ~

🇹🇭 Sample 14–16-Day Thailand Itinerary (Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Beach)
🛬 Day 1–3 — Bangkok Arrival & Exploration
Stay in: central Sukhumvit / Silom / Riverside area — easier access to BTS/MRT
✔ Floating markets (Damnoen Saduak or Amphawa) — half-day tour in a longtail boat
✔ Temples — Grand Palace / Wat Pho, maybe Wat Arun at sunset
✔ Tuk-tuks & street food in Chinatown
✔ Night markets: Asiatique / Talad Neon
Accommodation tips (mid-budget):

• Comfortable, clean, good reviews, pool — ideal for families.

Transport: • Airport → City: Airport Rail Link + BTS/MRT or taxi • Around town: BTS/MRT much cheaper than taxis during rush hour 🌿 Day 4–6 — Jungle Adventure at Elephant Hills Elephant Hills in Khao Sok National Park is one of the better ethical options (no riding) with tented camps and lake treks. What you’ll do: ✔ Jungle trekking ✔ Canoeing on Cheow Larn Lake ✔ Wildlife watching and night safaris Travel: • Fly Bangkok → Phuket or Surat Thani • Transfer minivan to Khao Sok (~2–3 hrs) Tip: July is rainy season — but Khao Sok’s rainforest is spectacular with rain — just bring good gear. 🚆 Day 7 — Overnight Train to Chiang Mai From Surat Thani (or Bangkok if you loop back), take Thailand’s iconic overnight sleeper train up to Chiang Mai. ✔ Book 2nd-class sleepers for comfort without luxury prices ✔ Great experience for teens! Alternative: Fly (~1.5 hrs) if you’re short on time, but the train is part of the fun. 🏯 Day 8–10 — Chiang Mai Chiang Mai is relaxed, cultural and very family-friendly. Things to do: ✔ Old City temples ✔ Cooking class (lots of family options) ✔ Elephant sanctuaries that don’t exploit animals ✔ Night markets 🏖️ Day 11–15 — Beach/Island Time July is low season for many islands — but some are still great: Good choices in July:

• Koh Samui / Koh Phangan / Koh Tao (Gulf of Thailand) — much less rain than the Andaman side
• Quiet beaches, snorkeling, family beaches

Stay: family bungalows or sea-view mid range resorts — nicer than basic guesthouses Getting there from Chiang Mai: Fly via Bangkok to Samui (fastest), or to Surat Thani + ferry. ✈️ Day 16 — Fly Home from Bangkok or Direct from Samui 💡 Accommodation Advice Instead of tour companies, book with:

• Booking.com or Agoda (great filters & free cancellation)
• Look for family-friendly + pool + good Wi-Fi
• Read recent reviews from families

Examples of types to target: ✔ Boutique hotels in Bangkok near BTS/MRT ✔ Tented jungle camps at Elephant Hills ✔ Guesthouse / resort with pool near Chiang Mai Old City ✔ Beach resorts with calm shores on Koh Samui 🚆 Getting Around (Train / Plane / Local) Planes

• Domestic flights are cheap if booked ahead (AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Vietjet)
• Good for long hops (Bangkok → Chiang Mai; Chiang Mai → Samui)

Trains

• Overnight train Bangkok ↔ Chiang Mai (great experience)
• Book sleepers early — they fill up

Buses

• Cheaper than flights but longer

Local urban transport

• BTS/MRT in Bangkok is cheap & fast
• Tuk-tuks & motorbike taxis for short fun rides

🧳 Seasonal Tips (July) ✔ Beaches in the Gulf (Samui/Phangan/Tao) tend to be better in monsoon than the Andaman (Phuket/Krabi) ✔ Rain showers are usually short — plenty of sunshine too ✔ Jungle areas are leafy & great in rain — just plan waterproof gear 📌 Costs — Very Rough Guide (mid-budget)

• Hotels: £30–£80/night for decent family rooms
• Domestic flights: £30–£80 if booked early
• Trains: budget friendly
• Food: street food is delicious & cheap; restaurants vary

⭐ Tips from Families Who’ve Done It ✔ Don’t overpack travel days — teens need chill time ✔ Mix activities with downtime (pools, beaches) ✔ Book some tours in advance for floating markets & sanctuaries

I get Chatgtp to do mine. It’s done a great one for me for three weeks in Canada. It might be worth looking into that to give you an initial structure.

I have tested it on other holidays. Last year to Portugal, the year before to Lake Garda and multiple mini-breaks and day trips to London. You do need to check things but it’s a great way to start when there is so many choice’s available.

Oh looks like someone did it while I was posting! There you go!

We're going to Thailand/Malaysia for a month, later in the year. We booked flights through Trailfinders and you have to book 7 nights accommodation so we have got 4 nights in Bangkok and 3 nights in Kuala Lumpa (cheaper to fly back from there). We at least have some assurance by going through a travel agent.

The remaining 3 weeks we are DIY so have booked various b & b's through Booking.com and will book internal flights/boats etc closer to the time.

We are starting & ending with nice hotels but going for much cheaper accommodation in the middle.

We booked Thailand through Trailfinders and couldn’t get a cheaper price DIY. Not sure if it’s the same now but we also only paid a deposit initially which was great for spreading the cost.
Bangkok palaces floating market then flight to Chiangrai and Mekong River then on to Chiangmai and return flight to Bangkok. All with tour guide and driver all accommodation and breakfast. From Bangkok flight to Krabi and speedboat to Koh Lanta for 7 days.
Have done three different combos to Thailand with Trailfinders.
Koh Lanta and Cambodia
There were lots of advantages doing the tours via TF, no stress as we had an itinerary and just turned up at
pre arranged time in hotel lobby. We did some research before booking and got great advice from the adviser who had been to Thailand (we went in store).
highly recommend.
Have also organised lots of trips in Europe but had more concerns about the language barrier in Thailand.

If you don't want to book completely independently, another option is to find a local tour operator. So you book your international flights but they organize the in-country part. TripAdvisor is a good source of info.

We travel independently and, as others have mentioned we use booking.com a lot. I use it to get virgin points to go towards more holidays!!!

We went in September with Trailfinders as they could do it cheaper than I could booking it myself!!!

We did 4 nights Bangkok, 4 nights out at Khao Yai National Park which blew us away- we booked a private safari for 2 full days and saw SO much wildlife. We chose this over Elephant Camp and don’t regret it- there were hardly any Western tourists and everyone was so friendly.

Then flew down to Koh Samui for 6 nights. The time of year forced us into the Gulf of Thailand and we liked it but didn’t love it, it was heaving with backpackers! Stayed at Anantara Lawana and it was absolutely outstanding, food and staff amazing. I’ve heard amazing things about about Koh Lanta and Phi Phi though!

I've just been, and whether you book independently, or whether you go with a travel company is horse for courses. You pay a lot to go via a travel company and have to accept some of their bad points 1) cost (and this can be double independently, tons of flights where you want to go for very cheap, GRAB very cheap, accom can be cheap and more suitable, as OP say, you can organise things independently) It is a safe place, low level over-charging, but nothing bad, 2) herded around to an itinerary of their choosing not yours 3) little choice about accom and most other choices on your holiday BUT, on the upside 1) You don't have to do any planning, and if it goes wrong, they do have you covered 2) You will probably be in hotels of a certain standard 3) You will get to see and do the things you are asking for (at a price, and will be crowded, but sometimes when doing it on your own you do nothing). 4) You will have company, I realise you will have the company of your 3 teens, and the company of randomers might not have been your choice, but if you go it alone you have no adult company at all. On a few other points (esp the AI stuff) having just done 5 weeks: ARL and the BTS all the way in Bangkok, and the river boats, even the bus is better than getting a GRAB. Nutty traffic, constantly. 1 hour 20 to do 3km. Could probably walk it quicker, but you cannot due to humidity and it just not being great for walking (crossing roads and obstacles on pavements). Phuket beaches are nice enough (we were near Bang Tao) but it is UK prices, driven up by Russians. Loved Chiang Mai, temples a plenty but far bigger a city than I had anticipated. They have Songthaews though for transport (red truck things with a double seat and open back) and these are great for a family of four, good fun, and they are all over waiting for your approach, negotiate your price, but they are good value generally. Cheaper and quicker than GRAB. Whatever you do have a good time, x

When we travel as a family we like to use apartments rather than hotels as you have more space, which writes off Trailfinders unfortunately.

When I’m planning a new holiday I start off with the itineraries of the tour companies and then use guide books and Google to research the best areas to stay and ways to get from A to B. You can copy their day trips using Get Your Guide or go independently on public transport. I use Booking dot com and occasionally Airbnb for accommodation.

I actually love the planning and choosing almost as much as the holiday itself so it’s not a chore.

In terms of pricing, my trips are not much cheaper than the advertised prices in the Trailfinders brochures, but I get my choice of accommodation not theirs.

I’ve just used a local travel agent to book a week exploring Turkey as I just couldn’t be arsed , they’ve picked great hotels in my price range, arranged transfers, a couple of trips, sorted timings out…it’s so nice knowing someone else has sorted it and it’s in budget.

we used trailfinders in Japan, again they sorted it all within budget. so I reckon try them with your budget….you don’t have to pick it up.

It’s easy to book your own, but it is time consuming! I miss the days pre internet where you’d rock up in some SEAsian town and there’d be a bunch of people with photos of their accommodation, you’d pick one and off you’d go.