I sit at a desk all day and sometimes I tend to daydream and play around on google flights to look for the “best deal” to go anywhere for any amount of time. It was April, Joanna was finally graduating dental school in a few weeks and was lining up job interviews. I was considering going to Amsterdam as it was $550 from Minneapolis but wasn’t able to pull the trigger before the price doubled and then tripled. On April 27, she called me to tell me she got a job offer and all her graduation requirements have been completed. My first question was “Ok so where do you want to go on vacation?”
We mulled over some ideas but the best value for the time we had available was a trip to Thailand. Tickets from Minneapolis to Bangkok were $900 and we’ll be gone for a little over 2 weeks. I also saw an article saying that the Thai government will be banning street food stalls from some of the major roadways and tourist areas near the end of the year. This was a really big motivation to visit because Thailand is like the best place in the world to experience street food. I was in Bangkok for 4 days back in 2011 for my first major trip but overall I’m pretty unfamiliar with the food, language, and culture. A Thailand trip compared to a Japan trip is really different but I’m excited for it.
Finals were around the corner when I booked the tickets and because I’m a neurotic planner who has to have everything figured out right away, I got the itinerary, transportation, and hostels booked in a few days. We’ll arrive into Bangkok, fly to Krabi, ferry to Koh Phi Phi, back to Krabi, fly to Chiang Mai, and take a train down to Bangkok. It’s always been on my trip bucket list to train all of Thailand because airport security sucks and I like the sense of adventure on a train but because time is short, I had to cut it down to just one overnight train ride.
Right now I’m averaging around $15 a night per person in our hostels. My budget is $20 for food per day but I think this might be too much since Pad Thai is like $.80 a plate on the street. The travel nurse suggested getting a Typhoid shot since I’m an “adventurous” eater. Now that I’ve got it, I’ll be eating ALL the delicious dirty street food. Not including activities, I’ve got the trip budget set at $1600 for everything.
Throwing a trip together within 3 weeks of departure date is a record for me. Especially since we just got back from Japan in January. Wanderlust is real people. I’ve only had time to book where we’re staying, I’ll have to go with the flow on everything else. I’m a little disappointed my sister or other friends weren’t able to join us on this trip because of the short turn around time. However, Joanna’s friend from dental school will be meeting up with us for a few days in the middle of the trip as her family lives in Singapore.
A quick word on this blog. I’ve done 6 travel blogs all on separate platforms and accounts. This time I dedicated some effort into getting my own domain and server space and will be bringing all my past blog content here since WordPress allows me more creative control than just a free blog site would.
My bags are all packed and I’m ready to head off on another adventure.
