HOW TO RUN AROUND SE ASIA WITH YOUR FAMILY IN TOW
Cruise Director, Lindsay, at your service.
When I returned from Thailand summer of 2011 (have I mentioned yet that I once lived in Bangkok?), I came back a better person. Because of that and my extremely positive memories and stories of the whole experience, my family’s always been interested in visiting.
So we booked flights! The plan was June 2016 — we were finally going! Then I got into Remote Year and blew up the plan, because flying from Peru to Bangkok didn’t seem super feasible.
So the plan changed to December 2016, when I’d be living in Chiang Mai. My brother and his girlfriend visited for 2 weeks, and my parents for 3. We booked it around the country — here are some highlights.
Our time in Bangkok was brief, but fun. I got to show Eric and Emily Khao San Road, watch my dad eat Thai food (chicken fried rice for the win), and help Mama Orr navigate the sidewalks of BKK.
After, we went to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see the Temples of Angkor. I’d been before, but we were so close and it’s something you should definitely see in your lifetime if you can.
We ran around the temples for a few days with our great tour guide Borey, and then jetted off to relaxing island time. First up was Koh Samui. I didn’t love it there. It’s incredibly touristy and doesn’t have the laid back, relaxed feel that other Thai islands have.
After a few days in Koh Samui, we went to the western coast to stay on Ko Lanta. Ironically, a fellow Cousteau and my best friend on the trip overlapped with our family and her parents unknowingly booked the same hotel that we stayed in. It was cool to introduce my family to hers, and have my parents meet someone they’d heard so much about.
Once our time in Ko Lanta was up Eric and Emily had to head back to the States. American companies really need better vacation policies. My parents and I headed to the north and spent New Year’s Eve in Chiang Mai. They got to meet a few of the RY Crew left in Thailand before we headed up to Pai for a few days.
My goal with this trip was to show my family places I loved, but also experience new parts of Thailand as well. Pai was a hippie dream town and I wish we’d spent more time there. Ko Lanta was an awesome island, and Eric, Emily, and I got to ride a rollercoaster in the form of a super speedy cab driver.
It was our busiest family trip ever. We only ever had max two full days in each place. The weekend after they left I spent in bed watching TV. It’s like I needed a vacation from the vacation.
