We love Thailand and have travelled to many places within the country during our travels there. Every time we return home we want to go back. I have outlined what we miss the most as well as the things we do not miss when we have to leave.
5 things we always miss!
☕️ Iced Coffee/Iced Tea – Our favourite place for coffee and tea. It may not be the healthiest as they add condensed milk (something that is different to life in the UK) but it’s just the best and extremely affordable. Sweet, refreshing and a welcome pick me up. We try and pack as much Thai tea into our suitcases when we go home.
☀️The Weather – We most certainly miss the weather. We come from an island with cold winters and hot summers but it sometimes feels like it is constantly grey. The majority of the time for us (outside of rainy season) in Thailand has been sun, sun, sun and clear blue skies.
👩🏽 The people – There is a reason it’s called the land of smiles. The people are so welcoming, lovely and always go the extra mile.
🍜The food/night markets – This is perhaps what we miss the most. Trying all the different local delicacies while fresh and in a local setting such as markets. Even the big ones designed for tourists do not dissapoint. There is something for everyone.
🌅The sunsets – They are something else and some of the best we have seen. We do get good sunsets in Jersey however there is nothing better than relaxed evenings at the beach sipping on a cocktail and watching the sunsets while the kids play in the sand.
5 things we don’t miss!
🦟 Mosquito Repellent – I HATE mosquitos. if I could eradicate them all I would. However to avoid the extremely itchy red lumps they leave behind when they bite you and diseases we needed to apply repellent. We had this in both spray and gel but the strong DEET repellent left us feeling dirty and having to do this everyday was tedious.
💸Haggling – We come from a culture where everything has a set price so haggling is still very new to us (even after all these years). Having to haggle for almost everything we wanted to buy got tiring. Near the end we didn’t bother, sometimes you’re haggling for a very small amount which could be a large amount for them so the priority is that if you are both happy with the price. We usually had a price in mind (that we were happy to pay) before going to buy it which made things much easier.
🚸Uneven pavements and big curbs – During our first trips in Thailand in 2017 I cannot tell you how many times I would stub my toe and trip while wearing flip flops. I swear we broke our toes multiple times. I am very pleased to say that recently in 2023 we did not have as much of a problem which could be down to the areas we visited or my stylish crocs which are closed toe. Don’t judge me!
🪼Jellyfish – As amazing as they are to look at, with two young children we were a bit on edge when we saw jellyfish as it could easily be a holiday ender. It is not something we are used to and I am not an expert to be able to identify them, not to mention the ones you can’t easily see like the Irukandji or Box jellyfish. Perhaps we are paranoid but I would recommend people and especially children to wear protective clothing while in the water and seek advice if ever unsure.
😅Humidity – We are so grateful for the sun and heat and we will definitely miss it, but the constant sweating when doing anything outdoors was stressful at times. Of course you can break this up by regular stops at 7/11 stores on your route which are always a refreshing stop.