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Travel Advice

July 1st, 2009

At some point I want to delicately write about what life was like last year. It’s difficult to sculpt words around the beautiful & the tragic, and when I feel rushed to do so, or if the words feel forced or contrived, I stop writing. I need to pay attention to those emotions.

But for right now, I need a vacation.

I’m looking at trips to either Thailand or Iceland in August. At the risk of sounding pretentious, they are the places I’ve wanted to go for a long time and now seems like the perfect and necessary time to do it.

If you’ve had experiences in either country (or have other suggestions) then I’d love some advice. I’m open to resorts or hostels, hotels or villas. It sounds so life-giving to go read, write, and take photographs for a week. So, I’m going.

I want to book the trip in the next week. Advice would be greatly appreciated.

24 Responses to “Travel Advice”

  1. andy @ July 1st, 2009 at 6:37 pm:

    i’d suggest another “land” altogether… Cleveland

  2. Andrea @ July 1st, 2009 at 6:51 pm:

    Thailand is one of my absolute places. When I lived in Nepal, it was my go-to getaway place. I’ve been to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Phi Phi Island, and Pattaya.

    Bangkok is so busy, but fun. So many great things to photograph.
    Chiang Mai is not beachy at all…very foresty and lots of elephants!
    Pattaya was my least favorite. It kind of had a sleezy feel to it.
    Phuket and Phi Phi island are so wonderful. August is before the big tourist season, so it should be a great time to go.

    Let me know if you have more questions!

  3. jenn @ July 1st, 2009 at 7:55 pm:

    The book The Geography of Bliss has an interesting chapter on Iceland!

  4. Josh @ July 1st, 2009 at 9:24 pm:

    Used to visit Thailand often when I lived in China, in fact I got engaged there. Phi Phi, Phuket, and Koh Samui are cheap and for the most part beautiful. Over the years they have become increasingly sleazified(?) though. There is a smaller island off of Koh Samui called Koh Tao that is amazing, but sometimes a bit overrun by the daytime tours. So, if you wind up heading to Thailand here’s my recommendation. Super busy & chaotic -> Bangkok. Somewhat busy with more western amenities-> Koh Samui. More remote & quiet-> Phi Phi.

    Hope that helps Josh. I remember with great fondness having many slow & renewing cups of coffee on the beaches of Samui.

  5. rachel @ July 1st, 2009 at 9:32 pm:

    if you go to thailand and plan to travel to a neighboring country lower south, let me know.
    but if you decide to visit chiang mai, you could easily go towards to golden triangle and cross the border into burma. loads of cheap flights around s.e. asia anyways. some as low as $0.

  6. huong @ July 1st, 2009 at 9:38 pm:

    Cambodia. Everyone who I’ve talked to that’s been there has nothing but high praises about it…this includes a guy who has traveled all over the world. He said of all the countries he’s been to, hands down, Cambodia was the greatest. Also, it’d be cheap as far as spending money would go.

  7. jeline joy @ July 1st, 2009 at 9:42 pm:

    i’ve never been to thailand but it’s definitely a cheap place to go to. it depends on what kind of travelling you are looking for too…

    i’d recommend IF you have the time….
    TRY visiting thailand, cambodia, vietnam and laos altogether. they are really close to one another and accessible by bus/trains/plane. if ou dont mind long rides in buses, it’s dirt cheap. =)

    i had the privilege of visiting cambodia this year. it was beautiful. angkor wat is awesome, the food is good, cheap beer, etc etc…

    enjoy yo! swing by singapore and say hi! if you wanna. heh.

  8. jeline joy @ July 1st, 2009 at 9:43 pm:

    oh oh….you gotta TRY THE COFFEE over there (cambodia, vietnam). i bet you will love it. my friends have nothing but praises for it.

  9. Matthew @ July 1st, 2009 at 9:47 pm:

    Josh, Mean Jeanne raves about Thailand, especially Phi Phi. Eppele would be a good resource as well since I think he has traveled extensively in that region.

  10. neil @ July 1st, 2009 at 10:48 pm:

    i’d say iceland. i heard it’s green there. and, have you seen “brokedown palace”?

  11. Lou @ July 1st, 2009 at 11:37 pm:

    Australia is the best!

    No bias though..

  12. melodie @ July 2nd, 2009 at 12:38 am:

    i have very good friends in iceland who love to have visitors.
    come by the local color and i’ll tell you about them…

  13. Connor @ July 2nd, 2009 at 3:41 am:

    I spent a week in Thailand last June, I was only in Bangkok, and I loved it, the temples are amazing, the food is great, we stayed just off Kho San Road in a great, cheap hotel with a pool, Viengtai Hotel. It’s not right on Kho San, so its a little nicer, and quieter. If you were going for more than a week I would suggest a few days in Bangkok, then head north for a bit.

    I have loads of photos, and a couple of blog posts about it,

    you can see some photos in my Travel set on flickr…

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/connor_mccullough_photography/sets/72157600252427387/

    If you want to read my blog posts while I was there just let me know and I will find them for you

  14. Wade @ July 2nd, 2009 at 9:59 am:

    For me, Iceland all the way. Stunning landscape, Arctic Circle, Almost 24 hour sunlight, lava rock and European flavour all in one small area. Plus, you won’t sweat to death in your week there. And hey, maybe you’ll even run into Sigur Ros.

  15. Anna @ July 2nd, 2009 at 11:57 am:

    oo, that’s a tough one but I vote Thailand! The people there are incredibly friendly and wonderful, you will love the coffee, rent a scooter, experience an amazing culture, visit temples, eat rice until you think you will explode, and on and on. I think you should go to experience the culture and the people.. I would go back in a heartbeat.

  16. cait @ July 2nd, 2009 at 1:24 pm:

    sigur ros?!!!
    hello, iceland.

  17. aerin @ July 2nd, 2009 at 3:01 pm:

    i love the little debate this has sparked!

    hm…weather in iceland: 50′s, mostly cloudy/rainy: http://www.weather.com/weather/print/ICXX0002

    hm…weather in thailand: 80′s, mostly cloudy/rainy: http://www.weather.com/weather/print/THXX0002

    so…do you want cold rain or hot?:)

  18. phil @ July 2nd, 2009 at 4:28 pm:

    glad you are doing this. go to thailand!

  19. kate @ July 3rd, 2009 at 2:01 pm:

    i’m thinking iceland, just because everyone else says thailand. it’s the natural thing to do. and sounds less normal-vacationy.

  20. Fayola Shakes @ July 6th, 2009 at 12:55 pm:

    I’ve always loved the Travelvice blog. Craig, the blog’s author, is in Thailand now.
    (http://compendium.travelvice.com/search/thailand)
    Blessings on your journey.

  21. Sarah @ July 8th, 2009 at 7:41 pm:

    Seth and I went to Thailand for our honeymoon last Novemeber and had a wonderful time, but learned a lot about what we would have done differently had we been familiar with the country. We went to Bangkok for a night. — mainly bc I thought, as you probably are, how can I go to Thailand and not see Bangkok? But if you have a limited time for your trip, I would skip it. Crowded, polluted, urban. There are incredible palaces and temples and you would get some cool pictures and eat amazing food, but it will be blistering hot, you will fight crowds every step of the way, and there are so many more beautiful places in the country.

    Next, we next went to Phuket for a week. Phuket is a packed, weekend getaway for Europeans and South Asian ex-pats. I would also skip it. Go directly to Phi Phi Island. I would make it my homebase, then take day trips to surrounding little islands. It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Remote, beaches carved into coves, turquoise water when shallow, emerald green when deep, the most amazing snorkeling I’ve ever seen in my life. Seth hates the beach — he gets bored in about 5 seconds — and he even loved it.

    As you probably know, Thailand is known as the “Land of Smiles.” It truly is. Kind, generous people everywhere. You’ll love the country, Can’t wait to hear what you decide!

  22. Audrey @ July 16th, 2009 at 9:08 am:

    not sure if you’ve made your choice yet, but if you go to Thailand, you should try to make it to this place ( http://www.nikkisplace.org/ ). It is an amazing place filled with amazing people, and it will change your view of the world.

  23. Johne Nomad @ July 18th, 2009 at 9:08 am:

    Josh… only a week in Thailand?!? It’s OK, you’ll be back. And you expect to see some of the country, read, write, & take photos?!?!? (*reminds self: it’s OK, he’ll be back*)

    This requires prioritization: city, beach, or hills?
    adventure/explore, read/write, or sensory overload for photo ops?

    I think you’d love getting lost in Bangkok for a week. But careful with your camera & pockets.

    If reading & writing are higher priorities, then I’d recommend either 1) small bungalows on EASTERN side of Phi-Phi (that’s for future notice – they’re small enough to likely be closed in off-season)… or Long Beach would be better this time of year, or 2) bungalows on smaller beach on NORTH side of Koh Pha-Ngan. These are my fave beaches for crashing & getting most bang for my buck.

    But if I were to pick one spot in all Thailand, I recommend Krabi district. More specifically, Railay. Amazing beaches. World famous rock climbing. Good spot for both adventure & crashing – esp. during the off-season (August) when it’s quiet & stuff is cheap.

    Chiang Mai rocks, but you’ll have to come back for free personal tour guide & swank digs to hang your hat for free. Dude, I am SO bummed to miss you this time. (*reminds self: he’ll be back*)

    You could combine Railay & Phi-Phi. One week’s kind of tight for that, but do-able. I’m tempted to travelogue more, but will shut it off for now.

  24. Johne Nomad @ July 18th, 2009 at 9:12 am:

    More specifically, West Railay Beach. Did I mention the rugged karst formations that shoot hundreds of meters straight up out of the aqua blue sea?

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