Thailand

Very easily — Thailand is huge and family-friendly once you steer around a couple of pockets. We simply keep Pattaya off your map and, in Bangkok, base you around the Riverside, Sukhumvit’s greener stretches or near the big parks rather than the late-night lanes. Then we lean into what kids and grandparents love: the Grand Palace, Safari World, ethical elephant sanctuaries, island beaches and the floating markets. Your evenings become night markets and river dinners. Tell us the ages travelling and we shape the day-plan so nothing awkward ever crosses your path.

It is a comfortable nonstop of about four hours, with IndiGo, Air India Express and Thai Airways on the route. Morning departures are gentler on families — you land with the day still ahead — while the red-eye saves a hotel night but leaves everyone groggy. And that headline cheapest fare is usually hand-baggage-only: add a check-in bag and it often costs the same as, or more than, a normal fare that includes 20–30 kg. We always price it both ways with bags added before booking, so the real cheapest wins.

They can be. The Phi Phi speedboats especially bounce hard when the wind picks up, which is tough on older travellers. The fixes are simple: we book the morning slots when the sea is calmest, choose the larger, steadier ferries or catamarans over the small speedboats where we can, and seat your parents mid-boat where the motion is least. A light meal beforehand and an Avomine tablet help too. If the water looks genuinely choppy that day, we would rather switch you to a beach or a Krabi day than put them through it.

We are with you completely on this — riding is out. We book you into the genuine ethical sanctuaries near Chiang Mai and Phuket where the elephants are rescued and simply cared for. Your day is spent feeding them bananas and sugarcane, walking alongside them and helping bathe them in the river — no chairs, no hooks, no performances. The little ones especially love it, and it feels honest rather than staged. Plenty of places use the word sanctuary loosely, so we point you only to the ones that actually earn it.

Thai street food is one of the joys of the trip, and the busy stalls with a constant queue are usually your safest bet — high turnover means everything is freshly cooked. Stick to bottled water, skip raw salads if your stomach is sensitive, and you will be fine. On scams, the classic one is the tuk-tuk driver who insists a temple is closed and whisks you to a gem shop or tailor for commission — just decline and walk on. Use the metered taxis or Grab, agree nothing vague, and you sidestep almost all of it.