Fake it ‘til you make it there.
Homeboys and girls, sawasdee! This week we’re cyber couch surfing all the way over to Southeast Asia and the heart-stopping smiles of Thailand. Explore with live beach streams, Pad Thai cook alongs and beachside cocktail making classes. (There’s a quarantini joke in there somewhere, but someone got stuck into the cocktail lessons a bit too early and literally… lockdown rules/airport rules, right?).
No passport required, just passion. (And Wi-Fi). #PauseTheAdventure
Hit the beach
It’s said that if you clock watch, time goes slower. Hopefully us stalking this live Koh Samui beach stream won’t affect how quickly we can travel again. So peaceful you can hear a coconut drop, experience Lamai Beach at its most beautiful and uncrowded. Occasionally, with dog.
Mix your drinks
One in 11 jobs globally rely on tourism. TruTravels are helping to raise the bar and support their community with language lessons, yoga classes and cookery classes from their teams on the ground. Or our personal favorite, this ‘it’s 5pm somewhere’ beachside margarita class.
Check out this hotel porn
One of the world’s most unique places to stay, swap cabin fever for jungle fever with Contiki’s 360° video of this Floating Raft Hotel on the River Kwai. Part of their ‘Bringing the World to you’ series, it’s where lucky Contiki travelers get stay on tours through Kanchanaburi.
Throw a Full Moon Party
Humans have worshipped the moon for millennia. We’re pretty sure the ancient Egyptians also covered themselves in neon paint and danced barefoot on the beach. On the next full moon (5th June) throw your own Koh Phangan party. (Aka, drink SangSom in your skimpies on a video call).
Learn to cook
Direct from the Land of Smiles, this tourist board Insta video series covers everything from socially-distant self Thai massage to how to cook the perfect Pad Thai. For an authentic tropical experience, eat it with the central heating on full and a cold Chang beer.
Get lost
A Thailand rabbit hole if ever there was one, get lost in the virtual adventures and online exhibits of Google Arts & Culture. Explore everything from aerial views of Chiang Mai’s tea plantations, to historical walkthroughs of Siam’s ancient capital of Ayutthaya.
Find your zen
One foot in the crazy and one in the calm, Thailand is a lesson in travel yin and yang. However, for every wild sunset beach party, there’s also a chilled sunrise shavasana, so if you need to de-stress after all this, plan your next trip around these six seriously zen places.
Read this
Hannah, our Brand Copywriter, was super excited about Thailand being on the agenda this week, as John Burdett’s darkly humorous Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tattoo (part of the Royal Thai Detective Novels) are amongst her all time favorite books. Check out more staff travel reads here.
Get off the track
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched 3D tours of historical and cultural sites from lesser-known areas and provinces across the country. Explore Thailand beyond the beaches and off the tourist trail with virtual tours of wats (temples), royal palaces and museums
Watch this video
Last year, STA Travel’s content producer and digital designer went on a trip to Thailand. Given their jobs, we felt it was only fair that they made us this Thailand video. Cue shameless video plug. Plus, someone getting squirted in the face with a water pistol. Laughs.
For more inspiration, visit our Thailand destination guide. Or call for a chat. We’re WFH, but it’s business as usual for trip planning and cyber hugs.