Hi all, my wife and I are planning our first trip to Thailand in late November 2019. We are both 50 and very active and do not want to party.
Does an intinerary like this make sense?
Fly to Bangkok or Chiang Ma
then go to
Ko Samui, stay a couple days
and go to
Ko Tao, stay a couple days and go to
Chiang ma. Stay a few days and fly back to YVR?

First of all, get out of Bangkok as soon as possible. I would also do Chiang Mai first, then fly south to the islands. I believe Ko Samui/Ko Tao is still in rainy season in November, so you might want to try the Andaman side instead. I just got back from Thailand and found almost everywhere really, really touristy. However, I did do an amazing 3-day kayaking trip off Ko Yao Noi, which was a pretty relaxing island. We then went further south to Ko Muk/Ko Ngan area, which was a lot quieter than everywhere else we saw. The name of the kayaking company is Paddle Asia - they are a Thai Company with really good Thai guides.

Thank You so much!

I would at least go to the Grand Palace in Bangkok and maybe see the reclining Buddha - Bangkok is dirty and very busy but fascinating in its own way

Yes. Worth spending two nights. One to arrive and tour for one day then head out the next.

Check out Khao Sok national park’s floating bungalows to get away from the touristy areas and see some stunning scenery! We were there in March so maybe check the weather at that time of year.

I would highly re commend doing a sailing trip out of Koh Phi Phi. We did it as part of our honeymoon and the uncharted islands and places we saw were amazing! Sea Fun Charters. Run by a fabulous scotsman and his Thai wife.

Flights are relatively cheap in Thailand - flew to Bangkok and then caught flights to Chiang Mai and Ko Samui - lots to do!

Kanchanaburi (River Quai & Death Railway) great history there. We loved Ayutthaya is a good day trip from Bangkok. Bangkok is busy all the time...a couple days is enough to see the sights.
Definitely go to Ko Samui... we liked Maenam Beach...it was quieter...Moonhut Bungalows was great.

That's literally my itinerary for my trip in June, fly to Bangkok, stay a night, fly to Chiang Mai go to an elephant sanctuary, spend 2 nights there, then fly to Koh Samiu, stay 5 days, then ferry to Koh Tao and spend 4 days, then back to Bangkok and fly home. Never been to Thailand but this was recommended by a travel agent so hopefully it's a nice trip. I wanted to stay away from the big cities and no partying for me.

Jillian awesome, let me know how it goes please!
I’ve been told Samiu and Tao may still be in rainy season in November.
I might skip Bangkok altogether as I’ve been told it’s not worth going there.

Kevin ya I told the agent I didn't want to spend any time in Bangkok but she recommended at least a night just to recoup from the long flight. It's myself and my 18 year old daughter going and we wanted low key, quiet areas and to avoid big cities, plus I told her I had to go to an elephant sanctuary so that's why we're going to Chiang Mai for a few days, plus it looks beautiful up there and we're staying in a beautiful hotel. I'll let you know how it goes. We fly out June 2nd.

Kevin I really disliked Bangkok and would recommend skipping it. Just a big, dirty city imo

Jillian try to avoid the sanctuaries where you ride the elephants! You can find sanctuaries where you feed, bath and interact with them. It’s thrilling

Cheryl yes I have been doing my research on which ones are actual sanctuaries and it looks like the Elephant Nature Park is the best one to go to where the elephants are treated humanely and allowed to roam and play in their natural habitat. Plus they have other animals there too which is a bonus.

Fly in to Chang Mai! Do a jungle trek there. Best part of my Thailand trip.

We are going back in a couple of weeks. First time we went we were in our 50s and looking for interesting things but no party areas. We were also told to leave Bangkok quickly, but we actually found it very interesting. Our next trip we will stay in Bangkok 4-5 days then head to Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai fo about 10 days.
There is a lot to do in Bangkok. We stayed near Khao San Road and thought it was interesting, and there is Wat Arun, Grand Palace, etc. Close by. Don’t write Bangkok off. Yes it’s dirty but so are most of the Asian cities we have been to - you’re not going to Victoria!

I would suggest you look at Canadian company
https://www.gadventures.com/?aw_ag_id=63152895769&aw_kw_id=aud-372340961199:kwd-38356547853&aw_ad_id=320947285866&aw_nw=g&phonecode=PPC_SEM_Brand&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIooWQ6Pju3wIVsh-tBh1e2AtKEAAYASAAEgIRXfD_BwE

Paula thank you

Kevin let me know if you have any questions about them .

We were in Thailand for three weeks in December 2019. I suggest you get a Sim card for your phone. It cost me about $30 over the three weeks to have unlimited internet and international calling. This way you can use the Grab app whatsapp or Agoda to plan daily trips and book hotels. In Bangkok, see the Grand Palace. It is well worth hiring a guide here. Climb the Golden Mount at sunset. The hop on ferry is a good way to get around on the river. taking the trains is also an easy and cheap way to see the city. Visit Chinatown in the evening for street food. Make sure to go to Chatuchak Market. It is HUGE. You could easily spend a week in Chiang Mai area. Mae Rim Elephant Sanctuary is excellent. We hired a driver (call Sunny at+66-89-631-2256) to take us to the sanctuary and he took loads of photos to share with us. We spent half a day at the sanctuary feeding and bathing the elephants. Be sure to do your shopping in Chiang Mai as prices are definitely better. We headed south after that. Since there was less chance of rain on the Andaman Sea coast, we went to Ko Lanta and Ko Phi Phi. There were loads of things to see and do on both these islands. We hiked, rented scooters, traveled in long tail boats, snorkeled, and ate street food!

Here is a map of the market in Bangkok.
We had two days of rain in the three weeks we were there.