Dear

The year has just started, yet it feels like a LOT has happened around the world. In this newsletter we’re looking forward to travel trends in Thailand this year, showcase how to best include the Phanom Rung ruins in an itinerary, tell you why we LOVE July to travel and update you on the situation in Myanmar.  

ITB trends and what if Trump would visit Thailand?

The ITB in Berlin is coming up soon and we will give it a miss again; for us it is too impersonal and too mainstream. We highly value our product and services and want to ensure we have enough time to explain our curated experiences to our partners – instead of speed dating and not have the opportunity to really deliver the feeling of what we stand for. Instead, we value personal visits to our existing agents in Europe and help them grow with in dept conversations and brainstorming sessions that focus on personalized growth possibilities. Edwin will be visiting the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium in March. Want to meet up with him? Send an email: edwin@exploration.travel  

One aspect of the ITB we appreciate, is looking for new trends in travel worldwide, get inspiration from other destinations and look at the travel industry from different perspectives. While we see a high sense of polarization in many western societies, we believe this will have an impact on the travel industry in the coming years.  

As a DMC, our job is to advice clients on experiences, regions and hotels in Thailand. The times that everybody has to visit the “highlights” or “must sees” of a country are gone. If Trump would visit Thailand, he would probably be happy in Pattaya, look at real estate value in Phuket and possibly cause a cultural faux pas at a Thai temple in Bangkok. Unfortunately, I think Thailand gets more than its fair share of tourist who have not looked into the DO’s and DONT’s of local traditions and culture – so we are fortunate to work with agents that understand their clients, and travellers that want to learn and experience, rather than just “sightseeing”.  

Luckily, Trump is NOT our client, and we do know which places to avoid in Thailand and I do expect this to become a bigger trend in tourism worldwide; which places NOT to visit and avoiding the hyped “highlights”. Long queues, tourist traps, loud and obnoxious tourists is not creating the atmosphere our clients want to experience. Besides that………… it’s well known worldwide that the most friendly local taxi drivers are to be found far from the tourist hotspots.

Join us to show your clients the real Thailand, away from the obnoxious tourist crowds and help educating clients on how to choose carefully for secondary destinations.

How to build the impressive Phanom Rung temples and Isaan in an itinerary? 

One of our absolutely favourites in Thailand, are the always impressive, yet rarely visited, temples from Phanom Rung and Prasat Muang Tam in Isaan. No crowds will obstruct your pictures when wandering or biking around this area. We created a 3-day itinerary that combines the Khmer style temple ruins with a real feel for the Isaan farmers country side. Get on a local train and mix with the locals, go by tuktuk through the paddy fields and have lunch in a farmer’s hut, be in awe by the temple ruins of this once powerful Khmer kingdom, have a beautiful lunch that shows the art of making food tasty and look pretty and learn how to cook Isaan farmers food.

Repeatedly, our travellers say this part of Thailand is the highlight of their trip. It’s a bit raw, it’s the real Thai countryside and certainly very memorable.

How to add this in your client’s itinerary? 

On the way to Laos 

From Phanom Rung it’s easy to continue overland to Pakse in Laos. Alternatively, drive in 2 hours to Nakhon Ratchasima (also called Korat) and take the next day the train to Nong Khai in Thailand (06.20-12.20) and cross with shuttle train to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.  

Combine with Chanthaburi and Ko Chang, Ko Mak or Ko Kood  

Probably our favourite; combine Phanom Rung with a night in a renovated heritage hotel in the charming Chanthaburi River front community. On the way, we arrange for your clients to have probably one of the best Thai lunches in the middle of a tropical fruit orchard. Continue the next day in 2 hours for the stunning beaches of Ko Chang, Ko Mak or Ko Kood.  https://maps.app.goo.gl/HBCMqqZJXcsqqQSV9 

Beaches in Thailand – Ko Chang hotels

Our General Manager Stefan recently visited Ko Chang to select some of the hotels that are a real good fit with our clients. Overall feed-back; The north of Ko Chang has been discovered by mainstream tourists and therefore it’s better to go a bit further south. The island has a good vibe, great snorkelling and a well-developed infrastructure for tourism. Exploration Travel offers 2 private tours that are worth-while; one focussed on nature and villages on Ko Chang and the other one taking your clients snorkelling and stunning beaches by private boat. 

As for hotels; in the luxury class our favourite is probably the Dinso Resort &Villas (4,5-5 star) with the cheaper budget the Vayna and the Indie Beach are some of our favorites.

See the unfiltered descriptions of our preferred Ko Chang hotels here: 

Vayna Boutique Koh Chang (3*): a 3-story hotel with modern and clean rooms, beautiful pool area, directly by a nice beach with many small restaurants nearby. About 100 rooms. Recommended for more budget clients who still want to have some comfort.

Indie Beach Bungalows & Cafe (3*) Great little bungalows, newly renovated, minimal bohemian style, great food and healthy drinks. Directly by the beach (almost private) at the quieter south of the island. Small bars on the beach. For clients who are happy with a simple but clean and pretty appearance. Great pick for budget clients who want a quieter stay. Quite a few steps and a bit of a hip vibe. Not for elderly people.  

Gajapuri Resort & Spa (3*+) Lovely wooden houses connected by wooden walkways, boutique feeling, nice pool and beachfront (sand and rocks), 47 rooms, mostly European clients. Centrally located with lots of bars and restaurants around but does not get the feeling of a busy area inside the resort.

Barali Beach Resort (4*) Lovely Thai style resort with small villas and deluxe rooms. Very well-kept, nice garden and pool, directly by the beach. Family friendly and the management has been consistent for many years. Not too big and gives a family feeling.

Chivapuri Beach Resort (4*): Lovely resort in natural surroundings, beautiful rooms (traditional Thai style) directly by a very nice (and quiet) beach with nice pool. South of the island, away from the crowds. Some small restaurants around. Great location for kids to run around freely.  

Dinso Resort &Villas (4,5-5*) Completely newly renovated resort (formerly Amari), very beautiful rooms and decorations made from reclaimed wood (deluxe and villas), directly by the beach, large swimming pool. 170 rooms but it feels not too big.

The Dewa  (4*) great resort with a nice pool and great beach. Rooms are kept minimal Thai industrial style. Great beachfront sun chairs with many small restaurants around. 

beautiful view from the breakfast area, lovely rooms.

7 Reasons why July and August are the perfect months to visit Thailand 

There is still this huge misunderstanding by many western travel agents that “raining season” means the weather looks like England on the 2nd of January; grey, dull and with a hangover from the holidays. Yet, this is not the case at all in Thailand. I think the Dutch travellers have discovered this years ago and for good reasons, so it’s time to get the rest of the word discover Thailand in July and August.

Here are our top 7 reasons to visit Thailand in July and August:

1. It’s fresh and green! This is the period that the rice in the fields is planted and starts growing resulting in the most stunning grades of green.
2. Have you smelled the rain? On average in July and August, it would rain less than once a day for a short period. And when it starts raining you can smell it; it’s sweet, earthy, soothing and for many Thai people certainly positive and nostalgic.
3. Better service. As it’s quieter at tourist destinations, staff in restaurants, hotels etc have more time to take care of you and have a chat. Hence, better service everywhere.
4. There are literally more hours in a day as the sun gets up earlier and goes down later in this period.
5. The freshest tropical fruit (and veggies!) are perfect for consumption in this season; eat mangoes, rambutan, mangosteen and durian.
6. Good hotel deals: many hotels drop rates in this period (compared to the winter season).
7. Picturesque and dramatic white clouds that make stunning pictures.  

And if it rains for an hour or so, it’s usually just around the perfect time to check-out the cocktail menu at a nearby bar! 

What to watch: Video Burma Border Lands and why we love this area 

Our own 3-minutes movie shows the different senses that touch our clients while travelling through Tak and Mae Hong Son province along the Burmese border:

https://youtu.be/SotpjY8dySY

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Edwin Briels and his team have been creating experiences for travellers for over 20 years. Edwin Briels continuously finds new paths to travel and new experiences to show clients the story of Myanmar and Thailand and engages you in a fascinating journey through this part of Asia with the most fascinating stories.