Welcome to Our Thailand Blog!
We are an Indian couple, living in Amsterdam, in love with Thailand. We live to travel and Thailand is where our hearts lie.
In November 2013, we quit our jobs to follow our dream of exploring the world. It was a bold step, but turned out to be the best decision we ever made.
After spending Christmas with our families, we left home without a definite plan or a return date in mind. All we knew was that we would travel to Southeast Asia, Europe, the US, India, and Bhutan – and that we’d begin with our favourite country: Thailand.
Though we had visited Thailand several times before, this trip was special. This time we didn’t have to return to our jobs – time was on our side.
We steered away from the usual tourist trails, far from the hustle and bustle of crowds. Compasses replaced watches and backpacks replaced suitcases as we let our hearts and instinct, rather than a plan guide us. And by doing so, we truly began to appreciate the Thai way of life.
Since then we have had countless adventures in 37 countries, though Thailand remains our favourite. The story of our travel was featured on Out of Town Travel Blog. Everything worked out perfectly – except for a week in Bali. Both of us fell ill. We cursed our luck, not realising that the fever would save our lives. The story was published by Travel Dudes.
To fund our travel, in July 2016 we began working in London. ‘Work, Save, Travel, Repeat’ became our new motto. While working in London, we visited at least one country in Europe every month and travelled to Thailand twice a year.
Our flight touched down in Bangkok for the 23rd time in December 2019!
We moved from London to Pennsylvania the US in 2019, and from Pennsylvania to Amsterdam in 2021.
Mona has been working on her watercolour technique since Jan 2020. While in Amsterdam, she launched her website MonaFreyArt.com. You can enrol for a workshop or purchase her artwork on the site.
Why Travel to Thailand?
The three most common Thailand related questions we get asked are:
- Why do you keep returning to Thailand?
- Why don’t you settle down there?
- How will this blog help those travelling to Thailand?
We were fascinated by Thailand after watching ‘The Beach’. Back then we didn’t think that an island as pristine as Koh Phi Phi Leh could exist. But it did, at least in the movie. And we were curious to find out if it was indeed as perfect as shown.
Our first trip turned out to be much better than we had imagined. Phi Phi Islands were absolutely magical, and so was the rest of our time in Thailand.
We have grown to love Thailand over the years. The first scent of Thailand when we exit the aircraft brings back a flood of beautiful memories. The friendly people we meet, amazing Thai food (our favourite cuisine), and perfect weather always makes us feel welcome.
Returning to Thailand feels like returning home. In fact, if we stay away for long, we get homesick.
So when we are asked ‘why we return to Thailand’, the simple answer is ‘why not’. Every trip to Thailand means an incredible holiday at a very reasonable cost.
Why don’t we settle down in Thailand?
If we could, we would pack our bags and leave for Thailand today. We are working on it and when we get to the Land of Smiles, a section titled ‘Retiring in Thailand’ will be added to this blog!
Creation of our Thailand Blog
In May 2018, while enjoying a Thai meal in London, we decided to write a blog about our travels. We considered writing guides for the countries we had visited, but soon realised that because Thailand is by far our favourite, most visited, and extensively researched destination, we would create a comprehensive guide only for Thailand. And, as we toasted to our then unborn blog, the idea stuck.
Toast to Thailand was created the next day with the aim to:
– Serve as a guide for those visiting Thailand
In 2019, 40 million people visited Thailand – a country whose population is under 70 million! Thailand has so much to offer – you can’t afford to be lost in the crowd.
Extensive research and over 20 trips have helped us develop an in depth understanding of how to make the most of your time in Thailand. (We believe that there is a certain joy in figuring out things by yourself, in being lost and finding your own way. However, when time is of the essence, the right choices must be made.)
This blog aims at helping you enjoy each of your Thailand trips to the fullest.
– Help middle-range travellers and backpackers
Since we spent a considerable amount of time backpacking across Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia, we had to figure out ways to reduce expenses while having a great time.
We now consider ourselves as mid range travellers. Although we enjoy a few splurges now and then, we prefer creating memories.
The travel tips in our blog are for all travellers, but will work best for mid-range travellers.
– To contribute to our travels
It is our dream to travel fulltime. The income generated from this blog will contribute towards the fulfilment of our dream.
Why Live to Travel?
To be able to wake up in a new country, perhaps to the song of an exotic bird; to look out of the window to an enchanting view – a forest, a beach, a mountain, a colourful street; to have the day spread out ahead of us like a blank canvas, eager to be painted with the colours of adventure; to experience diverse cultures, music, aromas, cuisines; to meet people for the first time and therefore not be judged on past impressions; to be able to start afresh; to make new friends; to experience more, discover, introspect, unlearn, learn, and most of all, only to be answerable to the person you love, are some of the many reasons we live to travel.
So without further ado, let us Toast to Thailand and to all the good times we are about to have there.