How we create trustworthy Thailand travel guides

The internet offers a wealth of travel information about Thailand. Lists of sights, activities, and recommended itineraries are readily available.

However, we believe that good travel planning isn't just about having more options. It's about knowing which options are right for you.

That's why we design our guides differently.

We start with the questions that travelers actually ask, learn from our local teams and partners, experience Thailand ourselves, and carefully evaluate each recommendation before sharing it with you.

We'll start with real questions from travelers.

For us, writing an article is only half the battle. The other half takes place before we even write a single line: the research.

We use a structured research process for every guide we create.

A search can tell us what people are looking for, but it doesn't always tell us why they are asking or what problem they are trying to solve.

We'll start with our own booking data.

In creating our Bangkok travel guide, we checked over 300 real bookings and carefully read what customers wrote to us: how many nights to stay, whether a day trip is worthwhile, and in which area to stay.

These bookings help us identify the most frequently asked questions and the most important decisions when planning a trip.

Then we look beyond our own data to fill in the gaps.

We use Reddit, Quora, and TripAdvisor to uncover further concerns, complaints, and doubts about the destination. We also watch hundreds of travel videos to see how different people experience the same place from different perspectives.

Then we speak with our local guides and DMC partners, many of whom have been working with us for over 10 years. They live and work in the destinations we write about, helping us to verify our research findings and understand what has changed on the ground.

Sometimes it means more than just a phone call. When we wanted to know if a remote mountain village in Chiang Rai was suitable for travelers, our local partner made the three-hour drive there to visit it himself.

We go beyond research – we experience Thailand firsthand.

We don't just sit behind a computer and write. We know that we best understand what's really happening by being there ourselves.

Every year we conduct at least five field studies in Thailand, each focusing on different questions we want to answer.

Before each trip, we create a plan with the questions to be answered, the experiences to be tested, and the recommendations to be checked.

Our elephant research is a case in point. We spent 10 days visiting 20 different elephant sanctuaries in northern Thailand, comparing guest interaction with elephants, group sizes, surroundings, activities, and how well each experience suited different travelers.

Yi Peng is another example. We've returned there five years in a row. These repeated visits allow us to observe the changes from year to year, compare different locations, and determine which options are better suited to different travelers.

Once there, we examine everything closely, compare our findings, and discuss the questions we came with. These discussions often continue even after leaving the site – sometimes until midnight.

Upon our return, we evaluate our findings and compare them with feedback from travelers and insider knowledge. Only then do we decide what to recommend, what to update, and what to omit.

We don't just recommend places. We evaluate experiences.

When we make a recommendation, we don't just consider the popularity of a place. We ask two questions:

Is it worth it?

Every journey requires decisions. A day in one place means less time in other places.

We weigh what you gain from an experience against what you give up in terms of time, distance, and effort.

For example, we can organize day trips from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, but we don't automatically recommend them. For travelers spending only a few days in Chiang Mai, a six- to seven-hour journey might not be the best use of their time.

However, if you have enough time to stay overnight in Chiang Rai, the answer is different.

How can you experience it better?

It's easy to say whether a place is worth visiting or not. However, we believe that a good travel guide should help you get more out of the experience.

We don't just write about attractions. We work closely with our product team to understand why an experience is designed the way it is, how it works in practice, what makes it special, and what sets it apart from other options.

For example, when we write about temples in Chiang Mai, we don't want to create yet another list of "top temples" that focuses solely on architecture and history. We want to help travelers delve deeper into the subject.

At Wat Chedi Luang we spoke with a young monk about his daily life and how he learned English so well.

At Wat Pha Lat we meditated with a monk in the temple and experienced the tranquil rhythm of monastic life.

At Wat Phra That Doi Suthep we got up at 6 a.m. to attend the morning alms ceremony.

These experiences help us to look beyond the surface and provide a more comprehensive picture of the temples of Chiang Mai in our travel guides.

Furthermore, our recommendations are independent. We are a travel company and can organize many of the experiences we describe. However, we don't recommend everything we can sell.

We only include experiences that we are truly convinced are worth considering for our travelers.

We do not accept paid listings. Hotels, attractions, and event organizers cannot pay to be listed in our travel guides.

We help you make better decisions in Thailand.

Thailand is constantly changing, and so is our work.

We keep coming back, learning and refining our recommendations so that our travelers can experience the best of Thailand today.

Our goal is simple: We want to help you spend your time in Thailand with experiences that truly fit your trip.