I spent 5 days in Bangkok and I wasn t a huge fan. I loved the food, but the city was just a bit too

Most times I flew to Asia or Australia I took Emirates . Its one of the most comfortable airlines, you can find some really good deals and they often fly with the A380, which is my favorite airplane (I got upgraded to Business once, WOW!)
I like Bangkok for many different reasons, it's central, it's cheap and it was my home for a year. From Bangkok you can travel to many destinations around South East Asia for very small amounts. Malaysia and Singapore are a night train or sometimes just a $20 flight away. They just opened a new route from Bangkok to Angkor Wat , which takes less than an hour and is super cheap and also flights to Vietnam and Myanmar are affordable.
I know many people, myself included, that often just want to get to a place as quickly as possible. Last time I flew to Sydney I had the option to stop in either Singapore, Bangkok or Colombo for a few hours or even for a few days.
I decided for a layover of 3 hours and continued my journey. I had a lot of time, no rush and no real plans. I could have simply stayed at any of those places and get used to the time difference. Instead I decided to be super jet lagged for a week.
So instead of sitting in an airplane for 24 hours straight, why don't you break down your itinerary and plan a stop over of a few days or a week in Bangkok on the way to Australia or New Zealand AND on the way back. This way you get to cover much more and are less stressed and exhausted from sitting in a metal tube at 40.000 feet.
Plan a stop over in Bangkok cruise ship pictures free for a week and fly to a country near Bangkok. Myanmar cruise ship pictures free is up and coming lately and you can find cheap flights to Yangoon. How about spending a few days in Myanmar and visiting the country of the thousand pagodas in Bagan and a trip to the Inle Lake to visit the famous fisherman. 5 days are enough to get a general feeling for the country and see those two cities.
On your way back, stop in Bangkok again and explore the bustling street markets, cruise ship pictures free eat delicious street food and relax in a nice hotel for an affordable price. The Centara Grand at Central World starts from 64 € and it's a fantastic hotel right in the middle of Bangkok with an amazing cruise ship pictures free view.
Sebastian is the main contributor of Off The Path. He has been writing here for more than one and a half years. Until today he has traveled to more than 50 countries and lived in more than 7 countries around the world including Australia, The Netherlands and Thailand.
I love the shopping in Bangkok, had a blast at the Chatuchak cruise ship pictures free market and a few other markets! The public transport was great, too. I landed at the smaller airport and was pleasantly surprised to find they have a free shuttle bus to the main airport.
I spent 5 days in Bangkok and I wasn t a huge fan. I loved the food, but the city was just a bit too much for me. Although I will say there are a ton of nice day trips you can take from Bangkok to get out of the city and see some beautiful sites.
You have to be prepared for Bangkok. Everyone going to Bangkok and expecting to go for a nice quiet stroll is wrong. It is big, it is dirty, it is polluted BUT it is also an awesome concrete jungle where dreams might not become true but are very affordable!
In the city we went to Khao San Road, the Revolving Roof Deck at the Sky Hotel (great view of the city!), Chatuchak Weekend Market, stayed cruise ship pictures free at Suk 11 Hostel, and walked around eating delicious street food. But my favorite was heading out of Bangkok and visiting Wat Maha That.
This is such a dream itinerary. I m a big fan of breaking up trips like this. I did this on my way to Russia this summer and turned it into a 2 week trip in Western Europe, visiting family and friends along the way. When I flew home from Mongolia, I did the same thing and stopped to visit a friend in Hong Kong. I almost always take advantages of breaking up trips and seeing a few more places as I go. It s not just about the final destination right?