Thailand

There is no question that Thailand is the perennial favorite among first-time Southeast Asian visitors. With endless sand beaches and affordable prices, Thailand should have everything one could look forward to in an ideal vacation. And sometimes it seems like there are as many ex-pats as foreign tourists in the country. More than in any other Asian country, one may have to work harder to be part of the local economy and not a part of the tourism machine. Not heeding the advice of many other travelers, our first trip to Thailand was an attempt to hit the greatest hit: Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Krabi. Needless to say, we got a front-row seat to Thailand’s struggles with over-tourism.