I have been traveling the world since I was 15. If you're thinking of going traveling solo, and it's making you nervous, just know that that is totally normal. In fact, even though I've traveled solo countless times, I started getting a bit of trepidation before every single solo trip, because there are so many questions playing on your mind, right? It feels like a first day in a new school, it feels like you might get lonely, you might not make friends, you might get sick and have nobody to take care of you. Anything could happen.
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But here is what actually happens. The second you get on that plane, or that bus, or that train, taking you to your first destination, about half of your worries disappear immediately. As for the remaining 50%, let's tackle those now with my solo female travel tips. 

I finished my teacher training with Trika Yog, Bangkok, Thailand, in 2019. It’s been a while, and it was a long journey from picking the right yoga teacher training school, choosing the location, to finally getting on-board. When people around me found out I was taking the yoga teacher training in Bangkok, I got a lot of questions. So I’ll list them here and tell you about my absolutely wonderful journey in my yoga teacher training with Trika Yog in Bangkok.

Is yoga teacher training worth it?

Absolutely! Yoga teacher training has definitely deepened my yoga practice. I have taught my friends and family since the training ended. During lockdown because of COVID, practicing yoga at home was possible because I had been taught the proper alignments already. That means I was more aware if my hips are squared in poses, and definitely being more careful of my lower back in all poses, and much more. I wouldn’t have known all this without the teacher training. Even if you don’t intend to become a yoga teacher, I still encourage the yoga teacher training as a good investment in yourself.

Whether Chiang Mai is your only destination in Thailand or you’re just stopping by for a few days, and you don't know where to start with your plan. I've got some tips for the best things and activities to do in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Chiang Mai is the second biggest city in Thailand and the largest city in northern Thailand, and there are so many things to do. So if you come in here for as long as I've been here, or if you're just coming for a few days, here are my recommendations of the best things to do in Chiang Mai for you to pursue,
 

Lantern Festival Chiang Mai (Yee Peng Festival) 

First off, if you're planning your trip around November around Thanksgiving, you might want to consider the Yee Pen festival. This is truly a beautiful event that I planned my entire trip around, and it was well worth it to see all these floating lanterns go up into the sky them all at once. Not only is it just visually stunning but Chiang Mai is really truly alive during that time. There are so many people coming in from all over the world to see this festival.
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And if you're involved in an experience that might be difficult to you, or if you want to send up thoughts and prayers for someone or something or some hope or some dream. This is really the event. I highly recommend planning your trip around that time.  

I love Bangkok! This city has so much to offer. Bangkok has some of the best street food on earth. Also, comparing to other places in the world, Bangkok is rather affordable! You can get a meal for as little as $2 ! 
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If you're traveling in Asia, Bangkok is probably one of your destinations as it's quite in a prime location. Whether you're traveling to other parts of Thailand or using it as a base to travel further to other countries in South East Asia, Bangkok is a great place to stay. So you should choose to stay in the area that suits you and your life style.

Here are the best neighborhoods in Bangkok! 

I have also written a post on best hotels in Bangkok here. 

 I’m writing this from the balcony of my hotel room at U Jomtien Pattaya. Everything around here is so alive. The smell of the ocean. The sea breeze gently brushing against my skin. The sound of the sea waves crushing against the sand. The sight of the glistening turquoise water and the blue sky. The seagulls flying past.The silhouette of the mountains lining the horizon, embracing the vast ocean as it flaunts majestic grandiosity.

This trip is slightly different from how I ususally do it.  My vacation often tends to be about action: wandering around to see places, checking out attractions in the neighborhood, and looking for things to do. 

But in this trip, it’s pure relaxation at this Pattaya beach hotel.

I have to admit: it’s quite nice.

Starting from the wonderful breakfast. As I stepped into the dining room, I was greeted by friendly staffs who brought me to a table next to the window where I could have full view of the ocean. The breakfast buffet was delicious. I ordered an eggs benedict, and helped myself to pastries, cereals and a nice cup of cappucino. The coffee was so delicious and fragrant that I had to look up what the brand of the coffee machine was.  Their tea selection was an amazing collection of Dilmah. The peppermint tea was so soothing. This place knows how to perfectly pamper their guests!

As the sun got stronger into the afternoon, I came back to the hotel and basically lounged around in the hotel rooftop almost all day. Thanks to whoever so brilliantly designed the place, it has the perfect rooftop bar where I could sit in the shades looking over the infinity of the ocean, and read a good book. When it got too hot, I simply jumped into the pool.

Hours easily flew by. And before I knew it, the whole day had gone by.

I watched the sky changing colors from pale blue to soft pink before the sun disappeared into the horizon, leaving me to the darkness of the night. The ocean became littered with green lights from fisherman boats. And I was just lazily lying in my beach couch before falling asleep to the ocean breeze, only waking up minutes before the rooftop bar closed for the night.

I packed up my stuff, came back to my room and retired to bed.

I woke up to the soft ray of the sun and the sound of the sea.

That pretty much summed up my beach vacation in Pattaya at U Jomtien. 

Perfection is simple. 

​If you have a long layover in Bangkok, you might want to consider a day trip into the city. Or if you have a few days in the country, and would like to spend one day visiting main attractions in Bangkok, this is for you as well. As a local, let me guide you to some of the places worth visiting so you get as much out of your one-day trip as possible!

How to get into the city center:
Once you manage to get out of immigration, the fastest and cheapest way is by taking the Airport Link . There is only one line and I’d recommend you get off at the very last station: Phayathai station. The station is connected to the BTS (Skytrain) which will branch out and you can go to many touristy places.

Bangkok traffic can be very unpredictable, so if you’d like to be able to budget your time, taking the Airport Link is a great option. It should take you less than an hour to get there. If you’d like to take a taxi, it should take around 40 minutes and up to 3 hours of travel time (not joking!) when the traffic is very heavy and it’s raining.

If you’re pressed for time, at least on your way back to the airport, please do consider taking the Airport Link.

Places to visit
Most of the cultural places are, unfortunately, not along the BTS lines. So, the best way to get there from the Phayathai station is to take a taxi. You can use Grab taxi, Line taxi, or hail a taxi from the street. I have found the metered taxi hailed from the street to be quite cheaper than getting one from an app, BUT you need to make sure they turn on the meter, or they could charge a ridiculous amount for travelers!

To be safe and preventing the language barrier, using an app could be a great option.  If you’re more into shopping, I have written about shopping malls in Bangkok along the BTS lines.
 
Taking a tour is also another great option! When I travel solo, I often buy tours to save myself the headache of organizing everything myself. I often meet interesting people and hear their stories in many of these tours as well.
 

​The Grand Palace 
A must for all travelers visiting Bangkok! The palace is rich with history, and is Bangkok’s number one attraction. In the past, the palace used to be home to the King. But nowadays, it was mainly used for royal ceremonies. Because of its sacred status, visitors are not allowed to wear shorts or tight jeans. If you happen to wear shorts, they have long pants for rent, but the line can be long and you don’t want to waste your precious visit time. You can check out their website for dress codes in detail.
 
Also, the palace is located near the Chaopraya River, with the gorgeous view of Wat Arun. There are along the river area for you to enjoy the delicious food and the nice views. It’s a perfect place for evening chill-out both for locals and travelers alike!
 
Address: Na Phra Lan Rd, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand
Admission: 500 Baht
Opening Hours: Daily 8:30am-3:30pm
Website : https://www.royalgrandpalace.th/en/home

Wat Phra Kaeo / the Emerald Buddha Temple 
It’s literally a 2 minute walk from the Grand Palace, so it’s super easy to visit.  The Buddha is made of jade, dates back to the 1400’s and is housed in the main prayer hall. You can watch and worship from the distance. It can be crowded so it’s not quite an ideal place if you look for quiet meditation as there will be tourists walking in and out. 
 
Address: Na Phra Lan Rd, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand
Admission: 400 Baht
Opening Hours: Daily 8:30am-3:30pm

Wat Pho 
Also in a very close proximity to Wat Phra Kaeo, Wat Pho is a very short trip away with less than 10 minutes’ walk. Wat Pho is also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.  The reclining Buddha is a 46 meter long gold plated figure and is 15 meters high. The statute represents the Buddha passing into Nirvana. This place is also known for its massage school!
 
Address: Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra
Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
Admission: 100 Baht
Opening Hours: 8am-5pm
 

Wat Arun 
Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of Dawn, is located on the other side of the river from the Grand Palace. So, you need to take a ferry to cross. The pier is a short trip of around 5-minutes’ walk from the Grand Palace. If you do have the time into the night, I totally recommend having dinner on the other side of the river to enjoy the full view of the temple at night; it’s absolutely breathtaking, so it’s a spot you definitely should not miss in your short travel in Bangkok!
Address: Bangkok Yai, Bangkok
Admission: 50 Baht
Opening Hours: 8.30 am-5.30 pm
 
This should keep you busy for your one-day trip with lots of photo taking opportunities. Feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what you think. Enjoy Bangkok!
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Khao Yai National Park is one of the most-visited national parks in Thailand. It's also one of the most popular weekend getaways from Bangkok for locals. But quite underrated among tourists and travelers. There are many activities and fun things to do at the park and around the area - from enjoying the beautiful nature to hiking along the trails. There are many hotel choices for travelers to choose from - many of which are highly instagram-worthy!

Here are some of the best instagrammable hotels in Khao Yai. 

​You can click on the resort name to book your vacation.

U Khao Yai

U Khao Yai is a dream come true. You will feel like you have been transported to another world - one where the view is incredibly breathtaking and you're living in a castle. 

Everything about this hotel is gorgeous: from the minute you step inside the lobby, the rooms, the restaurant and, of course, the hotel grounds! 

The rooms have large balcony where you can take in the fresh air and the view of the lake during sun rise or sunset. The hotel offers spa and massages, so you can pamper yourself with a relaxing massage to end your perfect day at  U Khao Yai.  

It just doesn't get better than this!

Thailand 

Thailand is also known as the Land of Smiles, and it should be on top of solo travels' list! It's affordable, especially if you're coming in from Europe or America. You can buy a meal for just 1-2 dollars! So, you can comfortably live here for a while on a minimal budget. 
 
The country also offers wide ranges of lifestyle suited for everyone. From staying on budget at a hostel to living a 5-star hotel lifestyle. From having delicious local street food to dining on the rooftop savoring the view of the city. Whether you're a college student taking a gap year, solo traveler, retiree, yoga junkie (like I am!) or traveling with friends, Thailand has it all for you! 

Looking for solo vacation?
​Check out list of weekend getaway destinations from Bangkok here

Not to mention the variety of experiences you can have here: city, nightlife, beaches, mountains, waterfalls, yoga retreats... the options are just endless.