One of the most fun parts of the Southeast Asia backpacker trail is the slow boat from the border town of Huay Xai, Laos to the tourist hotspot Luang Prabang, Laos. The two-day trip totals about 14 hours with an overnight stop on Pakbeng, Laos. Note: Some sources refer to this same ride as the …

We started the Backpacker’s Route Through Southeast Asia in Thailand. We made our way north through from Bangkok, to Chiang Mai, to Chiang Rai, and have finally made our way into our next country: Laos! Laos was the country in Southeast Asia that I was most excited about and for no good reason. I just …

If you’re heading from Thailand to Laos, there’s a good chance you’ll be following a rough route of Bangkok to Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong. Chiang Khong is where you’ll find the Chiang Khong / Huay Xais border between Thailand and Laos, which is in turn the jumping off point for the Two-Day Slow …

On Christmas Eve morning, we laced up our Nikes and headed to the starting line of the Chiang Mai Marathon in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was our second marathon of this trip and our seventh ever. The race was definitely more of a cultural experience than it was a quality marathon, so having a good …

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been on the road for six months now. I knew this day would come faster than I expected, but it somehow managed to get here even faster than I could have possibly imagined. It’s been an incredible journey so far. We’ve stayed in 12-bed hostels and Club Level at …

Travel days aren’t always the most enjoyable. Even the best planned trip usually involves some last minute packing, the hassle of getting to the airport and then making your way through security (although TSA Pre-Check helps). After all that, there’s no downplaying how enjoyable an airport lounge can be. Here is how you can get …

Wat Rong Khun, better known to travelers as the “White Temple” is a temple structure (Wikipedia refers to it as an art exhibit) a few miles outside of central Chiang Rai, Thailand. (If you’re looking for a “real” temple experience in the region, check out the hike to Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra That …

In this post, we review taking the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, particularly Thai Railways #13, including how we booked our ride and our (sometimes a little rough) experiences on the train itself. Having started our two months in Southeast Asia in Bangkok, we decided to make our way north through Chiang Mai and …

We were in Chiang Rai for less than five hours before we decided that we had to extend our planned stay here. We had originally only planned to be here for three nights, but after a quick walk through the night bazaar, a dinner in a lively street market and the cheapest patio beers we’ve …

During our year-long backpack trip around the world, we spent Christmas in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I recall that Christmas morning quite vividly. I was drinking a peppermint mocha and watching “A Christmas Story” on my laptop in a cafe. I knew that somewhere on the other side of the world, it was still Christmas Eve …