I’ve gotten pretty spoiled living in Thailand getting regular massage and spa treatments. Before moving to the country, I had only had two massages total in my life…now I get at least two a month. I also have been fortunate enough to try out a range of massage shops and spas in Chiang Mai from […]

Chiang Mai, Thailand is a city well known for culture and creativity. With its rich Lanna heritage and a new generation’s eye-catching talent for mixing traditional styles with modern amenities, there’s no shortage of beautiful hotels in Chiang Mai. Over the past 8+ years I’ve lived here, the number of hotels has seemed to quadruple and new […]

At the risk of sounding cliché, a travel quote made me move to Thailand. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. […]

Want to make real Thai food at home? Then you need these Thai cookbooks. Tasty (authentic) recipes, dishes that go beyond phad thai, and gorgeous food photography – these are the best Thai cookbooks around. Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand Andy Ricker opened a small restaurant […]

I know I may be in the minority now, but I still like guide books. Whatever arguments people make that they’re outdated as soon as they’re published and blogs or websites have more up-to-date is not necessarily true – I have plenty of posts on this site that haven’t been updated in years – and […]

A few years ago my friends from Sullivan and Sullivan Studios in Seattle wrote a post for Paper Planes about how to take travel better photos. It’s still one of my most-read posts – they know what they’re talking about. If you haven’t read it yet, do…but not before reading these words of wisdom from […]

Chiang Mai may not be the first honeymoon destination that comes to mind but in the past few years a number of darling boutique hotels have popped up that are surprisingly beautiful…and surprisingly expensive for a town where you can still find a guesthouse for $10-15 a night. Perhaps not the most practical on your […]

Between chatting with monks and getting a tattoo, to learning salsa and even scoring a free yoga class, there’s something for everyone on this list. I first wrote this post in 2013 and since then, many of the experiences and places I originally included are no longer available or open. Others have been inundated with […]

Michelin-starred restaurants, shopping malls with massive food courts, street stalls galore. You often hear about how great the food scene is in Bangkok but the first several times I visited Bangkok I was completely clueless about where to eat. There is food EVERYWHERE. There are THOUSANDS of restaurants. How do you even begin to narrow it […]

Chiang Mai isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking about renting a villa. Instead, holiday hotspots like Koh Samui, Phuket and Bali offer more villa options. That said, Thailand’s Rose of the North still boasts a select handful of extra-special properties, made even more exclusive and unique due to their rarity. If you’re […]