The New Year holiday period is one of the busiest times in Thailand from the point of view of travel when both international tourists and locals set on a trip around the country. If you are planning to travel between the end of December and first days of January do book right away. Transport Co predicts that before the end of November all New Year seats will be sold out. The company is checking whether they need to add extra rides to their schedule during the holiday period but anyway those will not help much.
It is a similar case with train journeys, too. Though the Thai Railways start issuing tickets only 60 days prior to the trip, we (12go) already have quite a few bookings for the end of the year.
The most popular New Year routes if travelling by train include long-haul Bangkok–Chiang Mai, Bangkok–Nong Khai, and Bangkok–Chumphon and Suratthani tickets. By bus, these are complemented by Bangkok–Phuket, Bangkok–Chiang Rai, Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima, Bangkok–Khon Kaen, and Bangkok–Hat Yai routes.
The best tip is to avoid the peak dates between December, 29 and January, 3 – it becomes considerably quieter immediately after though it is still highly recommended to book all the trips – especially by train – to the most popular destinations during the high season in Thailand, from November till the end od February in advance.
Travelling in Thailand during New Year Holidays? Book Ahead!
News in Asia
One of the largest bus companies in Thailand, Transport Co, that runs buses around regional destinations in Thailand as well as international buses from Thailand to Laos and Cambodia, revealed yesterday that 30% of their New Year tickets are already sold out.