What are the Top 10 Thailand blogs?
These top Thailand blogs are insiders’ look at places you don’t get from news outlets.
These Thailand blogs are mainly written by long-term expats living here in the Land of Smiles and cover just about everything from the world of Thai food to learning how to speak the five Thai tones, getting the most out of your island visits to covering currents events and news in a way us farang can understand. (And keep your eye out for a list of Chiang Mai specific blogs and resources coming soon!)
THAI TRAVEL NEWS
Richard Barrow’s industriousness and journalism skills have created a huge readership (he has nearly 100,000 followers on Twitter) because he does something so well and has been doing it for a long time. He also has useful advance news of interesting events. Thai Travel News has something for tourists, travelers, expats, and even residents. If you’re on Twitter, make sure to follow him at @RichardBarrow – you’ll be amazed by the amount of information he’s constantly sharing about the Kingdom.
THAIZER
Written by a long term expat, Roy Cavanaugh, Thaizer is a regularly updated source of Thailand news, current events, tips, advice and reviews that are often just as helpful to first time travelers to the country as they are long time visitors. Roy makes a point of trying to see both the good and the bad in the country and continually offer honest and practical advice.
MIGRATIONOLOGY
If you at all like Thai cuisine then you have to check out Migrationology. Created by Mark Wiens, a longtime American expat in Thailand, the site is chock full of not only food recommendations in Thailand but the stories of the people, places and traditions behind them along with a ton of mouthwatering videos. Together with his Thai wife, Ying, Mark now calls Bangkok home and travels around the world discovering places through their food. While you’ll find other destinations, his emphasis and on Thailand Thai food are still the strongest.
AUSTIN BUSH PHOTOGRAPHY
That’s Austin’s work, above. But his blog is about food in Thailand. Much more useful than reviewers whose only experience with Thai food is from their local restaurant at home. Well-written and illustrated by a professional photographer. Who could ask for more?
8 MILES FROM HOME
Bored with their life in England, they decided to do something about it and so up rooted and moved to the North of Thailand with their Cocker Spaniel, Eden. Creating a Cinematic Travel Web Series about their adventures called ‘8 Miles from Home’.
THE THAILAND LIFE
Want to learn Thai phrases that you can start using right now? This is a great place to start – for free! Whether you want to learn a few essential Thai phrases for traveling around the country, or want to be able to talk to your partner in his/her native language, these lessons will put you on the fast track to speaking Thai like a Thai.
BANGKOK NOIR
An American artist in the Bangkok night life. Keen observations plus Chris Koles’ unique rendering of nighttime Bangkok. This blog is not so much a tourist guide as an artistic rendering of an exotic human demographic. The drawings themselves are worth the visit.
VILLAGE FARANG
My Thai Village Life in Chiang Rai by Village Farang. Village Farang is an inspiration to travelers, lovers of country living, and bloggers alike. This blog, by a longtime resident of Thailand, about his beloved village home in Northern Thailand is a fine example of blogging, both intimate and expansive. It balances the beauty of the Thai countryside as viewed through the lens of his camera, with his personal introspection and insights on life in Thailand.
STICKMAN
Thirteen years and millions of faithful readers testify to the worth of this wryly funny, educational, and highly amusing blog about real expat life in exotic Bangkok. Don’t miss it.
STILL LIFE IN MOVING VEHICLES
Bangkok From the Passenger’s Seat. The author is a University Professor and photographer who turned a 9-month contract into an 8-year passion. He’s the author of Thai Taxi Talismans, a book inspired by the blog and available at Asia Books and, of course, through Amazon. He’s created one of the most idiosyncratic blogs in the history of blogdom–and that’s saying something. Funny, mordant, quirky, it’s blogs like this that leaven earnest blogs like mine. Enjoy!
JAMIE’S PHUKET BLOG
The Real Phuket. More timely (today!) and more personal than any tourism guide could hope to be, Jamie’s love of Phuket (a large varied island with a blend of people and religions, lively tourist beach areas and many quiet places) shines through. While highly personal, it is also well-indexed and extremely useful for anyone planning a visit. Once again, excellent photographs not only adorn the site, they reveal a great deal about Phuket and its real-life inhabitants.
ISAAN LIVE
A blog/Internet broadcast about a northeast Thailand (Isaan). It’s featured here because this labor of local love shows how much a determined blogger/broadcaster/narrowcaster can accomplish by getting off his backside, visiting, and accurately documenting the secrets of the region. It has put Isaan on the map and inspired emulation and…a visit to Isaan.
IamKOHCHANG
The independent Traveler’s Guide to Koh Chang. Written from and about one of the world’s most beautiful islands, this is another excellent example of advocacy blogging. Once again, the elements are all here: love for the place, good writing, a keen eye, and excellent photographs. If you read this blog you will be compelled to visit.
LEARN THAI WITH MOD
Though focusing on teaching foreigners Thai, Mod also weaves in a lot of information, lessons and examples on Thai culture, current events and more. Her cute and clever videos also make learning Thai phrases and grammar a little less daunting.
LIVE LESS ORDINARY
Another food centric blog, Live Less Ordinary chronicles the life of Allan and Fanfan; an Irish/Thai couple living in Bangkok and eating through Asia. Extensive travels in Asia and a number of reviews and hotel recommendations.
Have other Thailand blogs I should add to the list? Let me know in the comments!