Thailand in July: Absolutely Worth It!

If you are planning a trip to Thailand, you may be wondering if it is worth skipping the major tourist times in the dry season to save a few bucks and go during the monsoon season. And even though we were warned about traveling in monsoon season, this ended up being the best experience we could have hoped for! Here’s why:

Beautiful weather

If you are reading this then you have probably already been warned about thailand in monsoon season. When we told people we were going on this trip the first thing we were often told was “you should cancel and rebook in the dry season.” 

Boy am I glad we didn’t. 

For starters, it is much cooler in monsoon season making it the perfect temperature to spend time outside. From swimming to nature walks, you will be able to spend almost all of your time outside and get a great tan without worry about overheating.

That being said, the monsoon season does make the weather unpredictable so be prepared to experience some intense thunderstorms. But don’t worry! They pass as quickly as they come.

*There is one caveat that I must mention

Taking your vacation during the monsoon season here in Thailand is accepting the risk that heavy rains could impact your plans. While the rains did not impact our itinerary here, be warned: if you experience particularly heavy rains, they may impact your ability to go on certain experiences (like scuba diving or speed boating) due to safety regulations put in place by the Thai government. 

Less crowds and better accommodations

With the passing of the dry season goes the heavy crowds of tourists. Meaning that it will be so much easier to book the experiences you want to do. Looking to go to the elephant sanctuaries, take a Thai cooking class, or go kayaking to the famous James Bond Island? Great—just say when and you should have no problems booking the day or two before!

And let’s not forget the experiences at your hotel! From the moment of our arrival at our hotel (shoutout to the Mandarava Resort and Spa for a five star experience) we experienced no lines, a quiet pool with a great bar, the ability to reserve day of massages, little to no wait for food and seating at the hotel restaurants, and even a room upgrade. 

If you are like us, there is nothing more relaxing than a quiet space to read, write, and relax while sweet air and the sounds of soft music and water features lull you into tranquility which we can only assume was in part due to the lack of high season crowds. 

Cheaper Price Tag 

Okay so we’ll be honest, flying from New York to Phuket had me expecting to pay an arm, a leg, and maybe a left kidney to boot. And if we flew first class, believe us it would have been. But as economy passengers this simply wasn’t the case! In fact it was probably the most affordable flight we’ve taken in a while. 

While our first flight was canceled due to a lack of passengers, we had to be a bit flexible and leave a day earlier but it was absolutely worth it. Compared to high season, the price of our flight was almost cut in half. 

Final Thoughts— Worth It!

Overall I’d say if you are thinking of traveling to Thailand in July…DO IT! For us, this was one of the best trips we’ve ever had and with the lack of crowds we really felt like we had an exclusive, first-class experience without having to pay a premium.