Free guide for families · 2026
Thailand with kids, minus the overwhelm.
The three decisions that shape the trip: where to base, when to go, and what to sort before you land. Built from hundreds of family trip reports and the questions around 11,000 parents ask in our group.
Entry rules changed in 2026
From 15 September 2026, Thailand cut the visa-free stay for UK and Australian passport holders from 60 days to 30. For a normal two or three week holiday this changes nothing, and if you ever needed longer you can apply once to extend by up to 30 more.
Rules can shift, so before you book take thirty seconds to check the official source for your passport: gov.uk (FCDO) for the UK or smartraveller.gov.au for Australia.
Decision 1
Where to base yourselves.
Bangkok first or straight to the beach? The pattern that keeps working is two or three nights in Bangkok while everyone still has energy, then fly south and actually rest. With very small kids, plenty of families skip Bangkok, and that's a completely valid trip.
Kata, Karon, Kamala and the quieter north. Most choice, easiest logistics.
Ao Nang and Noppharat Thara: walk to dinner, boats to the islands.
Long quiet beaches and big resort pools, 90 minutes from Phuket airport.
Choeng Mon, Bophut and Maenam. The Gulf side, good when the Andaman is rough.
The quick way to decide
- Easy, organised, resort and kids club? Phuket, on a quieter beach like Kata or Karon rather than Patong.
- Calmer, cheaper, a bit more adventure, older kids? Krabi. Families often say it runs 20 to 30% cheaper than Phuket.
- Babies or toddlers, one resort, proper rest? Khao Lak, about 90 minutes north of Phuket airport.
- Travelling in the UK summer? Koh Samui, for the weather.
Pick one base, maybe two. The families who try to do three islands in ten days come back needing a holiday from the holiday.
Decision 2
When to go: the two-coast trick.
Thailand's two beach coasts have opposite monsoon seasons, so there's almost always somewhere with good beach weather. Match the coast to your dates, then pick the island.
Christmas: the Andaman coast (Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak) is in its best season. Prime time.
October half-term: the Andaman side is only just coming out of the wet season, so it can be mixed.
Summer (Jul-Aug): the Andaman side is wetter, so Koh Samui and the Gulf give better beach odds.
Easter: the tail end of the Andaman dry season, still lovely.
December-January: the summer break lines up with the Andaman coast's best season. Peak for a reason, and this window fills.
Around July: some families go in the greener months for lower prices and quieter beaches, and take an afternoon downpour as the trade.
Decision 3
Sort before you land.
The families who do the boring bits before they fly are the ones whose first day doesn't fall apart. All of this can be done from your sofa.
Documents and entry
Connectivity
Money and cover
Landing smoothly
Internet on arrival
You step off the plane, Maps and WhatsApp just work, and you find your transfer without hunting for a SIM kiosk while a toddler melts down. The cleanest way families do this now is an eSIM set up before the flight.
This is an affiliate link, same price for you. We only share ones we'd actually recommend, and this is a good one.
Where to stay
Family hotels, sorted the way you ask.
Where you're going, your kids' ages and how many of you. Every hotel comes with an honest heads-up, and where a room sleeps five or six, the exact name to search for.
What a trip actually costs.
The honest answer is "it depends", so here's a rough calculator instead of one number. An estimate, not a quote. All figures in USD.
Accommodation, food, activities and local transport, not flights. Your real trip will vary, but this gets you in the right ballpark.
Which area suits which age.
A rough match, drawn from what families consistently report. A starting point, not a rule.
| Kids' ages | Tends to suit | Why families say so |
|---|---|---|
| Babies (0-1) | Khao Lak, quiet Phuket (Kata) | One resort, calm water, minimal moving around |
| Toddlers (2-3) | Khao Lak, Krabi (Ao Nang) | Pools over sightseeing, short travel days |
| 3-5 | Phuket resorts and kids clubs | Structure, easy amenities, hospitals near |
| 6-9 | Krabi, Phuket | Old enough for boat trips and snorkelling |
| 10+ | Krabi, island-hopping, some Bangkok | Can handle bigger days, temples, longtail trips |
If your kids span a range, most families base the plan around the youngest one's pace. That's the tip that saves the trip.
The health worry, calmly.
It's the fear that comes up before every other. The honest reframe: the number-one thing families actually deal with is a mild tummy upset, and the families who prepare a little worry a lot less.
What families say they do
- Bottled or filtered water, including for brushing teeth.
- Ease into street food, and favour busy stalls with high turnover.
- A small "just in case" kit, so a rough night isn't a 2am pharmacy hunt.
- Keep little ones hydrated in the heat. It's easy to underestimate.
Ask the people who are qualified
Vaccines, malaria or dengue risk, a medical kit, or whether a trip suits your child's health:
- UK: TravelHealthPro (travelhealthpro.org.uk) and your GP or a travel clinic.
- Australia: Smartraveller (smartraveller.gov.au) and your GP or travel doctor.
- Everyone: your travel insurer, before you book.
Book a travel health appointment early. Clinics get busy and some things need lead time.
Getting around, and eating well.
Getting around with kids
Grab, the local rideshare app, is what families lean on most: upfront prices, no haggling. Download it and set up payment before you fly.
Private transfers for airport runs and long hops. After a long-haul flight with kids who are done, a driver with your name on a sign is worth it.
Car seats are not standard in taxis, Grabs or most transfers. Bring a compact travel seat, or request one when you book a private transfer, well in advance. Decide before you land.
Flights vs ferries. For longer distances, a short domestic flight usually beats a long land-and-sea slog, especially with the youngest kids.
Picky eaters won't starve
Not everything is spicy, and you can always ask for "mai phet" (not spicy). Rice, noodles and fresh fruit are everywhere. A few kid-tested wins:
- Khao pad, fried rice, the reliable default
- Chicken satay, with a mild peanut sauce on the side
- Pad see ew, wide flat noodles, savoury and not spicy
- Mango sticky rice, the one that turns sceptics into fans
- Fruit smoothies and coconut water, hydration and a treat in one
For the kids
Thailand Bingo.
One colourful A4 sheet. The kids tick things off through the trip, and it buys you a surprising amount of quiet on travel days.
Who's behind this
Hi, I'm Ron.
I love travelling. I've been lucky enough to see a lot of the world, Thailand included, more than once.
And on every trip, the advice that actually got it right came from people. Someone who'd just been there, telling me what they'd do again and what they'd skip. That beat the brochures, nearly every time.
Today there's more information than ever: endless blogs and now chatbots with a confident answer for everything. But a confident answer isn't the same as someone who's been there. You can see it in our group every day. A parent asks a question, and families who've just come back answer it. Real trips, the good bits and the bits that went sideways.
That's what I want to make easier to find. I run Thailand4Families, a group of around 11,000 mums and dads planning Thailand with kids or just back from it, and this site is where I'm starting to gather what they report. I check it against the hotels' own details and lay it out simply, the way I'd explain it to a friend. Where I'm not sure, I'll say so.
If something here is out of date or plain wrong, tell me in the group. I'd much rather fix it than have you find out on holiday.
I keep this guide updated as things change, because visa rules and prices move. If it helped, the best thanks is passing it to one other family who's nervous about the same things.