Please help! My boyfriend and I are traveling to Thailand in the middle of Dec. for 2 weeks - what places are a must see? We are flying into Bangkok and want to see Phuket. What are the cheapest airlines that travel to Phuket? Which vaccinations are absolutely necessary? Any help or suggestions are appreciated. If you can post a suggested itinerary it would be great! Thanks!

First things first, Monday morning go to a bookshop and buy a guide such as Fodors, Loney Planet ot whatever, that gives you the basics plus the maps. Guide 'books' will always by their nature not be up to date but it gives the the basic foundation, and includes maps and the place names, so once you start receiving ideas and suggestions you will have something to refer to.

For a quick 5 minute into:

http://www.beachsiam.com/where_to_go.html

Now that gives you the fast basics, now you need to give us ideas of what you want:

Beach ? - Quiet and remote or busy / lively
City ?
Jungle / Mountains and rivers ?
Culture - Main tourist destinations or off the beaten track ?

Next is budget ! - Accommodation varies so knowing a rough budget is vital, do note that december is 'peak season' so hotel and other accommodation rates are at a high level. tell us if you want under USD50, 50-100, 100-150, 150-200 or whatever.

For domestic flights on budget airlines

http://www.beachsiam.com/thailand.html

Thai Air Asia and Nok Air are budget airlines, One-2-Go is 'low cost', that means One-2-Go provides cheap flights but also provides service, their lowest fares are in general not as low as the real budget carriers but they still offer 'cheap fares'.

Your routing can also dictate which airline to choose for the best deals.

Tell us how you want to spend your days, whether big cities are what you want, lazing on a beach or whatever, also evenings, qwuiet, some redstaurants and bars or do you want lively nightlife.

if you just have the 2 weeks then decide if you want to spend any time in bangkok, if so perhaps a few days and then fly down to Phuket from where you can also venture either on day trips or longer trips to surrounding areas.

Have you booked your long haul flights yet?
if not then that is your No.1 priority, it is peak air travel time so you need to get the long haul flights sorted quick, if you need tips on that there are regulars here from most parts of the world who can guide you to agents / consolidators etc for the long haul flights, but that really is your No.1 issue to settle.

You are quite late for making arrangements at high season.

Vaccinations are not required, but it is wise to have them. Read the recommendations at www.cdc.gov/travel

Thank you so much for your quick responses! We do have the Lonely Planet guide as a starting point. We have already purchased our tickets to Thailand, but nothing else. We are looking to enjoy some of the culture as well as relax on the beach. We would love to see the "must see" attractions and enjoy the Thai food. Yes, we are on a budget and would like to get inexpensive hotel rooms (decent rooms for under $50 if possible). We may pay a bit extra for a couple of nights, but we want to keep the costs as low as possible.
We would like to see Bangkok, but keep it short to a couple of days. The rest is up in the air, any recommendations would be great! I heard Chang Mai and Phuket are "must see" places. As long as we enjoy ourselves and keep safe, we are pretty flexible.

We were told that we don't need to book hotel rooms in advance and they are cheaper if we just go and book. Is this correct?

Thanks for your help!

At this time of the year, I would book ahead. Things will be very full as it is the busiest time of the year. Prices will also be higher than at other times of the year. Especially in beach locations, prices often double in Dec and Jan. Because rooms will be tight, I would expect you would pay more by just walking up. Also, you'll need to get plane tickets booked as many flights within Thailand are already full for that time period.

Last month I stayed at the Ambassador Hotel in Bangkok for a few days. It was suggested by several people on this board as a decent reasonable hotel. Well, it was decent (rooms in the main building were quite basic) and the price was very good (about $40 per night for the two of us, including taxes, service charge and breakfast buffets). BUT the location was fantastic! Right off Sukhumvit on Soi 11 -- non-stop activity right outside the door. On several occasions we bought iced coffees at the cafe in front, sat on the outdoor patio, and watched Bangkok in action - crazy traffic, sidewalk vendors, locals, tourists, etc. If you're looking for relaxation, this isn't the location for you. But if you want excitement, you'll find it on Soi 11!