We hope to go to Thailand next summer (June/July) when the kids are out of school,staying in Bangkok, Chaing Mai area then beaches. Is it really too wet to travel up north that time of year? The kids can't miss two weeks of high school in Jan/Feb when the weather would be best. Should we pick another destination outside of SEA or tough out the rain? We're not wimps but just how rainy is it?

Thanks!!
Seattlite

We've gone to Thailand in August 3 times and had a great time. It rains more days than not, but the rain is generally a late afternoon hour long downpour that did not bother us at all. Last year we spent the month of August in Singapore, Siem Reap and Thailand and had one day of non-stop rain in Thailand...the other thirty something days we had showers in the PM or no rain at all.

Advantages of rainy season include very lush greenery and flowers, fewer tourists and low season hotel rates.

I just spent 2+ weeks in Thailand in July. Just like the previous post, a couple of afternoons of rain, that was about it. Was quite nice. Rates were lower, crowds were down and skies were as blue as I have ever seen them in thailand. I wouldn't hesitate to return during summers..

Chiang Mai is actually drier than Phuket year-round. In June, it's still drier than Bangkok. As the PP said, you can go in the wet season and have a great time. Just plan on being close to shelter in the afternoon. Keep in mind that it's still hot, so being out i the rain is not as miserable as it sounds.

For you beach time, stick to the gulf coast - Samui, Hua Hin, etc. for the best weather.

Unless you get 'very heavy rains' and there is some transport problem it should not affect you much anyway.
Hua Hin coast has about the lowest rainfall for beach at that time. Gulf islands and beaches best June/July.

I've travelled to Thai in the summer months and it's like people say, it's not that bad, specially because there are fewer tourists and prices are much cheaper.
Two things to keep in mind so you don't get disapointed though:
- in the low season bungalows and hotels refurbish so..lots of hammering sometimes...
- sometimes it may not rain, but it's cloudy, so don't get too frustrated with the bad quality photos!
-And if you have kids, don't forget to bring games, etc, when the rain suddently falls hard for 4 hours and you have to stay inside!

But it's still worth it seattlile, just keep this in mind, and you will still enjoy it, with rain or no rain!

Thanks for the encouragement, folks. It looks like our trip is on.

Seattlite

Definitely keep it on the books! We just went to Thailand and Cambodia in June/July and only had a little bit of rain on a couple of days. It never interfered with our plans. And it was a fabulous trip!

Believe me, the rain in Thailand is much nicer than the rain in Seattle! It nice and warm and the rain tends to be intense then over quickly. Very different from 10 months of drizzle.