How to get from ... to ... in Thailand, how to search for connections and buy tickets in Southeast Asia.
While browsing various forums about Thailand, I constantly see questions about how to get from one place to another. Thailand has a very good transportation infrastructure, but I understand that it can sometimes be complicated to connect a ferry with a bus, find a train, or perhaps decide to take a flight. Below, I will try to address what modes of transportation are available and how to make reservations for them.
The Geography of Thailand and Means of Transportation
Thailand is quite a long country. Traveling from the north to the south by bus would likely take around 20 hours (or even more). Therefore, it is advisable to take a plane for journeys from the north to the south (and vice versa). However, when traveling to/from Bangkok, depending on availability, you can choose any means of transportation: minivans, buses, trains, and planes. In the case of trips to islands, only the largest ones have airports, and additionally, flights can be very expensive; in such cases, it's worth considering a bus + ferry option. Since Thailand also has many small towns, it's often possible to reach them directly from Bangkok by minivan.
How not to get lost in all of this and how to check the available options?
Here lies the whole problem; there are numerous transportation options, but how do you find out about them? Fortunately, others have faced the same issue before us and created solution. The website allows you to search for and purchase most connections within the country. The name of this website is 12go. The site usually charges a few dozen bahts in commission for reservations, but this allows you to save the hassle of registering on individual carrier websites and dealing with Thai reservation systems. Sometimes, it's the only option to buy a ticket online. If someone doesn't want to purchase a ticket on the 12go website, they can simply use it as a search engine to get an idea of the transportation options from one place to another.
Additionally, this app enables the reservation of tickets and transportation not only in Thailand but also in other Asian countries (e.g., I used it in Cambodia). Thanks to all this, it is one of the three Asian apps that I consider the most useful in Asia.
Link to service: 12go.asia