Transportation methods

Thailand has various methods of transportation, some are slow and cheaper some are more expensive but get you where you want faster. By road the most used transportation methods are Buses and Mini-vans. Buses fall into several categories and not all of them are comfortable.

You get local buses leaving from stations like the southern bus terminal and usually have a designated route and time table. Stops are frequent to let other passengers in. Although its faster then traveling by train it can be a little uncomfortable. Roads are not always paved perfectly which can result in a lot of rattle and shaking. Seats vary from bus to bus but generally they are pretty soft and you can lean back similar to an economy class seat in an airplane. The temperature within most transportation methods in Thailand is questionable, they adore their Air-cons and think everyone does, so expect cooler temperatures during your trip and plan a sweater or blanket. Most buses have toilets although several main stops for food at gas stations are planned.

The same can generally be applied to tourist buses or VIP buses like some people call them. They are usually "pimp my ride" style buses, very colorful two stories high, equiped with toilets, tvs, air-con and plenty of storage rooms. They are normally more expensive and follow a straight route to the final destination with few stops planned for gas and food. Most travel agencies will book you into one of those if you need to head north or south and every bus company leaves from a specific place. You will be picked up by the bus company with a mini-van or by foot. Expect delays and a lot of waiting.

Mini-vans are another form of popular transportation method. It is probably the fastest way to get to the nearest town or close by border or airport. Prices are usually between 100 and 300Baht depending on the trip. Some Mini-vans are super comfortable, very well looked after and give a reasonably safe impression. All good till you get a crazy racing driver who seems to not care about anyone anywhere on the road or within his van. There have been accidents reported, some fatal, so don't hesitate and tell the driver to slow down and report bad driving!!!

If you chose to travel by train however, get ready for a totally different experience. Here again all depends what class you travel in. Trains have first classes, second and third classes, air con wagons, fanned wagons, wooden seats, soft leather seats, benches, sleeping cars etc etc etc. The first class is usually quite comfortable, concerning the interior itself. Thailand's railway network is not the newest and expect some shaking here and then. If you want to travel local style, go into the 2nd and 3rd classes with all other local passengers. It's fun, open doors, windows, food sellers go up and down the alleys...it's a nice experience and relatively cheaper then the colder air-con cooled first classes.
If you plan a night train then make sure you get a sleeping car thus trips from Bangkok to Surat Thani or to Chiang Mai can be as long as 14 hours!!!

Obviously by airplane is still the fastest and probably safest way to commute through Thailand, especially if you have a short vacation, this is the best way to travel although not as cheap! Be aware that some destinations such as Koh Samui have very few companies flying to which results in pretty high fares. Expect 4000- 5000Baht for certain tickets. Also make sure you have some sort of pick-up planned at arrival, preferably organized with your hotel or resort. You do get taxis though but they make up their own fixed prices.

Hope this helped, please post and share more information and experiences below

Kevin