During the initial trip planning for Thailand I decided I wanted to see both the northern and southern areas of the country in addition to the capital city. Given the rail system in Thailand, which is certainly not up to the high speed rail standards found in Europe, and the distances between these destinations (430 miles from Bangkok to Chiang Mai for example), it quickly became obvious that domestic air travel would be the way to go.

After considering Thai Airways, Air Asia, and some other options, I settled on Air Asia. They run numerous flights between not only the destinations I was interested in within Thailand but also throughout Southwest Asia, China, and Oceania. They also had great fares.

Including the fare itself, taxes, fees, as well as the "First Boarding Privilege", tickets for two adults flying from Bangkok to Phuket, from Phuket to Chiang Mai, and from Chiang Mai back to Bangkok ran to a total of THB 8,964, or, about $260.