A few comments about my overall approach to traveling around Thailand. Understanding that my circumstances are somewhat unique: First, I’m recently retired and don’t have a return ticket. I have a long term lease on a Chiang Mai condo I maintain as a home and a home base for travel. Next, this is my 19th trip to Thailand. To be clear, the great majority of those travels were in the northeast/Isaan region. Until last year, I was married to a Thai woman from the northeast region of Thailand, and during those 7 years or so, I traveled with her extensively in and around Thailand. Thus I was always armed with a translator and cultural guide. Now divorced over a year, I still only speak a little Thai. (I’m enrolled in a 1 year course that commences soon.) With all that said, I’ve never been on a tour bus in Thailand, and don’t intend to start now. Undoubtedly I will miss things, tour guide narratives, certain local information, but the trade-offs are – I can be spontaneous, wander off on my own, stay a couple of nights or more in a remote area, miss the bus, etc. Most importantly, I can choose to come back for another try without great expense or huge scheduling challenges. So I allow myself the opportunity to miss things, take wrong turns, ask questions, see 2 places instead of 9 or 10 on each trip, then I can come back for another round. The upside is, I stumble onto things, and experience much that is not on any tour itinerary. Others take this approach to be sure, but we rarely bump into each other I suppose. As I work to expand my Thai language skills, even more doors will open, I’m sure. All in all, this approach is a new experience for me, and I will modify it as needed. Up to this point, my vacations always included a return ticket. Meanwhile, the adventure is on.