We have had such a great time on our travel to Thailand from home! We have come to appreciate the fascinating history and gorgeous scenery of Thailand. We hope you enjoy it as well.

 

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A little bit about Thailand

Quick facts about Thailand

• Thailand was once called Siam, so if you have heard of Siamese cats, you know about Siam!
• 67 million people live in Thailand, and a third of them live in Bangkok (the capital city)
• Buddhism is the national religion of Thailand.
• Ornate temples with statues of Buddha are found all over Thailand
• The Elephant is the national symbol of Thailand
• People from Thailand speak Thai

What to make for your Thai food from home

Thai food has become a staple of many Americans’ diets and a favorite of foodies around the world. If you haven’t had it yet, you are in for a treat!

Thai Red Curry

If you were overwhelmed by Germany’s dish, you will be very happy about this quick and delicious meal.

I love any kind of Thai curry! I love the depth of flavor the unexpected acid that meets sweet and creamy coconut and add in garlic and ginger and it might be my favorite dish ever. (I say that about a lot of food!)

I make curry quite often because it is a quick and easy meal and I can use whatever vegetables I happen to have on hand.

I used this recipe as a general guide and used they vegetables I preferred. (zucchini, red pepper, onions, snap peas and pineapple.) You can use whatever protein you want to as well. I am using chicken, but I love curry with shrimp or scallops!

Spectacular Thai curry really comes down to having the right curry paste and little touches like curry leaves or lemon grass. (I freeze lemon grass in little pieces in the freezer so I always have some.) If you don’t have either you will be ok, just add some extra fresh garlic and a little brown sugar and it will still be delicious.

For years, I couldn’t figure out why my curry wasn’t as good as my favorite restaurant so I finally asked the chef and she said you are using the wrong paste.

Here is the curry paste you will want to use:

 

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What to watch for your movie about Thailand

There were quite a few movies that had Thailand featured in them. We watched 3-4 of them this week! These were our two favorites.

“The King and I”

The King and I is a classic movie musical based in Siam (modern day Thailand). It tells the true story of an English schoolteacher who was hired to teach the scores of children of the King of Siam. Cultural clashes occur again and again.

I love that the movie really draws focus on understanding each other despite our differences. Isn’t that why we want to travel the world in the first place?

Suitable for kids of all ages!

Watch it  here on Amazon Prime

“The Impossible”

This is a movie that will stay with you long after it is over. I watched it years ago and think about it often, it is a story of a family’s triumph and being able to overcome something horrendous.

This true story follows a young family who is in Thailand for vacation when the 2004 tsunami happens. They are swept up in the form and what follows is truly “impossible.”

A young Tom Holland (of Spiderman fame) is so incredibly moving in this movie and has the most screen time of anyone in the movie. He is remarkable.

My kids who are 12 and up were riveted and moved during the movie. I wouldn’t recommend it for kids much younger as it is very intense and might be scary due to subject matter.

Rent it here on Amazon Prime

 

What to read about Thailand

This may be my favorite book we have read yet! It is a book that will entertain and teach your children all about Thailand and has songs, activities and fun trivia.

You can buy it through Kindle, but I would recommend buying the actual book so your kids can use it fully.

For older kids and adults I recommend:

The Bridge Over the River Kwai– a book about Japanese POW’s who have to build a bridge from Burma to Thailand. This is a classic for a reason!

How else can you travel to Thailand from home?

Learn how to do a Traditional Thai dance

This was really fun to watch and to try to do. It is easier than many because it is slow and repetitive. If you want to go all out, make a crown and try to keep in on your head while you do the dance!

 

 

Videos from Thailand

I highly recommend this nursery rhyme song from Thailand. Its catchy and your kids will enjoy the actions and the repetitive words. They will be singing in Thai in no time.

National Geographic has a fabulous series called “Are we there yet?” is so amazing for kids. There are multiple videos for Thailand including Bangkok and different wild life.

 

What to craft from Thailand

Adorable foil elephants

This is a great craft for any age and we all spent an hour or so perfecting our little elephants. So here is what you need:

• A flat piece of cardboard (We used a cereal box and an insert from some new sheets.)
• Aluminum foil
• Craft paints
• Paint brushes
• Hot glue or Elmer’s glue

• Follow this  tutorial.  (KidWorldCitizen.com is a fabulous resource for those of you who want more craft ideas!)
• We used Elmer’s glue and hot glue to see which one we liked better. The hot glue means that you will be able to make this craft all in one setting, but the outline is bumpier and harder to get the foil lie flat. Here is the one using hot glue.

Here is one made from Elmer’s glue that we traced the night before and let dry.

This one is a combo of hot glue and Elmer’s glue

For those of you who don’t think you can’t draw an elephant this is the tutorial we followed. It was much easier than I had anticipated! Of course some of the kids just freehanded it and they were just as charming.

 

Play a traditional Thai game 

Len Saba is one of the oldest games in Thailand.

To play you will need:

Something the same size as a Saba seed. I found that racquetball balls were the closest easily available substitution. You could also use small bean bags to mimic the unusual shape of the Saba.

To Play Len Saba:

Each player gets a turn with the “Saba seed” and you try to hit your opponent using only your knees, feet, or legs. Once you hit your player, they are now it and try to hit the others with the Saba seed.

Music from Thailand

We try to listen to music from each country while we do our craft projects. We really enjoyed this calming music from Thailand. Try playing it while you eat to feel like you have been transported to a small restaurant in Thailand.

 

 

Here are some of my favorite family travel bloggers and their experiences in Thailand!

Here is Natalie from Voyagescribe.com

One of the best parts about traveling in Thailand was the food. There are so many amazing options, and a way to try them while also supporting small businesses is ordering from Thai restaurants near you that still do takeaway. But if that’s not an option, an easy recipe to make at home is a papaya salad. I took a cooking class in Thailand where we made this.

 

Here’s the recipe I got: 4 garlic cloves, 1 small chili pepper, 2 cherry tomatoes, baby eggplants, string beans, palm sugar paste, 2 spoons each of soy sauce and fish sauce, shredded papaya, juice from 1 lime. Combine ingredients, smoosh them with mortar and pestle, and sprinkle on some peanuts!

 

When you can make it to Thailand, here are the best writing spots!

 

Here is Dani from Diapersinparadise.com:

Thai culture is all about family! Thai people are some of the most welcoming in the world for families traveling together. We visited Thailand when our first baby was 4 months old and experienced this first hand. Nearly every stranger we passed stopped to smile and talk to her – men and women alike. And if she smiled back at them, most would then pluck her right out of our arms to hold her and play! When we were in restaurants, the waitresses would take turns carrying her around while we ate, giving us a much needed break.

You can read more about visiting Thailand with a baby or toddler here!

 

Here is Neha from Revolving Compass:

We traveled to Thailand for 14 days, covering Bangkok, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and doing several day trips around these cities. On this trip we were accompanied by our 5 years old kid and 10 months old baby. We were skeptical before the trip as this was our first trip to Thailand and our baby’s first trip abroad. But with every passing day of the trip we totally fell in love with Thailand. in particular, the Thai people, who are so friendly. They made you feel totally at home and safe !

In Bangkok, we were upgraded for free to a family suite, in Chiang Mai the hotel was extra helpful in meeting our kid’s special needs. We traveled to Pattaya, Ayutthaya, Doi Inthanon, Doi Suthep and did walking tours in cities. We bought food and kids requirements from local stores and ate at local joints ! At some tourist places there are strollers to rent, kid’s menu in hotels and several other such small things that make travel to Thailand with family and kids a breeze. Overall, it was a wonderful experience visiting Thailand as a family with kids.”

 

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Last update on 2024-12-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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