Next Stop: Chiang Mai!

Travelling with young children is always going to be more challenging than without. But yesterday, as we relocated from Sanur, Bali, to Chiang Mai, Thailand — with about 12 hours of travel time, which included a 2.5 hour stopover in Bangkok — we were very impressed by just how well our kids managed the trip.

We left our Airbnb in Sanur at 10 am and we did not get to our villa in Chiang Mai until well after 10 pm. So a very long day for a five- and almost-seven-year-old! But Little Miss and Young Mister WorldSmith held it together like champions. Kids are resilient. And they can adapt to their circumstances. If you’re worried about whether you can manage long days of travel with your kids, we suggest that you give them a shot — they’ll probably surprise you.

We used Balimade tour operators for our airport transfer in Bali, booked via Klook, which we found to be the easiest, most trustworthy, and most reliable way to book drivers and tours within Bali. As usual, the service and vehicle quality were very good, although the driver for our trip to the airport drove a little fast and aggressively for our tastes. But ultimately, a solid early transfer and a nice big vehicle to accommodate all of our luggage.

Of the two airlines we used to get to Chiang Mai via Bangkok, Batik Air and Nok Air, we thought Batik was superior. This may partially be the difference between a domestic flight and an international flight, which in this case meant that a few small (and sweet) snacks were provided on the four-hour Batik Air flight. But the overall check-in experience was also better and they had more generous luggage policies. Again, this might be chalked up to the international nature of this first flight versus the domestic nature of our second flight, but it was still a better overall experience.

Upon arrival in Chiang Mai, we immediately went to the blue and white “airport taxi” desk, which was right beside our baggage pick up carousel. We had read that this was the best cab company to use out of the kiosks that are available in the arrivals area, and we had no issues — 150 baht flat rate to the city centre, as posted. The teller at the kiosk gave us a written receipt, and there were attendants waiting right outside Door 1 of the arrivals area, who took our receipts, double-checked our destinations, and radioed to a car for us. They told us our car number and where we should wait, and about 2 minutes later our car pulled up and we were ready to go. The whole process was seamless, and took about 5 minutes in total. (Note: We would normally prefer to use Grab to get around as opposed to taxi services, but we’d read that the airport premium charged by Grab makes the flat fee taxis from the airport the better deal, and that you’d also likely need to wait much longer for a Grab than a taxi at the airport. In this case, we think that advice was spot on and would definitely recommend the taxis to others arriving at the Chiang Mai International Airport.)

The trip from the airport to our rental villa in the Nimman area of Chiang Mai (just outside the Old City) took less than 10 minutes. Though we were lucky we had our world data plan set up before we arrived in Thailand (via Airalo*), as we needed to pull up directions for our driver during the ride, since he wasn’t familiar with our street. This probably wouldn’t have been an issue if we’d been heading to one of the major hotels in the area, but it’s always a risk when you’re heading to a private home or villa.

In all, the trip went very smoothly, but we were still very relieved to step inside our Airbnb, put our exhausted kids to bed, and settle in to our new home away from home for the next two weeks.

Flight cost for four people: 802 USD via Batik Air (Bali to Bangkok) and Nok Air (Bangkok to Chiang Mai).

Airport transfer cost from Sanur to Ngurah Rai International Airport (Denpasar): 16.20 USD + 25% driver tip

Airport transfer cost from Chiang Mai International Airport to Airbnb in Nimman Area, Chiang Mai (flat fee): 4.08 USD + 33% driver tip

*We’ve found Airalo to be a great option for setting up affordable e-Sims wherever you travel in the world. We’ve used a few of their plans already and have been very impressed with their quality, pricing, and ease of use. You can use our referral code for a small discount on your first purchase: CAITLI2661. (Full disclosure: we also receive a small credit every time the referral code is used.)