Avoiding Songkran. When to visit? Beginning vs end of April

[Chris100UK 520]

It may be that there really isn't much difference, but sometimes it's interesting to mull over the finer details when planning a visit.

 

So has anyone noticed a difference between the beginning and end of April? To visit before songkran or after?

Mainly thinking about girls numbers and the nightlife vibe.

 

The second question is flight times.

 

Looking at Emirates they often have 3 flights a day. All had 1-3 hrs layover so can' split them much there.

The first few nights would be in BKK (so no taxi st8 to Pattaya).

 

Option 1. Depart London 10am... arrive BKK 7am.

Pros...can get to Bkk hotel and sleep and be fresh for the nighttime.

Cons...getting to Heathrow for 10am means a bloody early start (even though i'm in the SE)

 

Option 2. Depart London 2.30pm...arrive BKK 12 noon.

Pros...Good time to get to Heathrow. Can still sleep in bkk before heading out.

Cons...Easy to fall into groggy zone. You get a few hrs sleep in bkk but it's not enough. Alarm wakes you up and you feel completely fucked. Force yourself up and feel worse for having gone to bed.

Alternatively ride it out till night time and find yourself falling asleep in your beer at 10pm.

 

Option 3. Depart London 21.45pm...arrive bkk 18.55.

Pros...No rushing to get to Heathrow airport. Get up and do last minute things. Night flight means i can doze (even though i never sleep properly on planes).

Cons....it's a rush to get out for the night. Realistically looking at 9pm at the earliest without baggage delays or particularly bad traffic.

Without any decent sleep those Singha beers can knock you sideways. Feel a bit spaced out (actually this can give a nice heady surreal effect!)

 

Does anyone have a favourite time to leave home country or arrive in Thailand?

 

[paulyoung3046 3]

It may be that there really isn't much difference, but sometimes it's interesting to mull over the finer details when planning a visit.

 

So has anyone noticed a difference between the beginning and end of April? To visit before songkran or after?

Mainly thinking about girls numbers and the nightlife vibe.

 

The second question is flight times.

 

Looking at Emirates they often have 3 flights a day. All had 1-3 hrs layover so can' split them much there.

The first few nights would be in BKK (so no taxi st8 to Pattaya).

 

Option 1. Depart London 10am... arrive BKK 7am.

Pros...can get to Bkk hotel and sleep and be fresh for the nighttime.

Cons...getting to Heathrow for 10am means a bloody early start (even though i'm in the SE)

 

Option 2. Depart London 2.30pm...arrive BKK 12 noon.

Pros...Good time to get to Heathrow. Can still sleep in bkk before heading out.

Cons...Easy to fall into groggy zone. You get a few hrs sleep in bkk but it's not enough. Alarm wakes you up and you feel completely fucked. Force yourself up and feel worse for having gone to bed.

Alternatively ride it out till night time and find yourself falling asleep in your beer at 10pm.

 

Option 3. Depart London 21.45pm...arrive bkk 18.55.

Pros...No rushing to get to Heathrow airport. Get up and do last minute things. Night flight means i can doze (even though i never sleep properly on planes).

Cons....it's a rush to get out for the night. Realistically looking at 9pm at the earliest without baggage delays or particularly bad traffic.

Without any decent sleep those Singha beers can knock you sideways. Feel a bit spaced out (actually this can give a nice heady surreal effect!)

 

Does anyone have a favourite time to leave home country or arrive in Thailand?

 

Preferred the third option biggest hold up Bangkok Airport only 3 custom gates open bloody stupid with many airlines arriving at same time they say welcome to Thailand but its not a good start

 

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[jacko 8,814]

 

Does anyone have a favourite time to leave home country or arrive in Thailand?

 

I plan my trips around 'safe' times to try and get to Manchester Airport. The M60 is a permanent disaster but rush hours are walking speed and I find it just all too frustrating. So mid-afternoon flights are my favourite (The 2pm Emirates A380). . It also means the sun is far enough over the yardarm somewhere for a beer before take-off. It also usually means a good time to arrive in Bangkok and get out of the city again avoiding a rush hour.

[yorta2 693]

I usually arrive in Pattaya in late April (after ANZAC, Day in Kanchanaburi) and find that it is bloody hot then. However, I keep hydrated somehow. Songkran is over and all is getting back to normal - girls are back in town, and prices for hotels have dropped.

[Butch 3,456]

Option 1:

Early start means little traffic on the roads. I'm guessing for a 10am flight you need to be at LHR for 0700, I'm in the SE (Suffolk) and from door to LHR car park it's 2 and a half hours, so for me it would be an 0230 rise to leave the house at 0300, arrive LHR 0530 time enough for a breakfast and coffee before getting on board and grabbing a few hours on the first leg, then take a melatonin and sleep or doze for the second part. It means that you're in BKK and have spent most of the previous day from the UK travelling, so you have not lost much, whereas the last option means you lose the best part of a day and a half.

 

Option 3:

 

No rush to get to LHR, arrive at a decent time and get some food inside you, get on the plane, just before food is served take a xanax or melatonin / zopiclone and wake up 2 hrs before landing.

Into hotel and shower etc, then out on the town and yes, that spaced out singha feeling is wonderful. Lie in the following day.

 

Personally if I were going on a 2 leg journey, option 1 would be the best to go for, but going direct then it needs to be option 3.

 

If you're there in late April, I'm hoping to be in town as well, so maybe some of us (I think Accyboy is out as well at that time) could meet up in Le Pub one afternoon?.

Edited February 16, 2018 by Butch

[accyboy 78]

Yes Im in Pattaya for The 27th with a few decent guys

He has booked flipper so I will be handy for a few cold ones etc ?

[yorta2 693]

I think 28th for me, but that could change as my Thai missus has concerns for me (about me being there)....

[TheFiend 1,181]

I prefer to arrive BKK early morning or around Lunchtime..... arriving later I feel as though a day of the trip has been wasted......

 

I plan my trips around 'safe' times to try and get to Manchester Airport. The M60 is a permanent disaster but rush hours are walking speed and I find it just all too frustrating. So mid-afternoon flights are my favourite (The 2pm Emirates A380). . It also means the sun is far enough over the yardarm somewhere for a beer before take-off. It also usually means a good time to arrive in Bangkok and get out of the city again avoiding a rush hour.

 

When I'm flying from Manchester I always avoid the M60 to get to the airport.... M6/M56 for me and it's very rare I hit hold-ups..... Heading back home from MAN is different as we usually call in at the big ASDA near the Trafford Centre for supplies....... I can suffer the M60 traffic heading back home...

[sinbinjack 251]

Honestly anytime is a good time. I usually get there later and just go to bed s I am usually knackerd from my flight. The one time I arrived late and went out I picked my lady for the night and was too tired to complete, but I am an older man.

[Big_Brian 179]

A lot depends on how long you're coming for. If it's only a week or two, you don't want to miss that first night, so you'd want to land mid-afternoon at the latest. If it's a month or longer, one night doesn't really matter, just sleep and go for it the next day..

[Chris100UK 520]

I plan my trips around 'safe' times to try and get to Manchester Airport. The M60 is a permanent disaster but rush hours are walking speed and I find it just all too frustrating. So mid-afternoon flights are my favourite (The 2pm Emirates A380). . It also means the sun is far enough over the yardarm somewhere for a beer before take-off. It also usually means a good time to arrive in Bangkok and get out of the city again avoiding a rush hour.

 

I think you're right. Getting in to BKK early afternoon is the sensible idea. No dashing around like those early evening arrivals when you are racing against the clock to get out for the night.

 

I usually arrive in Pattaya in late April (after ANZAC, Day in Kanchanaburi) and find that it is bloody hot then. However, I keep hydrated somehow. Songkran is over and all is getting back to normal - girls are back in town, and prices for hotels have dropped.

 

Late April is my prefered choice. No escaping the heat at this time of year. Last trip (Nov) was bad enough. I left my aircon and woke up with a blocked nose and sorethroat. Should have used the fan setting.

 

Option 1:

Early start means little traffic on the roads. I'm guessing for a 10am flight you need to be at LHR for 0700, I'm in the SE (Suffolk) and from door to LHR car park it's 2 and a half hours, so for me it would be an 0230 rise to leave the house at 0300, arrive LHR 0530 time enough for a breakfast and coffee before getting on board and grabbing a few hours on the first leg, then take a melatonin and sleep or doze for the second part. It means that you're in BKK and have spent most of the previous day from the UK travelling, so you have not lost much, whereas the last option means you lose the best part of a day and a half.

 

Option 3:

 

No rush to get to LHR, arrive at a decent time and get some food inside you, get on the plane, just before food is served take a xanax or melatonin / zopiclone and wake up 2 hrs before landing.

Into hotel and shower etc, then out on the town and yes, that spaced out singha feeling is wonderful. Lie in the following day.

 

Personally if I were going on a 2 leg journey, option 1 would be the best to go for, but going direct then it needs to be option 3.

 

If you're there in late April, I'm hoping to be in town as well, so maybe some of us (I think Accyboy is out as well at that time) could meet up in Le Pub one afternoon?.

 

Can't say i've ever used pills to knock myself out for the journey. I'm the sort of person who only used paracetamoI as a last resort.

I rely on a couple of beers in the airport and some red wine in flight.

 

Yeah, the early start is looking pretty unattractive. Fuck getting up in the middle of the night when there are other options.

Drink meet sounds interesting. Haven't done one yet after many visits. Always been on a bit of a mission running around town.

 

I prefer to arrive BKK early morning or around Lunchtime..... arriving later I feel as though a day of the trip has been wasted......

 

 

When I'm flying from Manchester I always avoid the M60 to get to the airport.... M6/M56 for me and it's very rare I hit hold-ups..... Heading back home from MAN is different as we usually call in at the big ASDA near the Trafford Centre for supplies....... I can suffer the M60 traffic heading back home...

 

Yes, dont like losing most of the night getting across town and not having time to unpack properly. Even worse if the police close nana plaza at 1am!

 

Honestly anytime is a good time. I usually get there later and just go to bed s I am usually knackerd from my flight. The one time I arrived late and went out I picked my lady for the night and was too tired to complete, but I am an older man.

 

I haven't barfined for the last few trips. Overuse of porn must have messed up my natural urges

 

A lot depends on how long you're coming for. If it's only a week or two, you don't want to miss that first night, so you'd want to land mid-afternoon at the latest. If it's a month or longer, one night doesn't really matter, just sleep and go for it the next day..

 

Short trip this time. 10 days. Can't afford to miss any nights!

Edited February 19, 2018 by Chris100UK

[paulyoung3046 3]

Long journey for just 10 days but enjoy

 

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