A good friend and family member explained the phrase “slackpacking” to us, as being backpacking, but with more creature comforts. Accomodation in 3 star hotels & resorts, would therefore qualify as being suitable to slackpackers. Hostels would be suited more for backpackers. We’ll just stick to calling ourselves “midlifebackpackers”.
Because we have never really been an avid travelers, and are only starting in our late 40’s, I think we can gently ease ourselves into backpacking, by taking a few shortcuts initially. After all, with the hardships of lugging baggage all over town in the seething heat, in a strange country, where nobody knows what you are saying while not having a clue where you are, deserves a few luxuries once you have figured out where you are, where you need to go, how to get there & who to trust & who to steer clear of.
The following hotels we stayed at are an example of clean, comfortable & well located hotels. They were all priced between 700baht to 1200baht (or ZAR250 to ZAR430) for 2 per day & sometimes included breakfast.
NAI YANG: Naiyang Beach Resort & Spa
PATONG: Patong Swiss Hotel
BANGKOK: Trang
CHIANG MAI: Eurana Boutique Hotel
AONANG: Tip Anda Bungalows
KO LANTA: Kaw Kwang Resort
We found www.booking.com to be invaluable for various reasons.
- We could see the locations of accommodation in relation to a place that we had just arrived at.
- We could get a good idée as to what to expect from the photos as well as the reviews other travelers had left & the ratings they gave the accommodation.
- We could book there and then, from a wi-fi restaurant, station or terminus we arrived at whether from our laptop or mobile app.
- Once we knew we had a place to sleep on the day of arrival, found the place & liked it, we could just extend online too, or decide to move on & look for something else.
As with anything, with time & experience our confidence will grow & we’ll take more risks, try more accommodation options & grow accustomed to lesser levels of luxury & convenience in our future travels. On our 1st Thailand adventure however, we were happy all in all with the choices me made & the places we stayed that generally offered us good service, kindness & a comfortable place to rest our very weary heads.
See more on https://www.facebook.com/midlifebackpackers