Singapore to Trang · Days 1–4
A Bigger Test
Korea had shown us that the family really enjoyed road trips. On the flight home, before we had even landed in Singapore, we were already planning a bigger one: UK to Singapore!
We bought a Land Cruiser in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, fitted it with drawers, and secured a place on the Automobile Association of Singapore’s UK-to-Singapore drive in 2023.
This Thailand trip was the test: could we really do it?
Ko Lanta · Krabi · Phuket · Days 5–12
Finding a Rhythm
The drives were long, but the children surprised us. They ate, slept, played and reset at each stop; by the time we reached the islands and Phuket, the road already felt less like something to endure and more like the shape of the trip.
Khao Sok · Cheow Lan Lake · Days 13–16
From Forest to Lake
Khao Sok gave us bamboo rafting and clear forest pools before the immense limestone landscape of Cheow Lan Lake. We travelled out to a floating stay on the lake, where we spent the night surrounded by limestone cliffs.
Chumphon · Hua Hin · Days 17–19
Northbound Again
There was still a long way to go. The Land Cruiser became the children’s familiar little world between stops—snacks, a beach break, sleep and the view from the back seat—while the road carried us on through the centre of Thailand.
Samut Songkhram to Kanchanaburi · Day 19
The Railway Market and River Kwai
The railway market at Samut Songkhram was a vivid stop before we drove on to Kanchanaburi. There, we crossed the Bridge over the River Kwai, stumbled upon a night market and ended the day over Thai mookata barbecue.
Sangkhla Buri · Days 20–21
Morning at Mon Bridge
At Sangkhla Buri, we dressed in local Mon clothes before dawn and joined the morning alms-giving along the bridge. It was a gentle, memorable start to a day that otherwise continued at full road-trip pace.
Sai Yok · Day 21
On the River Kwai
That afternoon, a boat carried us to the floating stay on the River Kwai. The journey itself was the arrival: watching the river from under the canopy, then swimming straight from the water’s edge.
Thailand to Singapore · Days 22–29
The Road Home
By the return leg, we knew the answer. The children had not merely tolerated the distance; they had enjoyed the changing places, the pauses and the time together. This was the trip that made longer family road journeys feel possible.
Singapore · 15 December