Travel

Located on the glittering Andaman Sea in Southern Thailand, the province of Krabi is popular among newlyweds as a honeymoon destination, thanks to its pristine beaches and the plethora of exciting amusements that newly married couples can enjoy. Adventurous twosomes can go snorkeling and scuba diving in the dazzling blue waters of the ocean, indulge in any number of water-related sports and activities, or try their hand at rock climbing or sport climbing at the many limestone karst formations that can be found in the area. Read on for our guide on how to make this Krabi honeymoon an unforgettable one for you and your new spouse.

Head to Railay Beach for Rock Climbing 101

If you’ve never tried rock climbing before but have always wanted to give it a shot, head out to Railay Beach between the cities of Krabi and Ao Nang. Cut off from the mainland by the same limestone cliffs you’ll be tackling, the scenic peninsula is only accessible by boat.

The area called Railay Beach is actually three beaches all collectively known under the same name: Railay West is the most popular and commercialised zone, with plenty of resorts, beachfront bars and restaurants catering to foreign tourists. Up north is Ton Sai Bay, where you’ll find a good number of rock-climbing schools and spots that are ideal for beginners just starting out at the sport. There are over 700 different climbing trails in Railay, catering to enthusiasts of all skill levels. Finally, there’s Phra Nang Cave Beach, where the waters offer the best swimming in the entire area. It’s where you’ll find Phra Nang Cave, which is dedicated to the Princess Goddess it was named for. The cave itself is an amazing sight to behold. Locals faithful to the deity make pilgrimage here and leave offerings in the form of lingams, penis-shaped statues meant to represent the Hindu deity Shiva. They do this as a way to ingratiate the deity in return for safe passage at sea.

Follow in the Footsteps of the Original 007 at James Bond Island

The islands of Khao Phing Kan and Ko Ta Pu appeared in the 1974 classic James Bond film “The Man with the Golden Gun,” which starred Roger Moore as the titular character. Since then, they’ve become major tourist destinations for people who wish to follow in the iconic MI6 agent’s footsteps and have risen to become one of Krabi’s not-to-be-missed attractions.

Though fans may be disappointed to learn that there is in fact no secret lair hidden in one of the caves, James Bond Island still offers plenty of opportunities for great photos and recreations of scenes from the movie. A good Krabi tour package usually includes a stop on the island before heading out to other nearby attractions in the area. There are plenty of these to explore on a long-tail boat, including gorgeous Phang Nga Bay and the floating village of Koh Panyi.

Dance the Night Away at Ao Nang

Though the lifestyle here is much more focused on outdoor activities, Krabi also has a vibrant nightlife scene that’s sure to electrify the evenings of any young couple out on the town. An assortment of dance clubs, bars, and watering holes can all be found within 500 meters of each other at Ao Nang Centerpoint, Krabi’s hub for after-hours entertainment.

Chang Bar Ao Nang is the most well-known name here, as it is where you’ll find backpackers and locals alike socialising over cheap beer and EDM. At the opulent Cairo Nights club, on the other hand, you and your partner can try shisha and hookah smoking along with well-made cocktails and the finest Middle Eastern cuisine on the islands. Some of the best nightlife happens on the beach, too. Make sure to check out Railay and Ton Sai during the full moon and new moon in the high seasons, and get ready to party all night right on the sand with your toes in the water.

Getting to Krabi is easy, with budget airlines offering direct flights from Kuala Lumpur landing at Krabi International Airport. To get around the islands, you’ll have to get by on long-tail boats, incredibly agile cruisers piloted by locals who know the ins and outs of these island coasts like the backs of their hands.

You can arrange for island-hopping tours with the local boatmen, or have them booked through your hotel or resort. Most well-regarded establishments are happy to offer suggestions on various activities, and you may be able to get insider discounts just by asking the right people.

We hope you found this guide helpful for planning your Krabi honeymoon!

 

As the biggest city in Thailand’s mountainous northern provinces, Chiang Mai is one of the country’s fastest-growing tourist hotspots. But the city isn’t just a strategic hub for visiting the north’s scenic vistas. Tourism has also helped it develop into a great place to shop for unique handcrafted products and fashion items. This is especially true for one of Chiang Mai’s busiest thoroughfares: Nimmanhamin Road.

It’ll be easy to spot a few of these stores if you’re staying at a hotel along Nimmanhamin (a local might typically search for “ที่พักนิมมาน” on Google to get a good deal). But if you’re still planning your itinerary and are looking for places to visit, then consider the following five shops for your trip.

Lim’s Collectables

Lim’s Collectables should be your first stop if you’re looking to take home some colorful accessories. Even among locals, this place is popular, thanks to its wide selection of jewelry. Their products include bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and more. Some of their items are even made from raw materials that come from places as far away as South America. This should give you plenty of looks and styles to try while you’re there.

Gerard Habitat Collection

Gerard Habitat Collection sells furnishings that have been made from locally sourced bamboo. Because of how fast bamboo grows, this makes them sustainable substitutes for more traditional types of wood. And if you’re not in the mood to pay expensive shipping fees for the furniture, you can buy some unique homeware products instead. Indeed, they also sell a variety of lamps, mirrors, and many other products that you can use to decorate your home.

Maneeslip

Maneeslip is a great place to shop for handmade men’s footwear. Some of the organic materials used in making them include cowhide, snakeskin, and crocodile leather. But aside from the shoes’ high-quality construction, they can also be customized to your liking. This should let you take home a pair of high-quality custom-made shoes that are truly your own.

Tawan Décor

If you’re looking to give your home a more relaxing and natural vibe, then shop for some handcrafted homeware products at Tawan Décor. Here, you’ll encounter various accessories and homeware products that are made from mango wood. What’s more, their selection also features samples that have been smoked prior to getting dyed. This allows the wood to better show off its natural fibres and grain pattern.

Ginger

Lastly, the local Ginger branch along Nimmanhamin is one of the area’s best clothing and accessories stores. This Thai brand is known for mixing Scandinavian and Asian design elements, so their Nimmanhamin branch should have a good selection of clothes for fashion-forward shoppers. Their men’s clothing line features shirts with striking colours and intricate floral-patterned designs. Meanwhile, their very chic selection of women’s clothing is complemented by an extensive collection of fashionable accessories. No matter what you end up buying here, you’re sure to make quite a splash with your new look once you get back home.

With just these few shops, you’ll already have access to high-quality products. And since they’re all near each other, this should give you an easier time if you’re doing a lot of shopping in a limited amount of time. If you do a bit more walking and keep your eyes peeled, you might even spot more shops in the area to further extend your Chiang Mai shopping experience.

For more awesome travel tips from Gen X Design, click here!

Standing out from your rival travel brands might feel like a difficult task, but devising a well-planned content strategy featuring stunning travel content can give you a competitive edge. It can also help to build your share of voice, organic search rankings and brand footprint in your industry. 78% of travellers said informative content from destinations or travel brands can influence their decision-making process, so making sure your content is the content that resonates and captures your audience’s interest has never been so important.

Travel lends itself well naturally to content creation because of the beautiful imagery, inspiring videography and alluring destination descriptions that can be produced. But stunning doesn’t have to equal expensive – read on to learn more about creating amazing travel content on the cheap.

Using user-generated content (UGC) to make an impact

Your happy customers and their experiences, anecdotes and holiday media can be your greatest assets when it comes to generating beautiful travel content on the cheap. With 84% of millennials reporting that UGC on company websites influences what they buy – and 88% of consumers trusting online reviews written by other consumers as much as those from friends and family – it’s easy to see how UGC can be used to your advantage.

Ask your customers for destination and accommodation reviews – finding out their special moments, breathtaking scenery or fantastic service is key. Connect with your customers on social media by running competitions for the most stunning holiday photographs and videos – they can be used to create bigger pieces of marketing content. There are many ways you can get your customers working with you to produce and share authentic, stunning user-generated content.

Leveraging products to generate influencer content

Whether you’re selling accommodation, flights, tours, transport or insurance, there’s always a way to use your products to engage with influencers to create stunning travel content. It’s your choice how expensive your product incentive might be, and how much you’re willing to offer may affect how popular the influencers are who want to work with you.

While reach is key, and working with influencers with thousands of fans might seem tempting, try to prioritise working with smaller influencers with an extremely engaged audience. Think about the network or niche of people you want to reach with your content. Who do you see becoming a customer? These are the types of people you need to reach. Working with smaller influencers can guarantee a more engaged network of fans who are connected on a more mutual, genuine level.

Saving time and money with an experienced SEO agency

Working with an experienced travel SEO agency is another way to keep costs down when creating travel content that resonates. It will get under the skin of your business goals and objectives, helping you put a robust content strategy in place that will ensure you’re delivering the right messages and most effective types of content to your chosen audiences at the optimal time. This will keep your efforts focused and aligned with your wider business goals.

It will also provide you with access to a network of media connections and influencers who can help to amplify your content, ensuring you get as much reach as possible with your budget. They’ll also have the experience and expertise needed to identify important metrics and KPIs for your content performance, from building your share of voice and organic search rankings to increasing your brand footprint in your industry. They will help you to track and measure the success of your content campaigns – even reporting on your content’s ROI and how it’s contributing to your bottom line.

Does stunning travel content require a big budget? No, that’s a common misconception. Working with what you’ve got – happy and engaged customers who can’t wait to share their travel stories, tips and media, plus products that can be used to attract influencers – is a great way to generate wow-factor content that won’t break the bank. If you’re budget-conscious, it’s important to get the most out of your spend and be sure it’s contributing to your ROI.

This is where working with a travel SEO agency can really help. They will help you produce a content strategy that will hone in on your business objectives, targeting potentially profitable customers while remaining measurable in terms of KPIs. Travellers are looking for beautiful, wanderlust-inspiring content that is engaging, informative, credible and unique – all of which can be produced for less than you’d think, provided you follow the tactics above.

To read more on topics like this, check out the travel category.