Thailand backpacking trips from Xtreme Gap Year cram as much in to our exciting action packed itineraries as you could possibly handle! Thailand is probably the most popular backpacking destination, and it has many faces, the lush beach resorts, mountain hill Tribes, vibrant cities, seedy night life and of course Xtreme Gap programmes!
Some of our best backpacking trips are in Thailand, and we even have a base there. From exciting Thailand group backpacking tours, cultural experiences, the full moon parties, adrenaline inducing Martial Arts programmes (Muay Thai Kick boxing is the national sport), to Diving, freediving, rock climbing adventures. There is plenty on offer if you’re considering going backpacking in Thailand.
Discover the land of the smiles with our fun adventurous group trips, or get fit and healthy at our fitness camp. How much fun can you handle?
Xtreme Thailand Experience£989
Do you want see it all in one of the most exciting countries in the world? Join our guided Thailand group backpacking tour and have an incredible adventure. You choose your activities. An intro week, an adventure week, an action week and a beach week. You will be checking out the buzz in Bangkok with new mates and letting the good times roll.
Underwater Filmmaker Internship, Thailand£1989
Step off the plane and into paradise, living on an incredible tropical island and getting paid for it! This once in a lifetime opportunity is not to be missed. Become an underwater videographer on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand, spending your days filming colourful and tropical scenes underwater, and your afternoons editing your footage into awesome movies! This is living!
Koh Tao Divemaster Thailand£2599
Koh Tao Divemaster course plus internship: Live the life on a tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand. The Koh Tao Divemaster course means living on an incredible tropical island, diving every day for 12 weeks, accommodation and equipment included. You will discover one of the most amazing lifestyles and gain a professional level qualification enabling you to work in the scuba diving industry all over the world.
Round The World South East Asia£2499
A whirlwind tour round Southeast Asia. Discover Thailand with this beautiful culture and action on pristine paradise islands, then head to the mountains to explore and Laos on hop on hop off adventure, finally finishing up in Vietnam with a four week awesome adventure. Three stunning countries, 10 weeks for under £2500!
Round The World Thailand & Australia£1799
Thailand & Australia offer the perfect mixture when you want to go travelling. Stopping off in Thailand you will be blown away by the culture, beaches and stunning beauty of the country. Featuring a month long Trip you can really do it all, lazy days on tropical beaches. Partying in Bangkok, temples and action. Then it's on to Australia, where you will have an amazing first week followed by an exciting adventure up the East coast.
The Thailand Bucket List 18 Day Tour£945
An unforgettable 18 day Thailand tour in the land of smiles. All transport, accommodation and activities are included in your epic Thailand trip of a lifetime, so you don’t need to worry about anything. Simply get yourself here and we’ll take care of the rest! This trip takes in all of the major islands that you need to see.
Epic Thailand 12 Days£595
Tropical beaches? Island paradises? Amazing adventure? Welcome to the trip of a lifetime; the ultimate bucket list journey through Thailand! If you love beaches, nature, adventure and a healthy dose of partying, then this is the trip for you! Amazing value, and perfect for first-time or solo travellers, you’ll instantly make a bunch of new friends in your travel group who will share amazing travel experiences with you.
Thailand Backpacker Experience 8 Days£449
The ideal way to start your backpacking adventure in Thailand! Travel as a group from Bangkok to Koh Phangan in 8 days. We will take care of everything for you including accommodation, activities and transport, plus your group leader will be on hand all week to ensure you have an awesome and trouble free trip. See the best of this amazing country and meet new friends whilst enjoying the experience of a lifetime! The best value for money backpacker tour in Thailand - everything only £449!
Ultimate Thailand 10 Day Thailand Tour£579
The perfect way to see and explore the land of smiles in a guided group backpacking tour. 10 days we take care of everything within easy arrival amazing experiences and a whirlwind tour around Thailand. You can even extend this awesome trip to 14 or 24 days.
Round the World Work & Travel, Thailand – Laos – Australia£ 1993
Start your trip with a stunning group trip through Thailand culture, actions and lots of well deserved beach time, get cultured up in Laos, join the tubing in Vang Vieng before getting serious and join or the Outback Cowboy course or the Learn to earn on sailing yachts course in Australia!
The Xtreme Tropical Island Fitness Holiday£899
This is like a fitness holiday with all the benefits of being on a paradise island. Wouldn't it be great to go on holiday, have all the relaxing experiences you crave yet feel better and fitter at the end of it. Well that's exactly what can achieve with this programme. With excellent CrossFit style workouts, soothing yoga under coconut groves, and exciting Muay Thai kickboxing training combine to make this the perfect fitness experience in paradise.
South East Asia Xplorer£1399
A flexible hop on hop off adventure taking in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, starting in the capital of Thailand Bangkok and ending in the capital of Vietnam Hanoi. With the recommended minimum trip time of 43 days, this is the perfect guided group backpacking adventure taking in four incredible Southeast Asia countries. All transport, loads of activities included.
Round The World AustralasiaReduced to £3221
So you want to do an amazing round the world trip, but not sure where to start? This is a pretty good option for you! The best parts of Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. All the must do activities, incredible places and incredible people await. From Thailand island hopping, to the East coast Australia and a mental few days in Queenstown, this is the perfect backpacking adventure.
Thailand Fitness Bootcamp£599
Are you longing to get really fit? If you spend time at the Xtreme Gap fitness bootcamp, set in a tropical Thai jungle paradise, then you really will. Industry leading professional personal trainers will get you in peak condition in no time. After your training take your new six pack for a walk on the beautiful tropical beaches of Phuket. Feel the burn!!
Thailand Xplorer£1159
Our amazing 24 day trip is the ultimate start to your trip in Thailand and South East Asia. See the best of Bangkok, Khao Sok National Park, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Phangan with an optional Koh Tao bolt on. Our tour includes all accommodation, travel & activities. It is not called the ultimate Thailand from nothing this is absolutely everything you want to see and do in this incredible country.
Koh Tao Adventure£429
If you like the sound of die for beaches, superb nightlife and some incredible adventure activities with a cool group of travellers then the Koh Tao adventure is the trip for you. Each week has a new adventure. All you have to do is decide which activities to pick and how long you want to go for.
Muay Thai Training In Thailand – Now With X-Fit Option£649
Do you want to try the ultimate in personal fitness training? Muay Thai training Thailand gets you closer to the culture and action. Set on a gorgeous tropical island paradise. You will train hard in a stunning jungle gym up a sandy track minutes from the beach. But will you be ready to step in the ring? Now there is an exclusive Xtreme Gap Year CrossFit bolt on available for only £100 per month for unlimited daily training sessions
Round The World Ultimate£6255
Head round the world from West to East taking in the sites and sounds of South East Asia´s Thailand and Laos, before heading to Australia and New Zealand for some serious action! Finish up in the USA completing an awesome road trip from LA to New York before flying home.
TEFL Training And Work As An English Teacher In Thailand£839
Gain an internationally recognised teaching qualification with a guaranteed job offer after your course and earn over $1000 per month A great way to work and travel.. Phuket is one of the world’s most famous dream destinations of the most beautiful places in the world. The course location is 30 metres from the beach . It is ideal for students to have time to relax while they are learning. Food and accommodation is very cheap by western standards.
Round The World Tropical Beaches -Thailand – Bali – Australia – NZ – Fiji£ 4500
The perfect option if you are looking to go to really tropical locations with a budget of about 6 1/2 thousand pounds all in. Really popular group tours, exciting locations and easy travel.
Thailand Adventure£829
Are you looking for a great value fun trip where you meet loads of other travellers? Do you want to experience some amazing adventures like elephant trekking and visiting temples? You will be enchanted by Thai culture and eased into your travels on a great intro week, you can pick fun adventure options in week two, you'll have a cultural exchange experience in week three and finish up with some serious beach time week four. A bit like the Thailand experience but with less action, better if you are on a tighter budget.
Zero to Hero Dive Instructor Start Your Dive Career Here£4449
Become a dive instructor! No prior experience needed, you can become a dive instructor teaching others how to dive leading to an exciting career all over the world. This 7 month programme is a life changer, training under one of Koh Tao most established an successful course directors you can put the prospect of a 9 to 5 rat race well and truly behind you.
Rock Climbing Thailand£459
Challenge yourself and admire the view from up high. Our rock climbing course, set on a beautiful tropical island, will teach you the basics of rock climbing. This course will give you all the inspiration you could need to develop a life long climbing passion. The setting is spectacular too, as you climb through the lush jungle and look out to sea from the pinnacles rising majestically out of the lush jungle.
Ultimate Fighter, Mixed Martial Arts Training Camp Thailand£499
So you wanna learn MMA? Then learn with the best. Mixed Martial Arts is the ultimate fighting style, and you will discover the secrets, techniques and methods delivered by one of the worlds top MMA fighters. Beginners, Intermediates or Advanced, by training at the Xtreme Gap MMA camp you will become one serious bad ass.
Freediving Course Thailand£399
Mastering advanced Freediving techniques will enable you to dive down 20 metres on a single breath of air in just 2 days! You can train at our worldclass Freediving school, set on a cool tropical island in Thailand. We will teach you the correct techniques, the physiology and science enabling you to do advance freediving. Either complete an eye opening beginner or advanced course, or participate in a full blown freediving master or even instructor programme!
Learn To Dive In Koh Tao£409
Learn to dive in Koh Tao on your gap year! Getting your PADI qualifications in Thailand is one of the must do activities when you go backpacking in Asia or as part of a round the world trip. Koh Tao is famous for diving, low prices and great experiences, and maybe even meet the Whale shark, the biggest and most amazing fish in the sea! Come join us and have a great time on Koh Tao.
Xtreme Elephant Experience£399
From monolithic temple protrusions, to the living, breathing, legendary white elephant herds of the royal order, the faded beer vests of Khao San Road travellers, to the somewhat infamous, green and gold labels of ‘Chang’, if there is one symbol that reverberates the mystical and multifarious character of this Eastern land more than any other, it is the Thai Elephant. Discover their ways on the Xtreme Elephant Experience.
Thailand Fullmoon Party Experience£249
The Thailand Fullmoon party, one of the all-time top 10 must dos before you die. Five days of enjoying the stunning island of tropical Koh Tao with lots of beach time and a boat trip around the island before heading to one of the most epic parties abroad.
Round The World Backpacker With USA£ 3999
Travel the world at your own pace as a real backpacker with the comfort of all transport being arranged. Plus you will have guidance along the way and you will meet heaps of other travellers on our buses, boat and trains. We take you through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, North America and South America!
The most popular Thailand backpacking trips.
We have several very popular group Thailand backpacking tours, and these represents some of our most popular Thailand backpacking trips. The Xtreme Thailand experience is one of the most popular trips we run. It is a pretty comprehensive 25 day trip with plenty of different activities included, set over four different themed weeks. This means you get to spend quite a bit of time not only on the mainland discovering places off the backpacking trail, but you also have plenty of beach time on the tropical paradise island of Koh Tao. Because this is a popular group tour, it doesn’t matter if you’re planning on travelling on your own. We will make sure you have a good time and introduce you to other backpackers who will be travelling around with you during the month.
Another popular trip is the Thailand Xplorer This is less activity-based than the Xtreme Thailand experience, and goes to different places as well. For example the Thailand Xplorer heads to Koh Phi Phi where you can visit the beach, one of the most popular backpacking locations. Of course we are referring to the beach from the movie, not just any old beach it is certainly one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
If your travel budget is tight check out the Thailand adventure.
If your budget is going to be stretched, we have a great value option in the Thailand adventure, this is a cutdown version of the Thailand experience, you will still be in a group but there aren’t as many included activities. We are great believers in doing exciting activities as you travel, as we genuinely believe this makes the trip even more special, but we know that not everyone has the budget to go diving, or experience some of the more popular backpacking options.
Check out some of our videos to get inspired and see what happens on some of our Thailand trips.
Diving in Thailand a great place to get your PADI licence when you are backpacking.
One of the staple activities of most backpackers in Thailand is learning to dive. Xtreme Gap Year has some superb diving programmes which you can do whilst you are travelling. Whether it’s going for your basic open water course or going all the way up to Divemaster Thailand is a great place to learn. Every year thousands of people had the island of Koh Tao, which is one of the top Thai island on the backpacking route, where they learn to dive in one of the many dive shops on the island. On Koh Tao we have an office and every month lots of backpackers join our groups to discover what it’s like 30 m below the ocean.
Top locations to visit when backpacking in Thailand.
We are often asked where the best places to go to during a one-month tour of Thailand. Whilst many of our different group tours take you to some of these places you may want to research some other places as well. The reality is there are so many different places to head to, some are popular for different reasons so a lot depends on what style of travel you are. There are some major backpacker hotspots though, that just keep attracting travellers again and again, so this is the Xtreme Gap Year guide to Thailand’s best backpacking locations.
Koh Phanang & Koh Tao and the islands.
The number one location for backpackers in Thailand is without a doubt on the islands around the Gulf of Thailand. The legendary full moon party draws up to 40,000 people every month so if you are adding this to your itinerary, you are certain to be with thousands of other backpackers around that time. Most of our trips include the full moon party, although we also offer a shorter full moon party trip as well. Other popular places for Thailand backpacker’s include Phi Phi which is another island in the Andaman Sea (the other side of the elephants trunk-look at a map Thailand is said to look like an elephant with an elephant’s trunk).
Phuket and Phi Phi
The popular holiday destination of Phuket is not really that popular with backpackers, however it is the location of our Thailand fitness Bootcamp which is also a very popular activity. Many backpackers will head through Phuket on their way to Koh Phi Phi. This is definitely worth seeing as it is a great place to chill for a couple of days, although don’t stay any longer as it will get to you in the end! With lots of beach bars is definitely got a great atmosphere, needless to say amazing beaches and good night life.
Many people also head back through the coastal town of Krabi, the beach is not so nice here but it’s still an interesting place to be.
Chang Mai the Thailand backpacker jungle paradise
On the mainland if you had to the North be sure to visit Chang Mai which is a stopover on our Laos backpacking program, a great bolt on to add to any Thailand trip. The mood is very much a different affair in the north of Thailand, dominated by Hill tribe’s and jungles it is a stunning place to be. Many people also recommend Pai, the perfect tonic to the headonsim nightlife of the islands.
Bangkok
Bangkok is definitely on the list, whilst many will tell you two days is more than enough because of the hectic nature of it, it is definitely worth a visit. Boss most backpackers stay and go out in one particular area, the Khao San Road, there are attractions located all over this massive city. The secret to a successful Bangkok visit, is to get the timing right for the places you want to visit. For example if you want to check out the kings Palace, then it’s best to arrive in the morning, as it shuts in the afternoon.
One of the best ways to see the city, without breaking the bank or subjecting you to a knee shaking Tuk Tuk ride is to take the riverboat for a couple of cents which takes you past some of the most incredible temples and scenery in Bangkok.
What type of VISA is required if you’re going Thailand backpacking?
The answer to this depends on how long you intend to stay in Thailand, and also your nationality. Most nationalities who travel to Thailand backpacking are able to get a 28 day visa exemption certificate, also known as a VISA on arrival. This allows you to stay in Thailand for up to 28 days. This means if you are on our Xtreme Thailand experience, Thailand Explorer or Thailand adventure programme you are not actually required to prearrange a VISA. If you are travelling longer, then you will need to pre-arrange a visa before you travel, but are detailed predeparture packs give you all the advice and assistance you need. You can also read up on everything you need to know about travelling in Thailand on our blog.
View all of our Thailand trips.