Long journeys can be uncomfortable at the best of times but can you pick your worst? I can. Mine has to be the overnight train in Thailand from Bangkok to Surat Thani. I’m not sure what I was expecting from an overnight train. I knew it wouldn’t be luxury and it wasn’t, but I didn’t get a wink of sleep.

The journey lasted from 8pm until 6am the following day so it was a solid 10 hours travelling. The train never really picked up much speed so the frustration of this got to me more than anything else. I am sure in the UK the same distance could have been covered in half the time.

We started out in pairs with two seats facing each other and then at meal time a table was slotted into the floor and side of the train. Food was optional and I chose the hot option but this was a mistake because it was “red hot” and I couldn’t eat it. Instead, I stuffed a half stale tube of Pringles which unsettled my already fragile stomach. When it came to sleeping, the chairs folded out into bunk beds which I thought was a pretty efficient system. I foolishly took the top bunk and ended up with the only light in the carriage right in my face and the loud fan blowing only on my feet every 20 seconds. The biggest issue however was the humidity. All the trapped heat in the carriage was rising to my level and the face mask I was using was saturated with my own sweat. As we trundled along at close to walking pace the coaches would bump together and jerk you suddenly in your bunk making it impossible for you to drift off to sleep. I found myself lying awake trying to anticipate the next banging together of the carriages. I bathed in my own sweat for the entire 10 hour journey and felt extremely grimy by the time came to disembark at Surat Thani. A grin came across my face when we were directed to the café for a breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast and a cool glass of orange juice.

Experiences like this one do build character and make for interesting talking points when you get home. I would not be in any hurry to choose another overnight train unless absolutely necessary. Leave a comment about your worst journeys.

I don’t suppose many people have heard of tubing. Those who travel to South East Asia usually take on this activity if it is offered as it is a little bit different, and can be a lot of fun in a group. All you need to go tubing is the inner tube from a tractor tyre and a river. The concept, as you may have guessed, is floating down the river on the tube with your friends and seeing where you end up. Normally you are taken out by locals who know the river and arrange for a vehicle to pick you up when you reach the end point, or are forced to before you sail over a waterfall (probably not as fun as it sounds).

When I was in Khao Sok National Park in Thailand, tubing was one of the activities on the agenda. I did know what this was beforehand as a friend had told me what I should expect. I was not really looking forward to the experience because when he went the water was dark brown and had excrement floating along. He recalled positioning himself on the tube in such a way that none of his body touched the water; this does not sound like a comfortable ride. However, I was not deterred by this and was prepared to try anything once. The rest of the tour group and I dragged our inner tubes to the waters edge and waded to the middle of the river (which was brown but excrement free). We were told that there were a lot of eels in the river but once we were under way we laid back and took it all in. Unfortunately it was tipping down with rain for the entire time in Khao Sok but as we were sitting in a river this did not matter. We cruised for about 30 minutes in total and were followed by monkeys in the tree tops the majority of the way which was pretty special. There were a few hairy moments when the current took us off track into the bushes on the banks but the locals were experienced and eventually got you back on route.

The only downside of tubing is that you cannot take photos unless you have a water proof camera. I did not and so the only memories I have are in my head. It is not recommended to do this in the UK or under your own esteem because tides and currents can be unpredictable. Keep and eye out for tubing as I can see it catching on as a leisure activity in other tourist hot spots if it hasn’t already. Has anybody else “tubed”? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Thailand has hundreds of islands to explore, many of which are isolated with undisturbed coral reefs, white sandy beaches, and are a dash of paradise in the Indian Ocean. It is very popular among tourists to take boat trips tours to several islands in one day to catch some sun, sea, and sand. This past time has been coined as “island hopping” and is something I took to when I visited Krabi in Thailand.

Many island hopping tours operate from Krabi, a beach front town in southern Thailand. In the mornings many people gather on the beach ready to board the numerous boats which are about to set sail for the day. The trip I did made five stops in total and took roughly 30 minutes by motor boat to get to the first one. After quite a rough journey we reached Pi Leh Lagoon and jumped over the side with snorkel gear. The boat drivers threw bread over the side which attracted thousands of colorful fish which would sometimes mistake you for bread and nibble at your skin. This did feel odd at first but as long as you were not too close to the bread you were okay. Interestingly this was one the locations Leonardo Di Capri was filmed while making the movie “The Beach”.

We set off at sailed to Maya Bay (Another film location for “The Beach”) and moored in another cove with a beach for a morning of relaxation. The water in the cove was incredibly warm. It was much like slipping into bath water much unlike the unearthly temperatures you experience on the UK coast.

After making a quick stop off at Monkey Island to give some very hungry monkeys their banana lunch we proceeded onto have our extensive buffet lunch on Phi Phi Island which was thrown in with the price of the tour. It was all you can eat rice, noodle, chicken and vegetables and really hit the spot.

The afternoon and final stop was spent on Bamboo Island which had long stretches of white beach and really made you feel like you were in the middle of nowhere. This was mainly a relaxation and snorkeling spot depending on how energetic you were feeling.

Island hopping does allow you to see some undisturbed Thai islands and get very sun burnt all in one day. Although we did move between several islands the day did not feel rushed and importantly there was plenty of choice and time for lunch. Ask a local or your hotel/hostel reception for the tours they recommend and look into where they take you and what you do to find something that suits.