Thailand: is it good
for a family trip?
Worth it, with an honest caveat: this is the longest, hardest flight on our whole site, and we have not taken our own kids there yet. There is no nonstop from Boston to Bangkok, and the fastest connecting routings run about 20 to 21 hours gate to gate.
Kyle and Kailah crouching near a family of elephants at Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai
How Thailand scored.
Six things we rate every trip on, out of 10, from our own family travel, plus our overall score, which is simply the average of the six. Flight ease and value are calculated the same way for every destination.
Before kids: we have not taken the girls to Thailand yet. These scores come from our own trip before kids, and the kid-friendly score is our best judgment, not tested.
From our trip. Before kids, a hotel worker in Thailand paid our cab fare out of his own pocket, and a food-stall owner named Alex became a daily stop. That kindness is why we are confident it would be wonderful with the girls.
Flight ease
3.5/10About 20 hours total with 1 connection, layover included from Boston. We score every flight the same way: start at 10, take off half a point for each hour beyond 4 (a quarter point per hour past 10), and a point for each connection. No nonstop: one connection through London, Abu Dhabi or Doha. The travel day and jet lag are the hardest part.
Kid friendly
8/10Untested with our kids. Every resort and restaurant in Ao Nang is used to families, and the Thai people we met were remarkably kind. The heat and the jet lag are the challenges.
Walkability
6.5/10Chiang Mai's old city and Ao Nang are both walkable; Bangkok is hot but has the Skytrain, and a short flight connects the regions.
Value
8.3/10Thailand's cost of living index is 36.8 (Numbeo, mid-2026, where New York is 100 and the US overall is 69.7), about 47% below home. We score value the same way for every destination: costing the same as home is a 5, and every 10 points cheaper or pricier moves it a point. It is a country-wide average, so big cities and tourist hot spots run higher and small towns and villages lower. Once you land, it is remarkably affordable: street-stall meals for a few dollars.
Food
9.5/10Street stalls, the night markets, and a kebab on Railay that is one of the best things either of us has ever eaten.
Weather
6/10Very hot; November to February is the window, and even then plan short, shaded outings.
Overall
7.0/10We cannot wait to take the girls; the flight is the hurdle.
No nonstop, at least 20 hours.
There is no nonstop from Boston to Bangkok, and there likely never will be, since it is too far for a Logan-based nonstop to make sense. The fastest connecting routings, via Abu Dhabi on Etihad or Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, run about 20 to 21 hours gate to gate. Dubai, Seoul and Tokyo are real options too, usually a few hours longer.
We have not done this one with our kids yet.
Our own time in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Krabi was before kids. Our full guide is our honest best plan for running this trip with our girls once they are old enough, built from that real adult experience, not a fabricated family itinerary. We say so plainly on the guide itself, and we will update it with real kid-in-tow notes once we have actually done it.
Search Vrbo rentals, already set to Chiang Mai’s old city. Look for two bedrooms and a full kitchen. Where we would stay. Affiliate link, our disclosure.
What families ask us.
Is there a nonstop flight from Boston to Thailand?
No, and there likely will not be one, since it is too far for a Logan-based nonstop to make sense. The fastest connecting routings, via Abu Dhabi on Etihad or Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, run about 20 to 21 hours gate to gate.
Have you taken your own kids to Thailand?
Not yet, and we say so plainly. Our own time in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Krabi was before kids. Our full guide is our honest best plan for doing it with our girls once they are old enough, built from that firsthand adult experience.
How long should a family trip to Thailand be?
We would not do this trip with kids in under two weeks, given how long the flight is. Our full guide plans 16 days: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and a full week on a family beach in Krabi.
How does Thailand compare to Bali for a family trip?
See our direct comparison, Bali or Thailand With Kids, for how the two long-haul Southeast Asia options stack up.