My Life, My Job, My Career: How Five Simple Thailand Travel Helped Me Succeed

The Lop Buri ruins are impressive in themselves, but what makes them more so are the monkeys that have made themselves at home in these ancient temples.

Take a local boat out from Koh Phi Phi to the clear waters and catch some of the coral's impressive sea life. While it can easily be a water-in-your-mouth and sting-in-the-eye kind of activity, snorkelling can also be a lot of fun. Cleaning the cages, feeding the animals and looking after the grounds may not be skydiving or sun worshipping but it's still fun and we guarantee you'll better than if you'd spent night on the buckets.

With one of our Thailand animal programmes you can help preserve some of the country's most endangered wildlife. While backpacking can be all about wild parties and crazy adventures, it doesn't have to be. You can give something back and help invest in Thailand Hotel's own flora and fauna. You've got to haggle it up with the street vendors, buy some bargain harem pants and sample some local cuisine for the full experience.

A shopper's paradise, Chiang Mai's Chang Khlan Road transforms from an ordinary daytime road to a bustling night-time bazaar offering everything from country relics to old town fashion. Check out Photocory's stunning pics and tell us you're not a bit creeped out. While the outside is all snow and ice the inside is pure fire.

Looking like a Game of Thrones fortress, its fairy tale façade is hauntingly eerie and the inside only makes it more so with the disturbingly dark cartoons painted on the walls. Wat Rong Khun is the modern, and pretty unique, Buddhist temple in the northern town of Chiang Rai. You can find insects for sale on most street stalls in a number of places around the city so don't be afraid to try.

Ignore the hard shell or weird pincers and try to enjoy the taste of some sweet and savoury bugs. Do like the locals and munch on the crunchy delicacies of Thailand. Just don't forget to ply on the layers as a sign of respect.

The collection of intricately painted white and gold temples offer religion and history that give you a quick burst of Thai culture in a 30 minute whip a round. As one of Bangkok's main tourist attractions, it can be tempting to dodge the throngs of cheery snappers in the afternoon heat but it is worth the sweat-breaking agro. Fans of the film can also head to Haew Suat, the spectacular waterfall which featured as the entrance to their paradise.

Koh Phi Phi Lee was made famous as the location for the film The Beach, and today is a national park but open to tourists. Phi Phi is a major party mecca with lots of young tourists, which is fun but just be prepared for it! I'd do some research on what islands you like more based on their offerings.

Also, because it's rainy season, some islands aren't as accessible.