🏮 The highlight reel
What eleven days in Thailand actually looks like.
📆 Upcoming Dates
Same trip, different crew. Pick your week.
Let It Glow
Light up the sky at Thailand's lantern festival
Three things you will do on this trip that you will still be talking about years later.
The lantern releaseThousands of paper lanterns go up into the full moon sky over Chiang Mai, all at once, and one of them is yours. You light it, make a wish and let it go, standing next to someone you met four days ago. Nothing on any other trip looks like this.
An afternoon with elephantsAn afternoon at a sanctuary for rescued elephants in the hills outside Chiang Mai. No riding, no tricks. Lunch first, then you feed them and get in the water to bathe them, which gets muddy fast. The best photo you will take all year is included.
Phi Phi by boatA full day out from Phuket by speedboat to the Phi Phi Islands. Limestone cliffs rising straight out of the sea, water that does not look real, and lunch included. The exact stops are confirmed closer to the trip.
Yi Peng in Chiang Mai. The reason this trip exists.
Yi Peng is the festival of lights in northern Thailand. On the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, Chiang Mai hangs lanterns from every temple, floats candles down the river and sends thousands of paper lanterns up into the night sky.
It is one of those things you have seen a photo of and assumed you would never actually stand in. We built the whole trip so you are in Chiang Mai for both nights.
📅 The Day By Day
Eleven days, planned so you never have to think about it.
Tuesday, November 9, 2027. Fly into Bangkok (BKK or DMK). Your airport transfer is included.
Friday, November 19, 2027. Fly home from Phuket (HKT), not Bangkok. Your airport transfer is included.
Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Chiang Mai to Phuket are included, and we book them for you.
Tuesday. Thai massage, welcome dinner, first night with the crew.
The trip starts here. Land in Bangkok and our private transfer takes you to our hotel on the river in the old town. We start with a traditional Thai massage to shake off the flight. At 7pm the whole crew meets on the riverside terrace, then we head out for the welcome dinner. After that it is an early night or a late one, and jet lag usually decides.
Wednesday. River boat, temples, flower market, tuk tuk home.
A morning workout with your leaders, then time to yourself. At 1:30pm we head for the river with a local guide: the Chao Phraya express boat past the landmarks, a ferry across to the Thonburi side, Santa Cruz Church, a small neighbourhood museum and a cupcake recipe that is a few hundred years old. Then the white pagoda at Wat Prayun, sunset from Memorial Bridge, the flower market and a tuk tuk back by about 5:30pm. Tonight is yours: street food, a rooftop bar or an early night.
Thursday. Fly north, then an afternoon with the elephants.
A morning flight to Chiang Mai, included in your trip. Drop your bags at our hotel in the old city, then at 12:30pm we drive out to a sanctuary for rescued elephants in the hills. Lunch comes first, then a guide walks you through the story of the sanctuary and you feed and bathe the elephants. No riding and no shows. Back by about 5pm, with the old city already hung with lanterns. Tonight we eat together in the old city.
Friday. A full day of white water rafting in the hills.
An early workout, then a full day of white water rafting in the hills outside Chiang Mai from 8am, with transfers, guides, safety gear and lunch included. No experience needed. Back around 4pm, in time for a swim before dinner together.
Saturday. Yi Peng. The day the whole trip is built around.
A morning workout, then our Yi Peng day, with transfers, lunch and a local guide included. The 2027 festival programme has not been released yet, so the exact schedule lands closer to the time. The day is built around the night: the full moon comes up and thousands of lanterns go into the sky at once. Make a wish, let it go, and try not to cry in front of people you met on Tuesday.
Sunday. Gloves on, then the second festival night.
A proper Muay Thai class, transfers included: gloves on, pads up, sore legs and a big grin. No experience needed. The rest of the day is free for temples, markets and a bowl of khao soi. Tonight is our last night in Chiang Mai and the second night of the festival, with candles on the temple walls, parades and krathongs floating down the river.
Monday. Fly to the beach, sunset swim, dinner together.
A flight south to Phuket, included in your trip, and a transfer straight to our resort on Kamala Beach. Pool, beach, a sunset swim, then the crew meets at 7pm for dinner together.
Tuesday. Morning run, then a full day on the water.
A group run to get the blood moving, then a speedboat out to the Phi Phi Islands for the day: limestone cliffs, clear water and lunch, with transfers and a guide included. Back in Phuket by evening, salty and done.
Wednesday. Outdoor spa, BBQ lunch, nothing else.
A morning workout, then up into the hills for an outdoor spa day. You get the run of the facilities, a BBQ lunch and transfers there and back. It is exactly what your legs want after a week of this.
Thursday. Free day, farewell dinner in the hills.
A last workout, then a free day for the old town, the beach or the pool. Tonight we drive up to a local restaurant in the hills for the farewell dinner: one big table, sunset over the island, and the people who were strangers nine days ago. Transfers both ways are included.
Friday. The trip ends in Phuket.
The trip ends here. Check out is at 11am and the transfer to Phuket airport (HKT) is included. Fly home from Phuket, or stay on and keep exploring. You leave with a tan, a lantern photo you will use for years and a group chat that will not stop.
Every morning starts with fitness programming led by your SYB leaders, before the adventure of the day. Every day is planned for you. Times and the order of the days can move with the festival schedule, the flights and the weather, and every single thing on here is optional.
Ten nights, three cities, a pool at every stop.
Three hotels picked for where they sit: Riva Surya on the river in Bangkok, Tamarind Village inside the old city walls in Chiang Mai, and Sunprime Kamala Beach right on the sand in Phuket.
Every one has a pool and breakfast every morning, and you can walk out the door to the good stuff.
Bangkok · 2 nights
A boutique hotel on the Chao Phraya river in the old town, steps from the Phra Arthit boat pier. A riverside pool, a gym and a terrace right on the water for sunset.
Chiang Mai · 4 nights
A Lanna style boutique hotel inside the old city walls, a short walk from Tha Phae Gate. You walk in through a bamboo tunnel to quiet courtyards, a shaded pool and an old tamarind tree.
Phuket · 4 nights
An adults only resort right on Kamala Beach, the quiet bay north of Patong. Four pools with two swim up bars, a gym, a group workout room and a beach terrace for sundowners.
Shared spot is a twin room with two separate beds, shared with one other guest of the same gender, in all three hotels. $4,450 per person.
Private spot is your own room in all three hotels. Only 5 available. $6,450 per person.
Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket, Thailand
✅ What's
included
❌ Not
included
Because the lantern festival is hard to do right on your own. The lantern release happens at ticketed events outside the city, rooms in Chiang Mai sell out months ahead, and the dates move every year with the moon.
We handle the rooms, the two flights inside Thailand, the transfers and the festival plans. You show up in Bangkok and spend eleven days with a crew.
It is an SYB trip, so you get a little bit of everything: we work out, we go on adventures and we keep it social.
Yi Peng is the lantern festival in Chiang Mai, held on the full moon in November. In 2027 it is expected on Saturday, November 13 and Sunday, November 14, and we are in Chiang Mai for both nights.
Saturday is our Yi Peng day: a festival package with transport, lunch and a local guide. Sky lanterns can only be released at approved events outside the city, and the day is built around one. Sunday night is free for the lanterns, parades and river krathongs in the old city.
The full programme is confirmed when the official 2027 schedule comes out.
Yes, and most people do. Between the morning workouts, the flights and the boat day, the group forms fast. Friends and couples are welcome too.
We stay at three hotels: Riva Surya on the river in Bangkok, Tamarind Village inside the old city walls in Chiang Mai, and Sunprime Kamala Beach, an adults only resort right on the beach in Phuket. Each one has a pool and breakfast every morning.
Shared spot: a twin room with two separate beds, shared with one other SYB guest of the same gender.
Private spot: your own room in all three hotels. There are only 5.
Every room has air conditioning and its own bathroom.
No stranger ever shares your bathroom. Every room has its own. On a shared spot you share it with your roommate, and on a private spot it is all yours.
The trip starts in Bangkok on Tuesday, November 9, 2027 and ends in Phuket on Friday, November 19, 2027.
Fly into Bangkok (BKK or DMK) and home from Phuket (HKT). Book one way in and one way out, or a multi-city ticket. Do not book a round trip to Bangkok.
The two flights inside Thailand, Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Chiang Mai to Phuket, are included and we book them for you. Airport transfers are included too.
Check out on the last day is 11am, so book a flight home from Phuket that afternoon or evening. Book your flights as soon as your confirmation email lands.
US passport holders do not need a visa for stays of up to 60 days. Your passport needs at least six months left on it, and everyone fills in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within three days before landing.
If you travel on another passport, check the rules for your country before you book.
Yes. No riding, no shows, no chains. The elephants are rescued. We have lunch at the sanctuary, a guide talks through its story, then you feed the elephants and bathe them.
It is an easy afternoon physically. Bring swimwear, sunscreen, bug spray and clothes that can get muddy.
It is a beginner session for our group. You learn the basic strikes and hit pads. Nobody hits you. Expect to sweat. If you can get through a bootcamp class, you can do this.
A full day of white water rafting in the hills around Chiang Mai, from about 8am to 4pm. No experience needed.
Guides run it, you get a helmet, a life jacket and a safety briefing, and lunch is included. You should be comfortable in the water, and you will get soaked. You can sit any part of it out.
A full day trip by speedboat from Phuket to the Phi Phi Islands, with a guide and lunch included. The exact stops are confirmed closer to the trip.
You should be able to swim. Life jackets are on board. It can be choppy, so bring seasickness tablets if you need them.
10 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 5 dinners.
Lunches: the elephant sanctuary, the rafting day, the Yi Peng day, the Phi Phi boat day and the BBQ at the outdoor spa. Dinners: the welcome dinner in Bangkok, two dinners together in Chiang Mai, our first night in Phuket and the farewell dinner in the hills.
Other lunches and the other 5 dinners are on you. Food in Thailand is cheap and very good. Budget $15 to $30 a day. Other drinks are not included.
No. Nights are one part of an SYB trip, not the point of it.
Most nights the crew meets at 7pm for dinner or a drink. After that it is your call: a night market, the hotel pool or an early night. Mornings start with a workout either way.
Hot. Bangkok and Phuket are around 85 to 90 degrees. Chiang Mai is a little cooler, especially at night. November is the start of the dry season in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Phuket can still get a short afternoon shower.
1️⃣ Pick Your Trip - Choose your dates and destination.
2️⃣ Book Your Spot - Pay with cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, or a payment plan.
3️⃣ Book Your Flight - You’re in. Grab that flight.
4️⃣ Six Weeks Out - We’ll send a quick form for your flight details and food preferences.
5️⃣ Three Weeks Out - We’ll send the trip guide, party themes, and group chat invite.
6️⃣ Let’s Go - Show up at the airport and find the happiest crew there.
All payments are non-refundable.
Cancel more than 45 days before the trip and you get a one-time trip credit for the amount paid, usable within 12 months on any future trip date.
Cancel within 45 days and your payment is non-refundable and non-transferable.
Travel and medical insurance is required.
