When she was young, Alana Rainer’s family often visited Thailand for holidays. Now, many years later, she’s made it her home. Originally from London, she immediately fell in love with the South Asian country’s rich culture and stunning scenery. As the first country she ever visited, Thailand never left her mind. Since making the move permanent, she has amassed over 64 thousand followers for her Instagram account, @alanarainer. Here, she shares Thailand travel tips and more. Yet, when she began posting, she never imagined it would grow to what it is today.

Taking the Leap

Alana had just graduated university in a lockdown when her life’s trajectory changed unexpectedly. While working in a customer service job, she happened upon an innocent Twitter post. The post featured a girl leaping out of a plane in Thailand. As skydiving had always been on Alana’s bucket list, she reached out to the Twitter user who’d posted the video. Thus began a conversation where Alana was introduced to the idea of teaching as a means to live abroad. With more than enough passion and a teaching plan in place, she and her boyfriend made a leap of their own: to move from London to Bangkok.

While their plan was to stay for six months, they have remained for over a year, becoming experts in providing Thailand travel tips. They have no immediate plans to leave, but Alana won’t rule anything out in the future. She is keen to visit the Philippines and maybe move there, returning to the idea that, ‘It’s a big world out there.’ Her Instagram account proves that Alana is someone keen to explore every possible corner of that big world.

The Journey

Alana has always loved taking pictures and videos. It is a passion she believes she inherited from her parents, who were dutiful about capturing moments on film. When her father passed away only three months before her big move, she found an outlet in Instagram. Just as she had always shared photos and videos of her experiences with her dad, she began sharing photos and videos of her new home with the world. She hoped also to provide content that people could possibly relate to, whether that be in their specific travels or overall journey. With beautifully curated reels and vibrant photos, it’s no wonder that her following grew seemingly very quickly.

Her feed is a product of her own independently motivated hard work. The audience sees only the gorgeous end results. Yet her posts require careful attention to detail and long hours of preparation. They can take between an hour to five hours to create, as Alana is determined to capture a place’s atmosphere. For reels, for example, she sources music that she believes encapsulate the overall feeling of her destinations.

Followers of the travel influencer are in for a treat, as Alana has partnered with Trova Trip to host a trip to Thailand in May of 2023. When asked what she hopes travelers will gain from this trip, Alana responds that she wants them ‘to see how much is out there.’ She hopes that visiting Thailand will spark a desire in her travelers to see even more of the world.

Thailand Travel Tips

As is clear from her feed, Alana is well qualified to give Thailand travel tips by now. She generously shared a few of her favourite places and experiences in the country with Beau Monde Traveler. When asked about the most scenic spots to visit, she elects Krabi and the Limestone Cliffs at Maya Bay. Located within the Phi Phi Islands, the huge white cliffs rise majestically out of the of the Adaman Sea. According to Alana, a boat trip around the islands is the best way to take in the impressive scenes.

For a culinary experience, she recommends the northern city of Chiang Mai. In this mountainous area, Alana says, life is slower paced. Her must-try dish here is Khao Soi. Local to the northern region, Khao Soi resembles a curry noodle soup. With a creamy coconut base and tender chicken, it is easy to imagine why this is a favourite. Thai classics such as the basil chili dish Pad Krapow and rich Massaman curry also earn a spot in the influencer’s top dishes to try in Thailand.

Those dreaming of a beach holiday should head to Koh Tao, she advises. This palm-lined island in the Gulf of Thailand offers stretches of white sand and water so blue it seems like a vision out of a dream. It’s also home to a wide array of laid-back cafes and shops. According to Alana, it’s a great spot to visit if you’re looking to make friends, as the tight-knit community here is very welcoming.

Dream Destinations

Outside of Thailand, Alana’s favourite travel experiences took place in Singapore and Vietnam. She praises Singapore for its cutting-edge modernity and cleanliness. However, the main draw according to the travel influencer is its Hawker Centres. At these Centres, street food sellers gather in place, making it easy to sample a huge variety of mouth-watering Singaporean dishes.

Vietnam is the country where Alana did what she calls ‘the best thing she’s done since moving’: the Hà Giang Loop. The Loop is located in the far north of the country, along the border of China, and takes 4 to 5 days to travel by car. Along the way the landscapes vary, as Hà Giang city gives way to a huge limestone mountain range carpeted with green jungle. Landmark sights include the UNESCO Geopark Dong Van Karst Plateau, Heaven’s Gate Pass, and the Mien River.

With no built-up hotels along the path, the vast majority of people traveling the Hà Giang loop – Alana included – elect to do homestays. Thus, this trip allows for real connection with the people living in the local villages. They take you in to their homes, cook for you, dine with you, and welcome you as part of the family. While the landscapes along the northern border of Vietnam are ethereal, it was this element of interconnectedness that rendered the Hà Giang Loop Alana’s favourite cultural experience.

While Alana has become a top source for Thailand travel tips, it’s not all been easy: she’s faced challenges on her journey. A notable one is the language barrier. Yet, she’s learned to enjoy such challenges. The difficulties in communicating pushed her to learn more Thai and also exposed her to new, non-verbal ways of communicating. Through a smile, for example. She espouses the efforts of the Thai people to communicate with her despite their not speaking English. ‘Traveling makes you realise how connected we [all] are’ she says, ‘even if we don’t speak the same language and aren’t from the same place.’

As Alana proves, it is worth it to ‘get out of your bubble’. While moving abroad seems daunting, her advice for anyone wishing to do so is simple. ‘Just try it out,’ she advises, ‘do some research, reach out to people.’ With so many opportunities out in the world, so many people and so much to see, she believes that every travel experience helps to broaden the mind. ‘Remember you can go home at any time,’ she says, ‘but you’ll never know [what could’ve been] if you don’t try.’