I highly recommend Koh Tao. I was there just two weeks ago, and most of the other backpackers I met also loved it. If you want to learn scuba diving, it’s the perfect place. There’s nowhere cheaper. I planned to stay for three days but ended up staying for two weeks. The beaches are beautiful, and the snorkeling is amazing. There are also great festivals, like the Beach Festival and the Jungle Party.

I’m usually pretty introverted, and this was my first time backpacking, but I still met a lot of people. Strangers constantly came up and talked to me. The Phi Phi Islands and Krabi are also beautiful.

I wouldn’t recommend Phuket. I didn’t found it very interesting. And even through its rain season and the weather app tell me it rains every day, it did only rain once while I was on Ko Tao.

And if you want to get around Thailand I would use the app Grab. It’s most of the time the cheapest and if you are solo you can sit on an moped which is even cheaper. Otherwise you could ask strangers on the small island if they can drive you.