Travel days in Thailand are rarely glamorous — and that’s exactly what makes them interesting.
This journey from Surat Thani to Koh Samui wasn’t about ticking boxes, passport stamps, or rushing toward the next highlight. It was about waiting, observing, and noticing the subtle shifts that happen when you move from mainland to island life.
This is what slow travel looks like in practice — not as a philosophy, but as an experience.
The In-Between Spaces Matter More Than We Think
Most of the day was spent in places people usually cut out of travel videos:
rest stops, bus and ferry terminals where credit cards are not accepted, air-conditioned rooms that feel almost too cold after the heat outside.
You move from sweating in the open air to sitting still in artificial cold.
From noise to silence.
From movement to waiting.
These transitions don’t look like much — but they do something internally. They slow you down whether you intend to or not.
It’s not like when you fly, you wait, you board, sit in a canister for a couple of hours, and come back out on the other side.
From Heat to Air-Conditioning and Back Again
Thailand has a way of reminding you where you are.
Outside, the heat presses in. Inside, the air-conditioning is relentless. You feel tired in a very specific way — not exhausted, just dulled. Travel-tired. The kind where you stop thinking in sentences and start thinking in sensations.
Cold seat.
Plastic chair.
Distant announcements.
It’s not discomfort.
It’s an adjustment.
The fun part is, when you are back home, you will start to miss it.
Boarding the Ferry: When the Pace Finally Changes
Once on the ferry, something shifts.
The waiting stops. The engine hums. The mainland begins to pull away — slowly enough that you actually notice it. This is where the transition really happens, not geographically, but mentally.
Island life doesn’t start when you arrive.
It starts on the water.
It starts when that black dot on the horizon starts getting bigger and bigger.
You don’t rush on a ferry. You sit. You look. You let the movement do the work for you.
Mainland Energy vs Island Energy
There’s a difference you don’t fully understand until you’ve felt it a few times.
The mainland feels functional. Purpose-driven. Transitional.
The island feels suspended. Less urgent. Less demanding.
Arriving in Koh Samui isn’t dramatic. Except for the Songthaews, picking up their rides from the ferry, it’s quiet — and that’s the point.
No grand moment. Just the sense that things can slow down again.
Why Slow Travel Still Matters
This is the part of travel that rarely makes highlight reels, but often stays with you the longest.
Not the destination.
Not the hotel.
But the space in between.
Traveling from Surat Thani to Koh Samui is simple on paper: bus, ferry, and arrival. Experientially, it’s a reminder that movement doesn’t need to be rushed to be meaningful.
Sometimes the value is in waiting.
Sometimes it’s in noticing.
Sometimes it’s simply in letting the day be what it is.
Going to Surat Thani: Cost breakdown
The airport on Koh Samui is privately owned by Bangkok Airways
Direct flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui – one-way ticket costs 130 to 200 EUR.
A higher price is likely reflected in the ticket price you would pay flying to Koh Samui outside Thailand.
Alternative:
Bangkok – Surat Thani Direct Flight 24 to 65 EUR
Bus from the Airport directly to the ferry to Koh Samui, 13 to 14 EUR
Bus from Surat Thani directly to the ferry to Koh Samui, 9 to 10 EUR
Surat Thani is “very” and a great place to stay for a night or to if you want to catch a more genuine vibe of Thailand.
They have some great street food options at the harbour, like 20 THB oysters. Fresh Durian. You will catch a picturesque atmosphere as you see all the wooden boats leaving from Surat Thani for the various islands.
This post was written alongside a travel video filmed in Thailand.
You can find the video here: Going to Koh Samui Without Flying
Also, to learn more about me and what Nomad Over 50 is about, you can learn more here.