Christmas in Thailand is always a little strange.

It’s the nicest time of the year meaning, instead of clouds, cold temperatures and depressing darkness – like I’m used to in Seattle – every day is clear, sunny and, well, pretty much perfect. The weather combined with the fact that Thailand is a Buddhist country and doesn’t quite get, much less celebrate, what Christmas is means that Christmas here never feels to Christmas-y.

It especially doesn’t feel Christmas-y when you spend it on a yacht in the middle of the aquamarine Andaman Sea as I did in an unexpected turn of events this year. In a complete surprise plot twist of my life I got invited to join The Yacht Week on one of their 7-day trips through the Thai islands.

The journey started in Phuket then headed to Railay Beach, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi and Khao Yao Noi before ending back in Phuket. While I had been to most of the destinations before, often my favorite part about visiting the Thai islands is the boat ride from the mainland to the island which this trip was a huge extension of. The jagged karst cliff formations, jungle covered islands and brilliant blue waters of the Andman Sea never lose their appeal and sailing through them for days on end was simply beautiful.

Of course, there were plenty of photo (and partying) opps along the way…

Every evening we would drop anchor just off the shore of another island and take a little dinghy to the beach to eat and drink the evening away…not a bad way to spend the holiday!

Wondering what The Yacht Week trip in Thailand is really like? Check back tomorrow for a full post on how The Yacht Week works and breakdown of the route.

Also…if you’re not follow Paper Planes on Instagram yet, what are you waiting for?? Check out more photos and follow my continued journeys through Thailand by following paperplanesblog.

Note: I was a grateful guest of The Yacht Week but all opinions are my own.