This is a post by Chhavi about our family trip to Phuket. She uses ChatGPT to write the post.
September 9, 2026: The Calm Before the Chaos
On the 9th of September, I came back from tennis around 7:00 PM. Thankfully, most of my packing was already done because I had packed almost everything on the 8th of September. I only had a few tiny things left to pack. By “a few tiny things,” I obviously mean the kind of things that somehow multiply when you’re packing for a trip. After finishing the packing, we had dinner.
The next day, 10th September, we were leaving for Phuket, Thailand. So, naturally, we did what every family does before an early-morning flight:
We waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, at 1:20 AM, it was time to leave. I carried my suitcase downstairs because our bedrooms are upstairs. My dad was already lying on the bed, looking completely relaxed because his packing was done. We had three suitcases with us.
I asked Dad, “When is the cab coming?” He said, “Soon.” Now, “soon” is a very dangerous word when you’re waiting for a cab at 1:20 in the morning. But eventually, the cab actually came. We rolled our suitcases towards the car, loaded everything inside, and got in. Dad sat in the front, while Mom and I sat in the back. Mom sat on the left and I sat on the right.
I put on my headphones, started listening to music, and looked out of the window like I was the main character in a travel movie. Our destination. T3, Terminal 3 Airport. And so our Phuket adventure officially began.
—
T3: Where the Real Adventure Started
Eventually, we reached Terminal 3. Mom got out first, then I got out. The driver took our suitcases out, and we started rolling them towards the terminal entrance.
There was a small queue at the entrance. My dad went ahead because he had his online boarding pass ready. Unfortunately, there was one tiny problem. His passport was with Mom. So Dad confidently walked forward without his passport. The officer asked for his passport. Dad turned around. Mom handed it over. The officer checked all three passports and boarding passes, and finally, WE WERE IN.
Simple, right? Oh, you sweet summer child. We hadn’t even reached the real drama yet.
—
The Indigo Luggage Counter: The Queue From Another Dimension
We went to the Indigo luggage-drop counter. And then we saw it. THE QUEUE. It was enormous. There were people everywhere. People standing. People waiting. People wondering why they were still waiting. People probably reconsidering every life decision that had brought them to that queue. Only three counters were working. The rest were closed. In front of us were two girls, and in front of them were more people. One group was standing at another counter.
And they were just… standing. And standing. And standing. And standing. I genuinely had no idea what was happening. The counter staff were talking to airport staff, but absolutely nothing seemed to be moving. It felt less like an airport counter and more like a live-action version of a loading screen.
Finally, another counter opened. We moved to it. At the counter, Mom and I handed over our passports and online boarding passes. The staff asked us to put our suitcases on the luggage belt. I put mine down. Mom put hers down. Dad put his down.
Three suitcases. Three tags. Three people desperately hoping nothing goes missing. They generated our boarding passes. Then they handed them back. And that’s when we discovered something interesting. My mother’s boarding pass had “RR” on it.
And suddenly, the airport decided that Mom needed a little extra adventure. A staff member took her boarding pass. Then another staff member took Mom somewhere for additional checking. Meanwhile, Dad and I were just standing there like: “Well… that’s happening.”
—
The Airport Family Photo 📸
Before we moved on, one of the staff members asked if we wanted to take a photo for the memory. Obviously, we agreed. My dad didn’t blink. He didn’t smile. He simply folded his arms and stared at the camera. He looked less like a father on vacation and more like someone who had just been asked to investigate a crime. Meanwhile, Mom was off somewhere getting her mysterious RR situation sorted out.
—
Currency Exchange: Round One – FAILURE
While Mom was away, Dad and I went to exchange our Indian rupees for Thai baht. Dad handed over his passport and ID. The system rejected his passport. There was an error. They couldn’t fix it. So Dad’s passport was basically like: “Nope.”
Then Dad tried using my passport. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my Pan Card with me. So my passport also got rejected. At this point, the currency-exchange machine seemed personally offended by our existence.
Dad finally said, “Give me the Indian currency back.” And we left. Currency exchange: 1, Dad and I: 0 We would try again later.
—
Fast Track Immigration: Everything Was Fine… Until It Wasn’t
Next, we went to the Fast Track immigration counter to do our biometrics. And honestly? The Fast Track part went perfectly. I gave the officer my passport and boarding pass. He asked me to put four fingers of my left hand on the scanner.
Done.
Then four fingers of my right hand.
Done.
Then both thumbs.
Done.
Then he asked me to look at the camera.
I looked at the camera.
He handed me back my passport and boarding pass.
Perfect.
My parents did the same thing.
Everything was going smoothly.
And then…
We reached the old immigration system because we could use the e-gates only when our biometrics was approved.
That is where the drama began.
—
Immigration: The Moment My Brain Left the Airport 🧠✈️
There was a reasonably long queue. I stood there waiting for my turn. And while I was waiting, I was mentally preparing myself. I was thinking: “Okay. Where am I going?” “Phuket.” “Where am I going?” “Phuket.” “Country?” “Thailand.” “Why are you going?”“Vacation.” I was ready.
I had rehearsed the answers in my head. Then my turn came. I walked to the counter. Handed over my passport. Handed over my boarding pass.
The officer looked at me and asked: “Where are you going?” And my brain immediately went: ERROR 404: PHUKET NOT FOUND. I FROZE. I became speechless. The place I had been thinking about for hours suddenly disappeared from my brain. I knew where I was going. I just couldn’t remember where I was going.
The officer probably thought I had just discovered the concept of geography. Then he asked: “Are you going with your family?” I said: “Yes.” At least I remembered that. He asked me to look at the camera. I looked. He handed me my passport and boarding pass and opened the gate. I walked away.
—
The Most Important Question
After a few minutes, Dad arrived. I asked him: “Where are we going?” He said: “Phuket.” And I was like: OH. RIGHT. PHUKET. Then I started thinking: “How am I going to survive in Phuket?” “What if someone asks me where I’m going again?” “Am I going to stand there silently again?” I had already travelled halfway to Thailand in my imagination and still couldn’t remember the destination.
—
Mom’s RR Mystery
Meanwhile, Mom’s little RR mystery was being handled by the airport staff. Thankfully, it only took about two or three minutes. She came back. Everything was sorted. And now we could finally continue our journey.
—
Security Check: Another Mini Adventure
After that, we went through security. I took a tray and put my charger, phone, bag, and watch inside. Then I pushed the tray through the security area. I took my passport and boarding pass and went towards the officer who scanned them. She checked everything and said I could go. So I went through, collected my belongings…
And then suddenly, WHERE WAS MY BOARDING PASS? I looked at my passport. No boarding pass. I checked again. Still no boarding pass. My brain: “Not again.”
I started panicking. Thankfully, someone had somehow picked it up and gave it back to me. Crisis avoided. Boarding pass recovered. Heart rate: unnecessarily high.
—
Currency Exchange: Round Two 💰
Once we were inside the airport, we decided to try exchanging money again. This time, Mom used her passport. And guess what? IT WORKED. Finally! The counter lady asked for our return ticket and the ticket we were currently travelling on. Mom sent them to her email. She counted our Indian rupees and gave us Thai baht. Success! After all that drama, we finally had money to spend in Thailand.
—
The Lounge: Crowded Would Be an Understatement
We still had time before boarding. Our boarding time was around 5:00 AM, so Dad suggested that we go to the lounge. We went upstairs using the escalator and reached the lounge. There was a small queue. Dad had access for two people through his credit card, and Mom had access for one. So Mom used hers for herself, while Dad used his for me and himself. We entered. And then…
WHAT.
The lounge was HUGE. But it was also packed. People were everywhere. It looked like the entire airport had collectively decided:“ Let’s all go to the lounge.” There was barely anywhere to sit. Finally, we found somewhere. We kept our luggage there, and I went exploring.
Then my eyes landed on something beautiful. Something magical. Something that understood me. Choco flakes. I had cereal. Mom had idli or something similar. Then Mom asked me to get coffee. I had absolutely no idea how to operate the coffee machine. So I dragged Dad over. “Dad, you do it.” I initially thought I would have coffee. Then I saw the cold drinks. There was Sprite. There was Fanta. I looked at the coffee. Then I looked at the Sprite. And I made a very important life decision. Sprite. I got myself a glass and went back to the table.
Meanwhile, Dad had announced that he wasn’t going to eat anything because his stomach might get upset. So he ate… nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even a little. Not even one bite. Nothing.
—
Boarding Time!
Our boarding time was getting closer. Mom said she would take her coffee, and we left the extremely crowded lounge. We went downstairs on the escalator and headed towards our boarding gate. Our gate was 22B or so I think.
And then we saw the queue. Again. THE QUEUE. At this point, I was beginning to suspect that queues were following us personally. We joined the line. Eventually, it started moving. When we reached the counter, I handed over my passport and boarding pass. They checked them and let us through. Our plane was connected to the terminal by an aerobridge.
So we walked down and crossed the aerobridge. Even there, they checked our passports and boarding passes again. At this point, I was thinking: “Guys, it’s still me.” But okay. I understand, protocol is protocol.
—
Finally: The Plane ✈️
The air hostess was standing at the entrance. We walked towards our seats. Dad was sitting in the exit row because of his back issue and because he specifically wanted that seat. Mom and I went towards the back. Mom had the window seat. I had the middle seat.
And then I noticed something wonderful. The aisle seat was empty. I had basically won the lottery. We settled into our seats. I started watching a movie. I think the first movie I watched was Spin. A few minutes later… THE PLANE TOOK OFF.
Finally. We were officially on our way to Thailand.
—
The Coldest Flight in Human History 🥶
After finishing my movie, I started another one. But I got bored. So I stopped watching and started reading a book on my Kindle. Then the flight experienced some turbulence. During the turbulence, the air hostess sat in the aisle seat nearby. She noticed that I was reading. She asked me if I was listening to an audiobook. I said: “Yes.”
Meanwhile, the air conditioning was so cold that I was basically turning into an ice cube. I had only a shawl. And it wasn’t even a thick shawl. So I spent most of the flight: Reading. Sneezing. Cleaning my nose. Reading. Sneezing. Cleaning my nose. Repeat.
I was also feeling sleepy. Eventually, I closed my Kindle, put on my headphones, and fell asleep. Then I woke up. Read again. Got sleepy. Slept again. Woke up. Read again. At this point, my flight entertainment was basically: Kindle → Sleep → Kindle → Sleep.
—
HELLO, THAILAND! 🌊🇹🇭
Eventually, we were getting close to Thailand. From the plane, we could see the ocean. The view was beautiful. After a few more minutes, we finally landed. The plane reached the runway and then moved towards the airport. Once again, there was an aerobridge. We exited the plane and crossed it towards the airport.
And then… IMMIGRATION ROUND TWO.
—
Thailand Immigration: Please Don’t Ask Me Where I’m Going
The immigration queue was HUGE. Again. At this point, queues were basically a recurring character in our trip. While waiting, I started mentally rehearsing everything. “Where did I come from?” “India.” “Where am I going?” “Phuket.” “When am I going back?” “I know this!” I was determined not to repeat my previous performance.
Finally, my turn came. I handed over my passport and boarding pass. The officer didn’t ask me where I was going. He didn’t ask me anything. He simply asked me to scan my fingerprints. Four fingers. Other four fingers. Both thumbs. Done. He handed me my passport and boarding pass. And said I could leave. THANK YOU. My brain survived another immigration counter.
My parents went through the same process. Then we headed towards the luggage area.
—
The Taxi Situation 🚕
We collected our luggage and went to the washroom one last time. Now we needed to get to our hotel. We went looking for a taxi. The first taxi driver offered us a free ride. Sounds amazing, right? Except there was a catch. He wanted us to visit the resort offering the free ride hotel. We refused. Free taxi: Rejected.
We then paid for a proper taxi. Finally, Dad’s hunger kicked in. Remember how he had eaten absolutely nothing in the lounge?
Well… I had bought a can of blueberry cookie on the plane. There was one cookie left! I handed it to Dad.He ate it like someone who had just returned from a three-month expedition through the desert.
Cookie: Gone. Dad: Alive again.
Then the taxi-stand staff took us towards our taxi. Our luggage went into the car. Dad sat in the front. Mom and I sat in the back. I put my headphones on, started listening to music, and looked out of the window.
And finally… We were on our way.
Our destination: Avista Grande Phuket Karon!
And after all the queues, passport drama, currency-exchange failures, mysterious “RR” situations, missing boarding passes, freezing air conditioning, and my temporary inability to remember the name of the place I was travelling to… We had finally made it to Phuket. And that was only the beginning!
PS. Looking for shopping ideas for your next trip? Click here and shop through my Amazon affiliate link.
