If you're thinking of going to Asia, I would really suggest taking a trip to Cambodia and not thailand. I've been to both and can confirm that Thailand is a beautiful country, but it's just too 'touristy'. Cambodia - the people are incredibly lovely, the scenery is beautiful, the ancient monuments and buildings are breathtaking and of course the food rocks.

Trust me - Pnom Penh, Ankor Wat, Siem Reap

But you said you're going back to Thailand next year. Why not try Vietnam or Malaysia instead?

Siem Reap is not "touristy"?

The whole region is great and worth visiting. Thailand has plenty of non touristy areas if that matters to you. Personally, when I am traveling I am essentially a tourist. I don't discount going places just because a lot of other people also want to go there.

I'm grateful I got to see Cambodia when I did, though if we had as much Internet than as now I would have been able to talk myself out of it.

Easily the most memorable trip was my first in Feb. 1997. The Khmer Rouge were still in Siem Reap province and surrounds and would briefly overrun Angkor later in the year. Took the overloaded boat from PP there across the Tonle Sap, and you'd get mobbed by touts at the ferry pier trying to get you into guesthouses as low as $1/night (mine was $4). Moto drivers for the temples were $6/day though they didn't double as guides. Had most temples to myself or almost so, though there were a few others at the main temple in the afternoon. You needed an armed guard to go to Banteay Srei.

By the time of my most recent trip around 2003 the situation had tamed quite a bit and crowds were already building, though I'm sure it's totally different today. A good book about how wild things were in the late 90s is "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh" by Amit Gilboa.

The one area I didn't get to but is probably still interesting is Rattanakiri. Battambang also was no-go but might have a bit of charm if they've cleared the mines.

I went to Eastern Cambodia for about a week last November, including Rattanakiri. There are some interesting things to see, but I spent a lot of time on the road between places which was a bit tiring. From PP airport to Krati took 8 hours with some stops to see things along the way. Then the next day we continued on to Rattanakiri after spending a couple of hours dolphin spotting on the Mekong.

With Cambodia using $ now as currency I don't think its a good destination if you compare it to Thailand. My friend was there last month and she said that everything is expensive, and the locals expect you to pay in US$ and most wont take Riels.
Saying that, I'm yet to go there. This fall we either hit Nepal, Laos or Cambodia.

It's turning into Thailand, though. Give it a few more years.

You can make a plan on touring Vietnam and Cambodia if you have much time.

That was also the case even 21 years ago. Riels were good only for small purchases. If you took a $100 traveler's check to one of the better banks they'd bounce it around desks (and give you tea to drink) and eventually you'd get $98 U.S. Bills were browner, older and more circulated.

I once had a hospital emergency with food poisoning and had to pay to get out on a weekend. The only option then was the Diamond Hotel, which would cash traveler's checks and give back $93 on $100.

In Laos the kip was changing by the day and I got an inch-thick stack for $100. Also mostly small purchases, though I was able to pay my hotel bill ($10/night guesthouse) in kip.

Nepal was also pretty dodgy, IIRC. You seem to have a way of picking the places with the least stable situations. Reminds me of that Spalding Gray movie "Beyond Rangoon" where he plays a tour guide for a tour of Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

+1 While I agree with OP that Cambodia is a beautiful country to travel to, Siem Reap is definitively 'touristy'. Too many people try to get 'hipster' about their travel. Go somewhere because it appeals to you, not because your friends or favorite travel blogger haven't been there yet.

Yes, locals take USD and have for at least 15 years, probably since UNTAC and elections in 1993. Not only is the use of dollars widespread, and Riel accepted but often used only as change, but I'm at a loss to know what exactly is expensive (other than the Angkor Wat complex tickets and transportation at times). Why would you want to pay in Riel for anything more than a couple of USD at most?