Phuket is one of the more popular travel destinations within Southeast Asia due to its gorgeous beaches, scrumptious food, great shopping, exciting nightlife and the countless recreational opportunities it offers to people of all backgrounds. It is located in the South of Thailand and is in fact Thailand's largest island. Generally, people reach Phuket by air, bus or ferry.

By Air - The main airport is Phuket International Airport, which is also one of Thailand's busiest airports. There are direct international flights from Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Macao and Seoul. During peak periods, there are also direct charters from Europe and Australia. If you are from other parts of Thailand, such as Bangkok, Chiangmai, Pattaya and Ko Samui, there are also low-cost domestic carriers that can bring you to Phuket. The main airlines that the airport caters to are Thai Airways, Silk Air and Malaysian Airlines. There are also a number of budget carriers that flight here, such as Thai AirAsia, Tiger Airways, Firefly and Nok Air. Once you have gotten past baggage clearance, you can choose to take the limousine taxis, metered taxis or minibus services to get to your intended destination. There are also airport shuttles which run every half an hour or so. These shuttles will drop you off at Phuket Town bus station where you can hop onto local buses that will take you to all the major beaches in Phuket.

By Bus - If you are on mainland Thailand in places such as Bangkok, Hat Yai or Krabi, you can reach Phuket by bus. Be sure to buy tickets from trustworthy bus companies as there are some bus companies with reputations for overcharging, theft and overall bad service. In general, buses will drop you off at the BKS terminal which is on Thanon Phang Na in Phuket Town. From here, you can take a taxi or bus to your location. You can even hop onto a local contraption called tuk-tuk which is a cheap and fast way to travel in Thailand.

By Ferry - If you are from Ko Phi Phi, Krabi, Ko Racha or the Similan Islands, you may want to consider taking the ferry service to Phuket. Such ferry services run twice a day for about two hours. They make for very pleasant rides but the journey can be somewhat turbulent if there is a storm. There are also several cruises that take their passengers to Phuket.

Orson Johnson writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing Phuket accommodation and Holiday and Vacation Rentals http://www.holiday-velvet.com/