For people that are coming to Thailand for the first time, it is very important to plan your trip carefully.
Thailand is a place where are literally a million things to see and do and you cannot do them all in one trip.
For a normal 2 week holiday, there is only so much of the country you can see and do.
Planning is very important.
One important phase of planning is travel time.
You have to plan your time carefully to get between destinations; whether driving or flying.
Make a list of the absolutely must see things on your first trip to Bangkok.
Bangkok?
The islands?
Chiang Mai?
And what order you plan to see these locations.
If you are departing out of Suvarnabhumi Airport at the end of your trip, you might want to save Bangkok for last, since you will need to be in the city for departure.
Plan your farthest locations first.
If you want to go island hopping through Phuket, do that first. You can save time flying into Phuket directly.
Phuket island hopping you should budget at least 5 days as there are so many different island and things to see.
After the Island hopping, take a flight to Chiang Mai in the north.
There is not only Chiang Mai, but Chiang Rai and other northern locations. A completely different experience.
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai areas, best to rent a car yourself or hire a personal driver for the day. Due to the distance, a ton of driving is involved.
4 days in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai areas as there are lots of things to see and do.
Fly back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai.
With 5 days left, Bangkok can offer you plenty to see and do in both the daytime and night time hours.
Grand Palace, Floating Market, Khao San Road, Train Market, Chinatown are just a few.
Spend your last night on a fabulous dinner cruise on the Chao Praya River seeing Bangkok all lit up.
The main idea is to plan efficiently so you are not wasting time getting between locations.
Besides Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the Islands, there is a ton of other great locations.
It is really up to you to make a list and check it twice, in the time you have available.