Chris Schalkx – Travel writer and photographer in Bangkok and Taiwan

I’m a freelance travel writer in Bangkok and Taiwan with work (both writing and photography) published in A-tier travel and design publications around the globe. I have a penchant for digging up local cool in lesser-known destinations and approaching the well-trodden paths from a new angle. Particularly interested in the sweet spot between travel and design.

Get in touch via hello@ricepotato.co.

Conde Nast Traveller (UK/US/international editions)

Conde Nast Traveller Mar 2018 Foodie face off: Bangkok vs. Taipei See PDF →	Conde Nast Traveller May 2018 Shopping in Mumbai (photography only) See PDF →	Conde Nast Traveller Jul 2018 Hot Neighborhoods: Soi Nana, Bangkok (synced in Conde Nast Traveler Middle East) See PDF →
Conde Nast Traveller Oct 2018 Eat the Street: Kuala Lumpur (synced in Conde Nast Traveler India) + Hot List: Asia Today See PDF →	Conde Nast Traveller (digital) 5 New boutique hotels in Bangkok See online →	Conde Nast Traveller Nov 2018 The Next Design Hub: Tehran, Iran See PDF →
Conde Nast Traveller March 2019 The Neighborhood Redux: Chinatowns See PDF →	Conde Nast Traveller April 2019 Lifting roots: Chiang Mai (text and photography) See PDF →	Conde Nast Traveller (digital) Best time to visit Vietnam See online →
Conde Nast Traveller (digital) 10 Amazing things to do in Bangkok See online →	Conde Nast Traveller Sept 2019 Style File: Shopping in Taipei (text and photography) + Kagurazuka (photography) See PDF →	Conde Nast Traveller Oct 2019 Table to Book: FV, Bangkok (text and photography) See PDF →
Conde Nast Traveller Nov 2019 Second Nature: Shu Shu House, Taiwan (text and photography) + Style File: Tokyo (text and photography) See PDF →	Conde Nast Traveller Dec 2019 Buzz Hubs: Old Town, Bangkok (text and photography) See PDF →	Conde Nast Traveller Jan 2020 Spa report: Chiva Som (photography) + Hoshinoya Tokyo (photography) See PDF →
Conde Nast Traveller (digital) The best hotels in Tokyo See online →	Conde Nast Traveller (digital) The best hotels in Phuket See online →	Conde Nast Traveler China Jan 2020 Moonstruck Penang (photography) See pdf →
Conde Nast Traveler US Mar 2020 FEATURE: Little Wonder - Taiwan See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveller Mar 2020 Style File: Shopping in Canggu (text and photography) See online →	Conde Nast Traveller Apr 2020 Into the groove: Havana (text and photography) See pdf →
Conde Nast Traveller May 2020 Call to arms: Sri Lanka (text and photography) See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveller (digital) How to travel Thailand from home See online →	Conde Nast Traveller Jun 2020 Hot List 2020: Rongros, Bangkok + Kimpton Da An, Taipei See pdf →
Conde Nast Traveler (digital) Post-Lockdown Bangkok: Empty Temples, Nightclubs, and Hotels See online →	Conde Nast Traveller Sep 2020 Aces of Base: Thai creatives going local See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveler (digital) How to Be a Mindful Hotel Guest During a Pandemic See online →
Conde Nast Traveller Nov 2020 The Roundup: Thai boutique hotels (syndicated in VOGUE Taiwan) See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveller Dec 2020 COVER PHOTO: Sri Lanka + Hotel review Abode Ahangama (text and photography) See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveler China Dec 2020 First look: Four Seasons Bangkok (text and photography) See pdf →
Conde Nast Traveller Jan 2021 Gold List: Raya Heritage, Mandarin Oriental Tokyo + Shopping guide to Hong Kong See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveller Mar 2021 FEATURE: In the Loop - Northern Thailand (text and photography) See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveler Mar 2021 FEATURE: Bangkok Creatives (text and photography) See pdf →
Conde Nast Traveller Apr 2021 RAKxa, Bangkok (text and photography) See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveller Jun 2021 Hot List: Capella Bangkok, Four Seasons Bangkok, Roukh Khiri, Aksorn See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveller Sep 2021 FEATURE: Trang, Thailand (text and photography) See pdf →
Conde Nast Traveler Sep/Oct 2021 Walk This Block: Ari, Bangkok (text and photography) See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveller Oct 2021 Eat The Street: Talad Noi (text and photography) See pdf →	Conde Nast Traveller Mar 2022 Shopping in Chiang Mai (text and photography) See pdf →

Hotel review: Amanpuri, Phuket – see online →
Hotel review: Six Senses Yao Noi, Phuket – see online →
Hotel review: Kimpton Da An, Taipei – see online →

Travel + Leisure Asia

Travel + Leisure Asia Mar 2018 Taipei's New Old Town (text and photography) See PDF →	Travel + Leisure Asia Jul 2018 Six Dishes: Tainan (text and photography) See PDF →	Travel + Leisure Asia Jul 2019 New capital of cool: Taipei (text and photography) See PDF →
Travel + Leisure Asia Aug 2019 City Savvy: Bangkok Neighborhood Guide (text and photography) See PDF →	Travel + Leisure Asia Nov 2019 Hoshinoya Guguan feature + How to travel with Instagram See PDF →	Travel + Leisure Asia Dec 2019 Best of 2019: Japan See PDF →
Travel + Leisure Asia Jun 2020 Experiences feature: Ahangama, Sri Lanka See PDF →

DestinAsian Magazine

DestinAsian Oct/Nov 2017 Luxe List 2017: Bangkok Publishing Residence, Park Hyatt Bangkok, Villa Mahabhirom See online →	DestinAsian Feb/March 2018 The Guide: Mumbai (text and photography) See PDF →	DestinAsian Jun/Jul 2018 Tucking into Taipei See PDF →
DestinAsian Aug/Sep 2018 Mad for Manila (text and photography) See PDF →	DestinAsian Oct/Nov 2018 Transforming Tainan (text and photography) + Thai Craft + Luxe List 2018: Waldorf Astoria, Bangkok See PDF →	DestinAsian Dec 2018/Jan 2019 Sweet Surrender: artisanal chocolate in Asia See PDF →
DestinAsian Apr/May 2019 About Town: Rotterdam See PDF →	DestinAsian Oct/Nov 2019 Luxe List: Rosewood Bangkok, Hoshinoya Guguan, Trunk (House) Tokyo See PDF →	DestinAsian Dec 2019/Jan 2020 Nahm's New Course See PDF →
DestinAsian Dec 2020/Feb 2021 Style file: In with the Old See PDF →	DestinAsian China Edition Taste for Thai + Bangkok's Best Shops (text and photography) See PDF →

The Telegraph

• “It’s time to clear away the junk” – Hotel designer Bill Bensley on working from home, wildlife conservation and post-pandemic hospitality – see online →
• How new and independent hoteliers are dealing with the pandemic, from Greece to Cuba (print + online) – see online →
• Inside the luxury hotels of the Maldives, where the rich are riding out the pandemic in paradise – see online →
• ‘Hand sanitiser in crystal bottles and plenty of space around the pool’ – a post-lockdown trip to Bangkok’s best hotel – see online →
• The hotels turning face masks into works of art (print, Aug 29 2020) – see pdf →
• Creative tales from Thailand (print, Sep 5 2020) – see pdf →
• I’ve seen the grim reality of Thailand without tourists – and it isn’t pretty – see online →
• What will happen to travel influencers now that they can’t travel? – see online →
• Opinion: You Brits should stop complaining – at least you can leave your country – see online →
• ‘Locals were scared of us’ – meet the backpackers who went on gap years during the pandemic – see online →
• Bill Bensley’s Jewels of the Jungle (print, Sep 24 2020) – see pdf →
• What will happen to travel influencers now that they can’t travel? – see online →
• The dog-friendliest hotels in the UK (print, Oct 3 2020) – see pdf →
• Soviet style in North Korea (print, Oct 10 2020) – see pdf →
• New fabrics from Ethiopia (print, Oct 17 2020) – see pdf →
• Accidentally Wes Anderson: Life Imitates Art (print, Oct 24 2020) – see pdf →
• Online shopping at the world’s best markets (print, Dec 5 2020) – see pdf →
• Spa review: RAKxa, Bangkok (print, Jan 22 2021) – see pdf →
• Aman’s New Spa Candles (print, Feb 6 2021) – see pdf →
• Why Thailand is the ultimate Christmas escape – and where to stay (print, Dec 10 2021) – see pdf →

Hotel review: Raya Heritage, Chiang Mai – see online →
Hotel review: Banyan Tree, Krabi – see online →
Hotel review: The Mustang Blu, Bangkok – see online →
Hotel review: Capella, Bangkok – see online →
Hotel review: Four Seasons at Chao Phraya River, Bangkok – see online →
Hotel review: Baan Pomphet, Ayutthaya – see online →
Hotel review: The Fleming, Hong Kong – see online →
Hotel review: The Peninsula, Manila – see online →
Hotel review: Shangri-La Makati, Manila – see online →
Hotel review: The Manila Hotel, Manila – see online →
Hotel review: Raffles Makati, Manila – see online →
Hotel review: Amanpulo, Palawan – see online →
Hotel review: Hotel de l’Opera, Hanoi – see online →
Hotel review: Amanoi, Vĩnh Hy – see online →
Hotel review: Humble House, Taipei – see online →
Hotel review: Play Design Hotel, Taipei – see online →
Hotel review: W Taipei, Taipei, Taipei – see online →
Hotel review: Hotel Proverbs, Taipei – see online →
Hotel review: Grand Hyatt, Taipei – see online →
Hotel review: Kimpton Da’an, Taipei – see online →
Hotel review: The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake – see online →
Hotel review: Gardens, Havana – see online →

Bloomberg

• Wellness Resorts Eye Long Covid Treatments as New Moneymaker – see online →
• Where To Go in 2022: Hua Hin + Gouda – see online →

The Guardian

• Instagram journey: Cafe culture, colour and caves: an Instagram journey through Vietnam – see online →
• Instagram snapshots: Cafes, courtyards and cha in Bangkok’s Chinatown – see online →
• Instagram snapshots: Coffee houses, Kali and palaces in India – in pictures – see online →
• A local’s guide to Bangkok: 10 top tips (print + online) – see online →

National Geographic Traveller

On the Trail: An Architecture Tour of Rotterdam (Sep 2021) – see pdf →

AFAR

• The one thing you’ve probably forgotten to disinfect while traveling – see online →
• All the Tech and Gear You Need to Become a Digital Nomad – see online →
• Finding Bliss on a Bangkok Motorcycle Taxi – see online →
• Why the Insta360 GO 2 Is the Best Action Camera for Spur-of-the-Moment Travel Videos
  – see online →

Departures

Small Wonder: Aboard Loy Pela Song, Thailand (Jan/Feb 2021) – see pdf →

Architectural Digest

• Designers Are Turning Plastic Waste Into Swoon-Worthy Terrazzo – see online →
• One Person’s Trash Is Another Person’s Coffee Table – see online →
• How to Balance Your Design Sensibilities With the Realities of Living With Kids – see online →
• How to Use Fashion and Jewelry As Home Decor – see online →
• Is Marble Sustainable? It’s Complicated – see online →
• How the Pandemic Changed Our Relationship With Paint – see online →
• This Preloved Caravan Was Transformed Into a Slice of 1970s Palm Springs – see online →
• A Dated Victorian Town House in West London Turns into a Designers’ Family Den – see online →

Wallpaper*

• Potato Head Beach club has extended into a fully-fledged creative village (print + online) – see online →
• Introducing Sri Lanka’s up-and-coming surfer hideout – see online →
• The design hotels pushing towards a more eco-friendly future – see online →
• Sweet spot: Drop by Dough, Bangkok (print + online) – see online →
• Capella Bangkok interprets the city’s rich history – see online →

Design Anthology

• Baan Pomphet: A Brickwork Bolthole in Ayutthaya – see online →
• B HOUSE 49: A Townhouse Revival – see online →
• Roukh Kiri: A Hillside Hideaway in Khao Yai – see online →
• A Royal Blue Rum Bar in New Delhi – see online →
• Central: The Original Store Opens in Bangkok’s Creative District – see online →
• Café Craft is an Ode to Craftsmanship – see online →
• An Island Retreat in Ayutthaya – see online →
• Chim Chim is a Bold New Bangkok Spot – see online →
• Starting Somewhere: Junnarchitect Studio, Thailand (Print, Issue 29) – see pdf →
• Photo Essay: Songkhla, Thailand (Print, Issue 29) – see pdf →
• The Art of Play: Panisa Objects (Print, Issue 31) – see pdf →

CNN Travel

A tour of Bangkok’s spookiest sites – see online →

New York Magazine

This $40 Doodad Backs Up My Phone’s Photos Whenever I Charge It – see online →

Travel + Leisure

This Luxury Estate in Thailand Is a Quarantine Facility – see online →

SUITCASE

City Guide: Rotterdam, Netherlands – see online →

Fathom

Photo tour: From Hanoi to Saigon and Everywhere in Between – see online →
Photo tour: For Bangkok’s Answer to Brooklyn, Head to Chinatown– see online →

Brand publications

Waldorf Astoria Magazine: Insider’s Guide: Bangkok – see PDF →
Preferred Travel: 72 Hours in Taipei – see PDF →
Qantas Travel Insider: Hotel review: Oriental Residence Bangkok – see online →
SilverKris: The SQ: Hotels – Rosewood Bangkok – see PDF →
Halifax UK: Saving money in the Thai capital’s ‘alt.’ neighbourhoods – see online →
Porter & Sail: Destination Guide: Sumba, Indonesia (text and photography) – see online →

Photography

My travel- and food photography has appeared in Conde Nast Traveller (UK, US, Chinese, Indian, and Middle East edtions), DestinAsian, Harper’s Bazaar (Germany), GQ (China), L’Officiel (Thailand), MR Porter, Travel + Leisure Asia, The Guardian, Suitcase Magazine, Passion Passport and Tiny Atlas Quarterly. Find my portfolio here.