Welcome to our Ultimate Things to know before going to Thailand-Guide. While staying in this beautiful country, we realized that there are some things we actually would have liked to know before visiting Thailand. That’s why we created a comprehensive list of things that can help you know more about the people, culture and customs before your departure.
Thailand is known to be THE backpacking destination. And actually, that was also the reason why we were not that keen on traveling there in the first place. But after traveling 30 days through the North and another 19 days through the South, (With 28 days in between that we spent in Myanmar) we could completely relate with all the expats living in this wonderful country. We can absolutely recommend you a trip to Thailand. Although there are so many tourists you can still dive into the unique culture of the land of smile. In the following, you can find the main and most important things to know before traveling to Thailand.
Thailand Facts
- Kingdom
- 513.115 km² big
- 95% of locals are Buddhist
- Telephone +66
Bank Holidays
05.12. Birthday of the King
10.12. Day of Constitution
Important words
Thank you – Kop Kun Krup (as a male)/ Kop Kun Ka (as a female)
Hello – Sa Wat Dee Krup (as a male)/ Sa Wat Dee Ka (as a female)
Goodbye – Laa gawn krup (as a male)/ Laa gawn Ka (as a female)
Delicious – Aroi maak
How much does it cost? – Nii thao rai?
Yes – tschai
No – mai tschai
Best time to visit Thailand
High-Season
The probably best time to visit Thailand is from November – February.
Hot Season
The hottest time in Thailand is from March – May
Rainy Season Thailand
From June – October there is rainy season in most parts of Thailand.
Money
Currency
The currency used in Thailand is the Thai baht. One USD equals 32,87 Thai baht and One Euro equals 38,39 Baht. (July 2018)
Withdraw Money
In every place we visited, you had the chance to withdraw money from an ATM. Usually, every withdrawal gets charged with a fee of around 5 €
Prices
Another of the things to know when visiting Thailand is that the prices in Thailand are quite low compared to Western prices.
Anyway, you will realize that the entrance fees can get kinda expensive. Especially, if you consider the fact that you usually pay double of what the locals are paying.
Tipping in Thailand
If you eat in a locals restaurant or at a street food stall you are usually not expected to tip.
If you enjoy tourist services, you can tip by rounding up to the next 10 Baht.
Taxi drivers will most probably already give you the price rounded up to the next 10 Baht.
Food in Thailand
The food is usually pretty cheap, as long as you are not on an island (Koh Lipe had the highest prices we experienced) or in a tourist area.
If you wanna save money you can eat street food or visit one of the many 7-eleven or Family Mart that you can find in every corner.
Saving money in Thailand & Thailand Budget
If you want to travel Thailand on a budget or just want to know how you can save some money during your trip to Thailand you might like my ultimate Thailand budget post. Learn how much we spent during 50 days in Thailand and on what we spent it.
Visa
As a European Citizen or US-Citizen, you usually don’t need a visa as long as you won’t be staying longer than 30 days inside the country. And yes, this is the rule now for EVERY EU Citizen since 2017. Even those who enter by land. (We had a lot of wrong information; even from the embassy in Ho-Chi-Minh that seems to haven’t had time yet to read the visa updates since 2015) Before this rule was just for the G7, but now it applies to every European Citizen. (We already thought we’d had to take an airplane to enter Thailand, as Eduardo has a Spanish Passport. But luckily, the Thai Embassy of Spain gave us finally the correct information)
And in the end, we didn’t have any problem to enter Thailand at all.
You can enter by land up to 2 times by year. So, you can leave to one of the neighbor countries and return after a few hours/ days in order to stay 60 days without a visa.
If you plan to stay longer than 60 days, you should get a visa in your nearest embassy. (October 2017)
Get more information about the Thailand Tourist visa for Indians here.
Author’s note: Please note that the above is just general information and can change anytime. Please make sure that this information is still valid by contacting an official source short before your trip. I can not be made responsible for any changes or exceptions.
Security in Thailand
Thailand can be visited without further concern. Anyway, you should always be careful about yourself and your belongings while traveling.
Check also: Best books to read while traveling to Thailand by The Travel Leaf.
General security
I haven’t felt unsafe in Thailand at any time during my stay. Neither when I was without my partner. Therefore, I can even recommend this destination to solo female travelers without further concern.
However, like in any other destination, you should follow some main behavior advice.
For Example, you might wanna avoid getting totally wasted when you are partying alone or with strangers. But yeah, I guess these things are self-explanatory and common sense. So, don’t worry, you are most likely not going to experience any kind of Thai Horror story.
Pickpockets and Scams in Thailand
Thailand is famous for its scams. Especially in Bangkok, you should be careful. Better check twice before agreeing to any offers.
Furthermore, you should take good care of your belongings. As well in your accommodation as on the street.
It might be helpful to check the accommodation reviews on booking.com or TripAdvisor before booking it. I heard and read quite a lot people being broken into their room at night and getting stolen (some of) their belongings. So better check whether there is a safe and the door is lockable.
The easiest way is to bring your own lock. This way you get additional security.
However, those are just preventions. We traveled through Thailand for more than 1 1/2 months without getting scammed or stolen anything. Anyway, be especially careful if you want to see a Ping Pong Show in Thailand and there are often scams taking place.
Taxis
When taking a taxi there are also two ways to prevent being scammed. After our taxi driver in Vietnam has stolen us around 40€ we also have learned our lesson.
Ask for the Taximeter
A popular opportunity to take even more of the tourist’s money is by not using the taximeter.
Every estimated price the taxi drivers have told us before entering the taxi was way lower in the end when being charged by the taximeter.
Therefore, you should stay true to the principle: No Taximeter-No Ride! Many taxi drivers might tell you “Sorry, the taximeter is broken”. But you have to insist on them switching it on. And if they refuse, the next taxi is right around the corner waiting for passengers. 😉
Always ask for the taximeter before entering the taxi.
Use Grab
While in Western Countries most people use Uber, in Asia Grab is more implemented. The operating principle is the same though.
For everyone that doesn’t know it: Grab is like a taxi App. You can just enter where you are and where you want to go. Afterwards, you will be given a fixed price. If you agree to that price, the app is gonna find you a matching driver which is near by. Therefore, usually, you will have your driver picking you up within a few minutes.
The payment can be done either by paying the driver directly or by credit card through the app. Super easy and fast!
And since the price is fixed by the app you only pay what the trip is really worth.
The big drawback of the Grab application is indeed that you need a working internet connection.
No Accommodation yet?
Find my post on the best accommodation in Thailand for every budget by clicking here.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure in Thailand is compared to its neighbors Cambodia and Myanmar far ahead and of much better quality in most places. Especially, Bangkok stands out. (They even have a Metro)
Renting cars and motorcycles
If you feel like renting a car or motorcycle to get around please keep in mind that left-hand-traffic is standard in Thailand.
Moreover, please be careful when renting a motorcycle. Especially around Koh Chang and Pai, the roads can get really dangerous. In Pai, you will find at least one wounded person per group walking around the night market.
Thailand – Land of Smiles
Thailand got its nickname Land of Smiles for a reason. The locals are super friendly and helpful and never hesitate to give you their greatest smile.
You will immediately feel welcome in their country and culture.
But don’t take for granted that everyone is understanding you, just because they say yes or smile. Especially, staff in hotels often just try to be polite. So, always make sure they actually understood your question. 😉
Already packed for Thailand?
Find out what you should bring and what to leave at home in my ultimate Female Packing List. Go to the post and get a free printable by clicking here.
Thailand and its King
Thai just love their king. Everywhere you will find pictures of him and hear people telling you nice stories about his life.
Unfortunately, the king passed away in October 2016 after being on the throne since June 1946. He was the longest-ruling head of the state in the world.
Now his son is the new king of Thailand.
The king is extremely popular in Thailand and deserves the highest respect. Therefore, you must not talk bad about or criticize the king or the royal family in any way while being in Thailand.
Did I miss anything or do you have any further questions? Let me know in the comments below.
Are you planning to go from Bangkok to Pattaya?
Wow! These are some really useful trip. I am going to Thailand this December. 🙂 Thanks for sharing the post. It’s very helpful
I’m sure you will have an amazing trip! 🙂
I have never been to Thailand but I found your post really useful. Especially when traveling to a new country facts like that are really important, Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. Yes, it is always nice to be prepared 🙂
Really useful, informative post! Thailand is high on my wishlist
I can highly recommend you to go 🙂
Whatever you do, don’t ride elephants. Elephants are not meant to be ridden and it is harmful to their spine. Most elephants in captivity are not treated well by their owners. You don’t see what happens behind the scenes but they are beaten and chained up. If you want to see elephants and interact with them, there are some elephant sanctuaries that protect them and have programs where tourists can come to interact with elephants.
Hello Sara,
you are totally right! I forgot to mention this here as I have written about it in other posts and will add it to this post as well. Thank you!