What to Know Before Going to Thailand
So you’re going to thailand
Before you go, there are a few things to know and keep in mind. I learned some of these the hard way so I’m here to prevent you from having to do the same.
Get your vaccines! I needed the ones for foodborn illness prevention - Hepatitis A and Typhoid. Additionally, I needed to ensure routine vaccines were up to date. You can check the CDC for more info and for other special circumstances
Most US travelers do not need a travel visa to visit Thailand if you are going for less than 30 days - details at the Thailand Embassy
Thai people are amazing and they love Americans!
Don’t be surprised if they want to take photos of you/with you - we felt like celebrities at times with the amount of people who wanted to take photos
Bring more bras and underwear than you think - it’s hot and you will sweat
Have small change baht for the markets and bars! The smallest bill is 20 baht, but they have coins as small as 1 baht
If you plan on exchanging in the airport bring USD - we each used about $800 USD, but that included the excursions (two elephant sanctuaries, kayaking, long boats, etc.) we paid for in cash
Certain banks do currency exchange - I know Chase bank only takes two business days
Shopping - do not be afraid to barter for an appropriate price (the Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok was the best in my opinion)
I saw on some blog posts recommending bringing a female urinal and a life straw - do not do this, that is just weird
Yes some of the public bathrooms are basically just toilet bowls in the ground - learn chair pose ladies because you will need it
Bring Kleenex and hand sanitizer - a lot of public bathrooms in Thailand do not have toilet paper or hand soap
Get Thai massages! They are so cheap and so good! We basically got one in every city we went to
Words and phrases to know:
Women add “kah” to the end of their sentences and men add “khap”
Example - Thank you: Khop koon kah if you are female, khop soon khap if you are male
Sa wat dee (kah/khap) - hello/ goodbye
Gee Baht? - how much?
We got by with just knowing hi and thank you! A large majority of Thai people know English and they truly appreciate any attempt you make at learning some words in their language!
For more useful phrases check out STA travel
Don’t go to Chiang Rai airport (read more in my itinerary)
Take Tuk tuks! They are small motorized vehicles that will get you from point A to point B and there are drivers everywhere! They are cheap too - usually around 200 Baht to get around the city
Do not rent motorbikes or mopeds - we saw so many tourists riding them through the hectic traffic of Bangkok and Phuket. We saw people crash into cars and get injured - just don’t do it - take a tuk tuk instead
Handy apps to have:
Grab - it’s what they have instead of uber/lyft - helps you save some cash by allowing you to use a credit card
Currency Exchange - Useful for understanding just how inexpensive everything is
Food Panda - for food delivery in case you ever want to just order in after a long day of exploring
Whats App - good for staying in contact with some of the excursion coordinators (like I had to for kayaking) or messaging people without texting charges
Thai SIM card - some of my friends got SIM cards at the airport when they landed in Bangkok. They worked really well, they had all their apps and whatever else they needed on their phones but they had Thai phone numbers for the time being. It was an easy switch back to their regular SIM cards once they left as well.
FOOD:
Smoothies! The smoothies are amazing everywhere!!
Must try their mango, the passion fruit, kiwi, bananas and the papaya - their fruit is just so good
Mango sticky rice! Don’t ask questions, just try it! A delicious Thai dessert!
They have the best orange juice
Try all their different types of curry - red, green and yellow
Pad Thai - duh
Honestly everything they make is delicious so you really cannot go wrong
Alcohol
Sex on the Beach drink - watch for blue curacao in some of them?? It tastes like shit sorry
Mojitos sometimes have brown sugar in them? - 10/10 very odd flex
Banana daiquiris - amazing
Don’t book bus or boats ahead of time - sometimes taxis are cheaper for small groups and your hotel/Airbnb might be able to help you out
They drive crazy af here- bring Dramamine if you get carsick in the slightest
You can plan as much as you want but there are plenty of excursions that you will be able to book while you’re there
Wear comfy shoes - lots of walking
I wore Sanuk sandals and I was fine
Don’t book Groupon tours, plan it by yourself!
Tipping culture is hard to gauge - we were told that you don’t tip at restaurants, tip 10% for massages and tour guides if they were amazing and you don’t really tip drivers unless they have tip jars
Restaurant etiquette - just so you know, they will not get your check unless you ask. They will let you sit there until the place closes down before bringing you the check without you asking - they do not want to rush you out the door
The voltage in Thailand is different than the US - our blow dryer on low sounded like it had enough power to shut down a small city. Bring a universal adapter.
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to me or leave a comment!