Thailand Travel Tips
Thailand is one of our favourite countries in the world. It’s the perfect destination for first time backpackers or for those looking for a budget friendly holiday. We’ve visited Thailand twice over the years, with our last trip including a 3 month road trip of the entire country, so needless to say we picked up a few tips! We’ll be sharing 21 of our top Thailand travel tips, so you’ll be more than prepared for your trip to Thai paradise.
21 THAILAND TRAVEL TIPS
Table of Contents
1. Visa on Arrival
If you’re planning to visit Thailand for less than 60 days you can get a visa on arrival – hurrah! This is eligible for 93 different countries, including UK, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand. Remember, your passport must be valid for more than 6 months before entering Thailand.
2. Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Thailand is between November and February. The weather is more predictable during these months, with dry and sunny days. With the high season falling over the winter period for the northern hemisphere, you’ll find the Christmas period to be the most expensive. Between July and October is the monsoon season, with more unpredictable weather. Though you will find cheaper accommodation during this period.
3. Route/Itinerary
Most travelers to Thailand arrive at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. The only downside is that it’s located in the middle of the country, which means you may need to backtrack when exploring both the north and south. A solution to this is to start your trip in either southern Thailand (e.g., Phuket) or northern Thailand (e.g., Chiang Mai). You can choose to fly directly to either airport or catch a connecting flight from Bangkok. This way, you can travel the length of the country from north to south, or vice versa
4. International Driving Licence
Make sure to get your international driving license for Thailand—it’s the law! They are relatively simple and inexpensive to obtain in your home country, and you’ll be glad you have one if you’re stopped by the police in Thailand, as they will issue a fine if you don’t have it. Always remember to carry your international license with you when driving in Thailand, just in case
5. Driving in Thailand
Most people hire a scooter in Thailand, as did we. As well as a car! We had a good experience with both, with car travel being quite comfortable. The major obstacles were dogs on the roads and the odd pothole.
If you choose to hire a scooter make sure you:
1. wear a helmet
2. have experience driving a scooter
3. have health insurance
6. Accommodation
The best place to find accommodation is through online search engines like Trip, Booking.com and Agoda etc. If you want strictly backpacker accommodation you can search on hostels.com. Airbnb is also active in Thailand.
7. Budget
If you want to save some money, head north! We really noticed the difference in accommodation prices and eating out up north. The south of Thailand, especially the islands, are dominated by tourism in comparison to the north and this is evident in the pricing.
Backpacker budget: $25 – $50
Mid-range budget: $60 – $100
*USD prices
8. ATM Fees
Cash is still king in Thailand so we would advise you to always have cash on hand while travelling the country. ATM’s in Thailand charge a fee, usually 220 baht. However, we did find a way around the ATM fees by entering the bank with a passport and asking for a cash in advance. We think this is one of the best Thailand travel tips as it saves you a lot of ATM fees over the duration of your stay.
9. Transport
Likely, you’ll be wanting to book some form of transport in Thailand, whether that’s a bus or a ferry. You can go directly through travel agents but personally, we would recommend the website and app 12go.asia. The site compares all of the options, including times and prices for you to choose from.
The only transport we were unable to book online was the long distance train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, which we had to book at the train station itself.
10. Phone Data
There are many phone packages available in Thailand but honestly, we would recommend just purchasing an eSIM beforehand. We personally use Airalo and we have used their service worldwide, including Europe, UAE, Asia and New Zealand. We have had consistently great coverage while using Airalo so we can’t recommend them enough.
The benefits on a eSIM are the price savings and that you don’t have to hassle with finding a SIM on your arrival into a country.
11. Apps
When it comes to apps in Thailand there’s a few we would definitely recommend. The first is one we mentioned earlier, 12go.asia. The benefit of downloading this app is that you can have your booking confirmations on your phone ready to go and makes the process a little smoother.
The main app we would recommend however is Grab, it’s like a Thai version of Uber and UberEats. We used this app a few times to order takeaways or to organise a taxi ride. There is also the app Bolt, which you can use to book rides.
12. TukTuk Scam
TukTuks are a lot of fun a must-do if it’s your first time in Thailand! Unfortunately, a lot of people get scammed by TukTuk drivers through overcharging. We found a great way to ensure we were paying a fair price was to compare the cost of the TukTuk journey to the price that would show on the Grab app. This way, if we saw the cost was similar on Grab, we knew the price was fair.
13. Eating/Drinking
Thai food is our favourite cuisine, it’s just delicious. However, there are a few tips we would recommend when it comes to eating and drinking out. In regards to water we would advise you to buy bottled water. Tap water is a little risky in Thailand and you don’t want to run the risk of falling sick.
Personally, we’ve never fallen ill in Thailand from food but simple tips like using hand sanitiser before eating is recommended. We don’t eat meat so this could be a difference but sometimes it just comes down to a case of bad luck! I always pack rehydration sachets in my first aid kit just to be on the safe side.
14. Shoes
It is a cultural norm in Thailand to take off your shoes when entering a building, especially in temples and sacred places. You will also be expected to take off shoes when entering a cafe or restaurant most of the time. Wearing comfortable slip-on shoes like sandals or flip-flops make this much easier.
15. Clothing
Loose fitting, lightweight clothing is perfect for Thailand. It can be hot and humid in Thailand so the more comfortable the better. Light and breathable clothing is ideal, like cotton dresses and shorts etc. Personally, you wouldn’t find me anywhere near denim! A waterproof jacket would also be useful if you’re travelling through the wet season.
16. Dress respectfully
When visiting temples you are expected to cover your shoulders and sometimes knees. A lot of attractions have clothing you can hire/borrow outside of the entrance for this issue. Sometimes there may not be any clothes to borrow so to avoid the issue of not being allowed to enter I would recommend packing a few items of clothing in your day bag eg. sarong, shirt or shawl.
17. Pre Purchases
While travelling Thailand there was a few items that we wished we had purchased before entering the country, whether due to cost or ease.
Sunscreen seemed expensive in Thailand and the options weren’t great. Also, female sanitary products were limited in terms of choice. The toiletry options overall weren’t the best. Outside of malls and supermarkets, the health and organic stores seemed to have the best options for toiletries and sanitary products.
18. Language Barrier
A lot of Thai people speak basic english, particularly in the major cities and around popular tourist destinations. We never had any issues with communication, though sometimes in the rural areas there would be less english speaking locals. Learning simple Thai words for greetings would be helpful however, plus it’s nice to greet locals in their own language.
If you do come across a situation where you need assistance with language, use Google translate, found in the Google app.
19. Laundry
Getting your laundry done in Thailand is a fairly straightforward process. Most of the time we would go to a laundromat and hand over our dirty laundry and they would take our name or give us a ticket.
The majority of laundromats air dried the clothing so it would take up to 24hrs for the laundry to be done. Though some facilities had the option of using the tumble dryer for a quick turnaround but this would cost more.
A lot of hotels offered a dry cleaning service, though this was more expensive. They may have a laundry room where you could wash and dry your own clothing using coins.
If you have to purchase laundry powder you can find it at the local supermarkets or 7/11.
20. Toilet ettiquete
Do not flush tissue! The plumbing and sewage system in Thailand is not made for toilet paper so you cannot flush it without causing maintenance issues. All bathrooms have a small bin next to the toilet for used tissue and a bidet for cleaning yourself.
It takes a little while to get used to but once it clicks it becomes very normal.
21. Animal Welfare
This topic is very important to us and that is the treatment of animals in Thailand and the tourism industry overall. Though Thailand has made some changes it still has a long way to go. One of our top Thailand travel tips would be to research the animal sanctuaries you visit and to not take part or give money to those wrongfully treating and using animals for profit.
All tiger petting and elephant riding activities are terrible, no matter what they try and market to you. Unfortunately, the animals are drugged to enable you to pet them and the elephants are put through cruel training to allow you to ride them etc.
On our last trip to Thailand we came across two fantastic organisations that we would love to recommend. The first is Soi Dog in Phuket, who care for the local stray dog and cat population. The second is Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, a true sanctuary for mistreated animals. They have a strict hands-free policy so no elephants are ridden, bathed, fed etc. Instead you can learn their story and see them in their natural habitat. Both organisations accept volunteers.
Hi adventurers,
Thanks for reading our Thailand travel tips!
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