Tip #6.5: Four people don't fit in a tuktuk

 

So I’ve now been in Thailand nearly 1.5 months. That doesn’t make me anything near an expert on the place, but I’ve definitely picked up a few tips along the way that could be helpful to travelers just beginning their journey here. 

1. Whenever possible, try to wear flipflops – this is because you often have to take your shoes off before you go into a store or a restaurant in Thailand as part of a Thai custom, and it can be tiresome to be constantly removing difficult shoes

 

2. Never ruffle a Thai person’s hair – you’re not supposed to ever touch a Thai person’s head, since it is considered the holiest part of the body

 

3. Don’t let your feet touch a Thai person – the feet are considered the lowest part of the body and Thai people get really offended if you even accidentally let your feet touch them (even, as we learned, if you have your feet out and they walk into them)

 

4. Don’t rest your feet on anything – for the same reasons as above

 

5. If you are lost, ask for directions at a posh hotel – the staff there almost always speak English, and can give quite accurate directions (sometimes they’ll even give you a free map!)

 

6. Don’t take tuktuks if you can avoid it – not only are they uncomfortable, but if you are in Bangkok, a metered taxi will always be cheaper; if you are in Chiang Mai, the taxi trucks are the cheapest way to go

 

7. Take out your max amount of money at the ATM – all Thai ATMs charge 150 baht ($5 USD) on top of what your credit card is already going to charge you, so it’s best to get out the maximum amount every time (which is usually 20,000 baht)

 

8. Ask the expats – expats in Thailand are as common as the tuktuks, and they can be a super fountain of information if tapped properly – they can often point you in the direction of the best guest house or restaurant in town far better than the Lonely Planet ever could

 

9. Buy all your gifts/ clothes/ souvenirs in Bangkok – it’s easily the cheapest place to get them and you can pick them up right before you fly out so that they don’t weigh you down – Khao San Road and MBK are two excellent shopping areas for good, cheap stuff

 

10. You can’t eat the same pad thai twice – well you can, if you eat at the same place, but you could actually eat pad thai for dinner every night here and not get sick of it since it tastes different at every restaurant – the street-side stands often serve the best – and cheapest – pad thai around

 

11. Be careful with Thai guys (this is for foreign women) – they easily get the wrong impression if you are quite friendly with them, and can become aggressive if they think they were mislead

 

12. In the North, women are supposed to say Khap Kum Jao or Sawadee Jao, etc., instead of ka (men still say krap)

 

13. Local buses are easy to catch and a far cheaper way of traveling from city to city in Thailand, though they can be significantly less comfortable than the A/C minibuses

 

14. Don’t confuse Krabi Province with Krabi Town – Krabi town is in Krabi province (we heard so many people talking about how amazing Krabi was, so we went to stay in Krabi town and it was kind of a hole – only then did we realize they were talking about Krabi province, which is home to Koh Phi Phi, Ao Nang, Railay, and other absolutely amazing places, but also -unfortunately- Krabi town)

 

15. Whenever possible, use the wai – that’s the thing where you put your hands together in prayer position, and bow your head slightly – Thai people really appreciate it when foreigners take an interest in their customs and doing so will help you connect with the locals

 

16. If you’re downtown in Bangkok and want to get back to Khao San Road, but the taxis are demanding 300 baht because it’s rush hour, hop on the number 2 bus – it will take you straight back to Khao San

 

17. Thai whiskey (Sangsom and other brands) is the cheapest way to get your drink on in Thailand – do it the way the locals do and buy a bottle with some coke and a glass with ice

 

18. The best Thai beer is Leo – and it’s priced in between Chang (the cheapest and worst-tasting) and Singha (more expensive, and slightly too bitter for me)

 

19. Beware of fake monks – a Buddhist person once told me that monks aren’t allowed to beg for money, so if you see someone dressed like a monk begging for money, they are not a real monk

 

20. Bring earplugs – Thailand is a noisy country: the partiers right outside your hut at 3am, the Thai rock concert blasting from your bus’ TV at 4am, Khao San Road echoing in your tiny hostel room – you’ll be thankful for the kind-of-peace your ear plugs will give you

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