Thailand has been one of the top tourist destinations for many years and there are many good reasons for this; the climate, the rich culture, and the low cost of living, to name but a few. If you are planning your first visit to the Land of Smiles, here are a few top tips to make your preparations.
- Changing money – Don’t bother changing money in your home country; prepare clean notes and change them at one of the many Super Rich booths that can be found in Bangkok; you might need to change a few dollars at the airport for taxi fares, other than that, change in the city.
- Don’t bring your vape gear – In case you weren’t aware, vaping is illegal in the Royal Kingdom of Thailand; despite this fact, street vendors openly sell vape pens and liquid and if you love to vape, do it discreetly. If an immigration officer discovers your vape gear upon arrival, you could be in serious trouble! Staying at a beach resort in Pattaya puts you in the center of the action.
- Mosquito repellent – Any 7-11 sells a local brand of mozzie spray and apply this prior to going out in the early morning and after dark. Dengue Fever is rampant in tropical countries; there is no cure for this disease and mozzies are major carriers, while malaria is only found in remote parts of the north.
- Bartering is OK – Aside from supermarkets and department stores, you can barter with the vendor, especially at night markets, where you can get as much as 25% off if you negotiate. Thai vendors actually expect customers to haggle but you should be sensible about it and not to offend them with a silly price.
- Use Google Translate – There isn’t much point in learning Thai if you are only going for a few weeks; keep your smartphone handy and you can converse with vendors and taxi drivers whenever you encounter language obstacles.
- Never overstay your visa – You might be planning to stay a few extra days after your visa expires and think it is fine to pay the overstay fine at the airport, think again! In the event you are stopped by the police or immigration, they will want to see your visa and if it has expired, you will be arrested! Worse than that, you will be held at Immigration Detention Centre until a flight is booked to deport you to your home country and you will be banned from returning to Thailand for at least 5 years. Click here for the top New Year destinations for 2025.
- Green & yellow taxis – There are taxis of all colors in Bangkok, the dual-color green and yellow cabs are driver-owned and you are more likely to enjoy a pleasant experience. That is not to say taxis of other colors are in any way inferior, but any Thai can walk into a taxi rental forecourt and rent a car for 12 hours.
If this is your first visit to Thailand, it certainly won’t be your last and we hope the information offered is of some help.
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