40 TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO THAILAND (AND DON'T FALL IT)

We have lost count of the times we travel to Thailand. In 2011 it was here precisely where we discovered our love for Asia and since then we have not stopped returning again and again ... And it is right in Chiang Mai, in the north of the country, where we wrote this post. In it you will find 40 tips for traveling to Thailand, or in other words, we have collected all the information we would have liked to know before our first trip.

We hope that I can help you plan your trip through the country of smiles, and if you want to tell us your tricks on your return, we invite you to leave us a comment!

1. Thailand is the perfect gateway to the Asian continent: there are cheap flights from Europe to Bangkok and the country is perfect for first-time travelers (It is comfortable, easy to navigate, without too many dodgy cultural shocks but full of curiosities and exotic things to see and do).

2. The best itinerary To know the basics of Thailand on a first trip of about 18-20 days could be the following: Bangkok (3 days), Ayutthaya (1 day), Sukhothai (2 days), Chiang Rai (2 days), Chiang Mai (3 days), Southern Thailand (6 days), Bangkok (1 day).

3. If you have less time We advise you to visit Bangkok, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and an island.

4. Speaking of islands… Southern Thailand can be a disappointment for many due to the great tourism massification (and it is that tourists always go to the same places!). There is some destination, like Phi Phi, that has been hopelessly caught by mass tourism (on the one hand you will get excited like crazy when you see Maya Bay for the first time, but on the other hand you will get a little screwed up in Leonardo Di Caprio and in the movie “The Beach). The good thing is that there are still MANY islands where it is not difficult to be almost alone on a paradisiacal beach.

5. Some examples of islands without tourist crowds They are Koh Mook, Koh Kradan or Koh Kood, which we want to visit as soon as possible thanks to this Dabid post.

6. Regarding weather you have to know that there are 3 stations:

• The hot: from March to May.
• The rainy season: from May to October.
• The "cool”: From November to February. Cool in quotes since in Thailand it is always hot (unless you don't go north where in the winter months you can get to do some scratch.

7. To curl more the curl in Thailand there are two different monsoons (monsoons = rain to pitchers):

• In the Gulf of Thailand it is from October to December. In this part are the islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.
• In the Andaman Sea it is from May to October. Here you find the islands of Trang, the Krabi area, and the part of Phuket (Phi Phi for example).

Although this is only the theory, it is not a certain science, and less now with climate change, often in the rainy season a storm usually falls in the afternoon and escapes after a while. Although it is true that in many islands the accommodations remain closed outside the high season. It is best that you inform yourself before planning the itinerary.

8. Is it necessary to book accommodation? It is up to you: on our first trip to Southeast Asia we were on a very flat backpacker plan and we were always looking for accommodation when arriving at the destination.

• Pros: You are completely free to set up your itinerary on the fly and stay as long as you want in a destination. You have the possibility to see in reality how the accommodation is. You can haggle the prices somewhat.
• Cons: Arriving after a trip and having to look for accommodation with the Thai calorazo and the backpack, pouf, is a trauma. You run the risk of not finding availability, especially in areas with limited places such as the islands.

So? Considering that online offers are found ... we advise you to book! But read the customer comments first! If you do not know how many days you want to stay in a destination, go booking on the go (eg book only one night and haggle once there for the rest of the stay). There is a lot of accommodation in Thailand and unless they are not specific dates (Christmas, local parties, important events) you will not have problems in renting a room from one day to another.

If instead you travel with a fairly “tight” itinerary we advise you to have all the nights booked from Spain (or wherever you want XD).

9. These are the 10 experiencesWe always recommend living in Thailand.

10. Language: In tourist sites almost everyone splashes some English, and if not, do not worry that you will end up understanding each other. But it doesn't hurt that you learn some little words in Thai, at least these two: Kop-khun-kha (thanks, if you're a girl), Kop-khun-kap (thanks, if you're a boy), Sawadi Kaa (hello, if you're a girl), Sawadi kap (hello, if you're a boy). With that and a smile, you are well served. And if you want to make the chef of the restaurant happy who is so spoiling you with her dishes ... tell them "Aroy!”Which means“ delicious ”.

11. How much does it cost to travel in Thailand? It is a very personal section: you can travel for € 10 per day per person (accommodation, food and transportation included) or for € 50 or € 100 (or more, I guess!). We believe that a real budget for a vacation without too many luxuries but without hardships, is about € 20-25 per day per person (Something less if you eat in street places and sleep in a shared room). Obviously without calculating flights. On our first trip to Thailand, with a VERY backpacker budget, we spent some 10-12€ a day ... so it all depends on how you want to ride it!

12. And how to book the routes within Thailand? If you want to take them already booked you can use the 12go.asia website, where practically all the most common routes are. But it will always be more expensive than if you make the reservation directly at the station, so we recommend that when you arrive at your destination, if you know what day you are going to contract directly with the company your next trip. You will save a little money in commissions.

13. If you plan to take internal flights Check out the websites of AirAsia, Nokair and Thai Smiles ... and watch out, AirAsia is not always the most convenient. All these companies are reliable, in fact AirAsia has been giving him the best low cost award in the world for several years.

14. Download the APP Grab, although in places like Bangkok a taxi with taxmeter is almost always cheaper. But it will allow you to get an idea of ​​the price of the race in case you have to negotiate a closed price with the taxi driver. In addition Grab can save your life in tourist sites or during rush hour, since many taxi drivers do NOT want to put a taximeter (Grab a car has a fixed price…) and they will not ask for more than what corresponds.

15. Do not be part of animal business (right? right?): Elephants, tigers and all animals are precious in freedom, not between the 4 walls of a circus for tourists. Find out before you travel, this article is a very good start. Not everything goes for a photo.

16. Thailand is a very safe country, yes, do not leave common sense at home and ... beware of scams, one of the most frequent is that of the Buddha Day (which although it is May 29, apparently for tuctuc drivers is every day) when , look what a coincidence, the palace or temple you want to visit is closed because it is a party. Mmm, no, it is not.

17. If you have time or if you already traveled to Thailand and did the typical route, we advise you a lot visit the east of the country: The Buriram area, in particular, we found beautiful (and nothing touristy), and people had a great time!

18. Out of stores and houses some are usually found very special altars, we speak of the houses of the spirits where the workers of the store or the inhabitants of the houses usually make offerings to the ancestors. It is one of the curiosities of Thailand that we like the most.

19. The tuk tuks are increasingly for tourists and in the vast majority of cases they are more expensive than taxis (or grab a car). Of course, even once, you have to get on one, and the experience is to live it. You ride a tuk tuk all excited and soon you will be surprised by praying to Buddha, Jesus Christ, Peppa Pig or whoever, to ask him to arrive safely and safely at the destination. But we repeat: you have to try it XD

20. Avoid changing money at airports: change is usually fatal. Change the minimum to reach the city and there search and compare between several exchange houses until you find the one that suits you.

21. The Thai ATMs charge a fixed amount as commission (between 200 and 250 baht, about € 5-6). A trick to avoid it is to enter a bank and ask to get money at the counter (cash advance). Keep in mind that you will be asked for a card with your name and passport.

22. Avoid commissions from our banks (not the fixed ones of the ATMs of Thailand). Here we tell you the solutions to have money abroad. The cards we carry are the Bnext card and the N26 card, which are free and complement each other perfectly.

23. Get one SIM card, here you can buy it in advance, although we only recommend it to those who want to have internet since they land. The big phone companies in Thailand are TrueMove DTAC and AIS, here we tell you what SIM card to buy in Thailand.

24. Haggle at the street markets It is part of Thai culture, although it tries to be objective and respectful: we saw tourists offer ridiculous prices or haggle 10 cents ... neither is that. As a general rule, if the products are marked with a price, they are usually fixed prices, if they do not have the price marked, to haggle! A great place (although something overwhelming if you don't like being surrounded by a lot of people) to put into practice your dribbling skills is the Chatuchak Market, on weekends in Bangkok.

25. Learn to say: “MAI PHET” it can save your life (or at least taste buds) since it means "not spicy". And let you know that many times your “little spicy” dish stings more than a chili and wasabi chili pepper spitted by the fire of a Danearys dragon from the Targaryen house.

26. If one day you feel like eating something other than rice or noodles with something, go to a 7eleven (very warm, it is very cold in there) and try one of their sandwiches ... they are addictive! 'Long live the 7Eleven sandwiches'(the sausage is the best).

27. Thai cuisine is immense, so don't fall for the rookie mistake of always eating pad thai or fried rice. In this post we tell you what our favorite Thai dishes are.

28. If you have to Choose between visiting Ayutthaya or SukkothaiWe recommend the second one: it is more spectacular and it is a good intermediate stop between Bangkok and Chiang Mai (two essential stages of any trip to Thailand). We also believe that it is less touristy.

29. One of the most curious temples in all of Thailand is the Chiang Rai white temple, on the outside it is pure white, on the inside ... well we do not want to do spoilers but you know that you are going to freak out in colors. In Chiang Rai there is also a black house-museum very rare and a blue templeCome on, well worth a day! And also its night market is one of the best in the country.

30. If you are a digital nomad, a freelance or if you can work from anywhere in the world, we recommend spending a season in Chiang Mai: It is a beautiful city, full of temples, markets, coffee shops and delicious restaurants (and with a lot of offer for vegetarians and vegans). Do you notice much that is our favorite site? Here are a few articles.

31. In public places like parks or stations at 08.00 and at 18.00 something very curious happens: the thai anthem and everyone interrupts what he is doing, stands up and yields to the king. They also put it in the cinema before the movie starts. We recommend that you also be respectful to gain the affection of the premises.

32. It is from rude touch head of someone, because it is considered the "highest" part of the body, the most sacred. It is also very rude turn your back on an image of Buddha or sit with the soles of your feet to him. In temples it is essential to dress and behave in a measured manner: long pants and covered shoulders. And of course, another highly respected figure by Thais is the monk, which cannot be touched by women. In the means of transport they have preferred seats for them and everyone respects it.

33. After a few days you will know how to differentiate the guiri, the expat and the… sexpat: Yes, the scourge of prostitution is one of the largest in the country.

34. You can only buy beer (and alcohol) between 11am and 2pm, and between 5pm until midnight in supermarkets (and some bar and restaurant too).

35. Both most popular parties from Thailand are the Songkran, in which everyone goes out to celebrate the rainy season (and buckets of water are thrown at each other), and the Loy Krathong, the lantern party in which we were lucky to participate twice * _ *

36. Walk through Khao San Road in Bangkok it means: dodge men who want to sell you costumes or ping pong shows, women who want you to eat a scorpion, uncles who want to make you dreadlocks and girps with a hallucinatory face spinning in flip flops and t-shirts in bright colors.

37. And it is that with Bangkok there are mixed feelings: either you love it or you're not going to see when to leave it. We are from the first group, we really like the Thai capital ... By the way, its real name is: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit. True story 🙂

38. One of the things you have to do yes or yes is to give yourself a Thai massage. Just do not expect a relaxing massage: they will make you the same as a pizzaiolo does with the pizza dough ... they destroy you yes, but they leave you as new 🙂 The Thai massage time costs about 150-200 baht (more expensive if you go in luxury Spa).

39. We recommend you take out travel insurance, we do not want to scare you but we know many people who have pulled insurance while traveling through Thailand ... And if on your trip you are going to do adventure sports, diving, etc., it is best to hire in Iati Backpacking. As you know, here you have a 5% discount on IATI insurance.

40. Other blogs Where to soak up culture and Thai info and raise the hype of the trip are: Nomadic World and With Backpack. They have tons of useful info, come on, they are cracks.

So far our tips for traveling to Thailand, hopefully they will help you. By the way, we almost forgot to warn you of something: when you travel to Thailand you travel to the future ... literally: here is the year 2560! Another reason to come 😉

* Main photo: Photocredit