Thailand is one of our favourite countries, full stop. Which any regular Routinely Nomadic followers already know because, you know, we just keep going back. And over all those visits – to different places, at different times of year, for different activities – we’ve put together a pretty extensive list of things to know before visiting Thailand. “Pretty extensive”? Ok, fine, LONG. It’s quite a long list. Which you probably already figured out, assuming you know how numbers work.
So, just what is so great about Thailand? Well, it’s hot as hell, for starters. Which doesn’t necessarily sound complimentary but maybe that’s just the way I react during a week where the daily high refuses to drop below 35C (and “feels like” 43C). That’s a bit unusual, though. Most of the time it is just “pleasantly hot”, more in the 28-30 range. The kind of heat where you definitely don’t go hiking over lunch but throw in a bit of shade and an ocean breeze and it starts giving off paradise vibes. And, of course, how that compares with, say, February in Saskatchewan hardly bears mentioning.
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But, beyond being warm and tropical, we also love the people (friendly as hell and always helpful), the food (consistently excellent and quite cheap), the islands (picturesque is a word that comes to mind), the underwater wonders (diving and snorkelling), the history (Ayutthaya is a good example, mostly because we were literally just there), even Bangkok is great (in small doses), and, I must say, some people really love the monkeys. Not us, though, because, honestly, monkeys generally suck. Cute for a minute, a huge pain in the ass from then on.
Downsides? The Thai attitude toward trash has plenty of room for improvement, although, unfortunately, that in no way makes them unique in Southeast Asia. And the language is very, very difficult. Luckily for us, a huge number of Thai people have graciously gone and learned some English, making our lives immeasurably easier. Not that I’ll ever stop trying to use the Thai word for “pork”, which is “moo”, pronounced with a rather low, drawn-out cadence to differentiate it from the 8 other things “moo” can mean. Yes, obviously, I am truly terrible at it, but it’s still fun to try. And if there is one thing every local in the world can agree on, it’s how fun it is to laugh at a tourist butchering their language.
Well, it seems like this post has kind of gone off the rails already. Back on track, let’s get to the list. Our current (and constantly evolving) list of Things to Know Before Visiting Thailand. Please chime in with any more you think should be added…
Things to Know Before Visiting Thailand
The food is amazing. I know I’ve already mentioned this, but it bears repeating. As does “pad see ew moooo”, at least once a week, we find.
Thailand has a thriving restaurant culture, something that is VERY handy for travellers. Because it means that in addition to the usual glut of restaurants targeting tourists, there are almost endless local choices as well. A little something for every palate, not to mention every budget.
Speaking of spicy Thai food (weren’t we?), they are fanatically devoted to “bum guns”. You’ll find these very specific water nozzles attached to every toilet. I won’t get into details, but will just say it takes a bit of practice to master the art but once you do, suddenly life just seems that much easier, the sky a bit brighter, the toilet seat maybe marginally wetter.
Still on the bathroom theme – I don’t mean to give the impression we’re off toilet paper or anything crazy like that. We are still firmly “Team TP” most of the time. Which is why Thai plumbing can be a bit onerous, being very fickle when it comes to flushing things. Can you or can’t you flush toilet paper? Not usually, but no one ever seems to know for sure. Well, to be clear, WE don’t know. Somebody ELSE always knows but most of the time they are strangely reluctant to share that info. Forcing us into a sheepish question, and then, if language barriers arise, followed by some less-than-appealing hand gestures. An informative sign can really go a long way in these situations, just saying.
Don’t drink the tap water. A lot more places now provide a filtered water tap or purified water jugs but there are still many places firmly committed to using as many 500ml bottles as possible.
Most Western tourists are allowed to stay in Thailand for 60 days, visa-free. Although that is probably going back down to 30 days soon. For some reason. I guess they’ve learned that the second month is about when we start to get super-irritating. Hard to argue, honestly.
You can also save yourself some time at the airport by filling out the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card online before you arrive. You have to wait until you are within 3 days of arrival.
Taxis are cheap and plentiful in Thailand. As are Grab and Bolt, the two most commonly used taxi apps. We prefer Grab since all the payments are handled online. Bolt is usually a bit cheaper but you often have to pay cash.
Whatever app you use (or even if you choose to rawdog your transport like a madman from 2010), people travelling alone will find the motorbike taxis are by far the cheapest option. And fastest, as long as you’re comfortable weaving in and out of traffic, dodging doors and inhaling lots of exhaust.
And, if inhaling exhaust is really the part you like best about that scenario, then definitely consider hiring a tuk-tuk for your next ride. They are slower than both cars and motorbikes, and more expensive, and you have to haggle, and you never know for sure if they actually understood the way you pronounced the name of your destination, but riding in a tuk-tuk is kind of a classic Thai experience. Personally, other than a few unusual exceptions, our tuk-tuk days are behind us. That shit’s a young man’s game now. In Bangkok, at least.
Meanwhile, we would recommend using 12Go for longer distances (shuttles, buses, ferries) and Baulao for trains. You get an online voucher which sometimes needs to be traded for a physical ticket when you arrive. But sometimes not. And sometimes no one seems to have any idea. Enjoy.
Buses and shuttles usually stop every couple hours to buy food/use the bathroom. Most will NOT stop at McDonald’s and buy everyone on the bus a chicken burger, but one particular bus did it TWICE. So you never know.
Scooters can be rented cheaply almost anywhere, offering the freedom of the open road (or congested alley, depending on your plans). Three things to keep in mind; 1) they drive on the left in Thailand 2) Squeezing two people, groceries and an entire flat of beer on a little Yamaha Fazzio is… tricky 3) Roughly 25% of all foreign tourists riding scooters in Thailand have one leg wrapped in gauze due to a painful exhaust burn.
The ferries are built perfectly for short people and tall people who enjoy concussions.
ATM fees are extortionate – usually in the range of $10 CAD per withdrawal, plus whatever your bank charges for international withdrawals and, usually, an exchange premium. At least most machines let you take out a large amount, around 10-20k baht ($440-880 CAD). We would recommend using the ATM Fee Saver app that shows ATMs around you along with the max withdrawal and fee.
Of course, making it even more difficult is that it is almost impossible to know how much actual cash you need. Thailand is way behind most countries when it comes to paying for things digitally, or even with an actual credit card. We’ve been shocked by how many places still only accept cash. For us, we’ve only been able to use our phones to pay for transportation, at some of the grocery stores and just a handful of restaurants. HOWEVER, locals do have a better way, and we plan to get that set up before our next visit. You can download the TagThai app and connect it to your e-wallet, then get a Pay&Tour card in person from a Kasikornbank booth, deposit money onto it and then will be able to pay using a QR code a lot of places. And it is possible to get a refund at the end if you misjudge how much you need. Even so, you’ll still need a fair bit of cash.
You cannot buy alcohol (legally) before 11 am. But you CAN buy it between 2 and 5 pm now, which was NOT the case until December 2025. I’m not going to get into the wild logical acrobatics used to justify that in the past, just know that life in Thailand is now just a little bit easier for afternoon alcoholics.
Thai markets are madness. Which can be good OR bad, depending on your mood.
Thai temples are called “wats”. And always have a lot more gold than you’d expect, and definitely more than strictly necessary for praying and whatnot.
Mango smoothies are delicious. But… they always have these little stringy bits that get caught on your tongue and lips or between your teeth that kind of feel like hair. And even though you are, like, 99% sure it ISN’T hair, it still feels like it. Which isn’t great, to be honest.
If Laynni is trying to make you a mango smoothie but the blender isn’t working, she apparently thinks a glass of ice water and a bowl of mango is “the same thing”.
As you may have guessed, Thailand has amazing mangos. It is the main reason we bought so many. One lucky day we bought 4 and then, surprisingly, got one for free because of, according to the woman selling them, “vigorous stabbing motion”. We still have no idea.
Not every massage parlour offers sex. But SOME do, so it is best to make sure everyone is on the same page from the start.
Not every tall Thai woman still has man parts. But SOME do, so it is best to make sure everyone is on the same page from the start.
The amount of plastic packaging used in Thailand is, honestly, horrendous. Maybe my biggest complaint about the country. Plastic water bottles are everywhere and EVERYTHING you buy comes wrapped in plastic. And lots of stuff that was already wrapped in plastic then gets wrapped in even MORE plastic for some reason. Restaurants forcefully offer you a dozen straws, just in case small plastic tubes are your kink, and 7-11 literally sells individually bagged bananas, ffs. Which, full disclosure, I have bought on occasion. Hypocritical? Yes. But are they the best f’n bananas around these parts? Also yes.
Not surprisingly, while the beaches are overall quite beautiful, they are also typically covered in trash. Hotels and restaurants will usually do a daily cleanup of their little slice of beach but, in general, the main plan seems to be blame the next town / beach / island / country. Which doesn’t seem very effective, to be honest.
On the other hand, plastic aside, the 7-11s are very impressive in Thailand. Not as good as the ones in Japan (obviously!) but still really well-stocked and nearly as useful as most grocery stores. Their cheese toasties seem to be the Official Late Breakfast of the Hungover Backpacker™.
Self-catering in Thailand isn’t quite as easy as in, say, Europe, but it is still possible if you book an apartment. A few things to know: AirBnBs are illegal in Thailand for stays less than 30 days. Which doesn’t actually seem to stop anyone but you may find yourself being told “don’t talk to other guests” and, overall, just feeling a bit sketchy and guilty. Now that we know we probably won’t do it again.
However, we did just finish up a month (legally) in an apartment in Rayong and loved it. In general, the kitchens in Thai apartments are not as well-equipped as we’re used to in other parts of the world, but they are functional and we were able to get just about everything we wanted in the local grocery stores. We just had to use the Google Translate camera app a lot the first time, and I have to say the microwave popcorn is way overpriced (although still absolutely necessary). Other than that, quite successful.
And, fair warning, there will be times when you’re thinking, hey, I probably don’t need to translate THAT package, I mean, I KNOW what toothpaste looks like. Hypothetically. Which is exactly how you might end up, hypothetically, with SALTED toothpaste. And, in case you’re wondering, it’s not good. Hypothetically or literally.
Also important: the “Big C” is actually a grocery store, not whatever you were thinking.
In most Thai showers, the water is heated by electricity. Generally, the less pressure you turn on, the hotter it will get. In general, I would suggest trying to avoid touching any bare, open wires, of which there tend to be many.
The electrical outlets work for both North American and European plugs. Which begs the question, how hard was that? I honestly think a universal international electrical plug could be the first step toward world peace. At the very least, it would save a bunch of space in my electronics bag.
No matter how many times we visit Thailand, I always end up being served a free dessert fruit that I’ve never seen before (and, in some cases, have never seen since).
Beer! Singha is better than Leo, which is better than Chang. I will not be taking questions on the matter.
I have never had a custom-tailored suit made in Thailand. But I’ve been offered at least 500,000 of them. So somebody’s doing it. There must be a reason.
Ear plugs are important. Of course, I pretty much say that about every country in the world (except for one – oh, Japan, you silent paradise, you).
Thai people never wear shoes indoors and even on many outdoor terraces there will be a small carpet and a place to leave your shoes. I suggest leaving those thigh-high lace-up boots at home.
You probably won’t be tempted to swim in any Thai rivers but, just in case you are, well, DON’T. They’re gross.
If you are suddenly startled by the appearance of a huge monitor lizard lumbering toward you then disrupting traffic by crossing the busy road… yeah, they do that sometimes.
Thais love camping, something we only recently learned while spending a month in a small national park in Rayong. Not swimming so much, or suntanning, or hiking. But sitting quietly in the shade? THAT shit they love.
If you spot an older white couple travelling with a much younger, much hotter Thai woman, it isn’t NECESSARILY a short-term “throuple”. But, yeah, it probably is.
Summary
We have been returning to Thailand on the regular for, oh my, DECADES now, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. If for no other reason than knowing we’ll be back reduces any end of visit stress over ditching unused baht. Those adorable little notes will always come in handy sooner or later. This October again, for instance.
Anyway, I expect this list to continue to grow over time, because I will continue to think of things I missed and because each visit we discover new, weird stuff that makes us go “hmm”. And I feel we have a duty to point that stuff out. Clearly. So you have that to look forward to. And hopefully a trip to Thailand at some point.
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Other Posts You Might Like:
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The Historic City of Ayutthaya – Buddhas Galore!
Journal of a Thai Sleeper Train
Our Time in the Chiang Mai Markets
4 Great Singapore Walking Itineraries
The Best Things to Do in Tam Coc
Ninh Binh vs Mai Chau: A Comparison
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About the Author
Dean Johnston
Dean Johnston quit his job as a financial planner in 2008 to travel the world, and has now visited all 7 continents and more than 85 different countries. He wrote his first blog entry in a sweltering internet cafe in Bali in 2000 and has been writing about their travels ever since, including publishing 3 travel books.
As Routinely Nomadic, Dean remains focused on providing informative travel guides, entertaining stories and useful social media content to readers from all over the world.