.png)
Some of you might recall that I spent a week in Thailand with my girlfriend Nat. Neither of us had ever been there and despite hearing lots of stories from various friends – we both decided to conduct our own research before heading off as two carefree single girls to the most promiscuous country in Asia !
Here are some of my general travel tips for Thailand:
Best Time To Travel. What’s the point of going on holiday if you don’t get the timing right ? Thailand has 3 seasons : summer (March-July), rains (July-Oct), winter (Nov-Feb); with the winter season being the best time to visit. Before you start changing your July Thai holiday – the rains aren’t so bad – it comes and goes; so nothing permanent.
Why Are You Going To Thailand? Seriously – aside from wanting a holiday and the fact that Thailand is quite cheap – why are you going there ? What kind of holiday do you want ? Is it culture and heritage that you want ? Are you a diver and heard of the great diving spots out there ? A shopping getaway ? Or a beach getaway ? Once you know what kind of holiday you want – you can plan your trip to Thailand accordingly. It’s not a huge country – but each province has its own specialty.
Is That Valid ? Yes, I’m referring to your passport; and whilst you’re checking that out – do you need a visa for Thailand ? Certain passport holders such as UK, USA, Canada, and some European countries are exempt from Visas. Indian passport holders can get a visa on arrival.
Get a Local SIM card on arrival. Trust me – this saves you an arm & a leg on roaming charges; and you’ve got a phone in case of an emergency. A local SIM costs THB 99 which includes THB 35 credit. You can top-up / refill the SIM in denominations of THB 25, 50, 100, 200 etc.
Vegetarians Consider Yourself Warned ! There is honestly not a huge choice of vegetarian food in Thailand. They don’t even sell cheese in the 7/11’s !! Depending on where you are staying, stock up on some snacks & drinks for your hotel room / service apartment. If you’re an ovo-lacto vegetarian (i.e. you eat dairy & eggs – then you’re slightly better off) then you still have a chance with egg-fried rice at restaurants. I strongly suggest that all vegetarians fill-up at breakfast because once you’re on the road – there’s not much out there for you. Unless you traveled thousands of miles to eat pizza and pasta.
Event though holidays are meant to be full of full – you must be able to respect the culture of the country that you are visiting. Here are a few things you should be careful about :
Don’t Make Fun of the Monarchy. Seriously. It’s a punishable offense. The Thai people will not tolerate any lack of respect to any of the monarchs – past or present. The current King has been on the throne for 60 years and that’s a record in Thailand.
Be Respectful. Thailand is a predominantly Muslim country and comprises of over 30,000 temples across the country. Ladies visiting temples (especially the bigger ones) must have their shoulders, chest and knees covered. 
Say No To Drugs. I’m not trying to burst your holiday bubble; but do you really want to be caught and sentenced to a lifetime behind bars in a Thai prison cell ?? Didn’t you watch Brokedown Palace ?? There are random raids that take place at clubs and bars – so don’t say I didn’t warn you !
There you have it … that’s the general travel advice and tips I can give you for Thailand. I hope this comes in handy for when you plan your next holiday. Don’t forget to check out my tips for Bangkok and Pattaya.
If you have any other travel advice for Thailand – please leave a comment and share it with all the neighbours on Blogosphere.
1 comments:
Ah, that explains My Diva's disappearance. ;-) Did you have a good time, at least? Do they have male prostitutes, too?
Post a Comment