First Trip to Thailand? What You Actually Need to Know

Buy travel insurance, and read what it says about motorbikes.

Private hospitals in Bangkok and Phuket are good, and a serious accident can still cost thousands. Many policies refuse motorbike claims unless you held a valid motorcycle license and wore a helmet. A car license plus an International Driving Permit often does not count. Read the exclusions before you rent a scooter.

Sort your data before you need a ride.

Buy an eSIM before you fly, or a tourist SIM from AIS or True at the airport (bring your passport to register it). Grab, maps and translation apps all assume you have data the moment you walk out of arrivals.

Every ATM withdrawal on a foreign card costs a flat fee.

The Thai bank charges it on top of whatever your own bank charges, and the screen shows the fee before you confirm. Take out larger amounts less often, and decline the machine's offer to convert into your home currency. In Bangkok, exchange booths such as SuperRich give good rates on cash.

Cash still pays for street food, markets and songthaews.

Cards work in malls, hotels and chain restaurants. Small vendors mostly take cash or Thai QR payments, which need a Thai bank app or a supported foreign wallet. Carry 20s and 100s: a 1,000-baht note at a noodle stall makes nobody happy.

7-Eleven covers far more than snacks.

There is one on almost every Bangkok block. Drinks, toasted sandwiches, sunscreen, phone top-ups and air conditioning at any hour. When the cashier asks whether to heat your food, a nod is enough.

Book Grab or Bolt instead of negotiating with taxis.

Both apps show the fare before you book, which ends the "no meter" argument. Metered taxis in Bangkok are cheap when the meter runs. If a driver names a flat price instead, close the door and flag the next one; taxis already moving on the road are usually more willing than ones waiting outside hotels and tourist sights.

If a friendly stranger says the Grand Palace is closed, it isn't.

The closed-palace line, usually followed by a cheap tuk-tuk "tour", ends at a gem or tailor shop where the driver earns commission. Check opening hours yourself and keep walking. The Tourist Police hotline, 1155, has English-speaking staff.

Cover shoulders and knees at temples, and take your shoes off at the door.

The Grand Palace enforces the dress code at the gate. Don't point your feet at a Buddha image; sit with them tucked behind you. Women should not touch a monk or hand him something directly. A light scarf or sarong in your bag solves most dress-code problems.

Treat the monarchy as completely off-limits for jokes.

Thailand's lèse-majesté law (Section 112 of the Criminal Code) makes defaming, insulting or threatening the King, Queen, heir apparent or regent a crime that carries long prison sentences. It is applied broadly, to foreigners as well as Thais, and to social media posts and shares. Don't step on a dropped banknote or coin: it carries the King's image. In cinemas the royal anthem plays before the film. Audiences stand, and you should too.

Feet low, heads untouched.

The head is the most respected part of the body and the feet the least. Don't touch anyone's head, even a child's, and don't point at things with your foot or rest your feet on a table. If someone greets you with a wai (palms together, slight bow), returning it is polite. You don't need to wai shop or hotel staff first; a smile works. Our Thai greeting phrases and etiquette guide covers when each greeting fits.

Losing your temper loses the argument.

Raised voices embarrass everyone and make people stop helping. A calm smile and "mâi bpen rai" (never mind, no problem) gets a wrong order or a missed bus sorted faster than any complaint. You'll hear it constantly: it signals that nobody needs to lose face over a small problem.

Haggle at markets, never at 7-Eleven.

Bargaining is normal at street markets, with tuk-tuk drivers and at some small shops. It isn't done in malls, supermarkets, restaurants or metered taxis. Keep it light: ask, smile, make an offer. If the seller won't move, that is the price, and walking away is fine. Our Thai phrases for markets and shopping give you the words.

Tip small, and only where it fits.

There is no percentage tipping culture. Leave nothing at street stalls. At restaurants, round up or leave some small change unless a service charge is already on the bill. After a massage, a small tip in cash is common.

Drink bottled or filtered water, not tap water.

Bottled water is cheap at any shop, and many neighborhoods have coin-operated refill machines. Ice in restaurants is usually factory-made and fine.

Time your trip around the heat and the rain.

November to February is the coolest and busiest stretch. March to May is properly hot, especially inland. In the north, February to April is also smoke season: crop burning can push Chiang Mai's air quality into the unhealthy range, so check an AQI app if you have asthma. June to October brings rain, usually as afternoon downpours rather than all-day storms. The islands run on their own calendars, covered in the questions below.

Leave the vape at home.

E-cigarettes are illegal in Thailand, and that includes bringing them into the country. Tourists have been fined and arrested for carrying them.

A handful of Thai phrases changes how people respond to you.

English works in hotels and tourist areas and fades fast at street stalls, in taxis and outside the big cities. A greeting, a thank-you and "how much?" in Thai turn a transaction into a short conversation. Start with how to say hello in Thai and how to answer and the Thai thank-you, then work through the 60+ basic Thai phrases, with tones. The ten that matter most are further down this page.