Traveling to a different country is an exciting and eye opening adventure. The exposure you get from the different cultures, histories and people that you will meet along your journey will help you become a more well rounded individual who sees your surroundings and develops your opinions constantly aware that you are part of a global community. In other words, you will become less insular in your views and perception.
Visiting a country as steeped in culture and diversity as Thailand is an opportunity that should not be wasted. You should enjoy your trip but also be aware that you are in a country with a vastly different culture. In order to make your trip more worthwhile here are some travel tips that will help make your stay in Thailand a truly beneficial one for you:
Learn some important Thai words and phrases – English is not widely spoken in Thailand so you may have a hard time communicating with vendors and taxi drivers. It would be a good idea to learn some important word and phrases so you won’t need to struggle as much with the language barrier.
Be aware of the various social customs – Always be conscious that culturally there may be customs that you need to follow and nothing is worse than making a faux pas of not following well entrenched customs as you will surely offend the Thais. For example you are required to stand up when the National Anthem is played in the streets (usually at 8 am and 6 pm), accord proper respect to the Royal Family and wear clean cloths and take off shoes when inside temples. Women are not supposed to touch a monk or give him anything directly (it should be coursed to someone). Other customs may seem harmless not to follow but you still should regardless of how you feel about it. For example, it is not “nice†to point your foot at people or touch the head of people. Additionally, you should be aware that public displays of affection are frowned upon in Thailand.
Have a rudimentary knowledge of the lunar calendar – All of the temples in Thailand (actually in all of Asia) follow the lunar calendar. It will be a good idea to read up on this as it will come handy when you start touring the various temples in the country especially since there are certain days in the calendar when it will be best times to make your visit.
Try to experience Thai life by eating and drinking at local restaurants – Local restaurants are a great place to meet people from all walks of life. Additionally, you also get to sample the fabled Thai cuisine as cooked by people who really know their stuff. You even lessen your chances of suffering from food poisoning when eating in these places because the ingredients are always fresh compared to when you eat in western-style restaurants.
Know where to buy jewelry – tourists love to buy jewelry in Thailand because it is cheaper there. But in order to be safe and eliminate any chances of fraud only buy in establishments that have the “Jewel Fest Club†emblem of standard displayed on their windows.