First Night Out In Thailand? Start Here
1. Start Slow Your First Night
I know the first thing you want to do on your first night out in Thailand is to go a little crazy and dive straight into the madness.
But I recommend taking it slow. There’s so much going on in Thailand’s nightlife, and you’re not going to be able to see everything in one night it can get overwhelming.
If it were my first night, I’d do a little bar hop, take it slow, see which bars I like best, talk to some people, and get to know the area.
Doing that, you’ll be able to get a feel for how everything works the price of things, how people approach you, and so on.
There are many, many bars, so taking it slow is a good thing. Space everything out and try a new area each night.
2. Know the Difference Between Bar Types
A lot of people who come to Thailand think that all the bars are the same, like back home, where you just go in, get a drink, and sit down.
But in Thailand, it’s completely different. Yes, there are those types of bars, but you won’t be sitting alone for long.
In most bars, they’ll have bar girls who will come and try to talk to you, asking you questions and getting friendly.
Their job is to try and get lady drinks from you, which in turn earns them commission.
If you want to be alone, you can kindly tell them you’re not interested, and they’ll move on to the next person no problem.
The other types of bars (which I can’t really explain here) are go-go bars and gentlemen’s clubs.
There are also a lot of karaoke bars, but I highly recommend you stay away from them, as they’re known to scam customers.
3. Not All Smiles Mean She’s Interested
Now, let’s talk about the girls working in the bars. Never, under any circumstances, forget that they’re just doing their job.
Just because she smiles at you, tells you that you’re handsome, gives you a lot of attention, and makes you feel good about yourself, that doesn’t mean she’s interested in you.
These girls are experts at their craft, and their job is to make you feel good and spend money in the bar and on them, if they’re lucky enough.
Some men fall into the trap of thinking these girls really like them, when in reality, they’re just doing what they’re paid to do.
Don’t be one of those guys who mistakes attention for real affection.
These ladies can be fun to sit and drink with, and they can be great company just never forget that they’re working.
5. Don’t Get Sucked Into Games Too Fast
When you sit down in a bar, especially in Pattaya, a girl may ask if you want to play Connect 4 or one of the other games they have.
It can be fun to play these games, but just know if you lose, it’s going to cost you.
However, if you win, you’re likely to get nothing in return and just be asked to play another game until she finally wins.
Once she does win, she’s going to expect you to pay for a lady drink, and it’ll continue from there.
They have a bunch of games, and sometimes it’s fun to play them with the girls. If you like one of the girls and plan to buy her drinks, then there’s no harm in playing just know it’s going to cost you.
6. Use Small Notes for Drinks
When you’re drinking, especially in beer bars, it’s better to pay with 100s or 500s not 1,000-baht notes.
Paying with large bills makes it easy for them to shortchange you and give you lots of small change, which can be confusing especially if you’ve been drinking.
It can be awkward arguing about the correct change, but even if they’ve shortchanged you, they’ll argue until their last breath that they gave you the right amount.
It’s best not to argue and cause a scene. That’s why I always recommend paying with small notes and keeping track of what goes in and out of your wallet.
8. Girls Might Leave If You Don’t Buy Lady Drinks
You’ll get a lot of female company in Thailand’s bars. Girls who work there will constantly try to talk to you and get lady drinks from you.
Some of them are really convincing, and if it’s your first time in the country, you might actually think she likes you and is interested in you.
Make no mistake no matter how much it seems they like you, they’re after one thing: money through lady drinks.
If you don’t buy them drinks after they’ve given you attention and sat with you for a while, they might just leave and move on to the next person.
Just know, they’re not being rude it’s their job. It’s business.
If you’re not spending money on her, she’s sitting there for no reason. Of course, she’s going to try and make money from someone else.
So, if you like the company of a bar girl and want her to stay longer, buy her a drink or two. You can always tell her you’re not interested later if you realize she bores you.
9. Tip the Staff If They Help You Out
You don’t have to tip in the bars it’s nice if you’ve enjoyed the company, but it’s not required.
However, if you like the bar, it’s always good to leave a good impression and tip, especially the staff who help you, like the mamasan.
Tipping the mamasan or buying her a drink or two is always a good idea. She’ll remember you, and every time you return, she’s going to make a fuss over you and look after you.
The same goes for a girl you like if you tip her, the next time you come, she’s more likely to sit with you and ignore other customers.
Like I said, tipping isn’t a must, but it goes a long way.
10. Stick With One Area Per Night
Thailand’s nightlife is huge, and the chances of experiencing it all in a two-week holiday are slim. I recommend staying in one area per night.
If you’re in Pattaya, maybe do Soi 6 one night, Walking Street another night, LK Metro another, Soi Buakhao another, and so on.
If you’re in Bangkok, maybe do Nana Plaza one night, Soi Cowboy another night, Soi 11, Soi 21, etc.
This way, you’re not moving all over the place in one night, and you get a feel for that specific area.
You’ll know if you like it and can return or if you don’t, you’ll know where to avoid.
11. Keep a Screenshot of Your Hotel Address
This one is huge, and I recommend it to everyone visiting for the first time who doesn’t know the area.
Places like Pattaya can turn into a maze after a few drinks, and you can easily get lost and forget where your hotel is.
It’s rare, but it does happen you can get scammed by girls who act like they’re helping you home but are actually working with the taxi driver to trick you.
Depending on how much you’ve had to drink, they could easily pull off a scam and take you to some random place instead of your hotel.
So, always have your hotel address saved on your phone so you can easily tell the taxi driver where to go or, if you’re close enough, walk home yourself.
Side tip:
If you’re going to Pattaya just for the nightlife, get a hotel around the main area (like Soi Buakhao) so you’re never too far away and can easily get back.
12. Girls Will Ask a Lot of Personal Questions
When you sit down in a bar and a girl joins you, she’ll start asking questions.
At first, these questions seem harmless she’ll ask your name, age, etc. but she’s sizing you up to figure out her approach.
Then, she’ll ask what you do for a living, where you’re from, and how long you’ll be staying in Thailand.
Her asking about your job helps her gauge how well-off you are financially. Asking how long you’ll be in Thailand tells her how much time she has to work on you.
They’ll also ask which hotel you’re staying at so they know if you’re a “cheap Charlie” or not.
Just keep your head screwed on when these questions come your way, and never tell a girl you’re new to Thailand or that you’ve just arrived.
13. Don’t Accept Open Drinks From Strangers
This has never happened to me, but I know someone it happened to.
He was a young backpacker solo traveling and ended up talking to a group of Thai girls and guys on Khao San Road.
The last thing he remembers is drinking with them then he woke up in a rundown hotel with no wallet or phone.
After checking the hotel’s CCTV, it showed that three of the group had brought him there and left shortly after.
He went to the hospital and found out they’d drugged his drink, knocking him out completely.
I’ve only heard of this happening once, but it’s still wise to be cautious and never accept open drinks from strangers.
15. Avoid Bar Drama
Here’s something you need to know: If a tourist gets into a fight with a Thai person, the Thai person will have 20 other guys come out of nowhere to back them up.
They stick together and don’t care if you’re outnumbered they’ll still come at you.
Most of the time, it’s tourists fighting other tourists. If this happens to you, just walk away. You don’t want some idiot ruining your holiday it’s not worth it.
And if you find yourself in a heated situation with a Thai person, bite your tongue, apologize, and walk away even if it’s not your fault.
Trust me, don’t get into trouble with any Thai guy. It won’t end well for you, even if you did nothing wrong.
I once saw a foreigner showing off in front of his bar girl, picking fights with people walking by and acting tough.
Other foreigners ignored him, but when he started trouble with a Thai bouncer, things went south fast.
Within seconds, the bouncer had 7 or 8 other Thai men (even taxi drivers who had nothing to do with it) backing him up.
Let’s just say it didn’t end well for the foreigner, and I doubt he ever showed his face in that bar again.
Do Not Take Pictures Inside the Bars
A lot of these bars will have signs everywhere saying “Do not take pictures,” however some tourists try their luck.
If you get caught taking pictures inside the bar, it could end really bad for you. Security and staff will be onto you ASAP if you get caught.
If you are with a girl, sitting drinking and talking, you can kindly ask if it’s okay to take a selfie with her. Most of the time, they’ll accept and happily take a pic.
But if you’re one of those people who take a picture of a girl dancing or something else without her permission, then yeah, it’s not going to end well.
Just don’t take pictures. Although these girls are working, you still should show a bit of respect for them. They don’t want to be posted all over the internet if they can help it.
Another side story about this: I was in a gents club in Pattaya, and two young guys started recording videos.
They didn’t even hide it the flash on their phone was on. The bar owner and security took them out back. I thought it was just to make them delete the videos, but they never returned.
I have no idea what happened to them, but I’m guessing they had a little trip to the hospital afterward.
Bill Padding
This unfortunately happens a lot, especially in smaller bars with few customers, if the staff know you’re new and on holiday.
In Thailand, you get a bill after each round of drinks and pay at the end.
If you’ve been drinking and can’t remember how many you’ve had, it’s easy for them to slip in an extra drink or two and you’d never know.
The best way to avoid this (and what many people do now) is to pay as you go.
Every time you get a new drink, pay right then.
However, if you do fall for this scam, the only advice I can give is: Pay it and never return to that bar.
If you refuse to pay, security will get involved and they won’t come alone. You’ll be in serious trouble.
So just pay, walk out, and never go back. They’ll lose you as a customer, so they’re only hurting themselves.
Lastly, Keep It Fun, Not Serious
You’d be surprised how many guys walk into a bar in Thailand and end up “falling in love” with a bar girl.
I don’t want to put anyone down, but these relationships rarely (if ever) work. The girl is just doing her job and trying to make money.
If you catch feelings for a bar girl, chances are you’re in for a world of trouble it’s going to end badly.
Go to Thailand, have fun, and if you want to keep in touch with a girl, take her contact info and chat long-distance but don’t get into anything serious.
Enjoy the nightlife for what it is: a bit of fun.
