Thailand Beach Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Trip

Your dream Thailand beach trip can quickly turn into a travel nightmare. There’s a lot that can go wrong at the beach in Thailand, but if you’re prepared, you can avoid all the hassle.

Choose the Right Thailand Beach or Island

So, the one mistake that could easily ruin your beach trip before it even starts is choosing the wrong beach or the wrong island for you and your vibe.

If you’re looking to beat the crowds, islands like Koh Mak or Koh Lanta could be great choices for you cuz they’re the islands where not too many people visit. However, if you’re looking for a bit more of a lively night life, then islands like Phuket, Koh Phangan or Koh Samui could be your vibe. And this could just end up being one of the easiest and simplest mistakes to make. Like, if you’re looking for that kind of beach escape and then you head to Patong Beach in Phuket, then that’s just going to be an absolute nightmare. It’s completely the wrong vibe that you’re looking for.

So, mistake number one is make sure you choose the right island beach for you. And that takes a bit of planning beforehand to find out which one is best suited to match your needs.

Forgetting Sunscreen in Thailand

But Thailand’s sun is brutal.

So, I actually live in Thailand, so I make this mistake all the time, but whenever people are visiting from the UK or the US, I always tell them beforehand, make sure you pack sunscreen. There’s two reasons why. One is that here it’s overpriced because of the import taxes. So you’re going to be paying quite a lot more when you come visit. The second is that it also includes kind of whitening agents. So if you’re looking to work on your tan a bit while you’re here, you don’t want to be using the sunscreen that is sold here.

Visiting During the Wrong Rainy Season

But you probably came to Thailand for the beautiful beaches, amazing sunsets, and white sand and blue waters. But what if it ended up looking like this? If you got here and it was non-stop rain and flooding, it would completely wreck your trip, right? Well, luckily, it can be almost entirely avoided.

Traditionally, Thailand’s rainy season runs from about May to mid-October. This is the time when it’s most likely to rain throughout the country. However, some people find it impossible not to travel during that time. Uh, if you have kids, the summer holidays are going to be right in the middle of that. So, how can you avoid it?

Well, it’s actually not entirely true that it runs throughout the country at the same time. If you look at the islands to the west of the country, including Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, and Koh Lanta, as well as the beach town of Krabi, their rainy season runs from May to September. However, if you go to the other side, the rainy season takes place a little later, usually with the worst weather being in June and then through to November.

Now, recently it’s actually been a bit longer on the Gulf of Thailand, in the islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao, actually running through to the end of December. I know I visited a few years ago and stayed in December and it rained all the way through December as well. So, if you’re traveling during the summer, I would aim to be on the east of Thailand, staying in places like Koh Chang, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao. And if you were traveling during the winter months, I would aim for the other side, in places like Phuket and Krabi.

Topless Sunbathing in Thailand

So, you know, Thailand’s a pretty weird country, right? In some places, almost anything goes. You can’t walk down the street without prostitutes everywhere. There’s go-go bars and you can do whatever you want. But on the other hand, it’s quite a conservative Buddhist culture. And you’ll notice that the two rarely mix. Thailand’s famous red light districts, they’re kind of kept into one area, and they don’t venture out too much outside of that. They’re mainly in the tourist areas.

One thing that could be a big mistake for some European travelers especially is topless sunbathing. It’s a big no-no here. And I would be surprised if someone saw you doing it, they would try to make you cover up or leave the hotel or the beach that you were doing it in. So don’t do topless sunbathing in Thailand.

Buying Unsafe Sunglasses

If you come to Thailand, you might be approached in a beach bar by someone trying to sell you sunglasses. Now, they might sound like a good deal cuz you can get them for a few hundred Thai Baht, but actually they can be extremely dangerous because they don’t have the UV protection that most sunglasses have.

So, you really need to be careful what kind of sunglasses you wear in Thailand. The sun gets so bright and it’s just not protecting you. And in fact, I read something where it can actually make it worse because it’s letting in more sunlight because of the dark shade. So, you really need to be careful unless you want to be blinded by the end of your trip.

Packing Too Much Beach Gear

I remember years ago when I was planning a beach trip to Thailand, I packed my snorkel for me and my wife for our beach trip. I was really excited to go snorkeling in Thailand. But when the time came to actually use it, I realized I’d left it in the hotel. The dumbest part is though is that there were snorkels available to rent pretty much anywhere I could go in Thailand. So, I just ended up buying a new one anyway and using that. And in fact, in some of the better snorkeling spots, you can even just rent one. You don’t even have to buy one. So, it became completely pointless to bring my snorkeling gear every time I came to the beach.

Now, I’ve met people that bring their own scuba gear if they want to go scuba diving, and that’s just going to take up so much space and make it much more difficult to carry around, especially if you’re traveling to some of these beaches. You’re going to be lugging your luggage across the beach, which is going to be pretty difficult, especially if you’re using a rolling suitcase.

My advice, keep it light. On the beaches, it’s generally pretty hot, so you only need light clothing and there are plenty of chances to do your laundry here as well. So, you don’t even need to pack for your entire trip if you don’t want to.

Taking a Dangerous Boat Trip

But the next mistake is by far the most terrifying. A few years back when I was visiting Koh Samui, I got on one of the boats and this boat rocked from side to side. I thought it was going to crack in half. I thought we were going to sink. People were falling over all over the place. Pretty shortly after we took off, my wife started to vomit and then the next person started to vomit and then the next person started to vomit and the floor was just completely covered in vomit and it was one of the worst boat trips I’ve ever taken in my life.

But it could have been even worse. Later that night, one boat actually sank in the middle of the ocean. So this was the night boat. It was pitch black and apparently people just heard a cracking sound and then had to evacuate. Luckily no one drowned, but they lost all of their luggage and had to be rescued by lifeguards in the middle of the night in the ocean. So, it could have been a lot worse. But recently, there was another case where 33 Chinese tourists had to be rescued off a sinking catamaran in Phuket.

So, it’s important to choose good companies that won’t take you out in dangerous waters. But if the weather’s bad and it looks wavy, I would just avoid getting on a boat in general. You never know what could happen and it could end up being pretty dangerous.

Touching or Feeding Thai Monkeys

Now, a lot of people when they see these things, they want to get up close to it. They want to take pictures. They want to stroke it or feed it even. And this is the next big mistake. You do not want to try and feed or touch one of these monkeys.

First of all, they’re filled with rabies. If they bite you, you need to get to the hospital quick because rabies is quite common in Thai animals, especially soi dogs or monkeys, and you really don’t want to get bitten by one. They can be deadly once it takes hold. So, if they do bite you, get to the hospital quick.

But they can also just mess you up a lot with their bites or scratches. They’re quite aggressive. They’re nowhere near as cute as they look. So, please, please don’t touch the monkeys.

Damaging Coral With Sunscreen

But if you’re going to go scuba diving or snorkeling in Thailand, here’s one thing most people don’t realize. If you’re wearing sunscreen or you apply it beforehand, that can actually seriously damage the coral reefs that you’ve traveled half the world to see.

If you want to preserve these coral reefs for future generations, something which is becoming more and more difficult with coral bleaching, make sure that you apply your sunscreen at least 45 minutes beforehand so it has time to absorb into your skin and doesn’t go out into the water and damage the coral reefs. Better yet, if you know you’re going to go snorkeling, perhaps don’t apply the sunscreen until after you’ve done the snorkeling. That way, it’s less likely to affect the fish and kill the fish.

Choosing a Hotel Far From the Beach

But the quickest way to ruin your Thailand beach trip is to choose a hotel that completely sucks. Now, the easiest mistake to make here is choosing a hotel that’s actually miles away from the beach. I know some people go looking for good deals in Thailand. And basically, the further away from the beach you are, the cheaper it is.

So, if you’re looking for good deals, you might be able to find quite a good hotel, but you need to check how close it is to the actual beach. And if it’s going to take you over an hour to walk to the beach and there’s no taxis out there, then that might be a problem for your beach trip.

But there’s also the chance to stay in some of the nicest hotels in the world in Thailand. Ideally, you want to choose a hotel that’s actually on the beach. That way, you can just walk straight out your door and then you can be right there. Admittedly, these tend to be a bit pricier, but I think it’s worth splashing out on a little bit for at least part of your trip. The best resorts will even have a private beach of their own so you can enjoy it without all the crowds.

To get the best deals on hotels, try and book 3 to 6 months in advance. Avoid public holidays like Chinese New Year, Songkran, or Christmas and avoid Phuket or Koh Samui because they tend to be the most expensive places for hotels.

Booking a Crowded Boat Tour

But one of the best things you can do on your beach trip to Thailand is take a boat tour. There’s nothing like riding a longtail boat to some of the most beautiful beaches and islands in the world. But here’s the thing, most boat tours actually kind of suck.

They’re going to cram you on a boat with about 50 other people with all the boats traveling at the same time, meaning you’re going to have hundreds of people on these secluded beaches all at once. So, it’s important to choose the right tour. And here are a few things you can consider. First, there’s a type of boat. Again, the cheapest tours are going to be on the big boats that get the most people on them.

Personally, I think that’s just a less interesting way to travel around. I think the much more traditional longtail boats where you have the wind blowing in your hair and a smaller group of people, they’re going to be a little bit better. Also, consider taking a speed boat. Again, they’re going to be a bit smaller and they’re going to get you from place to place a bit quicker so you have more time to actually explore the beaches.

If you have the money or a big group though, it might even be worth splashing out on a catamaran or a private yacht and then take these tours that way. A few years back when I was in Phuket, my family were visiting and we took a catamaran to Racha Yai Islands and it was one of the coolest day trips I’ve ever done.

Smoking or Taking Illegal Drugs on the Beach

Weed is now legal here in Thailand. But that doesn’t mean you can just smoke it anywhere. In fact, some of the beaches here completely ban smoking of any kind because they want to protect the ocean from litter, and especially cigarette butts are one of the most harmful things to the ocean.

But in places like Phuket, people have been arrested recently for smoking weed openly on the beaches. I know it’s counterintuitive because there’s quite a lot of weed shops all along the beach where you can buy it from, but actually they don’t really like you smoking it in public, especially on the beach. So, I would be very, very careful about where you’re smoking weed in public. If possible, smoke it within the shop that you buy it in. They’re going to be much less likely to be raided.

Similarly, if you’re in places like Krabi or Phuket, there are a lot of mushroom bars these days where they’re selling magic mushrooms. These are also illegal despite how open they are about it. And there have also been arrests of people taking magic mushrooms and then getting arrested in the store. Personally, I can’t think of a worse place to trip balls than a Phuket jail cell.

Relying on Card Payments

Because I live in Thailand and have a Thai bank account, I can make scan payments so I can quickly and easily make payments almost anywhere in the country. However, if you do not live in Thailand and you don’t have a Thai bank account, you need to use cash. Don’t expect to be able to rely on card payments.

Maybe some hotels will take it, but most places along the beach will not. Make sure you have plenty of cash in hand so that you can make payments and you don’t get stuck with no money.

Sleeping Through the Best Beach Hours

Like it or not, Thailand is quite a touristy destination and some of its best sites are going to be filled with tourists. So, how can you see some of these amazing places without the crowds? Well, I’ve got one sure tip to be able to beat the crowds in some of the best spots in the country.

Thailand is a much quieter place in the morning. Whilst most people are sleeping off the hangovers, if you can wake up early, you can see some of the best beaches in the world with almost no one on them. Personally, I’ve woken up and seen beautiful places like Kata Beach or Maya Bay without almost anyone on it. And there’s nothing quite like going for a run or watching the sunrise over the ocean.

On Koh Phi Phi in particular, Maya Bay is one of the most touristy destinations and it just gets rammed with tourists during the day. However, if you can take the sunrise boat tours, these usually have you on the boat by 6:00 a.m. and at Maya Bay by 7:00 a.m. and you’ll be the first one there and experience it with no one in sight.

Missing the Best Sunset Viewpoints

But if you’re looking for the best place to catch the sunset, it might not actually be on the beach itself. In many places around Thailand, they have some absolutely stunning viewpoint cafes, bars, or restaurants. And it’s worth planning in advance where you might want to see them.

These are quite easy to find. If you go on Google Maps and you type in Sunset, you’re going to find a ton of places that are called Sunset Bar or Sunset Cafe, and they’re going to be great places to watch the sunsets. Even if they’re not named that, you’re going to find that in some of their reviews that people mention it’s got a great sunset.

Some of these places do book up though, so sometimes you got to make a reservation in advance to make sure you can have the seat that overlooks the ocean as the sun is set. So, it might be worth planning this in advance one day and making a reservation.