Thailand Travel Mistakes Tourists Make About Food, Laws and Safety
Are you heading into Thailand and worried about looking like a clueless tourist? I get it. I felt the same way before moving here, but after 5 years of living in Thailand, I’ve learned everything you need to know to avoid embarrassment. The 14 things everyone gets wrong about Thailand include cultural mistakes that will make you look like a fool, accidentally breaking the law and mistakes most tourists make that can ruin your trip.
Thai Food Spice and Street Food Safety
Most people associate the colour red with fire and danger, but when it comes to food, it’s the colour green you need to fear. The spicy chillies in Thai food are always the small green chillies. I’ve met plenty of people who’ve ordered a green curry assuming it’s a safer option, and they’ve always regretted it.
Similarly, just because something is called a salad doesn’t mean it’s not spicy. Papaya or mango salads can be some of the spiciest dishes in the country.
One of the warnings you’ll hear over and over again about Thailand is that you need to be careful about the food, and you’ll probably hear a few horror stories about people who got sick. But you have to remember that a lot of these people step straight off a 24 hour flight, eat a load of fried foods and drown themselves in Chang beer, then complain that they don’t feel great.
Food poisoning does not exist at anywhere near the level that most people claim it does in Thailand, and the level of food hygiene is actually quite high. Most street food stands exist to serve local Thai customers on repeat business, so it doesn’t make sense for them not to produce high quality food that doesn’t make you ill. I’d probably still avoid street food sushi that’s been out all day in the Bangkok heat, but most of the dishes that have been cooked right there in front of you are fine to eat.
Thailand Has Modern Booking and Travel Services
The next few mistakes all stem from an outdated view of Thailand as a hippie backpacker paradise, but the country and its tourism industry are a lot more developed than most people realize. In fact, just recently, Apple had to pull one of its ads because it featured outdated stereotypes about travelling in Thailand. Don’t make the same mistake if you don’t want to look like a fool.
The days when you can just turn up at a hotel and ask if they have a spare room are gone. Well, you can, but they’ll just tell you to book the room online anyway. This is the 21st century, and most hotels or travel companies have an online presence.
Leaving your bookings until the last minute means you’re susceptible to last minute price hikes and the risk of sleeping on the beach. Also, your taxi driver isn’t going to be too happy if you don’t have a specific address, and he isn’t going to want to drive you around while you look for a place to stay.
Thailand Costs More Than Many Tourists Expect
There’s one outdated fantasy that many tourists come here with, one that, if you don’t prepare properly for, could end up leaving you pretty skinny by the end of your trip. Thailand isn’t actually that cheap anymore. Some people come here thinking that they can live like a king. Don’t get me wrong, some things here are cheap. Eating out, for example, is much cheaper than it is in England.
But some things, like booze, are heavily taxed, so a bottle of Chang costs about the same as a pint back home. Outside of tourist markets, it’s actually quite uncommon to haggle on price. Some of the rudest interactions I’ve seen during my time in Thailand are tourists aggressively trying to get vendors to lower prices.
I mean, I get it. You want to save a bit of money, but try not to be rude about it. I’ve even seen this happen in shopping malls, where they absolutely do not lower the price. You wouldn’t do it back home, so why do it here?
Haggling Motorbike Safety and Bangkok Misconceptions
I’m sure you’ve heard stories from your friends and family about their life changing experiences riding a motorbike with the wind in their hair through the winding roads in Northern Thailand. That means it must be a pretty safe thing to do, right? Wrong. There are around 20,000 deaths in Thailand each year, making it one of the most dangerous places in the world to ride a motorbike.
The quickest way to ruin your trip to Thailand is to die. Tourists getting into major road traffic accidents is a weekly occurrence in Thailand. Those who are lucky enough to survive the crashes can be left with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills to pay, life changing injuries and families who have to drop everything to come care for you whilst you’re in medical care. It’s pretty simple, actually: wear a helmet.
Bangkok is not a sleazy city. There are simply sleazy people who come to Bangkok, spend 3 days in the red light district and then proceed to tell everyone it’s a sleazy city. If someone you know is complaining to you that Bangkok is in fact a sleazy city, this might be more of an indication of their character than anything else.
While we’re on the topic, prostitution is actually illegal.
Cannabis Laws and Thailand Beyond the Tourist Areas
Weed, however, is now completely legal in Thailand, but that doesn’t mean you can smoke it anywhere. There’s been a rise in the number of tourists getting arrested for smoking in public. Some of them have been fined pretty heavily and even spent a few nights in jail.
There is much more to Thailand than Bangkok and beaches. Most people who’ve never been in the country are unaware of just how stunning the north of Thailand is.
Northern Thailand Rainy Season Chopsticks and Monks
Northern Thailand is home to some of the most stunning mountain landscapes in the world, the best temples in Thailand and fascinating tribal cultures. When I work with my clients to help them plan their trips to Thailand, I always encourage them to visit the north if possible, and many people say it’s their favourite part of the country.
Thailand doesn’t have beautiful weather all year round. There are a few months of the year, usually between the end of April and October, called the rainy season, but that doesn’t mean you have to cancel your trip in the rainy season. It generally rains for about an hour or possibly two each day, but afterwards the sun will come out again.
In fact, the rain will arguably make some locations better. It’s better to see the lush green rice paddies in the north of Thailand or waterfalls when they’re in full flow, for example.
Number 12: Leave your chopsticks at home. The only place you’ll need them is one of the many Japanese restaurants. This is a fork and spoon country.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a monk? A lot of people assume that the monks they see in Thailand are deeply spiritual and otherworldly figures, but in reality, many Thai monks are actually just regular people who’ve chosen to take some time for personal growth and reflection. Many come from all walks of life, different jobs, backgrounds and experiences before deciding to live a monastic life. Unlike the priesthood in the Catholic Church, this is usually temporary. In fact, most monks are just normal people. Don’t be surprised to see them buying a coffee or playing on their phone, and you shouldn’t hold them to a higher standard than yourself.
But the biggest mistake most travellers make is assuming that all of the Thai islands are stunning and easy to get to. In fact, choosing the wrong island could absolutely ruin your Thailand trip.
