(Newswire.net — December 19, 2019) — We will tell you the best tips for traveling to Thailand, a country where we have come back to again and again. A place that has many of the best beaches in the world, vibrant, historic cities, palaces, Buddhist temples, landscapes, nature and delicious cuisine.
Many times in Thailand and we have never done a practical advice guide to travel to Thailand and know him from end to end, so we catch up the story. In addition, this country is an excellent entry to get to know Southeast Asia, with connections and economic prices not only with America and Europe, but also with Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore. Thailand has a very varied offer of cities and regions to visit, also very well connected and with good prices by air, land and sea.
Visa
In the case of a US passport, they do not need a visa, but the time of visit is 30 days. Passports in all cases must have a minimum validity of 6 months. In addition you have to fill out immigration sheets, usually they give it on the plane and have a ticket to leave the country. In our case, they rarely ask us.
Yellow fever certificate
Until a few years ago the yellow fever vaccine was for 10 years, recently they changed dispositions and that was for a lifetime. In case they have an expired certificate, they don’t need to give back the vaccine, but they go straight to border health and seal it again forever.
Means of Transportation
Airplanes: There are several low-cost companies that operate in this country and are connected with other countries, among the best known: AirAsia (we use it several times) as well as Tiger, Bangkok, Jetstar, and others. We used airplane to go from Bangkok to Phuket.
Sky train: You will find it only in Bangkok, it is a monorail that runs through the heights of the city, is modern and fast and that connects Suvarnabhumi airport with a new section. Fast, convenient and inexpensive.
Taxis: Available in various colors, pink, orange, green, and others. They are economical but in general when they see tourists they prefer not to turn on the taxi meter and charge more. Insist that they turn it on and know how much each trip in advance costs (from Sukhumvit to Khao San road around 100-120 bath approx.).
Grab (the equivalent of Uber in Asia): Good option, they are private cars with a fixed price in the application, you can order by cell phone, they arrive in a few minutes and there is no discussion about the tariff.
Tuk-tuk: They are colorful, walk differently and quickly traverse the city. You must negotiate well with the driver and clarify the price of the trip and destination “without stopping before”. Business / fraud for tourists is to charge travel costs very cheaply and make stops at various businesses where they have a commission, so that travel, besides disrupting, becomes endless.
Rent a motorcycle: We don’t recommend renting a motorbike in Bangkok, because taxis, Sky trains and other means of transportation will have a better time, because the traffic is very heavy, only for motorcycle experts. In other parts of the country, we rent motorbikes in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Lanta, Krabi, Koh Tao and Koh Samui. Likewise, all of these places require prior knowledge about motorbike driving. We have seen many accidents.
Important: When renting, do not leave your passport as a guarantee, that the tenant will take photos of the first sheet and nothing else. And also pay attention to the photos of each scratch that a motorcycle might have, with this everything has been cleaned and without further claims. They usually cost between 6 and 7 dollars for 24 hours, the scooters.
Train: Friends tell us that they are very good for night trips. The most common route is Bangkok-Chiang Mai, where you save hotel nights.
Buses: They are modern and comfortable and cover the whole country, we have used them a lot, both for the south coast and heading north.
Longtail boats: They are the traditional boats that are seen in all photos of Thailand’s dream beaches. Many tours use it and can be rented privately too.
Collective boat: This is the right choice to get around Bangkok, ships crossing the Chao Phraya river and its canals, from Khao San road you can take a boat to Chinatown and to the shopping centers of the Silom and Sukhumvit areas, in the new part of the city.
High Speed Catamaran: This catamaran connects the islands and beaches in the south, fast, modern, and often schedule and destination.
Religion
Thailand is a traditional and religious country. Buddhism is the majority religion, more than ninety percent of the population adheres to it and mostly on the Theravada side. Both in Bangkok, like in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and other cities you will find the most impressive Buddhist temples and images. To enter the temple, consider the dress code. In women closed shoulders and clothing that exceeds the knee (or trousers). In men, the knee and shirt (sweatshirt) reach. Consider never sitting with your feet in front of the Buddha image, or turning your back; there are no signs of affection between couples that look good in temples. Therefore, you don’t have to take selfies with a Buddha in the back.
Monarchy
The Thai Monarchy is a prestigious, loved and untouched institution. It has one of the most stringent royal laws in the world, any criticism from the royal family can send you to prison. In early May 2019 he was crowned the new king of Thailand Vajiralongkorn, Rama X, the tenth king of the Chakri dynasty. He succeeded his father Raja Bhumibol, Rama IX, who ruled for seven decades and died in October 2016. He was a king who was greatly loved by the population for his particular agricultural initiatives.
Customs
Let’s go to customs: Thais are friendly and speak softly, they don’t like violence situations. So whatever situation needs to be solved, you must always do it without raising your voice and manners. Whether in a hotel, restaurant, trip, taxi or on the road, it is best to be calm and kind. In big cities, in shopping centers and their businesses, product prices have clearly begun. In the market, the art of bargaining remains a tradition, if you visit Chatuchak in Bangkok, the biggest market in the world, you will understand what we are talking about.
Security
Thailand is a safe country, robberies are not common and especially with weapons. Yes, you have to consider certain things like in any country in the world. As we said at the beginning, negotiate well with taxi drivers, tuk tuk drivers and bargains in the market. In places of large accumulation people have purses or backpacks that are visible and don’t fall into the occasional hustler story that often appears in tourist areas. In general they say that they are some kind of official inspector and offer to show a certain number of tours or visits. Ignore them.
There are still a few other things to watch out for, but following these tips will greatly help your Thai vacation.