Thailand Travel Guides
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Planning your next trip to Thailand? You’re in the right place with my Thailand Travel Guides!
I visited Thailand for the first time in 2019…and immediately fell in love with the people, the food, and the culture. I remember sitting in the window seat as we flew into Phuket and being completely in shock of what I was witnessing.
Unfortunately, two weeks wasn’t even close to enough to get my fill of Thailand, so in 2022 I returned – this time for two full months. My friend and I hunkered down in an Airbnb in Patong Beach and got to planning a series of life-changing trips all around Thailand. We partied at the Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan, slept in overwater bungalows in Kao Sok National Park, scuba dived the reefs in Koh Tao, and ate our way through Phuket.
Besides a very unfortunate foot-stabbing incident that required surgery four months later in Canggu…it was the trip of the lifetime. If you’re planning a trip to Thailand, you’ll find everything you need to know with my helpful Thailand travel guides below!
Happy travels! xx Madison
Thailand Travel Guides – QUICK LINKS
Chiang Mai / Koh Tao / Patong Beach / Phuket / Bangkok / Krabi / Koh Phi Phi
South of Thailand Travel Guides
Other Thailand Travel Guides
Awesome Tours to Book in Thailand
Check out some of my favorite tours below for your next Thailand trip!
- Phuket Old Town Food Tour—⭐️ 5/5 in Old Town Phuket
- Hong Islands One Day Tour From Krabi—⭐️ 4/5 in Krabi
- James Bond Island Tour from Krabi by Longtail Boat—⭐️ 4/5 in Krabi
- Cooking Class in Chiang Mai at Mama Noi—⭐️ 5/5 in Chiang Mai (the best cooking class in Northern Thailand!
- Full-Day Visit at Maerim Elephant Sanctuary—Chiang Mai
- Royal Grand Palace and Bangkok Temples: Half Day Tour—⭐️ 4.5/5 in Bangkok
- PADI Open Water Diver course on Koh Tao—⭐️ 5/5 in Koh Tao
What Do I Need to Know Before Traveling to Thailand?
First and foremost, be prepared for some serious culture shock! Not to say that’s a bad thing. If I arrive in a new destination and don’t experience culture shock…I’m a little bored. Other things to know before visiting Thailand…
- NEVER have your phone out on the back of a scooter. People have been known to snatch them out of your hands as they ride by.
- Know the religious customs and political rules before you visit. For example: in Thailand it’s illegal to speak disrespectfully about any member of the royal family.
- Men – be prepared to be asked if you want a “happy ending” in massage establishments around Thailand. Just politely decline and be on your way.
- Always have cash on you. Many places in Thailand don’t take credit cards and Grab/Gojek/inDriver apps sometimes don’t allow foreign users to connect their credit cards, which means you’ll need to pay for every ride in cash.
- Don’t drink the tap water anywhere, even if you see locals drinking it. You’ll regret it, I promise.
- Never look monkeys in the eye and keep an eye on your belongings around them.
- When crossing the street in high scooter traffic, walk at a normal, consistent pace. You’re more likely to get hit if you run or try to dart back and forth.
- Keep responsible tourism in mind wherever you go. If visiting an elephant sanctuary, do research to make sure it’s an ethical organization. Absolutely NO elephant rides or tiger cage experiences. Good rule of thumb: if it has to do with animals, there’s a high chance it’s not ethical.
Thailand Travel FAQs:
Grab and inDriver are two ride share apps commonly used around Thailand that operate like Uber in the U.S. In many cities you can rent scooters/motorbikes on these apps which greatly reduces both your travel time and your cost of transportation. For long distance travel and ferries, 12Go is a great app for booking reliable and affordable transportation across the continent.
If you’re solo traveling your way through Asia, Hostelworld is another great app to have on your phone. Here, you can browse the best hostels in every destination and filter by services and amenities.
Yes! In all of Thailand’s major airports, you’ll find plenty of SIM card kiosks littered around the terminals. Prices vary by country, but it’s common to buy two weeks of data for around 15 USD.
If you can’t find a kiosk, or just prefer the ease of an eSIM, download Airalo for affordable and easy-to-set up data plans in countries all over the world. I just used Airalo for three months of data in Europe and it could not have been easier!
The currency in Thailand is the Thai Baht. As of January 2024, the conversion is roughly 1 USD to 36 TBH. Unlike most countries, one of the easiest ways to obtain Thai baht in Thailand is by bringing U.S. dollars (or your home currency) to exchange. In many places, this turns out to be a huge scam, but I’ve found it to be fairly reliable in Southeast Asia.
The easiest and safest way to get cash in Thailand is by taking it out of a reputable ATM. Follow some basic practices when taking cash out in a foreign country:
–Make sure your bank knows you’ll be traveling (and where) so your card isn’t declined
–Hide your PIN number when you type it in
–Only use ATM machines attached to a bank or another reputable establishment
The best time to visit Thailand is during the cool and dry season, which typically runs from November to early April. During this period, temperatures range from 84°F to 97°F (29°C to 34°C). This season offers ideal weather for exploring the country’s beaches, enjoying outdoor activities, and exploring tourist attractions. I recommend avoiding the rainy season if you can, which usually occurs from June to September, as it may hinder outdoor activities.
Absolutely! I was a solo female traveler myself during a lot of my time in Thailand and I met countless other travelers doing the same thing. Like any other continent, safety does vary by city and neighborhood. Wherever you go, make sure you have your wits about you and follow standard solo travel safety procedures as you would anywhere else.
You can greatly increase your safety factor by purchasing a local SIM card and making sure your phone is always charged and in working condition. Staying at hostels and signing up for activities that cater to other solo travelers is a great way to make friends while traveling and increase your safety factor during activities that involve drinking and partying.