Thailand, the Land of Smiles, is a true paradise for the senses. From the clatter of tuk-tuks in Bangkok and incense drifting through temples, to the sun on your face on tropical beaches and the rich flavour of intermingling spices… there’s a good reason that many visitors return time and time again!
Getting around Thailand is easy and can be half the fun. Flying is the quickest option, with airlines like Thai and Air Asia offering plenty of affordable domestic routes (just keep an eye on those sneaky baggage fees). I always compare prices on Skyscanner before booking.
If you’re in the mood for slow travel, you can book long-distance buses, trains and ferries via 12Go Asia.
In cities, Grab is your best friend (download it and link to your WISE card before you go). You can just hop in a car or whizz though traffic on the back of a scooter.
In Bangkok, you can hop on the MRT, their equivalent of the tube/subway/metro. This is a clean, air-conditioned and affordable way to get around the city. Bangkok traffic is notoriously log-jammed, but the MRT will enable you to zip between key areas and attractions (and save a fortune on airport taxis).
Hiring a car is also an option, but traffic can be intense. And remember they drive on the left (same as many other South East Asian counties).
For island life, renting a motorbike or scooter in hugely popular and gives you total freedom. Just make sure you’re confident, licensed and insured. And always wear a helmet.
Thailand has two main weather systems, which means the “best” time to visit depends a little on where you’re going. In general, the most popular time is November to February, when temperatures are slightly cooler, humidity is lower and rainfall is minimal.
From March to May, things heat up fast, with scorching temperatures that can be intense but manageable if you’re based near the coast. June to October is the rainy season for most of the country. But, note that the Andaman Coast (Phuket, Krabi) is wetter from around May to October, while the Gulf of Thailand (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan) often sees its heaviest rain later in the year, around October and November.
The upside of travelling in the shoulder or rainy seasons? Fewer crowds, greener landscapes and lower prices. Just expect the odd dramatic downpour and stay flexible with your plans.
There are plenty of beautiful accommodation options in Thailand to suit every budget, from luxury resorts to backpacker hostels. The main thing to look out for is fake reviews, so read these carefully and watch out for unnatural-sounding language. If it sounds fake, it probably is! I always book my accommodation through trusted providers like booking.com and Hostelworld, but always read the reviews carefully.
Most visitors to Thailand for tourism will need to complete a Digital Arrival Card before arrival, so best to check before you travel.
I always recommend to people to check the official government advice from their own country of citizenship when applying for a visa, for anywhere. For example, I’m from the UK so I use the UK Government’s Foreign travel advice website, and navigate to the “Entry requirements” section of the country I wish to visit. That will show me the correct links to use to apply for a visa officially, without being scammed. E.g. “Thailand: Entry requirements”.
Be aware that if you just google “Thailand visa”, you’ll find lots of 3rd party websites offering to do the application for you, which at best will charge you quite a lot of money and at worst may scam you completely.
If you would rather someone else take care of the application for you to save you time and hassle, I can recommend iVisa. iVisa offer an end-to-end visa application service where they take care of the entire application for you. You just need to sign up via their website and fill out the information they need from you for the application. Note that they charge a fee for this service, so it will be more expensive that applying directly yourself.
Here are some of the resources I’ve found particularly useful for travelling in Thailand. Download the apps before you go to ensure a smooth and stress-free experience! Check out my Useful Travel Resources page for my complete go-to list of websites and apps.
Currency:
Thai Baht
Capital City:
Bangkok
Languages:
Thai
