Every year thousands of students finish college or university, and embark on at travelling trip of a lifetime to Thailand. From the beautiful beaches and amazing climate to the elephant jungle treks and cheap food and alcohol, Thailand is an easy choice for many people, and most backpackers that plan on just travelling though the country end up staying there for months on end. Thailand is a huge place however, and unless you’ve got a detailed plan of where you want to go and what you want to do, your holiday could end up being a travelling disaster! Let’s take a look at some useful travelling tips for first timers.
- Thailand Travel TipsMikeBehnken / Foter / CC BY
Accommodation
As soon as you land at Bangkok airport and make your way outside, you’ll be bombarded with people offering you taxi cabs here, there and everywhere. Always make sure you tell them the name of your hotel, and not just the area, as many will simply drop you near your digs. Also make sure you get in a cab that has a meter, as many will over charge you for a journey that would cost much less if it was charged by the mile.
If you don’t have any idea where you want to go, then this isn’t so bad, as many hotels and apartments can be negotiated on price. Most of the big hotels will be booked up through travel agents and other companies, so if you’re looking to spend as little money as possible, you’ll want to try out the backpacker hostels. There places are great for making new friends, but beware that you’ll literally get what you pay for. Some rooms, although comfortable, will only have a mattress, clean sheets and a toilet.
Getting To The Islands
From Bangkok, you can fly to the Island of Samoui, and from there you’ll be able to get a boat to any number of the surrounding islands, from Koh Phi Phi to Koh Penang. Just like the taxi cabs, you’ll be bombarded with ticket offers to take the commercial boats, that stop off at a number of islands, making the journey to your destination at least a few hours long.
To avoid this, you can simply ask one of the locals to take you your island on their long boats. Indeed they’re not as safe, or not as comfortable, but you’ll get to your destination in half the time. Furthermore, they might even stop off to show you some amazing diving spots and caves along the way – for a little extra cash of course. These boats will be a lot cheaper than the big commercial boats too.
Getting to Thailand will probably be one of your biggest expenses on your holiday, so make sure you save as much money as you can by booking early at cheapflights.com.au!
Don’t Drink The Water
You’ve probably heard this countless amounts of times, but if you drink the tap water in Thailand then you’ll be running a severe health risk. The water is not fit for human consumption because it isn’t filtered, so it’s best to only wash in it. Furthermore, only drink water out of bottles that have plastic casing around the bottle top, to show they haven’t been opened. Additionally, don’t have ice in your drinks either, as you don’t know if it has been made from clean water or tap water.
