Thailand is an amazing place to travel to with friendly locals, beautiful natural landscapes, and a unique culture to embrace. However, when it comes to culture and even the law, Thailand is vastly different from its Western counterparts. While in the land of smiles, you could unknowingly offend a Thai person, fall victim to a scam, or worse, participate in an illegal activity you didn’t know was illegal. To best prepare you for your Thailand adventure, we have carefully crafted this list of things not to do in Thailand so you can have a memorable trip and connect with the locals without any hiccups or misunderstandings.
Do Not Wear Shoes in Homes and Some Establishments
For the Thai, this is a huge no-no for tourists. Thai people spend a lot of time on the floor of their homes relaxing, eating, and stretching. Even family-run shops can ask visitors to remove their shoes, so it’s imperative you look out for and respect signs posted for you to remove your shoes before entering restaurants, religious sites, shops, hotels, or homes. Your shoes walk through many things on the street, be it animal pee, mud, spit, or even doggy doo-doo. It’s considered very dirty and disrespectful to bring that street muck into someone’s space, so if you’re in doubt about whether to take your shoes off, it’s best to err on the side of caution and take them off!
Don’t Drive a Motorbike Without a License
Have you ever heard of a Thailand tattoo? These can be the most expensive form of tattoo and they are usually a result of a scooter accident! For some reason, many tourists who don’t have motorbike licenses in their own country and have never driven a day in their life believe they can come to Thailand, hop on a bike, and drive off with no issues. This doesn’t only put yourself in danger but everyone else on the road. Thailand is notorious for motorbike accidents, and according to the Department of Disease Control, 74% of the 20,000 people killed in road accidents each year are motorbike riders. That’s three out of every four accidents! With lax road laws and little enforcement of license checking at scooter rental establishments, it’s not hard to see where these statistics come from. If you don’t know how to drive a vehicle in your own country please do not drive a motorbike in Thailand, especially since Thai’s drive on the left side of the road which is less familiar for many Westerners.
Don’t Come to Thailand Without Travel Insurance
Thailand does not require visitors to acquire travel health coverage to enter the country, but honestly, they should. The number of accidents and infections I have witnessed over the past few months of living in Thailand is astonishing, and the cost of these incidents is equally exorbitant. For instance, I had a friend fall off a slackline and break her wrist, resulting in a 600,000 Baht bill for surgery and hospital stay. Several other friends have experienced minor injuries, such as cuts or ingrown hairs, which became infected due to the warm and humid climate, costing them anywhere from 400 Baht to 2,000 Baht per day in medical expenses for antibiotics and daily dressings. Of course, there is also the increased risk of motorbike accidents. Please err on the side of caution and purchase some travel insurance. SafetyWing offers travel insurance for as little as $10 a week, making it an affordable no-brainer for travelers. You can get a quick, non-binding quote below.
Do Not Point With Your Feet
Just as Shania Twain said “These boots are made for walking,” so are your feet! In Thai culture, it is considered very rude to point or use your feet to gesture in a certain direction. So keep it respectful and use the old heel-toe express for what they were made for, walking!
Do Not Step on Thai Money
So, you’re strolling down the streets of Bangkok when a 100 Baht note floats across your path in the wind. As a good person, you might try to stop the money from flying away by stepping on it and then returning the note to its owner, but you need to be extremely careful doing this. All Thai Bahts have portraits of the king on them and it’s considered a great disrespect to step on these banknotes. To avoid offending the king (which is illegal) and locals, either bend down and pick up the money with your hand or let the note float away. Never use your feet to stop them!
Do Not Talk Badly About the Royal Family
In Thailand, it is illegal to speak ill of the royal family. While having a conversation about the king or royal family seems innocent, it can quickly turn sour as many Thais have strong opinions about the royal family. It’s best to avoid this topic altogether, and if you’re curious to know more, read about the royal family online instead.
Do Not Leave a Bad Review
Tourists need to be very, very careful when leaving online reviews for Thai businesses on Google or Yelp (or any other review platform). There have been several cases of tourists who have expressed their dissatisfaction with an establishment or employee(s) which has resulted in a lawsuit. Thailand has extremely strict anti-defamation laws and leaving a bad review can lead to an arrest and up to two years in jail. Most recently, an American tourist left negative reviews for a resort in Koh Chang on TripAdvisor and several other platforms outlining his bad experience with a hotel. The hotel sued and he was facing two years in jail for slander, but luckily, the resort agreed to drop the charges so long as the tourist issued a public apology for his comments. Long story short, don’t leave negative reviews, and alternatively, don’t trust reviews as much as you would in other countries as many are fearful to leave a negative critique online.
Don’t Dress Revealing, Especially at Religious Sites and Government Offices
Thai culture is one of modest dressing and revealing clothes can be viewed as disrespectful. It’s considered shameful to dress in revealing or provocative clothing in public, which can be a hard cultural rule for sweaty tourists to follow in such a humid country. Government offices, such as immigration offices, and religious sites, such as the Grand Palace and other Thai temples, will not allow people to enter in revealing clothes. The general outline for dressing respectfully is to cover your shoulders (this means no spaghetti straps or tank tops) and your knees (no short shorts). Especially if you’re visiting a temple, you need to wear long pants. Also, do not wear offensive shirts with depictions of nude women/men or with offensive sayings.
Do Not Drink the Tap Water
Bangkok belly is not a fun experience, but there is one thing you can do as a tourist to help prevent such an uncomfortable illness: avoid tap water! While the water in the country is okay at best (locals will use it), it’s best not to risk it as it can be contaminated. When it comes to brushing your teeth or drinking water, head to the local 7/11 or water dispenser and stock up on some bigger bottles to store in your room. Your stomach and bowels will thank you!
Do Not Rely on Your Debit or Credit Card
In simple terms, cash is king in Thailand! Thais have their own form of QR payment for Thai bank holders only, but other than that, you’ll be hard-pressed to find places that accept cards. While big brands like 7/11, McDonalds, and KFC accept cards, many of the smaller businesses do not, or if they do, it’s upwards of a 3% extra charge for using a card. Many hostels and hotels are also cash-only. Don’t get caught out at the cashier or reception unable to pay and carry a good amount of Thai Baht during your travels.
Do Not Ride Elephants
Asian elephants are incredible creatures to see and are on the bucket list of many tourists. However, it’s important that you seriously vet where you’re going to have your elephant experience so that you are not unwillingly supporting a sanctuary that abuses these beautiful gentle animals. If a tour is boasting that you and your group will get to ride an elephant, avoid this place at all costs. It is not humane to have these animals carrying strangers around every day and it’s indicative of other lackluster caring habits by the sanctuary. If you want to be sure your elephant experience is ethical, then check out this list of ethical elephant sanctuaries put together by the privately funded organization Responsible Travel.
Don’t Rely on Grab Everywhere You Go
Grab is the Uber of Asia, offering both rideshare and food/grocery delivery. However, as convenient as it is to order a ride from your phone, Grab is not available everywhere in Thailand. Many areas are still controlled by the taxi mafia, including Koh Tao, around the Surat Thani Airport, Khao Sok National Park, and many other regions. When you open the app in these areas, one of two things will happen. Grab will either inform you there are no drivers in your area or your app will be spinning and searching for a driver who may or may not risk picking you up. Always have a backup plan for transportation just in case you cannot access Grab.
Do Not Let Off Fireworks or Firecrackers
I was sitting on Sairee Beach in Koh Tao one night when a group of young tourists decided to let off a few fireworks over the water. It seemed fairly innocent until a local came and collected them to bring them to the police. Fireworks and firecrackers are banned here in Thailand, and letting them off on a beach is even more dangerous considering many Thai locals have longtail, fishing, or tour boats they use to make their living. The only exception to this law is if you get the proper permits before letting them off.
Do Not Flip the Bird
For some Westerners, the middle finger can be a fun way to play around with a friend or jokingly show your discontent. However, here in Thailand, it is extremely disrespectful. It’s a gesture that many Thais don’t see often, and if they are on the receiving end, it can cause them a lot of distress and offense. Even if you are gesturing the middle finger to a friend, this could be seen as disrespectful, so avoid flipping the bird while on vacation in Thailand.
Do Not Touch Thai’s Heads
Sometimes, we Westerners like to pat each other on the head as a sign of comfort, but this is very offensive in Thai culture. The head is a sacred area, especially when referring to Buddha statues, so avoid touching anyone’s head (or the heads of statues) unless you are close friends or family with them.
Do Not Accidentally Buy Whitening Sunscreen
While Western cultures revere tanned skin as a sign of beauty, Asian beauty standards are the opposite. Fair skin is considered very beautiful here in Thailand and even the suncream can be enhanced with bleaching chemicals. Be careful when purchasing sunscreen and use a translator app with a photo translator feature, like Google Translate, to reveal if the product has whitening chemicals.
Do Not Go Nude or Topless on the Beach
Let’s circle back around to how Thai people dress more modestly. Dressing modestly doesn’t just apply to busy public streets or indoor malls, but also to the beach! While tan lines can be annoying for some, please avoid freeing the nipple on public beaches unless it is a specific nudist beach. Thai families want to enjoy the beach just as much as foreigners, but seeing a foreigner with it all hanging out would be extremely distracting and seen as completely inappropriate for a public beach.
Don’t Get Involved in Hard Drugs
While Thailand recently legalized marijuana, this does not mean the country is a free-for-all when it comes to drugs. Want to relax on the beach with a joint? No problem. Want to enjoy a beer while hiking? Totally fine. But dabbling in anything more could result in you being sent to a Thai jail. Please don’t get caught up in the party scene, like the Full Moon Party, and think that it’s okay for you to do illegal drugs. Just because they are available doesn’t make them legal. You could face up to a lifetime in prison for distribution or possession and a hefty fine. Respect the laws and enjoy what Thailand already has to offer (which is lots)!
Don’t Overstay Your Visa
Thailand’s visa laws are ever changing so it’s imperative you keep up to date with new visa requirements and the amount of days you’ll receive for a visa. Sometimes, your itinerary doesn’t match up with your visa and your flight home can overlap your visa deadline by a few days. I have seen some foreigners refuse to extend their visas as they will be gone in a few days anyway and this is a big no-no! When you leave Thailand your passport will be checked to ensure you stayed legally in the country. If you stay past your visa deadline, you will not only be flagged as a traveler who doesn’t adhere to visa laws (which other countries you enter after Thailand will see you are a risk for overstay), but you’ll also be charged a minimum of 500 Baht for each overstay day. This could lead to a 20,000 Baht fee for overstays of 40 days or longer! Avoid running into issues when leaving Thailand and just bite the bullet and extend your visa. It will cost you less in the long run.
Do Not Fall For the ‘Closed Attraction’ Scam
One of the biggest scams you’ll find here in Thailand is that a local will approach you near a popular tourist site, such as the Grand Palace, and tell you that the temple or attraction you’re planning to visit is closed that day due to an event, religious holiday, or a myriad of other reasons. They will then suggest a different attraction for you to visit and they will collect a commission for sending you there. This is an extremely popular scam with taxi drivers. To avoid this scam, simply thank the person for their warning and go check out the attraction for yourself first. 99% of the time, the attraction is indeed still open.
Do Not Leave Your Passport as a Deposit
If you’re renting a scooter in Thailand, it’s common practice for many places to ask to hold your passport as a form of deposit, but never do this. Your passport is your ticket out of the country and if the establishment damages or loses it, it’s up to you to find an embassy and replace it. Do not let anyone tell you it’s the law to take your passport because it is not and you could be putting yourself in danger of your passport being used for illegal acts without your knowledge, like sex trafficking. Hold onto your passport like a newborn baby and instead, find tour operators and rental agencies that allow you to leave a cash deposit (it should be around 4,000 Baht).
Do Not Disrespect Buddha or Monks
Buddha and monks are highly respected here in Thailand, and while it’s a cool experience to see them in person, please be respectful of their space. Do not run up to them and try to take a picture with them or touch them in any way. This is especially important if you are a female as these Thai monks view females as a symbol of temptation. Additionally, do not point at monks, Buddha statues, or other people with your fingers or feet! Instead, you can gesture with your right hand with your palm facing up.
Do Not Vape
In many countries, vaping is as common as smoking a cigarette. However, here in Thailand, vaping is illegal. Now, this doesn’t mean tourists won’t be able to find places that sell vapes, as it’s not hard to find a place that has some flavors in stock both in person and online. But it’s up to you if you want to risk getting a 30,000 Baht fine or getting sentenced to up to five years in jail. We don’t want to scare you as we are sure you have friends who have traveled here and used a vape with no issues. However, you never know when a Thai police officer will decide to hand out tickets and you don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of these. If you need to vape, be smart and vape in less public areas.
Do Not Gamble
While playing poker or betting on sports is common in the West, here in Thailand it is highly illegal. While underground sports betting and casinos are rife, these are illegal. The only forms of gambling legal in Thailand are state-controlled horse races and lottery tickets.
Do Not Rely on English to Get You Through
While it’s understandable that tourists cannot speak Thai, some tourists get very frustrated trying to communicate with locals, especially in rural areas. While a good majority of Thais in popular tourist destinations speak some English, be prepared for miscommunications and the need for a translator app. Additionally, make the effort to learn a few Thai phrases and words, this can go a long way with locals!
Being a respectful traveler in Thailand really isn’t that hard so long as you follow the laws and respect local traditions. Perhaps the best tip we can leave you with is that while in the land of smiles, don’t forget to smile! Engage with locals and soak up all this beautiful country has to offer, and who knows, you might find yourself a repeat traveler to this incredible land.
