Tips for Living in Thailand
A lot of the Thai language is built around food [gin cow = eat (rice)] and emotions [jai = heart]. Thais eat small portions frequently throughout the day. If a Thai offers you food, accept it. It would be rude not to. Thais can be very sensitive. Other’s feelings are very important to Thai people.
Don’t lose your temper or get angry. If service is bad or you feel you are being ripped off, deal with it in a calm manner and smile. You will be surprised at the results you can get. Unlike the West, if you get angry, you will rarely get the results you want. Exercise patience and smile (even if you are burning up inside).
Smiling more often than not gets the best results.
If you want food that isn’t spicy, ask for it not spicy (mai pet). If you say not hot, you will get a plate of cold, spicy food.
Bare in mind that if an order comes out wrong, it often comes out the waiter or waitress’s wages. Their typical salary is about 200 baht a day ($6). So, if they mess up the order, they may have to pay for the mistake. Be reasonable and eat the food if you can.
Myth: Tuk tuks are cheaper than taxis. Tuk tuks are often more expensive. Take a taxi and ask for them to turn on the meter. If you are a man say ‘me-ter na kap’. If you are woman say ‘me-ter na ka’.
Sometimes taxis will not go by meter or the destination you asked for (e.g. raining, public holiday, they are out of gas). In which case, you will have to haggle with them.
The quickest way to get around is by BTS (sky train), MRT (underground), boat or motorbike taxi. When you are getting around make sure you always have small change (make a quick trip to 7/11). Motorbikes and taxi drivers will usually not have change for 500 baht. Bring 20 baht notes for a motorbike and 100’s for a taxi.
Tipping. Tipping isn’t common place, but you should leave a small tip in restaurants (20-40 baht).
Phone calls. Unlock your mobile before you come to Thailand and you can pick up a SIM card for very little money. You can buy cheap mobile phones at MBK shopping centre. Click here for more.
Sandals. Be careful what you wear in Bangkok. You should cover your feet at night as there is a lot of glass around and you don’t want someone to drop a beer bottle on your feet and be out of action.
Carry ID with you at all times. Police often have random checks either on the street or stop your car/motorcycle by checkpoint.
Be wary that you have little rights when it comes to police searches. The best thing to do is just let them search you and keep quiet. Be aware that police sometimes perform random urine tests to test for drugs in nightclubs.
Make sure your visa/work permit is always valid otherwise you could be in for an expensive and timely trip. You may even end up in jail if you don’t have proof of ID.
Prostitution, gambling, smoking indoors, littering, using drugs, overstaying your visa and jaywalking are all illegal. If you ever get caught, bow your head, apologize profusely, be polite and smile at the appropriate moments. Never try to excuse or defend your actions and never raise your voice.
Get medical insurance. If you are young and have a motorbike accident, the costs can easily run at £5000. If you are older and have a heart attack or slip and damage your back, expect similar costs. Depending on your age, you can get covered for £500 for one year. Click here to learn more about medical insurance.
Life insurance. If you are married, you need life insurance to cover your family once you have gone. The grief of missing you will be hard enough without them worrying to have to pay for the funeral, repatriation of your body and finding work to support the kids. Even if you are single, it will spare your parents having to fly to Thailand to repatriate your body for burial. Morbid. Yes. But, prudent advice. Depending on your age you can get life insurance for as cheap as £40 per month. Click here to learn more about life insurance.
Riding a motorbike. If you live in Bangkok, try to cover your face and arms. Foreigners are often stopped more times than Thais to pay various motoring fines. Make sue you always wear your helmet or be prepared to pay a fine.
Driving a car. Make sure the car you rent is insured properly. Always wear a seatbelt. If a car flashes his headlights at you it DOES NOT mean he is letting you out in front of him. It means get out the way, he is coming through.
Just because a Thai person nods their head, it does not mean they understand you. Sometimes they are trying to be polite when they don’t know the answer. Check by repeating several times and make sure they understand what you are asking.
If you are in a store and you ask the staff if they have something they may say no. Don’t give up. Sometimes the staff doesn’t know. For example, if you are looking for a particular model and the staff says no, they may sell a model in another brand but won’t tell you that they stock it.