Thailand travel mistakes to avoid (from someone who made most of them)

Before my first trip to Thailand, I thought I had it all figured out. I was so confident I even added some extra excursions to the already quite full itinerary the travel agency designed for us. I knew where I wanted to go, how long everything would take and what the country would be like. Unsurprisingly, Thailand had other ideas.

Thailand is one of the easiest countries in the world to travel in, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get things wrong.

The good news is that most mistakes aren’t catastrophic. You probably won’t end up stranded on a deserted island or accidentally cross a border without your passport. Instead, they’re the kind of mistakes that slowly chip away at your enjoyment, leaving you exhausted, frustrated or wondering why everyone else seems to be having a better time than you are. While they are probably thinking the same thing about you.

I loved Thailand despite the mistakes below; I made most of them myself. I loved Thailand despite struggling to get out of a fast-flowing river, sweating buckets on the climb to the fifth level of Erawan Falls and deciding that a midday temple tour while jetlagged was not the brilliant idea I thought it was.

The mistakes didn’t ruin my trip. They just made parts of it harder than they needed to be.
Here are a few of the lessons Thailand taught me.

Mistake # 1: Trying to see too much

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui, Ayutthaya and Khao Sok all in two weeks sounds impressive on paper. In reality, you’ll spend a surprising amount of time in airports, ferry terminals and minivans. The good news? Most of them have air conditioning. The bad news? The views tend to be disappointing, and sitting around all day turns out to be surprisingly tiring.

Thailand rewards slower travel. Of course it’s tempting to cram everything into a few weeks because who knows if and when you’ll come back? But no matter how ambitious your itinerary is, you’ll still leave with places you didn’t visit. I’ve lived in the Netherlands for over 50 years and I still haven’t seen everything. Thailand is a lot bigger than the Netherlands.

So instead of trying to see everything, focus on enjoying what you do see. And if you leave with a few regrets? That’s fine. Thailand will still be there for a while. If you’re currently planning a trip, my Thailand itinerary might help.

Mistake # 2: Underestimating travel times

Thailand already looks large on a map, and journeys often take longer than expected. Ferries are delayed, buses stop frequently and transfers rarely line up perfectly. That “quick trip” between islands can easily consume most of a day. Traffic in and around Bangkok can be a nightmare and although the sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was an experience I wouldn’t have missed, it was hardly a quick trip. Domestic flights are a lot faster, especially if you want to see the north of Thailand, the central region and the national parks and islands in the south.

When in doubt, choose fewer places and spend longer in each one. You’ll spend less time in transit, save yourself a lot of logistical headaches and have more opportunities to stumble across the unexpected moments that often become the highlights of a trip.

Mistake # 3: Scheduling outdoor activities in the middle of the day

On our first day in Bangkok, the travel agency had thoughtfully arranged an early morning cycling tour and nothing else. Naturally, we assumed we knew better and added a walking tour of the Grand Palace, Wat Pho (home of the Reclining Buddha) and Wat Arun. In the middle of the afternoon. While jet-lagged.

Unsurprisingly, this did not end well. Halfway across the Chao Phraya River to Wat Arun, my body decided there was only so much water and salt it could lose before staging a protest. I was utterly miserable. Drinking water didn’t help. Sitting in the shade didn’t help. The only solution was admitting defeat and taking a taxi back to the hotel. As a result, I never saw much of Wat Arun, which is a shame because it looked absolutely beautiful through the haze of dehydration.

Early mornings and late afternoons are far more comfortable and usually make for better photos too. Fortunately, we learned this lesson on day two and spent the rest of the trip doing active things while temperatures were still reasonably bearable. Afternoons were reserved for air-conditioned hotel rooms, swimming pools and generally making better life choices.

Mistake # 4: Treating Thailand like home

Before visiting, I was so determined not to offend anyone that I spent the first few days enthusiastically greeting people with a sawadee-kha and a wai (the traditional bow with pressed palms). While a polite greeting is always appreciated, you don’t need to bow at every shop assistant, waiter and passing stranger you meet.

A few things are worth knowing, though. Temples often have dress codes, so pack at least one outfit that covers your shoulders and knees. If you forget, you can always buy a pair of the very popular (but not overly flattering) elephant pants. Remember to remove your shoes before entering temple buildings and be prepared to sprint across the molten lava disguised as courtyard tiles—or worse, artificial grass— baking in the sun all day. It’s also considered disrespectful to point your feet at people, Buddha images or sacred objects, and attitudes towards the Thai monarchy are very different from those in many Western countries.

You don’t need to memorise an entire etiquette guide before you visit. A little awareness and a willingness to follow local customs will take you a long way.

Mistake # 5: Renting a scooter without understanding the risks

Renting a scooter is almost a rite of passage in parts of Thailand. They are everywhere, they’re cheap, and they seem like the perfect way to explore an island (or, if you’re really brave, Bangkok) at your own pace.

Our daughter rented scooters everywhere during her backpacking trip through most of south-east Asia and happily rode around without any problems. It was only afterwards that I discovered she didn’t actually have the license required for the type of scooter she was riding. I was very glad I learned this after she came home safely rather than while she was weaving through Thai traffic.

The issue isn’t usually renting the scooter itself. The problem comes if you’re involved in an accident. Without the correct license, your travel insurance may not cover you, leaving you with some eye-watering medical bills.

If you’re planning to rent a scooter, check the licensing and insurance requirements before you travel. It’s not nearly as exciting as island-hopping, but it’s a lot more exciting than arguing with your insurance company from a hospital bed.

Mistake # 6: Forgetting that baht is still real money

Thailand can be incredibly affordable, but that doesn’t mean everything is cheap.

Part of the problem is psychological. When one euro, pound or dollar gets you dozens of baht, your brain starts treating the local currency as if it isn’t real money. Spending 1,000 baht sounds extravagant until you remember it’s roughly €25. Then you spend another 1,000 baht, and another, and somehow you’ve convinced yourself that several thousand baht a day is perfectly reasonable because the numbers don’t feel quite real.

While street food, local transport and simple accommodation can be excellent value, domestic flights, island transfers, organised tours, national park fees and luxury hotels can add up surprisingly quickly.

Thailand can be a budget destination, but it’s also remarkably easy to spend more than you planned while telling yourself everything is cheap. If you’re one of those people, like me, who like to keep track of their spending, have a look at my budget planning post.

Mistake # 7: Assuming Thailand’s laws are the same as at home

Thailand is relaxed about many things, but it can be surprisingly strict about others. Drug offences carry severe penalties, and while it may be tempting to assume that rules are loosely enforced in tourist areas, that is not a gamble worth taking.
The same goes for vaping. Many travellers are surprised to learn that e-cigarettes are restricted in Thailand and can lead to fines or other legal problems. Before travelling, it’s worth checking the latest regulations rather than assuming the rules are the same as they are at home.

If your knowledge of Thai law comes primarily from films, you may vaguely remember a certain British heroine ending up in a Thai prison after a series of unfortunate decisions. While your holiday is unlikely to become quite that dramatic, it’s a useful reminder that “but everyone else was doing it” is not a particularly strong legal defence.
A few minutes spent familiarising yourself with local laws is far less effort than explaining to your family why your holiday has taken an unexpected turn.g every day becomes surprisingly tiring.

Mistake # 8: Ignoring the weather because “It’s Thailand”

Before our trip, I had somehow convinced myself that Thailand’s weather came in only two settings: hot and hotter. The reality is a little more complicated. Thailand’s rainy season doesn’t necessarily mean constant rain, but neither does it mean uninterrupted sunshine and calm seas. Tropical downpours can appear out of nowhere, ferry crossings can become considerably less pleasant than the brochure suggested, and beach days don’t always go according to plan.

The seasons can also be surprisingly counterintuitive. If you’re used to European weather, it seems logical to assume July and August are the hottest months. In reality, April is often the hottest time of year. Thailand sits between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer, meaning the sun passes almost directly overhead during parts of the year. So if you’re wondering why April feels like the surface of the sun, it isn’t your imagination.

The weather rarely ruined our plans, but it occasionally changed them. Having a little flexibility in your itinerary makes it much easier to swap a boat trip for a temple visit, a museum or an afternoon spent eating your body weight in mango sticky rice. A rainy day in Thailand is still better than a rainy day at home. It just helps to be prepared for the possibility.

Mistake # 9: Treating Bangkok as a stopover

Many travellers arrive in Bangkok, spend a day or two recovering from jet lag and immediately head for the islands or northern Thailand. We nearly made the same mistake. Before our trip, Bangkok was simply the place we had to pass through on our way to rice fields, waterfalls, temples and tropical adventures elsewhere. What I didn’t expect was to fall completely in love with it.

Yes, it’s busy, noisy and chaotic. The traffic can be spectacularly awful and I spent an embarrassing amount of time with Murray Head’s One Night in Bangkok stuck in my head. But somewhere between the glittering temples, colourful markets, long-tail boats on the Chao Phraya River and some of the best food I’ve ever eaten, Bangkok became one of the highlights of the entire trip. This is how we spent our three days in Bangkok.

Give the city a few days if you can. It may not be the reason you book a trip to Thailand, but there’s a good chance you’ll leave wondering why you didn’t stay longer.

Mistake # 10: Assuming you can handle Thai spicy food

I like spicy food. Or at least I thought I did.

Then I arrived in Thailand and discovered that “spicy” is a spectrum, and that somewhere near the far end of that spectrum lies authentic Thai spicy. There are few experiences quite as humbling as confidently ordering a dish at local spice levels and immediately questioning every decision that led you to that moment.

The same principle applies to some of the more adventurous food stalls. Thailand is one of the best places in the world to eat street food, but not every mysterious item on display is necessarily a culinary opportunity. If a skinned alligator has been sitting on a counter on Khao San Road for what appears to be several geological eras, you are under no obligation to try it.

Be adventurous, absolutely. Some of my favourite meals in Thailand came from tiny stalls and restaurants I would have walked straight past at home. Just remember that there is a difference between embracing local cuisine and treating every unidentified object as a personal challenge.

Final advice: don’t be afraid to get it wrong.

If all these potential disasters have put you off booking a trip to Thailand, that wasn’t my intention. Despite mistakes, we had an amazing time.

Will you underestimate the heat? Possibly. Will you occasionally get lost, order something unexpectedly spicy or make the odd cultural faux pas? Quite likely. That’s part of travelling. The good news is that Thailand is remarkably forgiving. Most people are friendly, helpful and understanding when visitors are making a genuine effort. You don’t need to know every custom, memorise every transport timetable or plan every detail perfectly before you arrive.

Some of my favourite travel memories started with a mistake, a wrong turn or a plan that didn’t quite work out as expected. So do your research, pack a sense of humour and remember that near-disasters make the best stories.

Further reading

Planning a Trip to Thailand:

New to Thailand? Start with my Thailand travel hub, where you’ll find itineraries, destination guides, practical advice and travel tips.

• Thailand travel hub
• River Kwai Jungle Rafts: jungle magic and a slightly too-strong current.
• Three days in Bangkok
• Bangkok–Chiang Mai sleeper train: magical adventure or sleepless night?
• Erawan Falls guide
• Chiang Mai cooking class
• Where to save and where to splurge in Thailand

Further evidence that travel rarely goes according to plan:

• Mistakes to avoid in Morocco
• Crossing three European borders without a passport: a study in disproportionate panic
• Will I Fit, Will I Cope? The worries of travelling in a non-whippet-shaped body