Bangkok, islands and the north: money, transport, etiquette, when to go, curated traveler tips, and the easiest way to get mobile data.
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Thailand remains Southeast Asia's great all-rounder: Bangkok's street food and temples, the jungles and hill towns of the north around Chiang Mai, and an island for every taste, from party-hard Phangan to sleepy Ko Lanta.
It is easy, affordable and welcoming, but rewards travelers who dodge the tourist-trap circuit: eat at busy street stalls, learn a polite wai and a few Thai phrases, and treat temples with covered-shoulders respect.
The heat is part of the deal, and so is the sweetness of the welcome. A wai, a smile, and not raising your voice will carry you further than any guidebook phrase. Temples are active religious sites, not backdrops — cover up, take the shoes off, and do not climb the ruins for a better angle.
Bangkok plus the north, or Bangkok plus one island group, is enough. Trying to 'do' the whole country in two weeks is how you spend your holiday in airports and minivans. Stay longer in fewer places. Thailand rewards the second week in a town you almost skipped.
Essentials
Traveler tips
Real advice from people who have been to Thailand, curated by our team with links to the original sources.
Bangkok taxis that refuse the meter and tuk-tuks quoting flat fares are charging several times the real price. Grab removes the negotiation entirely and shows the fare up front.
Anyone telling you a temple is closed and offering an alternative tour is running the country's oldest scam, usually ending at a gem or tailor shop. Temples rarely close; walk to the entrance and check yourself.
The best food is at street stalls and shophouses packed with locals at plastic tables. High turnover means fresh ingredients - a busy som tam stall beats an empty air-conditioned restaurant.
Lèse-majesté laws are real. Do not make jokes about the royal family, stand still for the anthem in cinemas and on the BTS, and treat portraits with the same respect locals do. It is the one topic that is never casual.
Shared red trucks in the north and longtail boats in the south are how a lot of Thailand actually moves. Agree the price before you sit down, or use Grab in the cities and stop negotiating altogether.
TripAdvisor Forums
Bangkok traffic will eat a taxi hour. A room within a short walk of a skytrain or subway stop is the difference between seeing temples and sitting in Sukhumvit.
View sourceTripAdvisor Forums
Shoulders and knees covered is enough at most temples, and a sarong is often on loan. Wat Phra Kaew wants long trousers, no flip-flops, and will turn you around at the gate.
View sourceThailand travel notes
Bangkok still runs two tap systems. The Rabbit Card is BTS Skytrain (and some of the newer coloured lines that share it). The MRT Blue and Purple lines want their own stored-value card or a contactless bank tap. You exit one system, walk the interchange, and pay again. Keep the cards in different pockets. There is no London-style single oyster for the whole city.
View sourceTripAdvisor Forums
The Chao Phraya Express with the orange flag is how regulars reach the old town, Chinatown, and the temple cluster without sitting in Sathorn traffic. Grab still wins after the last boat or when you have luggage. Tuk-tuks are a photo, not a commute. Download Grab before you fly; street taxis that “forget” the meter are why the app exists.
View sourceFAQ
The AIS and True counters at Bangkok's airports work fine, but they add a queue and passport registration to your arrival. An eSIM installed before departure activates on landing, so you are ordering a Grab while others are still filling in forms.
Yes. Anyone who intercepts you to say Wat Pho or the Grand Palace is shut is steering you to a gem shop. Walk to the gate. Unlocked iPhone XS / Pixel 3 / Galaxy S20+ on an eSIM let you check opening hours yourself instead of trusting the tout.
Grab rides, maps, translation and ferry bookings put most travelers at 1-2 GB per day, so 15-20 GB suits a two-week trip. Thai data is cheap, so unlimited plans cost little more if you stream or hotspot.
Yes - Phuket, Samui, Phangan, Tao and the Krabi coast all have good 4G, and even smaller islands like Ko Lanta stay connected in inhabited areas. Signal only really disappears on boat crossings and in national park interiors.
Yes, all Thai SIM purchases legally require passport registration at the point of sale. An eSIM bought online skips the process entirely, which is one of the main reasons travelers choose it.
eSIM plans
Grab rides, island ferry bookings and translation apps make data essential in Thailand from hour one. A Thailand eSIM costs pocket change, activates before you land in Bangkok, and saves the arrivals-hall SIM queue after a long flight.
Island ferries change, Grab drivers need a pin, and the best stall is always three alleys over. An eSIM is the cheapest insurance in Thailand — and it means you never have to find a phone shop on an island when the plan goes sideways.