Dos and Don'ts When On A Vacation In Thailand

Dos For Tourists In Thailand:

•  Thais are more laid-back than their Western counterparts. Do act patient especially with anyone who serves you like your waiter.
• Do give a "wai" to an older person or anyone who gives you one. The wai is performed by pressing both your palms at chest-level and bowing slightly. You don't have to give children a wai when they give you one. The wai is a very polite way to greet one another.
• Do leave both your feet on the ground when sitting. Don't rest your feet on tables. Buddhists believe the feet are the dirtiest part of the body while the head is the holiest.
• Do take your shoes off when entering temples and wear tops with medium to long sleeves.
• Do ask for a receipt when you are paying for hotel rooms, travel tours and the like in advanced. Thailand is Asia's number one tourist spot for good reasons but this has also opened the doors to tourist traps.
• Do try the extremely sumptuous offerings of Thai street food, voted the best street food in the world by thousands of Lonely Planet fans.
• Do make sure you know what you're saying when you ask for a spicy meal. The Thais version of what is spicy differs greatly from Westerners. Can you say "hot!"?
• Do learn a few Thai greetings. This warms the hearts of Thais and will generate a lot of good-natured laughter your way.

 

 Don'ts For Tourists In Thailand:

• Don't express anger in public. The Thais hate to lose face and a Thai will more often than not have the back of another Thai over a foreigner's in debates and brawls.
• Don't hug or kiss the cheek of a Thai-especially a Thai women- you can't consider a really good friend.
• Don't touch a Thai's head. Buddhists consider the head the most sacred part of the body.
• Don't expect the local culture to adhere to time the way most Westerners and the Japanese do. Expect tardiness. It's just the laid-back lifestyle of the Thais at work. They don't mean to insult you.
• Don't buy travel and entertainment tickets from ticket brokers. Purchase these tickets at the official booth like the bus station for instance. Many scammers reportedly intercept tourists on their way to official ticket booths and claim to sell "discounted" tickets and tours. It's just not money you can lose but many tourists have ended up on non-airconditioned buses or on rides twice or thrice the duration than what was promised.
• Don't wear your shoes in someone's home or a temple (unless given the go-signal at someone's home).
• Don't forget to have fun in one of the most awesome vacation spots in the world!