Thailand: The Basics

Currency

There’s a few things that are good to know if you’re going to Thailand. The first is that the currency is Thai Baht (£1 is just over 40 baht so you’ll end up with a lot of notes on you)! The ATMs in Thailand charge 220 baht (just over £5) per transaction so it’s worth either taking Baht out with you, taking English money to exchange out there, or just withdrawing large sums at one time. The 220 baht doesn’t include what your bank would charge you too so we took Monzo cards as you can get up to £200 out free of charge each month.

Hygiene

It’s useful to prepare yourself for the toilet situation. They have a water problem so you can’t put tissues down the toilet. Instead, they offer a bum gun which is surprisingly effective. Whether to use tissues and throw them in the bin or the bum gun? The choice is yours! Oh, and always have toilet roll on you!

Hostels

If you are planning to stay in hostels there are a few chains which are great for partying; Bodega, Slumber Party, Mad Monkey and Blanco’s are all ones we stayed in multiple times. They are great for meeting people and socialising but they are big on drinking (they’ll bring shots into your room every night) so if you want a good nights sleep consider staying somewhere else! I would also recommend getting hostels on the beach as they are so beautiful to stay in! We only ever had to book a day or two in advance and it was so easy to extend your stay (the only time you really need to book in advance is if you’re going to Koh Phanyan for the Full Moon Party as this is a busy time).

Our Hostels

Bangkok: Bodega (theres two in Bangkok)

Krabi: Pak Up (very chilled and quiet)

Ao Nang: Slumber (good location near the beach)

Phi Phi Island: Blanco Beach (we loved this hostel)!

Koh Sok: Smiley Bungalows

Surat Thani: A3 (lush hotel but avoid Surat Thani)

Koh Tao: Goodtime 4P (another favourite)!

Koh Phangan: Slumber (go here or Goodtime 4P)

Koh Samui: @ Hostel (really liked this hostel)! Chiang Mai: Bodega (good location)

Pai: Pai in the Sky (good location but very quiet)

The picture below is of Goodtime 4P in Koh Tao!

3G

Thailand is pretty good for WiFi (most hostels and restaurants have it so I didn’t bother with a sim). However, if you do want to have 3G it’s really easy to get a sim for your phone. AIS is a good place as they sort it all out for you (you literally hand them your phone and get it given back with a working Thailand sim and your sim is sealed up for when you want it put back in). The maximum cost is £20 for unlimited data.

Food

You’ll find that 7Eleven will become your best friend; as in a I can’t live without you kind of friend. For starters, they have air con so you’ll find yourself going in just to cool off throughout the day. They also sell water and as mentioned above, the water situation is not good so you have to buy bottled water everywhere (I felt very guilty doing this because of the environment but there really is no other way). They also do toasties and cheap pastries which you can get for breakfast or lunch if you want to eat cheaply now and then. Oh, and they’re everywhere so you couldn’t escape them if you tried!

Top Tip: bring out snack bars with you! We stocked up before we came and still ran out within a couple weeks but they’re so handy to have on long journeys or when you just need an energy boost!

Clothes

Clothing wise you want the coolest stuff you own (and I’m not talking fashionable, I’m talking as lightweight as possible). Denim is a big no no other than maybe one pair of shorts or a skirt for the evening. It is so hot and people wear bikinis basically all day on the islands so just bring plenty swimwear. Also bring a shirt for covering up if you go to temples. There’s so many clothes available to buy though, so if in doubt don’t bring too much and anything you need you’ll be able to buy out there. Also, bring sliders or sandals for the beach and walking about but one pair of trainers is good in case you go on a hike or trek through the jungle. Two pairs of shoes is perfect though, definitely don’t bring more than that as you definitely won’t wear them!

Don’t Forget

Waterproof Phone Case: seriously handy for snorkelling and boat parties. It means you can record and take photos in the sea knowing your phone is safe. Most of them can fit passports and money in too so definitely get one if you like kayaking, paddle boarding and just water activities in general.

iPad: I brought an iPad mini and it was great for writing a diary, downloading books, downloading films on Netflix, booking flights etc. I’d definitely recommend bringing that or a kindle (or at the very least downloading iBooks and Netflix onto your phone for long journeys).

Towel: we brought micro-fibre towels as they don’t take up much room, dry quickly and are great as beach towels. Almost all the hostels gave us actual towels to shower with so ours were great for days out swimming.

Where to go

In Thailand it’s good to break it up. There’s Chaing Mai and Pai in the North, the East islands (Koh Tao, Koh Samui + Koh Phanyan) and then the West Islands (Railay Beach, Phi Phi, Phuket e.t.c). Of course there’s lots more places than what I’ve written above but the conventional route is to fly into Bangkok, do the islands and go up north (or vice versa). We spent 24 hours in Bangkok, flew to the West Islands, got a transfer to the East islands (we stopped at Khao Sok National Park on the way as it’s on between the west and east) and then flew up North.

Apps

There are a few apps that will be so helpful when travelling Thailand.

Maps.me: this is effectively google maps but you can use it without WiFi. You just download a region (I.e South Thailand) and then can get directions to anywhere you search.

Polarsteps: this will keep track of everywhere you go so you can see your exact route. Other people can download the app and then keep an eye on your journey too so it’s good for family members to have so they know you’re safe.

Hostelworld + Booking.com: these are both great for booking accommodation. If you want to meet people I’d suggest hostels (we mostly used Hostelworld) but Booking.com offers a lot of really nice hotels for great prices (our one in Surat Thani was a 3* and cost £6)!