Thailand Practical Guides

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Practicalities

Four Numbers to Put in Your Phone Before You Land

You do not need a 112. Thailand runs four numbers, they are free, and the one that matters most for a visitor is not the police.

Flat illustration of beach warning flags, a surfboard and a swimmer on a rip current arrow, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

The Beach Was Fine at Four O'Clock and the Beach Did Not Kill You

Thai beaches are not dangerous in the way people imagine. The danger is a specific hour, a specific drink, and a current that pulls offshore about twice as fast as a person can swim back.

Flat illustration of a street at night with a lit doorway, a taxi sign and a phone showing a ride app, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

The Soi Was Empty Because You Were Alone in It

The standard advice about avoiding trouble in Thailand is aimed at a place that is not this one. The real risks are a drink you did not finish.

Flat illustration of a mosquito over a hand with a repellent bottle and a thermometer, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Dengue Does Not Bite at Night, Which Is the Whole Problem

The mosquito that spreads dengue is a daytime biter, so the repellent you put on at sunset for the mosquitoes that annoy you is the wrong one.

Flat illustration of elevated train tracks crossing over a city skyline with ticket cards below, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Bangkok Has Two Unconnected Subway Systems and They Hate Each Other

There is no ticket that works on everything. The card that gets you onto the skytrain will be refused by the airport train, and the fare restarts every time you change systems.

Flat illustration of a closed shop shutter with a display of cut gemstones behind glass, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

The Closed Shop Is Full of Baskets, and the Man Has No Name Tag

A tuk-tuk driver takes you somewhere that is shut. Inside, a small friendly man shows you stones and talks about the temple he is building.

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Practicalities

The Post Office Will Hold Your Passport If You Ask Nicely

Thai Post is cheap, reliable and will cheerfully accept a passport for storage while you are travelling, which is the single most useful thing about it and nobody advertises.

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Practicalities

The Country Stops for Four Days and Nobody Tells You

There are public holidays that close government offices but leave shops open, and public holidays that close everything, and guessing wrong costs you a day you cannot get back.

Flat illustration of a hotel room window with an air conditioning unit and a showerhead, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Air Conditioning, Hot Water and Wifi Are the Whole Hotel

The photograph is irrelevant. Four things decide whether a room in Thailand is bearable and three of them are not in the listing.

Flat illustration of a motorbike silhouette with a document and a set of keys beside it, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Nobody Will Sell You a Motorbike Because of Your Passport

Buying is cheap, selling is a problem, and the reason a shop will not sell you a bike is a registration rule that is much less simple than it sounds.

Flat illustration of a pharmacy counter with a mortar, a pill organiser and a cross on the wall, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

You Can Walk Into a Thai Pharmacy and Buy Antibiotics

No prescription, no doctor, no appointment, and a third of the price. Thailand's pharmacies are genuinely useful and genuinely a place to be prescribed wrong.

Flat illustration of a helmet shape with a strap and a raised stop-hand circle, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

The Helmet Law Is Enforced and the Police Check the Category

The fine for not wearing one is small enough to ignore and the check is a section-by-section examination of your licence, which means they know exactly whether your permit covers a motorcycle.