Thailand Practical Guides

Flat illustration of a canal boat passing stilt houses, water hyacinth and a temple spire, deep teal and gold

Slow Travel

Bangkok Has a Second River and Almost Nobody Gets on It

The khlongs are the working back streets of Bangkok, seen from above, at a busker's pace. A single boat route takes you from a market to a temple without a single car.

Flat illustration of a forest canopy, a waterfall, gibbons in a tree and a misty ridge, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Khao Yai Is Three Hours Away and Costs What You Spend on Lunch in Bangkok

The closest thing Thailand has to a national park that works as a national park. Gibbons at dawn, elephants nobody has met, and an entrance fee that tells you who pays for it.

Flat illustration of a phone with a map pin, a car and a scooter on a city street, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Grab Got Legal in Thailand and That Changed the Price of Everything

From 31 March 2026 every app driver needs a public licence, and from October the government starts grading the platforms. Here is what that means for the ride you are about to book.

Flat illustration of a policy document, a hospital cross, a scooter helmet and a suitcase, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Most Travel Insurance for Thailand Is Useless for Thailand

The policy you buy for a holiday is built for a different holiday. Scooters, diving, motorcycles and hospitals that demand cash are where it falls apart, every time.

Flat illustration of a neon-lit bar front, a speaker stack, a cocktail and a taxi waiting, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Nobody Tells You That the Loudest Bar in Thailand Is Also the Safest

There are three scenes in Thailand and they are nothing like each other. One of them is loud, chaotic, and staffed entirely by women who will stop you making a mistake.

Flat illustration of a city park with a monument, runners, a lake and skyscrapers behind, deep teal and gold

Slow Travel

Bangkok Has Free Things That Are Better Than the Paid Ones

The best park in the city is free, the best view of the skyline is free, and the best food in the country costs less than the entry fee to the palace you queue for.

Flat illustration of a jade pool between limestone cliffs, a longtail boat and rainforest canopy, deep teal and gold

Slow Travel

Emerald Pool Is the Best Thing in Southern Thailand and Getting There Is the Problem

A limestone lake the colour of a swimming pool, a fully river-fed one, in a national park that closes parts of itself for most of the year. Here is how to actually get there.

Flat illustration of a dental mirror, a tooth shape, a clinic chair and an x-ray panel, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

The Dentist in Thailand Is the Best Part of the Trip You Did Not Plan

Thailand does more cosmetic dental work than almost anywhere and a lot of it is excellent. The rest of it is a market, and a market needs rules.

Flat illustration of a spiral storm over a coastline, a beached longtail boat and rain bands, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Typhoon Season Is Not a Mistake, It Is a Trade

Around twenty tropical storms a year and a coastline pointed the wrong way. July to October is a gamble, and the smart way to play it is to not bet the trip on it.

Flat illustration of a textbook, a whiteboard, a raised hand and a street scene, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

Three Months of Thai Lessons Is Nothing and Everybody Is Surprised

The gap between knowing the tones and being able to hold a conversation is about two hundred hours, and a school can compress it, but not as much as the marketing says.

Flat illustration of a jet ski on a beach, a drinks shack with a price board and a folded towel, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

The Jet Ski Damage Scam Is a Whole Industry and Knowing It Is Free

The jet ski is not damaged. You are on a beach where the only drink costs a thousand baht and a towel deposit you will never see again. Here is the whole system.

Flat illustration of a police badge shape, a whistle, a patrol vest and a help desk counter, deep teal and gold

Practicalities

There Is a Police Force in Thailand Whose Entire Job Is Tourists

Dial 1155 and you reach a police force that speaks your language, is not part of the chain of command you are imagining, and will actually turn up.