Thailand is one of the easiest countries in the world to backpack. Cheap food, stunning islands, great nightlife and other travellers everywhere. The country is so used to tourists that you almost never hit a wall.
And that is exactly the trap. Because everything runs so smoothly, it is easy to forget that this is a country with a culture that works differently in some important ways, and with laws that are a lot stricter on certain things than you are probably used to at home. Some things that are normal where you come from are rude here. A few are actually illegal.
You do not need to take a course before you get on the plane. But you do want to know this list, because it saves you hassle and costs you almost nothing.
Respect runs through everything
Thailand is not called the Land of Smiles for nothing. People are generally friendly, and confrontation is something they would rather avoid than look for.
That means something for you too. Shouting, getting aggressive or embarrassing someone in public really does not go down well here, and on top of that it backfires. Losing face is a big deal in Thai culture: telling someone off in front of others usually makes the situation escalate instead of solving it.
Got a problem with your hostel, a restaurant or the scooter rental place? Stay calm and look for a solution together. You do not have to agree to anything, but a smile and a bit of patience get you further here than getting angry. That is not being a pushover, it is simply what works.
The wai and a few words of Thai
Within a few hours you will see it: palms pressed together in front of the chest and a small bow of the head. That is the wai, the traditional greeting and a way of showing respect.
As a tourist you do not need to give everyone a perfect wai, and you do not need to start one either. If someone gives you one, smile back warmly and return it if you like.
What always goes down well is a simple sawasdee krab if you are a man or sawasdee ka if you are a woman. Two words, and you notice straight away how differently people react.
The king, and so the money too
This is where you really need to be careful. Thailand has strict lèse-majesté laws, and insulting comments or jokes about the royal family can have serious consequences. That also goes for what you post online, even from home.
You see images of the king everywhere: in shops, restaurants, government buildings and on the money. And that last one has a practical side that a lot of travellers do not know about: the king is on Thai banknotes, so treat them with care.
If a note blows away, do not stop it by stepping on it. That sounds like a detail, but in Thai culture it is not.
Feet low, head high
Feet are traditionally seen as the lowest and least respectful part of the body. Pointing your feet at someone, putting your feet on a table or sitting with the soles of your feet towards a person or a Buddha statue all go down badly.
The head, on the other hand, counts as the most important part. So do not casually touch someone’s head, not even a child’s, however well meant.
This is one of those rules you stop thinking about after two days, but at the start it is worth paying attention.
Clothing: temple, beach and everything in between
Visiting a temple is part of every trip through Thailand, and there is one simple dress rule: cover your shoulders and your knees. Take your shoes off where you are asked to, keep calm and quiet, and do not climb on Buddha statues for a funny photo.
Stuff a sarong or a thin pair of long trousers in your daypack. It weighs nothing and you will need it at some point on your trip anyway, even on a morning you were not planning to walk into a temple.
Outside the temples things are more relaxed, but not equally relaxed everywhere. On the beach and by the pool, a bikini or swim shorts is completely normal. The moment you leave the beach, that changes. From your sunbed to the beach bar without a shirt: fine. Popping into 7-Eleven, going out to eat or heading into the village: put something on. The same goes for a bikini: no problem at all on the sand, not great in a shop or restaurant.
It takes you five seconds, and it is exactly the kind of small effort that shows people you are paying attention.
Shoes off
If you see a pile of flip-flops at the entrance to a house, massage place, hostel or small shop, that is a pretty clear hint. Shoes off.
In a lot of places in Thailand this is just normal, and nobody will make a thing of it if you forget. When in doubt, watch what the people ahead of you do.
Monks
You come across Buddhist monks everywhere, and it is usually simple: give them space and treat them with respect.
One thing is important to know, especially for women: physical contact with a monk is generally avoided. If you want to give or hand over something and are not sure how it works, watch how the people around you do it, or just ask.
Vapes, cannabis and drugs
This is the part backpackers get into the most trouble with, and where the rules look least like what you are used to.
Leave your vape at home
Do not bring a vape or e-cigarette into Thailand. E-cigarettes and anything that goes with them are banned imports, and the fact that you see people vaping in tourist areas, or even see vapes on sale, does not make it legal.
Just leave it at home. It is not worth the risk for a gadget you can replace anywhere.
Cannabis: check the current rules
The Thai rules on cannabis have changed several times in recent years, and they keep shifting. So do not go by what someone in your hostel tells you, and not by the fact that you see a shop somewhere either.
What you never do is carry cannabis into or out of the country. Using it in public can also get you into trouble. Check the current rules before you buy or use anything, because last year’s may no longer be right.
Other drugs: just do not
Thai drug laws are strict, and the consequences are a lot bigger than you think on a night out. Do not let anyone talk you into it by saying everybody does it. That argument does not help you when you are the one getting searched.
Going out, and then the scooter
Thailand has fantastic nightlife, from Khao San Road and the Full Moon Party to little reggae bars on the islands. Enjoy it, but remember you are a guest. Being wildly drunk in the street, picking fights or breaking things gets you into trouble here faster than at home.
And then the most important rule in this whole piece: never get on a scooter drunk.
That scooter is the thing that most travellers here actually get hurt on anyway. Wear a helmet, ride on the left and make sure you have the right licence. A rental shop handing you the keys without asking anything does not mean you are allowed to ride it: almost every scooter you can rent here is over 50cc, which makes it legally a motorbike, so your licence has to cover that and the police do check. If your licence does not cover it, your travel insurance will not cover you either. When you pick it up, always take photos or video of any existing damage, because that saves a lot of arguing when you bring it back.
Ask before you take someone’s photo
That monk, market vendor or fisherman is a fantastic photo to you, and to themselves just someone at work.
If you want someone recognisable in your photo, just ask. Especially up close that is the decent thing to do, and usually you get a yes plus a better conversation than the photo would have given you.
Public affection
A kiss or an arm around each other is no problem in tourist areas, but Thailand is more conservative about this than a lot of Western countries. Full-on making out or getting very intimate in public does not go down well everywhere.
You do not need to be awkward about it. Just look around and match your surroundings.
Take your rubbish with you
It sounds obvious and it still goes wrong all the time: do not leave rubbish on beaches, at viewpoints or out in nature. Carry your bottles, cans and plastic with you until you find a bin.
The beaches you came for only stay this beautiful if everyone does their bit, and at the popular spots you can see exactly where that is not happening.
Watch what you bring into the country
Not everything can just go in your backpack. Besides drugs and e-cigarettes, there are import restrictions on various products, and alcohol and tobacco have maximum amounts you can bring in duty free.
Not sure about something? Check the current rules before you fly. That goes double for cannabis, visas and imports, because those are exactly the things that change regularly. What your passport needs to get in is on our visa page.
Where you run into these customs first, and where to sleep in each town, is all on our Thailand page, stop by stop.
What is the most important rule in Thailand?
That you are a guest, and that this works out better than it sounds. Thailand is hugely used to tourists and in most backpacker spots you can live pretty freely. But it is still a country with its own traditions, laws and norms, and that is easy to forget precisely because everything is so easy.
So do not mistake relaxed for lawless. On drugs, cannabis, vapes, scooters and visas the rules really are different from what you are used to, and those are exactly the five things backpackers get into trouble with here. Do your homework on those instead of going by what someone in your hostel says.
For the rest, you do not need to learn every custom by heart. Respect the people, the culture and the country, stay calm when things do not go to plan and use your common sense. Eat at that little street food stall, learn two words of Thai, have a chat. That is when you get why so many backpackers fall in love with this place.
