General Tips During Your Stay In Thailand

Being a foreigner in a land that has cultures that are different from yours, it pays to remember some tips to make your vacation a bit more enjoyable. Here are our general tips you could apply anywhere you go in Thailand.

Insulting Thailand's King is a crime. Never ever say anything against the Royal Family of Thailand and the country's democracy. Leave these issues be. The Thais love and respect the members of the Royal Family, especially the King, and punishments are given to those who disrespect him. It is also rude to not respect the national anthem when it is being played. When you hear it, stand still and say nothing. Also, remember that it is rude to throw banknotes. These have the King's image on them.

Learn the language. It is not easy to learn the language, much more to comprehend it fully. But arming yourself with some useful Thai phrases could help save you some headaches. If you are visiting places outside of Bangkok and the main cities, you could run out of luck quite easily. English is not as excellently spoken outside metropolis Thailand so you should get yourself a good English-Thai dictionary or a guide that will do the talking for you.

Use the baht. This is a no-brainer. Have your bills exchange for baht before you go traveling around Thailand. Shops here rarely accept delivers, if at all.

Check out the 'No Smoking' signs. Smoking is yet to see its acceptability in Thailand. Most Thais are not comfortable with smokers so they provide very few areas for these. It is not okay to smoke in indoor public places, in air-conditioned vehicles, in shopping malls, train stations, bus stations, museums, temples, shrines, palaces and other holy areas. Strict fines are imposed on smokers, foreigner or not. It is especially difficult to find cigarettes in shops as the laws in the country forbid sellers to display cigarettes in public.

Know when to buy alcohol. Thais also impose strict laws with alcohol sale. Even in international beach resorts like Pattaya, alcohol is not for sale all day. it is not available from 2 o'clock in the afternoon to 5 in the afternoon as well as during national and religious holidays.

Pay your respects on Thai's sacred images. All images of the Buddha is sacred and should be therefore respected. Take note that taking pictures of any sacred images in Thailand is not permitted. It is considered highly inappropriate as well to use the feet to point to any sacred images.

Respect the monks. Monks are highly respected individuals in Thailand, and other Bhuddist societies for that matter. If you are a woman visiting Thailand, remember not to touch a monk or give anything to a monk. They are not allowed to accept anything from a woman's hand.

Forget about shaking hands. Although shaking hands is considered the international way of greeting, things are a bit different among Thais. It is highly appreciated when foreigners greet Thais using the traditional 'wai' greeting.