Hey darling,
As a semi-veteran traveler of Thailand, I have a few hard-learned lessons and practical tips for making it through your trip with your health intact. Please know that even though these tips make it sound as though Thailand is a scary, medically unsound place, this is not necessarily the case. I had many beautiful experiences in this country (read about them here: http://thegirlbecoming.blogspot.com/2018/07/travel-to-thailand-part-1-lessons-on_12.html).
However, there is a time and place for planning for the unseemly. Unfortunately for me, many of these nuggets of wisdom were learned through trial and error. Don’t be like me; prepare in advance.
That being said, my very first tip happens to be something that I did right (thanks to my dear bestie who, of the two of us, was certainly the more well-researched).
1. Bring a suitcase that is a convertible backpack
Thai sidewalks are often janky (if there are sidewalks at all). Trying to lug a heavy suitcase full of all your necessary (cough) vacation clothes over uneven cobblestones on sidewalks that are nearly as narrow as a tightrope or while dashing across four lanes of traffic that never ceases is unpleasant at best. Your life will be infinitely less stressful if all of your possessions are squarely placed between your shoulder-blades. Sidenote: if you happen to walk through any markets, you will be endlessly grateful to not be dragging your suitcase through puddles of fish guts/chicken blood. Just saying.
2. Bring your own toilet paper.
As someone who has spent her whole life in the West, the revelation that there are many places in the world that don’t use toilet paper was as shocking to me as when I first learned that in some countries, dog meat is common fare. In Thailand, the typical way of cleaning oneself after using the toilet is through a water nozzle, commonly referred to as a bidet. The sanitation of these hoses is debatable, however, I myself did not want to use it. Be prepared for restrooms that have water (hopefully just water) all over the floor and no toilet paper in sight. If you’re lucky, they might have a dispenser that will sell you a few flimsy pieces of tissue. Bottom line: bring your own tissue packs/wad of toilet paper.
3. Bring your own soap/hand sanitizer
The restrooms are also unlikely to have soap. BYO hand sanitizer.
4. Bring and buy LOADs of sunscreen
If you have a morbid interest in seeing pictures of the worst sunburn of my life, click here (http://thegirlbecoming.blogspot.com/2018/07/travel-to-thailand-part-1-lessons-on_12.html) and scroll down a bit. It is especially important if you are spending any time on the coast, or around the many stupendously beautiful islands (such as Koh Phangan or Koh Phi Phi) that you absolutely slather on the sunscreen. No one wants skin cancer. More immediately, no one wants to be walking around in a bathing suit with swaths of skin peeling off of their calves like they are a zombie. No joke: I may have sent some tourists running for their lives.
5. Get your vaccines
Malaria is a real disease that kills approximately one million people per year (take a look at what UNICEF has to say about it: https://www.unicef.org/health/files/health_africamalaria.pdf). Don’t freak out, but CYA, darling. This advice is coming from someone who avoids shots at all costs. As a note, you can sometimes get these “vaccines” administered orally. I know that Typhoid meds make you nauseated, but damn, I’m glad I didn’t contract Typhoid. Obviously, it is uncommon to contract diseases, especially if you are staying in relatively urban areas. However. The consequences of screwing this one up are severe, to say the least.
6. Bring medication for traveler’s sickness (such as antibiotics and anti-diarrheals).
So. I don’t really want to go into much depth about my personal experiences with this. I just want to say: I am not the only person I know who has needed these medicines while in Thailand. Maybe it’s the fruit. Maybe it’s the water. Maybe it’s the fact that the fruit was washed in the water. Regardless of cause, stomach cramps and diarrhea are real considerations while traveling in developing countries.
7. Remember that they drive on the left side of the road
Just a heads up, in case you decide to rent one of those cool motorbikes. Speaking of motorbikes…
8. Watch for motorbikes.
I would imagine that you have heard that Thailand is notorious for its overwhelming number of motorbikes. The thing is, motorbike drivers in Thailand aren’t calm and they don’t drive sanely. Crossing the street in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, can be a terrifying nightmare where reckless motorbike drivers keep coming and swerving and speeding up and… playing chicken with a hoard of motorbike riders is frightening, to say the least. You will have to cross the street eventually. But just keep both eyes out.
9. Keep your passport, credit card, and some cash on you at all times
To be completely transparent, I was seriously skeptical about putting a fannypack/money belt around my waist under my clothes in which to carry my valuables (
10. Don’t rely on technological maps (get real maps)
Dude. Girl. Wifi in Thailand is spotty at best. Okay, that is a massive understatement. It is difficult to get Wifi when you are at your hotel or at the local Starbucks. There is no way in H-E-double-hockey-sticks that you will get LTE when you are on a random island, cruising around on your aforementioned rented motorbike. Not a chance. If you get lost… well.. you had better hope you can find a kind soul who speaks English and can direct you back. There were a few times when I was veritably freaked the eff out that we wouldn’t be able to figure out where we were going or where we were. I would recommend bringing a paper map.
11. Ditch the makeup—girl, you’ll sweat it right off. That’s not cute.
If you belong to the high percentage of the population that regularly applies makeup… I would leave it home. Maybe bring a BB cream. Maybe. The heat here is so intense that that shit is just going to be running down your face and onto your pretty white top in ten minutes flat. Not worth it. Leave the extra suitcase space for important things, like books (hehehe).
12. Bring outlet converters
Long story short, I killed my hair crimper while simultaneously electrocuting myself; not only did I fail to get wavy hair, I actually made it stand on end. You do not want this to happen to something important, such as your cell phone. Thai power outlets run on different voltages than American ones (which are different from the outlets in many other countries too). Outlet converters are cheap and save you from repurchasing your personal items… in addition to saving your poor body from being shocked. Simple solution.
13. Plan out your route ahead of time
I am so grateful that we didn’t leave our connecting busses and ferries to chance. These would have been a nightmare to try to figure out while in Thailand. However, we did fail to plan for how to get to said busses and ferries and spent several freaked out hours hoping that we could somehow get a taxi. This is true of any place, but is especially important when travelling through a country with a language different from your own.
14. Leave extra time between transport
Do you remember the fevered taxi rides to get to our night busses? Yeah, we barely made one and that was after adding in extra time for transport. Give yourself loads of spare time. You’d rather have to sit at the travel office for an extra hour than have to sit there for an extra eight hours until the next bus runs.
15. Always bring snacks
There is a plethora of wonderful Thai food available in many places. Sometimes though… you may wander around for hours without spotting any suitable options. To avoid becoming cranky from lack of fuel, pack a couple of protein bars or some nuts. These will sustain you until you find a fantastic little spot to enjoy the local cuisine.
There you have it! Those are my hard-learned lessons from travelling Thailand. Once again, Thailand contains many enchanting experiences just waiting to unfold (secluded waterfall pool, anyone?), but to quote our favorite founding father Ben Franklin, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Here’s to safe travels and beautiful memory making!
Love,
Lola
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