Thailand Travel 🇹🇭🐘

Avoid Rush hours (08:00-10:00, 16:00-19:00)

Travel during off peak times. You WONT get a taxi during rush hour, and if you do, you will just be sitting in a car wishing you hadn't

If you absolutely MUST travel during rush hour, the metro system is the way to do it (BTS, MRT, BRT), but it will be very busy.

BTS / MRT

They are not 24 hours, but typically run 05:00ish to 23:30ish. Don't trust google maps time tables for the start and end times, during the day they are fine. Sometimes the start and end times are uncertain, best to ask the staff if its important

You will save a bunch of time getting a BTS/MRT/Rabbit card, bring you passport to the kiosks at every station and prepay for a card. at the end of your trip you can refund anything left over (you will need your passport)

You can buy one time tickets using cash, coins, or QR codes (with a Thai banking app). If you have large bills you will need to go to the kiosk. The staff at the kiosks are nice and will help you(unless its rush hour, then they are nice, but busy).

When you get do your destination station, you can use a motorbike taxi, or a tuktuk to finish your last leg. I recommend using Movmi.co, a ridesharing tuktuk that operates at most of the bts stations, you will need a app.

BTS is above ground train stations which are not air conditioned, but the trains are air conditioned.

MRT is below ground train stations, trains are air conditioned.

BRT is ground level "bus" stations, the busses are air conditioned, and have "semi" dedicated traffic lanes.

MRT Payment

If you have a contactless credit card (Visa, mastercard, Europay), you can tap to pay on the MRT (not the BTS, or BRT).

Rain

If its raining, or projected to rain, that doubles the rush hour effects, plan ahead. You can pick up umbrellas at most combinis

Taxi Apps (Grab, Bolt)

These work really well, you don't have to communicate at all, and you get a fixed price. You will have to wait 5-10m for the taxi to arrive.

Hailing Taxis on the street

This is hard mode, have your destination loaded up on your maps ahead of time. Flag down a taxi driving by (point your hand down at a 45 degree angle, and fan the ground). Many (most?) of the taxi's will refuse to turn the meter on and will want to negotiate a outrageous price, just be polite and ask for the meter, if they say no, just get out. (hopefully this has changed, but I only use the Apps because I hate haggling). Insist the meter is on before you drive away in the taxi.

There is a fleet of taxi's called "Meter Taxi" as the company name, so when you insisted on the "Meter" the drivers would say yes, METER Taxi! but would refuse to turn on the meter... It was a hilarious Kafkaesque Abbot and Costello routine.

Showing the driver your destination on a map will make things easier, especially if your going down some complicated Soi.

Airport/ARL/Airport Rail Link

From the BKK airport there is a air-rail link connecting to the BTS system, it works pretty well, but you will have the buy a separate ticket. Taxi's are faster, unless its rush hour. The train is air conditioned, and there are elevators throughout the whole system.

Airport - Inside

The BKK airport is very large, if you want you can pay $50 for a service that will pick you up from your flight in a golf cart, and drive you to a special immigration queue "fast trak". If you have carry on only luggage it can be worth it. Beats standing around in queues for a hour.

Many of the airport departure lounges offer showers, so if you have lounge access (priority pass, airline loyalty, or even out of pocket day passes), you can plan on taking a shower at the airport before your flight.

Asking for help

If its in a well lit area, and people are not clearly busy, its ok to ask for help. Use simple English, spoken clearly and slowly. Most people have taken English classes, but they may not be fluent.

Hi! Can you help me? How should the motorobike taxi charge to go to X?

Hello! Do you know how much I should pay the TukTuk?

People are very friendly, if they are not busy. Don't be demanding or pushy. If someone isn't responding to you, or just kinda shakes their head. Say thank you, or no problem and move on.

Q&A

Any other questions, or ideas, just ask, happy to help!

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Hi folks – thanks for creating a new community! Thailand is on my list but I haven't gotten around to planning a trip yet. I'm excited to see what happens here. Say hi at [email protected] and be sure to reach out if you're looking for help with anything.

Bolt

https://bolt.eu/en-gb/

This is probably the most popular app, with the most drivers. Until recently its been cash only. Some drivers may not accept the in app credit cards. The fares are also the cheapest!

Grab

https://www.grab.com/th/download/

Grab is a do everything app, from ordering food, to taxis. The Taxis in grab are less numerous and more expensive, but they always accept credit cards.

Movmi

https://muvmi.co/en

This is a ride sharing TukTuk for Bangkok areas only right now. You load the app and it shows you pick up and drop off spots in your small area. You can book 1-6 seats in an Electric TukTuk and they will route a tuktuk to come pick you up in a few minutes. This is a very inexpensive option, great when its not raining. Think of this as the last mile transportation from any BTS station. ___

The countryside is beautiful, and the best way to experience it is via motorbike. I was nervous because I'd never ridden one, nor had I been in a place where I had to drive on the left, but Pai is a great place to practice both of those things. Some noob tips:

• One person to a scooter. It's much, much harder to drive with two or more people. If you're new to scooters, don't risk it.
• Get a mount for your phone, so you can use GPS. They didn't have them at the rental shops when I was there, so bring your own.
• Bring eye protection. In general, it's not necessary, but if it starts raining, you'll really appreciate having it.
• The rental place will ask if you know how to ride. If you say "no," they won't rent to you. If you don't want to lie, watch a video online beforehand - then at least you'll have the knowledge, if not the skill.
• Be careful! As you walk around town, you'll see lots of people with scratched up arms and legs, and probably even a few people with braces/casts. Don't be one of them. It's really not that difficult to ride, you just need to be smart and cautious.

And finally a pro-tip for getting to Pai: Take a motion sickness pill before the ride up. I don't get sea-sick, I don't get sick on rides, and I haven't thrown up in over a decade. It doesn't matter how strong your stomach is, you'll feel the ride. Any pharmacy will have the pills, and they are very cheap.

When traveling make sure your devices can handle 220v, most usb chargers are fine, but odd things like electric tooth brush charges and hair dryers may not be able to handle it!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mains_electricity_by_country 220V@50hz