Thailand Travel Guide

Thailand is an attractive destination that tourists do not want to miss when they come to Asia. Relaxing in many beautiful beaches when you can dive and walk along sandy beaches as well as exploring hundreds of tropical islands. Archaeological sites, museums, hill tribes, palaces, Buddhist temples and several World Heritage sites are significant sights that make Thailand be different from other countries. There are many more interesting things that won’t let you down when coming to this religious country. However, at first, the Asian Shore Excursions will help you to explore the Thailand Shore Excursions with some of the most important information about this country. Therefore, you will have better preparation when coming here during your holiday.

People

Being the 21st-most-populous country, Thailand has a variety of ethnic groups. 62 ethnic communities are officially recognized in Thailand with 62 languages were found by the Royal Thai Government in 2011. The majority group is the Thai which accounts for 91.5% of the population of Thailand. This group speaks the country’s official language, Thai. Khmer, Malay and Bamar and so on are some examples for ethnic minorities. They live in different areas with different languages as well as different beliefs. These communities make Thailand culture diversify.

These different beliefs in different ethnic groups create various religions. In 2016, nearly 64 million citizens which represent 94.5% of the population follow the primary religion, Theravada Buddhism. Islam (4.29%) is the second largest religious group in Thailand. Only 0.005% of the population is non-religious citizens.

Being the 91st safest country in the world based on the safest and most dangerous countries ranking, Thailand, especially in the South and near the border with Malaysia and urban areas like Bangkok and Pattaya has a quite high crime rate. However, violent crimes against tourists are rare.

Typical Costs

Thailand is a country where you can stay in $3 USD rooms or $1,000 USD resorts. Different prices, of course, will give you different services. Besides, the price also depends on that place is a big city or not and everything is definitely more expensive in the islands. However, in general, Thailand is a cheap country to live in. For example, with about $27 USD per night for two people, tourists can live in a lovely resort and spa in Huahin – a small city in Thailand. The price of backpacker guesthouses in Thailand is the cheapest accommodation where takes about $10 a night and less. Moreover, there are many luxury resorts as well as 5 stars hotels for you to choose from. During the slow season, you can get a better deal.

Thai cuisine has become famous worldwide with its enthusiastic use of fresh herbs and spices. Moreover, it is very cheap for you to enjoy the food here. The average cost of a basic Thai meal in a restaurant is 90- 150 baht ($1 USD = 30 baht). Even the most popular cuisine in Thailand – pad Thai is around 50 baht per plate on average. Western food nearly always costs more than Thai food in restaurants. Seafood invariably costs more.

Traveling along the street by taxi is the best way for you. But you should always make the driver use the meter and change the other drivers if the first one refuses to do so.

As the traditional transportation in Thailand, tuk-tuk is a brand new experience for you to travel. However, you must first negotiate a price before getting inside. Remember to haggle with them!

Saving Tips

It will be an interesting experience for tourists to enjoy the food on various colorful street carts, especially in Bangkok, or open-air restaurants. You can find any Thais food when wandering along the streets with a cheaper price than in any other air-conditioned restaurants.

It is unsafe to drink tap water in Thailand. The hot temperatures here will make you drink more. Therefore, you should always bring a bottle when going outside. In some hotels, you will have free water refills or you can look for the machines on the street that cost only a few baht per liter.

In Bangkok, you can travel around the city by ferries which run the Chao Praya River or BTS Skytrain and MRT subway. The ferries cost cheaper than a taxi with a single ride averages 30 baht. It is even cheaper when you go by BTS Skytrain and MRT subway which fare rarely exceeds 30 baht. An all-day ticket can be purchased for 150 baht.

To save a day on your itinerary and double as accommodation for the night, you should choose night buses and trains to move across Thailand. With higher prices when traveling by train, you will have a more comfortable experience. Moreover, local low-cost carries such as Nok Air can be very cheap to fly domestically in Thailand if you don’t have baggage to check.

The Thai government established a separate tourism police with offices in the major tourist areas and its own central emergency telephone number to accommodate foreign visitors. For example, the tourist police in the Sathorn-Silom and central Sukhumvit areas, tel, 1155 (free call from any phone) or 678-6800. Remember to note down the phone number of tourism police in the destination you are going to visit! Otherwise, you can ask any local people who are famous for their hospitality with outsiders. They are friendly and willing to answer everything you want to know.