Do's, Don'ts, and Dealing with Cultural Differences
Traveling to a new country for the first time can be a lot of things. Exciting, scary, intriguing, and more. This guide will help you with some general guidelines on navigating Thailand and understanding the differences between it and your home country.
Do’s:
Interact with locals at any place. Go stroll for long and short distances. Explore, read, and discuss.
Don’t be afraid to go into a restaurant even if you can’t read the Thai or speak the language because that is the fun of being in Thailand and a good way to learn.
Speaking even a little bit of Thai goes a long way. People will see that you are trying and will be more willing to also try to use their limited English. You will break down barriers and have a chance to connect to Thai's and learn more.
Learn about the area by exploring on your own. You also learn more about Thailand that way too.
Don'ts:
Water: Firstly and most importantly, do not drink the tap water. Thai people do not drink it either and any water you are offered to drink by Thais are filtered and safe to drink. Ice is also fine as long as it is ice cubes and not crushed.
Food: Trying the amazing variety of food here is a huge highlight of your program in Thailand. Look for restaurants that prepare food fresh. Raw fruit and vegetables should be avoided unless you can peel or wash them.
Traffic: This is the most dangerous thing in Thailand! You must look both ways when you cross the street. People drive the wrong way and/or drive too fast, and pedestrians have no rights. Also be careful when you get out of taxis; look behind you before you open the door. Pedestrian crossings do not always work; you need to be constantly wary of traffic here.
Dogs: Be careful as they are not always friendly and many are not used to people petting them. Do not run away from them if they start acting aggressively. You need to scare them, shout at them, and walk backwards out of their area. If you get bitten, go immediately to the hospital to get the rabies shots. Rabies is very dangerous! There is no cure and it is 100% fatal.
Sun: The weather in Thailand varies from hot to very hot. Stay hydrated, stay out of the sun, wear sunscreen, and protective long clothing.
Health and Hospitals: A small minority of participants get sick in Thailand and normal issues are simple colds and minor stomach issues. If you are sick for longer than 48 hours, please let staff know. Likewise, for serious illness of any kind, please let us know. Private hospitals in Thailand are clean, have English speaking staff and good quality treatment.
Dengue Fever: This is a serious mosquito borne disease, prevalent across Thailand and worse during the rainy season. Avoid being bitten as much as possible and let us know if you have a fever for more than two days.
Crime: Most of Thailand is pretty safe but not crime-free, so use common sense. Always be a lot more careful in tourist areas, such as ko san, the islands, and other similar places.
Motorbikes:There is no margin of error when you ride a motorbike. Even minor accidents will lead to painful injuries. Every major hospital in Thailand deals with multiple tourist motorbike accidents everyday and this is one of the biggest killers of tourists anywhere in the world. As such, motorbikes are not allowed for any participants.
Taboos
Feet/Shoes: The soles of your feet are the unholy and dirty part of you body, so you should always avoid pointing them at people or stepping over people. Stepping over food is extremely rude, as is using your feet to point at things or to pick them up. Be very careful about your feet when you sit; try to keep them out of the way or pointing behind you. Then you will also need to take of your shoes before going into houses, temples, offices, schools, shops, etc.; you can just look at the ground in front of the door to figure that out.
Heads: The head is where your spirit or soul is seen as residing and people are very sensitive about having their head touched; avoid this with adults.
The King and Thai Royal Family. The family is highly respected in Thailand and a major part of Thai life. Do not say anything negative about the King or the Royal family.
The Buddha and other Holy things: Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country, and the Buddha is to be respected. do not sit on him to take a selfie (don't be this person!). If you are in a temple, be generally respectful of religious relics as you would in a church. Thai Buddhism also has many other religious things which may not seem as obvious. There is belief in spirits and ghosts and you may see lots of other religious things. These are always clearly religious with offerings, incense, ribbons and other items placed by them; please also be respectful.
Temples: Respectful dress in temples is knee length skirts or shorts and shoulders covered. The rules are not always enforced, but violating them is very disrespectful.
Monks: Monks are a huge part of Buddhist culture and most Thai men will be a monk for some period of their life. The big thing to be aware of is if you interact with them, monks are not allowed to touch or be touched by women. This includes sitting next to them and passing them things. In public transport, please sit on the other side of the bus, and when in the temple, put things down if you want to give it to a monk.
Clothing: Thais in general are quite conservative about their appearance, and as guests in their country, please respect Thai sensitivities about dress code. This means dressing somewhat conservatively. In any formal situation, you should ensure that your clothing is not revealing and covers shoulders and knees. In rural areas, people will go swimming in T-shirts and jeans, so more revealing clothing may cause unwanted attention. For specifics of what is appropriate for your specific situation, please talk to on-site staff.
Food: Thai food is pretty easy; most things are eaten with a spoon and fork, and shared dishes are in the middle of the table. You normally only see chopsticks for noodles and can easily request a fork if you need it. Do not feel that you have to eat everything and if you don’t like it, don’t eat it.
Toilets: In more rural areas, you may find squat toilets instead of normal ones. If there is no seat, then it is designed for you to squat only. The flush may also be manual; just scoop the water from the barrel next to the toilet. Also, Thais do not in general use toilet paper, but rather wash themselves using the hose next to the toilet. If you want toilet paper, bring your own, and throw it in the trash.
Tipping: This is not a big tipping culture, and it is not mandatory. You can leave a few baht with the bill in restaurants.
Common sense: Please do not leave your common sense at home If it's not safe at home, it's not safe here. Too many people forget that and get themselves in to trouble.
HELPFUL THAI PHRASES/PRONOUNCIATION
When you first arrive in Thailand, you might be unfamiliar with the local language. Hopefully over time, you will learn some Thai, but for now, here are some pocket phrases to practice!
Instead of please and thank you, Thais focus on the way they ask questions. To be polite, women add Ka to the end of any sentence and men Khap. So hello will be Sawadi Ka from a woman, but Sawadi Khap if they identify as a man.