Essential Travel Tips for Thailand
So, the Director of Openaid International, a non-profit organization I volunteer for, was kind enough to bestow some very crucial knowldge upon me in order to guide me through both physically and culturally safe travels in Thailand. He has spent years working in SouthEast Asia and as an Australian he has seen firsthand the biggest mishaps Westerners make. Here ya go:
Currency Exchange: You can change US$ or AU$ to Thai baht everywhere in Thailand (airport rate is sometimes a little lower but not too bad). Many places on Sukhumvit Road (where is your hotel in Bangkok?) and Pattaya.
Food: Be cautious eating at road-side stalls, especially watch for spicy food with chili (ask for not spicy or ‘mai phet’). In a nutshell, when most people come to Thailand it’s inevitable that sooner or later ‘stomach pains’ will confront! There’s so much western food now in Thailand, and almost every proper restaurant serves very good (clean) food.
Human Trafficking: Be very careful of girls in bars. Almost every bar in Thailand has girls ‘for sale’ and it’s pretty hard for first time travelers to understand the reality and responsibility for girls available for sale. Almost every establishment you go to will offer girls and they’ll treat you very, very well! Most young men think that it’s amazing and really that the girls are brilliant and happy selling their services.
I ask every visitor to understand that ‘girls for sale in Thailand’ have unique vulnerabilities and at almost every level of society they are exploited.
