Travelling in Thailand - 5 Tips to Keep You Safe

Thailand is an absolutely beautiful place to visit, and has been featured in some of our amazing travel pictures from around the world. It’s full of delicious food to try, amazing culture to absorb and wonderful people to meet. That said, whenever you travel anywhere, you must be extra careful to keep safe, especially as a tourist, as you can be targeted for various scams and pickpockets. Here are five top tips to help keep you safe as you explore Thailand.

Keep your money and documents secure

This isn’t specific to Thailand, but with any sort of travelling. Try to be a little discreet when paying for things with cash as you don’t want to be seen with a wad of money in public, because this will increase your risk of being mugged or pickpocketed.

You may also be asked to leave your passport behind if you are renting a car or a bike but you should not do this — it’s the number one way that tourists’ passports get stolen or lost.

Try to stay in groups

If you are walking around at night especially, it is best to be in a group of other people that you trust, as this will make you less of a target than if you were travelling solo. If some of the members of your group are new friends, be a little cautious and make sure you can trust them as some unsavory characters will try to infiltrate groups for their personal gain. Don’t leave anyone on their own when you are out and about and make sure everyone gets back safe.

Keep your wits about you

Generally speaking, the Thai people are very welcoming and friendly, however as with all countries, there are some people whose intentions are less than honourable. These people may act friendly while playing a long, involved fraud which could end with you being left ripped off! If a stranger offers you anything that seems too good to be true, it probably is, so don’t accept any offers of free shopping or help with sightseeing just in case.

Be cautious when it comes to food

60% of travellers say they gain at least two kilos on holiday and with food being as delicious as it is in Thailand, it’s no surprise. However, you do need to be careful that any streetfood you buy is prepared properly to avoid you getting sick.

Make sure when you are choosing a street food stall to buy from that it is clean and free from flies, and remember that generally speaking, the busiest stalls will probably have been tried and tested. If in doubt, watch them trading for a few moments and you should be able to get a good gauge of how hygenic their practises are, and how long food is left out for. Don’t let this put you off from trying some street food as it really is delicious, just make sure you are choosing the right stall.

Avoid drinking the tap water and carry your own water bottle with filter where you can. Ice cubes are usually made from filtered water and bought in to restaurants so you should be safe to cool down with some in your drink.

Be sensible

It might sound obvious but a lot of us lose our inhibitions when we are in a different country, especially if alcohol is involved. Remember that you are more vulnerable when you are inebriated and other people might take advantage of you, especially if you are in unfamiliar surroundings.

The Full-Moon Parties are famous in Thailand and a whole lot of fun, but make sure you are careful and look after each other, instead of getting too carried away. If any situation feels dangerous or risky, reconsider what you are doing. Follow your gut instincts as it is better to be safe than sorry.

Thailand is generally a pretty safe place to visit, but whenever you visit anywhere it is important to keep yourself protected. If you follow these tips you should hopefully have a fantastic, enjoyable and safe trip. Do you have any other tips for keeping safe while travelling in Thailand? Let us know.

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