Important Thailand Travel Info
Everything you need to know to have a great trip
Passports and Visas
You need a passport to travel to Thailand, but U.S. citizens do NOT need a visa, unless you are staying more than 30 days.
Inoculations
You are not required to get any shots to travel to Thailand. Here is information on optional shots you may want -- it's up to you.
Money
The currency of Thailand is the Thai Baht. Where we use the $ symbol, they use the baht symbol: ฿
At this writing:
$1 = about 32 Thai baht, written ฿32.
1 Thai Baht = about 3 cents.
฿1,000 baht = about $30
Just like the dollar is broken down into 100 cents, the Thai baht is broken down into 100 satang. (But since one satang is worth about 3/100 of a cent, the satang is rarely used in daily life. So don't buy a Coke and wait for your 9/100 of a cent change; it is not forthcoming!)
American credit cards, particularly Visa and Mastercard, are usually accepted only at large hotels, fancy stores, and top restaurants, so you definitely need to carry Thai baht for on-the-road purchases, shopping, roadside restaurants, and small stores.
My Own Money Plan for Thailand
Hey, everyone does this a bit differently, but here's my own money plan for Thailand.
My U.S. bank wants to hit me with a significant fee every time I use my card overseas -- check with your bank -- so I will bring enough U.S. cash with me for the trip in $100 bills. (For mysterious reasons if you are exchanging U.S. money throughout Southeast Asia you get a better rate if you use $100 bills, and they have to be in perfect shape -- any rips or tears will not be accepted. Bills smaller than $20 may not be accepted at all.)
At the Bangkok airport I will use my debit card at the ATM or one of the exchange booths to get just enough Thai currency to get me started. When I reach Bangkok I will check out the various large exchange services. They post their exchange rates loud and clear and I'll look around a bit for the best deal.
Some exchanges charge a modest commission; others offer no-commission trades, but offer a lesser exchange rate to make up for it.
Do NOT exchange money with street vendors.
NOTE: I will be in Bangkok months before the trip to do one more scouting run, and I'll report back then on the latest currency exchange tips.
Getting From the Bangkok Airport to Our First Hotel
There are a couple ways to do this -- your choice!
Here is the hotel where we are staying our first night:
Hotel Mode Sathorn
144 N Sathon Rd, Si Lom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
(Pro Tip: I like to print that address out on a piece of paper and put it in my pocket. That way I can always just show it to a taxi driver. If it's stored in my phone and my battery runs out...)
If You Are Traveling With Your Own Bike
We recommend you use these folks to book your transportation to the hotel in advance online:
Suntransfers
Note that the prices on the Suntransfers website are quoted in euros. The prices we show here in dollars are close estimates. You can pay online with your American credit card.
Be SURE to request a mini van or larger (depending on how many people are in your group) so there will be room for your bikes. This will cost about $50 for the vehicle (NOT per person). No extra charge for luggage.
If You Are Renting a Bike in Thailand
If you are renting a bike in Thailand you can still use these folks
Suntransfers
but you won't need an entire mini van! You can request a regular car for about $30. Your rental bike will be waiting with our crew in Thailand.
OR...
You can go to the official taxi counter at the airport. The fare will be a bit lower (but personally I kinda like getting off the plane and seeing someone holding a signs with my name on it...)
Taxi drivers are usually not tipped in Thailand, but it is nice to round up your fare, so if the total is 325 Thai baht it's nice to round it up to about 330 or 335 (about an extra 10 cents!)
Language
The official languages of Thailand is Thai, but restaurants, hotels, and markets that cater to visitors may speak English. Our cycling guides all speak English and Thai.
Continued below...
Weather
Lovely and hot every day, with very little chance of rain. Having said that... I'm STILL packing a lightweight cycling raincoat just in case.
Tipping
Tipping is not expected in Thailand. Having said that, most service industry workers earn very little, so a small tip is always appreciated.
As far as our Thai cycling and support crew, you should NOT tip them. That doesn't mean that we are stingy -- it means that we pay them well and tip them generously, and that money is already included in the total price of the ride so you don't have to worry about it. I will personally be handing crew members cash on behalf of all of us to be sure they get it. (I've been on great tours where after I sign up I'm told, "Oh yeah... you each need to each chip in $XXX for tips. I'm not crazy about that plan, so all tips are already included in the price of this tour -- no surprises.)
Water
You should NEVER drink the tap water in Thailand. This also means no brushing your teeth with tap water. Ice in major hotels and restaurants is made from purified water -- ask if you aren't sure.
This isn't snobbery -- throughout much of Southeast Asia tap water is not intended for drinking -- it is only for washing and farming. Everyone in Thailand drinks bottled water -- even poor people. Small restaurants may boil their water first instead of using bottled water, and that's fine.
Bottled water is readily available at every store and roadside stand and it is cheap. We will always have a free supply of cold bottled water in our support truck -- just ask or help yourself.
We are staying in nice hotels and some of them may have water purification systems that allow you to drink tap water -- ask if you aren't sure.
Clothing
Thailand is very casual -- no need for formal attire. We will be eating some nice dinners together -- casual clothing is still fine, but maybe not that T-shirt that you used to clean the grease off of your bike chain.
While you are pedaling shorts and short-sleeve or sleeveless jerseys are fine.
When we visit most temples, EVERYONE (men and women) must cover up bare shoulders and legs. That means that you will need something to cover your shoulders if you are wearing a sleeveless top, and a sarong or wrap to cover your legs. We will provide that leg wrap for FREE, and you can take it home as a souvenir. You can stuff this in your jersey pocket, or put it in our support van so you can grab it when you need it. This is MANDATORY. (Yes, I'm looking at you, macho guy. All men must wear a wrap too to cover their legs, and you'll fit in just fine.)
Haggling
Bargaining over prices is expected when shopping, so have at it while still showing friendly respect for the locals. Haggling is not appropriate in established shops, supermarkets, or chain stores. My language skills are awful (shame on me...) so I like to carry a pen and a piece of paper so I can write down the price I'm offering, the vendor can write down their price, and we go back and forth. I've also seen them show me a cheap pocket calculator where they type out the price they have in mind. OK.
Toilets
Let us cut right to the chase, shall we? In much of Thailand you'll find American-style toilets. But in smaller areas you may still find squat toilets. Here's some excellent straight talk on how to use squat toilets. (Read this now before you need it!)
Phones and Internet
Most of our hotels will have free wifi. (Maybe not as fast as at home, but you'll be OK for email and modest web surfing -- probably not great for streaming a movie.)
For phones, contact your U.S. cellphone carrier BEFORE you leave home. I was able to purchase an inexpensive overseas travel plan that covers the period when I'll be in Thailand. (Don't forget to include the time when you will be in transit! If you need to use your phone while you change planes in Singapore or Tokyo, you don't want to suddenly realize that your international calling plan doesn't start yet for one more day!)
We recommend that before you leave home you install the WhatsApp program on your phone if you don't already have it. You can get it for free from the Apple app store or Google Play store. It allows you to send text messages and make phone calls to folks in Thailand and back in the U.S. for free... provided the person you are contacting also has WhatsApp. (In Thailand WhatsApp is very popular -- businesses will often list their WhatsApp contact info.)
We will ALSO use WhatsApp to send you important information in the middle of the trip. ("Departure time tomorrow has changed from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.")
If all this seems confusing just download and install WhatsApp before you leave the U.S. and set up your free WhatsApp account on the app. We will do the rest with you in Thailand. Happy to help!
If you decide that after the trip you no longer want WhatsApp on your phone it is easy to remove.
We never collect data from WhatsApp and we never use it for marketing purposes.
All WhatsApp messages are encrypted for your privacy.
Having said that, WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, so Mark Zuckerberg already knows what you're thinking.
