Few tips for Thailand holiday please

jimi_man

Cards are ubiquitous despite what some have said on here, and 90% of the time there is no extra charge in restaurants. Cash for the other occasions, drawn out of an ATM with a higher than usual charge so get enough for the whole trip in one transaction. Or GBP taken and changed over there.

Local sims are fine if you have a spare phone otherwise something like an Airolo eSim is perfectly adequate, though a little more expensive than an eSim.

Songkran is fun for the first hour then it quickly becomes irritating to be dowsed with water all the time.

We go a lot - every 1-2 years since the early 90's and it's a lovely place to go to. As mentioned the food can be hot. Most restaurants will do 'foreigner' spicy rather than normal spicy so don't be afraid to have it spicy. Personally I like it very spicy but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Tipping. Please don't!! Not my words but from my old Thai school friend who has always lived in Bangkok and hates people tipping in a country which doesn't have a tipping culture. Basically it ruins it for the local people who have to go to restaurants and now the staff 'expect' tips because foreigners (mostly Americans but UK people have started) tip all the time. As he says 'we have to live here after you lot have gone home, so please don't ruin it for us'. If you are going to tip then just the metal stuff, absolutely no notes.

I did some diving in Phuket which was pretty good. Some wrecks and stuff which are worth seeing.

Ayr_Rage

The Thais are currently panic buying fuel and the government has just lifted the fuel price cap so be prepared for increased cost for the likes of Uber and Grab and a (increased) reluctance from licensed taxis to use the meter.

Outwith the tourist areas life is becoming very hard for many people.

Worried_fool

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81934253#Comment_81934253

If you like giving banks money, sure. The ATM fee (charged by the local bank so you cannot avoid it) is around £5 per withdrawal, and the maximum you can take in one withdrawal is fairly low.

Paying these bank fees may well be preferable to carrying around lots of cash and worrying about it getting stolen. Make sure you know how much cash is covered by your travel insurance and behave accordingly.

fifeken

5. Anything else, feel free to comment?

Where in Thailand is your final destination as you might get more specific advice?

Songkran was mentioned earlier and if you plan to travel you might find some providers fully booked or not operating depending on where you are and when.