Hey what’s up, King Epic here!
Today, I’ll talk about some very specific things.
For your Thailand trip, you will probably think about making sure your hotel is guest-friendly, that you’re staying in a good location in proximity to, say the nightlife spots.
… and that’s all good and fundamental for a good experience.
However, I’ve noticed during my time here that there are a lot of small things that – I don’t want to say make or break your trip – but that can take away from the enjoyment.
Little things that few people think about that at least for me became very annoying on a daily basis.
Some of what I will mention will only apply if you stay here long-term, some will be useful even if you book a hotel.
So take what is relevant to you & disregard the rest.
If there’s one thing you learn today that you will make your trip better, that you would have otherwise overlook, I’m already happy.
1. Big Fridge
This one I find super important. One of the places I’ve stayed at last year had a 7-Eleven just outside. Literally 2 minutes walking distance – open 24/7. And yet, not having a fridge large enough to store some food became very annoying, very inconvenient.
Yeah, you can eat out all the time but for me it was say at night I’m hungry and want to quickly grab something … or after waking up in the morning and having to dress up, walk downstairs etc. became a hassle.
I much rather just grab something from the fridge … and the regular meals I can eat outside anyway. Food court, etc.
Nowadays, I take this even further and when I look for a new place to stay, I make sure it has a big fridge with a freezer on top – ideally a small kitchen unit as well.
2. Water Filtration Machine
Water – you’ll also need it on a daily basis. Don’t drink the tap water, so your only other option would be to go outside an buy bottled water.
There are 2 ways to deal with this. I don’t consider boiling tap water to be a viable option for most. For one, it’s not a convenient option and then you might now have a stove in your room or condo.
The most obvious option would be to buy the 5 liter bottled water container at 7-Eleven – to buy them in bulk. Say, 3 at a time that’s 15 liters (4 gallon) and should last you a few days.
The more convenient and cheaper option would be to look for a water filtration machine – every place I’ve ever stayed at had one. Many times, it’s outside of the building and that thing looks like a vending machine.
If your condo/hotel doesn’t have one, just have a look around. Sometimes the building opposite or close-by has one standing at the entrance.
I use it with an empty 5 liter water container and it’s only a few Bath for a refill.
3. Online Grocery Delivery
The final option would be to order a large quantity of water bottles or containers and have it delivered. In the past, I have used Tesco & Big C – meaning their website to order online and surprisingly I had no issues at all.
I simply set up an account on their website, placed the order, picked a delivery date & time and the next day, about an hour before delivery the guy called me and said he would come.
The additional fee for the delivery was minuscule – something like 50 or 100 Baht.
Online delivery is also a good option if you want to store a larger quantity of food in your fridge/freezer because going to the store yourself, you can only carry so much – plus traffic, plus the heat …
Most items you can find in their stores, you can also order online, so you’re not limited to drinks & foods. Condoms, toilet paper, etc.
4. Quality Food – On The Go
So, this one has evolved over time. When I first came here, I just ate whatever whenever I felt like it. Then I became a bit more health conscious and nowadays, I feel like my eating is pretty on point.
Many of the meals I prepare myself and when I’m somewhere outside, I eat only very specific foods. This is where I used to struggling a bit. I would be on the go and now what? Go buy some crap from the convenience store? Or fast food? Or something that is soaked in oil from a street stall or food court?
The options seemed limited and it took me some time to find a few items that I eat repeatedly nowadays. Many of the Thai dishes are either high in carbs, fat or both. If you want something that’s mostly protein, good luck!
What I found are the following – and all of them available literally anywhere around the clock.
Boiled Eggs from 7-Eleven. They are 10 Baht each and are peeled already, so you can eat them right away. I just throw away the yolk if I don’t want any fat. Pure protein – doesn’t get any better.
Liquid Eggwhites would be another option. They have small liquid egg-white cartons at TopsMarket and Villa Market). 150 Baht. They are pasteurized so you can drink it straight from the carton or mix it with the whey protein shakes they sell there and it tastes like a chocolate or vanilla drink. I like it cause it’s high quality food, it’s cheap and takes 2 minutes to drink. No need to sit down, etc.
The protein drinks I bought at either 7-Eleven or TopsMarket. There are different brands available.
The only other item I buy occasionally would be cooked rice form 7-Eleven. Everything else is either crappy convenience food, or fried or with some other crap in it.
Of course for carbs or fats there are more options, fresh fruits and nuts, etc.
5. Buying Supplements/Vitamins
In my Thailand Guide, I have a video of my kitchen where I have MyProtein powder and someone asked me where in Bangkok I bought it.
Well, I had it shipped here. I’ve been to at least a dozen pharmacies, vitamin stores, GNC and with vitamins, supplements in Thailand in 9/10 cases they are either overpriced, shit in quality or under-dosed. Often times, you get a cheaper item by simply ordering to Thailand.
That’s especially the case when ordering larger quantities. Say you go to TopsMarket next to Terminal21, they have a GNC there but everything is hella expensive and something like caffeine pills I have never found anywhere.
6. Paying Extra For Location
Cheap, cheap, cheap … that’s all I cared for when I first rented a condo. Then I had to spend a ton of money on taxis and the BTS … and in the end the cheap condo wasn’t so cheap anymore.
So, I always factor in the trips I take on a daily basis. Trip to the gym, grocery shipping, going out or to the mall … then I’ll stay somewhere in proximity to those place – I’ll make sure there’s a gym ideally inside the place where I’m staying and I will pay extra for that.
Pool is another extra I’ll look out for. Now you can invite girls over instead of meeting them somewhere outside. It saves you money, time and makes things much easier.
7. Carry Change – (20 Baht Bills, 10 Baht Coins)
Out of 10 taxis drives I take, in 1-2 cases they driver will say he doesn’t have any change. Like no change at all – all he has are 100 Baht bills.
In rare instances where I had no small change at hand, I would tell him to wait, I go 7-Eleven and get some change but in most cases that’s not feasible – especially in heavy traffic or when I’m in a rush. So, I can complain all I want but in the end I will usually just give him the extra money and be able to leave.
If you never want to overpay, always have some change with you – especially on short trips otherwise the fare can easily cost twice as much.
8. NOT Getting Up Too Early
The problem with getting up too early is that most shops/businesses and even gym only open at 9 – some at 10am. So there isn’t much to do up until late afternoon. If you’re looking to meet up with girls, most of them will be at work until 5 or 6 and what else is there to do?
For me, yeah doing something on the computer but still getting up earlier than noon is something I try to avoid by staying up late – and by late I mean 3-4am.
If you’re here on holiday, you’ll be out partying late anyway so this would only apply for you if you stay here long-term and have days where you don’t go out.
Second problem is that during the day it’s too hot – I just can’t be bothered doing anything outside before late afternoon/early evening.