This Thailand travel check list any newbie should carefully digest. If you’ve been to Thailand many times before you might still find a few nuggets of wisdom that’ll make your next trip just a bit better.
1. Can You Handle Thailand?
What I really mean is having the right expectations. Too many guys head over to Thailand thinking it’s all a fairytale.
‘All girls love me because I’m an exotic foreigner.’
Yeah, they’ll love your cash … at best. Thailand is only awesome if you come with the right attitude.
In essence,
- It’s all a business. Don’t expect more than what you’re paying for.
- Know where to go for what. Stay in Bangkok for regular chicks, go to Pattaya for whoring.
2. Thailand Tourist Visa
If you plan on staying 60 days max, no need to plan ahead as you – most likely – qualify for visa on arrival.
If you want the full 3 months, get a tourist visa at the closest Thai embassy/consulate. It’ll cost you around 2,000 Baht and its good for 60 days + a 30 days extension (done locally in Bangkok).
The process for extending either your visa on arrival or your tourist visa for another 30 days is the same.
3. Book Flight & Accommodation
There’s a variety of flight comparison sites out there – I’ll tell you which ones I use.
Keep in mind, most of them make their money thru commission (no extra costs for you though), so it makes sense to look up flights on multiple comparison sites.
You also need to keep in mind that these flight comparison sites don’t feature all airlines (especially not budget airlines).
Matrix Airfare Search – This is Google’s “independent” flight search engine and I say independent because it doesn’t sell tickets directly.
Skyscanner – definitely the most popular one. It’s easy to use & they even offer an Android/iOS app.
Kayak – Another popular option although I haven’t used it much to be honest.
Where should you book your flight? Wherever it’s cheapest. As simple as that. Now of course, if you prefer a certain payment option (such as PayPal), you need to use that as criteria.
I have sometimes looked up flights with the comparison site & then booked directly via the airline.
Now, let’s move on to the 2nd part ….
Accommodation. You don’t wanna live on the streets (although this is where you’ll probably spend most of your time). Here’s very simply put how I use different sites for booking accommodation.
Agoda – Booking hotels if I stay between 1-2 weeks. You’ll sometimes get great deals here which you wouldn’t get by booking directly with the hotel of your choice.
The only negative thing I’ve experienced is that often times the rooms don’t match the pictures/are smaller, etc.
AirBnb – Booking entire apartments/condos if I stay longer than 2 weeks but not long enough to warrant searching/leasing an apartment on my own.
Renting a condo via AirBnb is the best option if you plan on pulling a lot of girls – there’s no reception, no check in required. A hotel can make the girl feel slutty.
Surprisingly, I have only had negative experiences booking a hotel online, never though booking an apartment via Airbnb.
It has always worked quite well and you can often times extend your stay by paying cash, thus avoiding the AirBnb service fee you’d normally pay.
4. Travel Insurance
I know many guys that don’t have it. Frankly, I think it’s insane not to have one (from a financial standpoint).
Yes, everything’s cheaper in Thailand, but if you have a serious injury/disease the hospital bill will still add up to Thousands of USD.
There is no reason not to book a travel insurance and often times you can book it directly with your flight. My travel insurance was $80 for 3 months … you can’t go wrong with that.
5. Thailand Travel Gear
This will depend on your personal preferences, you can find my Southeast Asia Travel Gear here. I simply want to point out items that I think are an absolute, absolute must to bring with you to Thailand.
Condoms – The only reason why I strongly advise you to bring condoms is because the locally available sizes are very, very limited.
Doesn’t matter which shop you go to (7-Eleven, Boots, Watsons), you’ll always see the same 2-3 brands and sizes.
If you’re a Westerner, those sizes will most likely be too small. Good luck fucking with a condom that strangles your dick! Solution: Bring a large stack of condoms for your trip!
I cover condoms (and sex) in more detail in my book, “Epic Sex” which is part of my Thailand Guide Package.
Condom Case – You might be thinking, “What’s a condom case?” If you’ve been carrying condoms in your pockets for all these years, it’s time to wake up! That’s the main reason why condom breakage occurs.
Get a cheap $3 condom case & you can carry up to 3 condoms with you – and you can pound your girl all you want without having to worry!
PIA Browse Anonymously – Thailand’s government is actively monitoring Internet traffic + pornography is illegal. That means you’ll run into issues if you simply want to watch porn or look up escort/massage sites.
A VPN – simply put – hides your true location & IP and you safer. The other reason why I recommend it is because you’re adding an extra layer of security while not breaking the bank. The solution I use is $3 per month & the software is super easy to use.
Luggage Locks – You don’t want your trip to end before it has begun. If anyone steals from your bag/suitcase … that’s, of course bad, but if someone plants something in your luggage, you’re in deep shit!
Luggage locks are dirty cheap, so there should be no second thought getting one.
Anything else not mentioned is either not super important, or you can buy it locally.
6. Make It Your Best Trip. EVER.
Now, if you follow the above, you’ll already have a great time. You can explore Thailand/Bangkok by yourself & play it by the ear.
Nothing wrong with that, but you’ll also waste a lot of time & encounter disappointments … as any newbie will.
If you wanna skip all the bullshit, directly go to the best nightlife/massage/hooker places, check out my Thailand Guide Package.
In Thailand, there’s so much to do & experience that it can be difficult knowing where to start.
We’ll here’s what I recommend you do during your trip – it’ll be a unique experience you won’t get anywhere else (at least not at this price).
Soapy Massage – Costs: ~ 2,600 Baht for 90 minutes
Nuru Massage – Costs: ~ 2,100 Baht for 90 Minutes
Blowjob Bar – Costs: 800+ Baht for a Blowjob
Crazy House Agogo – Costs: only for the drink you purchase; the show is for free.
If you’re going to Bangkok, read my free Bangkok Nightlife Guide. It will answer many questions & give you some nuggets of wisdom!
7. Expect The Worst
Woah, this sounds very negative! No, it’s not. This is reality.
There will be negative shit that upsets you, frustrations because someone doesn’t speak English or simply the unfair pricing for locals/foreigners that you can’t wrap your head around.
You know what? It’s all alright. Know that it won’t be all perfect but keeping that in mind will make your trip fantastic.