Interested in moving to Thailand? The Land of Smiles is a great place to turn to the life of an expatriate for countless reasons; however certain connotations about Thailand often come up when foreigners who only know what they’ve heard through the grapevine talk about the country. We’re here to give you the honest run down of what’s accurate, and what’s skewed.
1) It’s unsafe
False! This is definitely the biggest misconception about Thailand. Going to Thailand does not put you in a vulnerable situation to be randomly physically assaulted or taken. A vast majority of Thais are born and raised Buddhist, thus a mostly peaceful and collected people. This being said, if you only travel to the tourist areas, especially where lots of alcohol consumption is involved, fights may erupt between foreigners and opportunists may take advantage of certain drunken situations. Don’t be an angry drunk and you’ll be just fine in Thailand, whether you choose to be in tourist areas or not.
2) It’s just one big party
False! While Thailand is certainly known for its party scenes in places like Patong, Pattaya, Khao San Road and the legendary Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan, there are many more places all over Thailand that are peaceful, family friendly and full of history and culture. If you hear thumping music, just turn the other way and you’ll find yourself wandering through the less touristy and calmer parts of Thailand.
3) It’s undeveloped
False! Many foreigners tend to think that Thailand is an undeveloped country without infrastructure or modern conveniences; a country where it’s difficult to fulfil normal means of survival like finding acceptable accommodation and food… This couldn’t be farther from the truth! Thailand is visited by millions of people every year for every type of holiday, from easy backpacking trips to luxurious tropical vacations. It’s got the massive international city of Bangkok and several other industrialized cities, all containing every western convenience you could want. And with easy to use road and train systems and over 60 airports, several of which are international, it’s easy to get around and explore the whole country.
4) It’s really cheap
True! As Thailand has continued to develop the cost of living has naturally gone up, however most western countries have an exchange rate that works in their favour when visiting Thailand. For example, one US dollar equals 32 Thai Baht, which can get you a plate of the best Pad Thai you’ve ever had, along with almost any other Thai dish. For 1000 Thai Baht (about 30 dollars) you can buy a lot… everything from an overnight train ticket to a destination 12 hours away, to a night in a three or four-star hotel, a bottle of liquor at a nightclub, a five-star meal, or a month’s worth of sky-train transportation in Bangkok. Not too shabby! If you’re looking to buy or rent an apartment or condo in Thailand, the value is even more evident as you can get much more for your money in the Land of Smiles.
5) Any water, including ice will make you sick
False! First off, we do not recommend drinking water straight from the tap, however it is a common misconception that you must use bottled water to brush your teeth and shouldn’t touch a beverage with an ice cube in it. While there are some countries that it is advised/necessary to brush your teeth with filtered or boiled water, this is unnecessary in Thailand. In fact, in an article by TheLoop, Thailand was actually deemed the country with the fifth-best tap water, behind Canada, Germany, the USA and Egypt. Because of this, a tap ice cube won’t kill you but almost everywhere that serves food in Thailand uses manufactured ice cubes anyway which are made with distilled and filtered water.
Hopefully these debunked myths will give you more motivation to either visit, or feel more comfortable in Thailand. For extra tips on what to know about Thailand, check out our blog post, How Not to Embarrass Yourself in Thailand. Important stuff!