Working on Cruise Ships

There are things that you can or can not do when you find yourself traveling alone in a foreign country like Thailand. Some are related to their culture, some to your own personal safety and some to money. So here are 10 things you shouldn’t do when you travel alone in Thailand:

1. Wear shorts or tops when visiting temples – You need have respect for their tradition and religion. Although Buddhist religion is a very tolerant one, when visiting their temples you need to have your legs covered as well as the shoulders, otherwise they won’t allow you inside. So, whenever you’re going to visit a temple, make sure you’re wearing long pants or skirt and a t-shirt or a shirt. And if you want to visit the Tiger Temple near Bangkok, wear neutral colors so you won’t make the tigers too nervous.

2. Buy food out off the streets – Trying the local food is a must when you visit Thailand, but don’t buy it off the streets, otherwise you risk spending the rest of your vacation in bed with food poisoning and I am sure you don’t want that.

3. Walk alone at night – Needless to say that walking all alone on the streets at night is not safe, no matter which country you’re visiting. Just don’t do it. Use taxis instead, they are cheap and you can find them anywhere in Bangkok. Don’t forget to ask the taxi driver to start the meter otherwise they will charge you double.

4. Shop in the big malls for souvenirs – Might seem convenient to have everything in one place, but shopping in the malls is a big mistake. You can find the same things on the street markets or shops and it’ll cost you a lot cheaper. Besides, you can’t bargain in the malls and that’s the whole fun of shopping in Bangkok.

5. Go in bars or clubs at night – If you really want to have a drink late at night you better use the hotel’s facilities. Going by yourself in a bar or club at late hours isn’t safe and you better leave it for when you’re with friends.

6. Drink – And by that I mean having one too many. Besides the heat that will make you feel really sick, drinking too much might make you a pray for thieves. Just like going out in clubs, leave it for when you’re with friends.

7. Visit places outside Bangkok without a tour guide – Getting lost in the city is ok since you can take a taxi anytime and go back to your hotel, but getting lost outside the city is not advisable because taxis are hard to find and few local people know English. Remember, there are no directions in English anywhere in Bangkok or around it, so if you want to go and visit places outside the city, you better go with a group and tour guide.

8. Use tuk-tuks – if you need transportation in Bangkok, use taxis instead of tuk-tuks. Tuk-tuk drivers have an understanding with the shop owners and instead of bringing you to your destination, they will try and get you to a particular shop and make you buy things that you don’t really want to buy. Besides, they are much more expensive than the taxis and they have no air con and believe me, being stuck in traffic in a tuk-tuk with no ventilation or protection from the pollution and sun is not something you want to experience. In my opinion, tuk-tuks are good only for short distances, but make sure to bargain before going into one and tell the drivers you don’t want any other stops but where you want to go.

9. Trust people too much – Making friends is great, but you need to be cautious about it. Not all of them have good intentions, some will try to get you into their hotel rooms, some will try to get you drunk, and some will try to rob you. That doesn’t mean you have to be scared of anybody who says hi to you, just use your common sense and be careful.

10. Go outside without putting sunscreen lotion – Thailand is a really hot country and you can get sun burned in a matter of hours if you don’t use sun protection lotion. Even if you go outside for a short while, use it otherwise you’ll end up looking like a lobster.

Labels: travel