how safe is travel generally in thailand..i,am a single,male
traveller who is going there in august. any tips on how to
travel safely,situations and places to avoid.
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I have been to Thailand over 30 times during past 18 years
and never had an incident. Take normal precautions, when
you go out do not carry more money than you need, (there
are pickpockets, often by beautiful "women" who are not what
they appear to be!!! I never carry my wallet, passport or
excess funds whenever I go out. Lock them in a hotel safe.
Exercise normal precautions and do not be too quick to
trust anyone no matter how charming or convincing they
may be and you will be ok.
I worked in Thailand for 5 years (3 in full-time
residence). I traveled literally all over the country (40+
provinces) mostly on my own and had no problems. Similarly,
I've been literally all over Bangkok (i.e., beyond the
usual tourist places) and no problems. Thais are more
paranoid about crime than most visitors (who often read too
much into the relatively easy vibes). The truth is
somewhere in between. I always followed the "protocol" I
learned living in large US cities---stick to peopled, well-
lit areas (not hard), avoid panhandlers and strangers who
approach you.
x
The Bangkok Thais carry wallets in their front pants
pockets, which is better than getting paranoid about using
safes---this is what I did. I always carried my passport in
a hip pack--get one big enough for a map and a small phrase
book (the LP is a good one) and you're set. You will get
hustled in touristy parts of Bangkok (Grand Palace is the
worst, Silom/patpong cna be a problem, too). In these seem
places, you also may have to deal with taxi scams--always
ask for the meter (get out if they don't turn it on) and
hail taxis a a block or so away from tourist-land.
x
The real ripoffs occur with unscrupulous guest houses (esp.
in Chaing Mai--go with a personal recommendation), slimy
travel agents (esp. Khao San Road), etc. You'll do fine
away from the usual tourist/backpacker areas (Chiang mai,
Phuket, pattaya, Ko samui, Ko Phi Phi, etc). If you avoid
these places (which tend to be schlocky and overrated,
anyway), you'll generally be treated very well and actually
see what the country and its people are all about. You'll
also see some great sights.
do not accept any drink or food (no matter how innocent it
appears) from a stranger. An acquintance woke up in
hospital after being drugged and robbed by a very
respectable looking man on a bus..he offered her a biscuit.
Are they still pulling that drugged drink trick on
travellers? It is extremely rare, but it has been around for
more than 20 years. It used to be found almost only in the
south, near the Malaysian border. The Thais naturally
claimed the thieves were from Malaysia, though who really
knows.
I've been in Thailand on and off (mostly on) since 1973, and
one time had my pocket picked on a crowded bus. (Didn't lose
much, but I did regret the loss of some personal items.)
The drink scam has surfaced here at least once in the past
year. Still, I've met many people in my travels and I don't
remember anyone mentioning this to me as first or second
hand experience. Perhaps because it's in the guidebooks,
people who want to seem knowledgeable, quote it.....Along
these lines, I once had a young Aussie backpacker lecture
me on prostitution and HIV in Northern Thailand...he was
repeating, almost verbatim, what was in the LP guide...the
text in the guide was largely material that I had sent to
Joe Cummings...this is why I think people need to consider
how "authentic" word of mouth develops.
be careful sucking nipples in pattaya, they can be drugged
as well. rumour has it they got the dose wrong a year or so
ago and killed a few people - but they were only germans so
the thais didn't count that.
Things should be OK, but be careful if you are thinking
about immersing yourself in the local culture (ie. looking
for some pussy). Prostitutes here may lots of tricks up
their sleeves and you need to be especially careful. I even
heard about prostitutes who rubbed drugs into their
nipples, so that when you had a bit of a suck, you would be
out like a light before you knew it (and wake up with
everything missing).
Thailand's brilliant and I have never had a bad experience -
although as a precaution the night before I fly out I unpack
and repack my backpack from the beginning to the end. Too
many customs stories of travellers 'accidently' finding
drugs etc... I just don't want any surprises...