Last Updated on 08/06/2024

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Planning to travel to Thailand? It’s important to be aware of culture in Thailand and how visitors can show respect to locals and their customs and traditions. Having lived in Thailand twice, for around 7 years now, these are the common things that it is important to be aware of when visiting Thailand. 

Thai people are, of course, not a monolith and some of them may feel very strongly about visitors following the below customs while others may be more relaxed. These are the general rules to follow to make sure you are not offending any locals. 

• Don’t point the soles of shoes at people. Sitting with your legs crossed on transport with the bottom of your shoe pointing at anyone is considered disrespectful. Avoid stretching your legs out when in a taxi, minivan or a tuktuk and pointing your feet at the driver. If you have bare feet it is generally more acceptable although be careful in temples and near Buddha statues. When sitting down in a temple, sit crossed legged or mermaid style with your bare feet pointing away from Buddha.  Moving things with your feet is also frowned upon.
• Don’t wear shoes into someone’s house. This also applies to certain shops where the owners live in or above it. If you see flipflops outside a small convenience store on an island then do the same.
• Cover your shoulders and knees when you are in a temple. This applies to both men and women. Some religious places are stricter, such as the Grand Palace in Bangkok and many temples visited by tourists will offer sarongs (scarves) for visitors to wrap around them during their visit. 
• Ask multiple people for directions. If you are lost, Thai people are always willing to help. However, if they do not know the place you are going, they are often reluctant to say ‘I don’t know’ and may send you off in the wrong direction. Ask a couple of people, just to be sure. 
• Rainy season – It is not uncommon to see adults with plastic bags on top of their heads in rainy season, or even plastic bags wrapped around their feet. 
• In Thailand it is hot and humid and the pace of people walking is very, very slow. Bear this in mind if you need to get somewhere quickly in a crowd. 
• Generally confronting people, shouting and losing your temper will only reflect badly on you. Thais are generally patient, non-confrontational and understanding. Try to be patient, explain the situation and keep calm, known as jai yen in Thai.
• Traffic in Thailand can be an absolute nightmare. In Bangkok and Chiang Mai, try to avoid taking taxis or tuktuks during rush hour and there can often be traffic at random times of the day for seemingly no reason. This worsens during rainy season so allow plenty of time to get to airports or your destination and use the trains in Bangkok where possible – the BTS and MRT. For more on Bangkok read here.
• Be wary of animal abuse. Unfortunately it is rife in Thailand so never ride an elephant, spend time with a ‘tame’ tiger or pay to take a photo with a captive monkey. I have a whole post here about how to see wildlife ethically in Thailand. 

• You will see two prices for various activities and in national parks. There is a ‘Thai price’ for locals and a ‘foreign price’ for foreigners. Please bear in mind that the average local Thai salary is 300 baht a day Bitching about the difference between ‘Thai price’ and ‘foreign prices’. If you know one of these people then please enlighten them. Minimum wage in Thailand is approximately 300 baht/£6.40/$8 a day. It is because of this double pricing that many Thais can afford to travel in their own country so please be understanding of this. If you are on a budget in Thailand, then read my tips here. 
• Haggle with a smile. Market shopping in Thailand is a pleasure and always haggle for prices politely. If the price is already written on an item then that is usually the fixed price for it. However, if you buy more than one you can sometimes get a discount. Think about what you would be willing to pay for the item and go from there. If do happen to overpay for an item, then it will rarely be for more than 100 baht/£2/$2.70. Read more about Bangkok markets and more

• Taking taxis in Thailand can sometimes be a challenge. There are a lot of taxi scams and taxi drivers have been kept on a very low wage in recent years so can try it on. Make sure they stick to the meter if you are taking a meter taxi. Note there are some additional costs from airports and you should be told about this when taking an airport taxi. In Bangkok all toll roads are paid for by the customer and taxis will often ask you if you want the highway/tollway or not. For the best taxi apps to download then check out the best apps for Thailand here. 

• Taking taxis in Phuket can be very expensive and every now and then the taxi apps get blocked there. Bear this in mind when booking taxis and you also have the option of shared minivans from the airport which make travel much more affordable in Phuket. 
• Thailand is called the Land of Smiles for a reason, people smile a lot here. Do note that Thai people will often smile for reasons other than happiness. I’m a teacher and if I tell off a Thai student then they may smile at me. This is not them being insolent or thinking the situation is funny, they are simply smiling because they are embarrassed or feeling guilty. This is a really helpful tip that I was first told when I came to teach in Thailand. 
• Never criticise the monarchy in Thailand, it carries severe punishment of jail time. It is best to not discuss the monarchy at all in public. Even stepping on a bank note that is flying away from you can be considered disrespectful because the bank note contains an image of the king. 
• In Thai culture it is not common to tip. However, as minimum wage is low, many foreigners and affluent Thais will tip in taxis and restaurants. A little goes a long way and even 20-50 baht is helpful. In massage salons it is very common to tip, usually half the amount of your massage again. If I have a 250 baht massage, I would tip the masseuse 100 baht. 

Have I missed anything out that should be included in my cultural dos and dont’s? Please leave me a comment below!