Thailand | Know Before You Go
Deciding to move to Thailand as a US citizen was an easy decision for me personally.
I knew I wanted to live outside of the country and the country itself gave nothing short of a good reputation for any kind of traveler whether it be a solo woman, single parent, big family or anything in between.
Even with visiting a country, a lot of research can be expected so here are a few places to start and consider before leaving and making the trek to living abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Do you want to stay short term or long term?
If you want to stay short term or want to simply check out the country before your move, a 30 day visa on arrival which requires no planning ahead of time is your best bet. 30 day extensions are available, easily attainable and will provide you with 2 months to figure out where you want to be and what you want to do.
If you know you want a stay longer than 6 months, your best bet is to research the visas you can apply for here (https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand-visa/thailand-visa-types). Options include yearly education visas for learning the Thai language or Muay Thai, work or digital nomad visas, tourist visas, etc.
You cannot apply for a visa once you are in Thailand without paying extra fees that can sometimes cost a lot so it is definitely worth at least looking into before you leave home.
Where should I stay in Thailand?
Thailand has a variety of terrain - you can have island/beach life, live in one of the biggest cities in the world, be in the country or even in the mountains.
Overall the climate is subtropical so you can expect a decent amount of warmth no matter where you go but can look forward to cooler temps depending on times of year and placement within the country.
If you are looking for the least amount of warmth, the northern part of Thailand (Chiang Mai, Pai, Chiang Rai, Chiang Dao, etc) will offer decent breaks in the weather but be sure to skip smokey season (feb-april).
How do I get around in Thailand?
I found transportation in Thailand to be very easy to navigate no matter where I’ve gone or what city I’ve been in.
It is easy to hail a taxi, tuktuk or even to book a driver through transportation apps. The most common form of transport, that is not a personal self driven scooter and is similar to Uber or Lyft, is Grab.
The Grab app allows you to book a car or bike as transportation, order groceries and household items and even food from registered restaurants. There are also other transportation apps like Indrive, bolt, etc that can be cheaper but are not always as readily available.
If you choose to use a taxi or tuktuk, be sure to talk about prices before you leave your location and make sure the meter is on if available.
Do I need to learn Thai to survive in Thailand?
In short, the answer is no. I have been in Thailand for over 6 months and have gotten by perfectly HOWEVER it is not as easy to do so if your location is more on the remote side.
Apps like google translate can be helpful in some situations but I have come across times where I could not translate nor show pictures or even play charades in an attempt to communicate.
Give yourself grace if it happens and keep a positive attitude. Thai are very welcoming and love to teach you the language or even use English if they know it.
Overall, you are traveling to their country so I definitely recommend doing your best to learn the language so you can communicate on their level and integrate better into their lifestyle.
How do I pay for things?
I typically pay for everything in cash and withdraw large sums of money at a time whenever I'm in need and near an atm.
If you are able to get a Thai bank account, it will make your life 10x easier because they allow you to pay for most things through QR code and it may eliminate the atm fees.
If you cannot or don't want to obtain a bank account however, cash is your go to as most places do not take cards or charge high fees for usage when they do.
There is a currency exchange of about $30 baht to $1 US dollar. Bills include 1000, 500, 50 and 20 and the coins are 10, 5, 2, and 1 for the most part.
I recommend downloading a currency converter app for quick exchanges and/or until you understand how to use thai dollars and coins.
Watching videos on youtube was also very helpful for me but I didn't truly grasp the usage and conversions until physically paying for things when I arrived.
What are my options for accommodations?
Accommodations are bookable on most of the usual sites (expedia, tripadvisor, etc) but you can also book through agoda.com or booking.com. I have found those two to be the most affordable but be sure to check the validity of stay and reviews as with any other site.
Airbnb is also widely available especially for longer stays and some hotels offer monthly rates in addition to the daily. You will get better rates if you book directly through the hotels or in person as well.
If you are looking for a long term stay, I highly advise to check facebook marketplace for realtors as well as facebook groups for rentals in the city of your choosing.
If you are looking at Chiang Mai, there are a few groups like Chiang Mai Rental Properties *UNDER* 10,000 Per Month and sites like https://perfecthomes.co.th at your disposal.
If you’re looking at other cities, there are many groups and sites like those above that you can find through local expat facebook groups.
Renting in Thailand can be a very easy and quick process once you find the place you want to rent. Prices monthly can run as low as $150 USD for a studio to upwards of $1,000’s and beyond. Deposits shouldnt be more 2x rent and sometimes won't even require that much.
What excursions should I NOT get into?
With Thailand being a hotspot for elephants, it’s very important to research the companies and sanctuaries you are choosing to experience them with. There are a lot of not so good ones and a fair amount of reputable ethical sanctuaries and conservatories.
The same goes for the tiger excursions and really anything else concerning animals in captivity. Your dollar matters very much when it comes to giving it to who is able to care and provide for these animals so do your research.
How is driving a motorbike in Thailand?
In my personal experience of never having operated a motorcycle on the road, especially on the left side, driving has been very easy. I have written a more indepth blog on operating a scooter in Thailand and obtaining a license so for that, click here.
Extra tips on researching?
I am a major advocate for (drumroll please…) FACEBOOK GROUPS!!! If you use facebook for nothing else, use it for the facebook groups! There are some amazing traveling groups out there for expats of all kinds and some can get really specific!
There are 1,000s of people in these groups asking questions you might have or haven't even thought about yet! It is a great way to learn about the country/city/town/village and an even better way to meet like minded people, find out about events, etc.
I have seen groups for melanated people, single parents, families, moms, housing, jobs, visas, etc. If you are interested in a specific kind, feel free to reach out but a simple search “Expats in Thailand (or whatever country)” will usually be your best starting point to uncovering even more!
