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General Travel Tips

Currency: The Thai currency is the Baht. The smallest coins are called stang, pronounced SA-TUNG (100 stang = 1 Baht), but only 25 and 50 stang coins are available. Bank notes are: 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000.

If you need to change money when you arrive at the airport, change only enough to get you to town. There are plenty of money changers in town who will give you a much better exchange rate than at the airport. And change your money at the exchange booths. They give you a much better rate than the banks.

Whenever you change money make sure you ask for a receipt. You may be asked to produce receipts at the airport as you leave.

You can bring in and take out any amount of foreign currency. But you will need authorization from the Bank of Thailand to take out more than 50,000 Baht.

VAT Tax: The government will refund any VAT tax you pay as long as you keep the receipts and present them to the VAT refund counter at the airport before you leave, or at most department stores and duty free shops.

Time Zone: Thailand is 7 hours ahead of GMT (GMT+7). But once you step off the plane at the airport you have entered a completely different time zone: What we call "Thai Time", or "Rubber Time". This means that any appointment you make will not be the actual time of that appointment. If you turn up on time, (highly unlikely with all the traffic) the person you are meeting probably will be late. They too, will blame the traffic. This can be disconcerting at first, but you soon get used to it. Just be prepared for a short wait whenever you arrive for an appointment on time.

Electricity and appliances: All electrical appliances in Thailand use 220V AC electricity, and nothing is earthed. If you are bringing appliances from the USA or Australia, be prepared to invest in a transformer, or a plug adapter.

If you bring computers from other countries it is almost impossible to get them serviced here, whether they are under warranty or not. If you do have trouble, we recommend you contact Holt WorldWide Co Ltd at Tel. 0 2693 4146, Fax 0 2693 4147, Email: sales@holtww.com. We speak English and Thai.

Other Social Considerations: Thais remove their shoes before entering a house, and sometimes even when they enter a business office. When should you remove them? Any time you are going to enter a temple, and most homes. (You should also avoid stepping on the raised step at the bottom of any temple door, as this is considered bad luck.) If you see a pile of shoes outside a door, take your shoes off before entering.

Thailand is 90% Buddhist. Because of this, they consider the head to be the most sacred part of the body. You should never touch a Thai on the head without asking their permission first, and then only for a very good reason. This applies to children as well. If you go for a hair cut, your barber will beg your pardon for touching your head before starting work.

The other big No-No is pointing your feet at someone. This is considered the worst insult possible. The foot is considered the dirtiest and lowest part of the body.

Road Manners: Drivers in Bangkok are in a hurry to get where they want to go. Since everyone is in a hurry, they tend to seek out any space they can squeeze into which will edge them just a little closer to their destination. And because of this, the traffic does not flow freely. Cars, motor bikes, trucks, and buses all compete for any available space. The traffic frequently grinds to a halt. And the traffic police don't help. They control the lights and will favor one street over another in some cases. Sometimes, it can take 40 minutes or more in one line waiting for a green light. This makes driving in Bangkok particularly stressful.

If you want to go anywhere take a taxi. Let the driver take care of the traffic so that you can sit back, relax and enjoy the scene(ry). Take a cassette tape of music you like if you don't want to listen to Thai music or the news blasted in 100 MPH Thai at you. Ask the driver before you get in if he will let you play your tape. Most will agree. If not, look for another taxi. The driver may even like your choice of music so much that he will ask for the name of the artist so he they can buy the tape for himself. Give him the tape as a tip if you like.

Taxis: Bangkok taxis are usually small Japanese cars. But there are plenty of them and prices are reasonable. Now that we have metered taxis, getting into one is much faster and easier. There is no need to negotiate a price in advance. Just get in and make sure the driver turns the meter on. If he doesn't, get out immediately and don't pay anything. If you stay in, he will charge you whatever he feels like, or if you bargain the price with him you will finish up paying much more than the standard meter price. The starting price on the meter is 35 Baht.

Your driver will probably ask if you would like to visit a massage parlour or jewelry shop. Decline any offers like this politely. It is better to find your own way around. Get a copy of Bangkok Metro Magazine to find out what's on and where to go in Bangkok. The free tourist guide, 'Thailand This Week' is available in most hotel lobbies. Get a copy and refer to it frequently.

Most tourists will want to try out a Tuk-Tuk ride at some time. The Tuk-Tuk is a Thai invention and consists of a 3 wheel vehicle powered by a motorcycle engine, with a canvas canopy and a bench seat behind the driver. Go ahead and try one, but try to make your journey a short one. These vehicles are very frisky and have been known to go swimming in khlongs, barking up trees, racing with 10 wheel trucks (and losing), ducking under buses, and falling over and taking a rest in the middle of the road during a U-turn. Your driver will usually be an uneducated Esarn (Eastern Thailand) rice farmer who has just arrived in town. He probably won't speak any English, and he will try and take you for a financial ride as well. The average price for a one block trip (the most you should consider) is 20 Baht. The rule here is, Bargain, Bargain, Bargain that price!

Business Information: Most business offices in Bangkok operate on a five-day week basis. Government offices are generally open between 8.30 AM and 4.30 p.m. with a break for one hour at noon, Monday through Friday, except on public holidays. Many stores open 12 hours a day, seven days a week. The department stores have sales where you can pick up great bargains discounted by up to 80%.

If you are coming here for business, the Department of Export Promotion (DEP) has a permanent exhibition at their building on Ratchadapisek Road. There are more than 250 exhibitors showing a wide range of Thai manufactured products: Gift items and handicrafts, all kinds of furniture, toys, leather products, artificial flowers, garments, food products, construction materials, auto parts, hardware, tools and appliances, stationery, sporting equipment, and much more. DEP staff are very friendly and helpful and can provide a variety of services to help make doing business in Thailand easy. For example, they will arrange appointments with any companies you would like to visit, as well as provide negotiating rooms with full office facilities. All of the Permanent Exhibition's services are free of charge. For more information visit their website at http://www.thaitrade.com, or contact the Department of Export Promotion, Ratchadapisek Road, Bangkok at: Tel: +66 2513-1909, Fax: +66 2513-1713. Your Thai Trade Centre or a Commercial Counsellors Office at the nearest Royal Thai Embassy in your own country will also be able to help you.

If you are staying at an International standard hotel in Bangkok, you will have access to their business center with a full range of services, including Fax, secretarial service, word processing, phone and Internet access.

Bangkok has a few temporary office services. You can rent a fully equipped office from as little 6,000 Baht a month until you find your own office space. They advertise in most Tourist magazines and English language newspapers.

Office space rental fees have tumbled since the recession and very good bargains are available now.

Internet Access: Major hotels all provide hi-speed internet access in the room these days. There are plenty of Internet cafes around Bangkok and at all major tourist centers throughout Thailand. You will find Internet access booths at the World Trade Center and across the road near the Big C supermarket. If you bring your notebook computer with you, buy an Internet startup kit at any computer or department store. The startup kits are available in a range of access times.

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