Don’t Visit Bangkok Without Knowing These 10 Tips!

A lot of the Thai don't speak English, bow a little bit, that'll really impress them. Some places they have strict dress codes, carry the address of the hotel written down on a business card or a piece of paper. You want to drink bottled water, don't go for the tap water, I don't recommend that at all. Great bargain on some clothing, some home items. Bangkok, chaotic, colorful, and completely unforgettable, but only if you know the tricks. And first timers, listen up. Your dream trip could quickly turn into a nightmare if you're not prepared. Let's make sure you're ready. And stick around, because my final tip is the one that saved me hours of frustration on my first trip, and it could save yours too. Later I'll share with you one transport hack that makes navigating Bangkok's chaos a breeze. I don't want you to underestimate the heat and humidity here in the Big Mango. The humidity can make even the most seasoned travelers wilt. So what I want you to do is get around this problem by packing and carrying little wipes like this along with you to wipe off the sweat when you're out there in the heat and humidity. Have cool wipes, or what I see that's popular now in Southeast Asia are these USB charged little battery pack fans that you can cool yourself off with as you're walking around seeing all the beautiful sights around Bangkok. And if it just becomes too much, well, duck into an air conditioned coffee shop or mall because they're all around the capital here. Remember, we can't beat the heat in Bangkok, but we can outsmart it. Relying on taxis and walking everywhere, well, Bangkok's traffic is infamous and its sidewalks, well, they're not exactly tourist friendly. So do you remember when I said I have a travel hack that will help you beat the chaos of Bangkok's traffic? Well here it is for you. Use the BTS SkyTrain, that train that you see everywhere crisscrossing the city. Use that as your go-to method of transportation. Also the Underground Subway, the MRT. Those are great, air conditioned, and cover most of the city. Your other options for getting around, well, the Grab ride hailing app. That's similar to Uber and even better because you can not only get taxis in there, you can order food and you can also get the old motorbike taxis. Now motorbike taxis are great, but they're not for the faint of heart, so be careful on those. I recommend using the motorbike taxis for short trips. Use a regular vehicle car taxi for the longer trips, or what's best is the old BTS SkyTrain. The Bangkok traffic, well, it'll test your patience, but the SkyTrain, it'll save your sanity. A mistake would be assuming everywhere you go here in Bangkok, they're going to take credit cards, but small shops, street food vendors, and taxis, well, they're only going to take cash. In Bangkok, cash just isn't king, it's survival. So what I want you to do is make sure when you land in Bangkok is you pull out plenty of cash from the old ATM bank machine and don't accept their conversion. Use your own bank's conversion and try to withdraw as much as you can every time because that way you're not going to have to run to the bank machine often and you're saving yourself on what you're going to be hit with is the old bank machine fee, maybe like 200 Thai Baht, which is something like five US dollars. Cash will be used almost everywhere you go and you can get away with credit cards in the bigger shops. I love these Vespas buzzing around everywhere in Bangkok. You can get away with credit cards in those bigger shops, the more modern coffee shops, and yeah, of course, the shopping malls. Wearing inappropriate clothing, especially for temples, is a massive mistake. Thai culture values modesty and in some places they have strict dress codes. Look, we're in the walls of this beautiful temple here. Even if it's under construction, it's still quite amazing. In Bangkok, you're going to find temples everywhere. So what I want you to do is keep these rules in mind. Always cover your shoulders and knees when you're visiting inside the temples. Also, make sure you take off your shoes. A good tip is to wear some comfortable shoes for all the walking around you're going to be doing in Bangkok and considering the temples, you might want to have some sandals or yeah, I've started wearing Crocs or some Crocs that you can easily slip on and off to make it faster going in and out of the temples and some socks if you'd like as well. Just keep these things in mind. Bangkok, as long as you dress the part, you're going to earn those smiles that the Thai are famous for. Now guys, I don't want you to be wearing around those tank tops or not a shirt at all when you're going around the city. The other day I was in a food market and all the office workers were in there eating, a little outdoor food market and sure, it's hot and humid, but there's a guy there with this shirt completely unbuttoned, I think from the United States or Australia and it just was disrespectful and I could see the looks on the office workers around him looking kind of uncomfortable but not saying anything because they're too polite, the Thai, but you push them too far and they'll call you out. Also going back to the heat and humidity, a way to beat it, pack things, clothes that are lightweight, lightweight cottons, raylon, that material, those clothing items, they're going to save you when you're out and about. It's a mistake to assume everywhere you go in Bangkok, people are going to speak English. That might be the case in the tourist areas, at your hotels, but you're going to find outside of those areas, off the beaten path, a lot of the Thai don't speak English or they only know a few phrases in English, so what I want you to do is come prepared. I love this about Bangkok, the mix of the good prices everywhere you go, street food, and then you have a Tesla parked here, you have a Tesla parked over there, and then I think we got a BMW 7 Series up here, I love BMWs. So what I want you to do is learn a few phrases before, oh wow, look at this, I think this is a coffee roastery shop right here, learn a few phrases before you come to Thailand and to Bangkok, and you may say, hey, jeez Gregor, I'm on vacation, I want to speak English, why do I need to learn another language? I'm not asking you to learn another language, this is something I ask for all the travelers, for any country they visit, know a few key phrases, how to say hello, thank you, that can go a long way and helps you integrate just that little bit with the culture. You're not going to be one of the locals, and I don't want you to be one of the locals, we're tourists, but it's part of the pleasure of traveling, at least for me, there's that BMW and there's that other Tesla over there. So a few phrases, hello, sawadikap, sawadika if you're a woman, krap if you're a man, thank you, kapun krap, kapun krap, or kapun ka if you're a woman, that's hello and thank you, that's going to go a long way. A phrase I learned recently, sabai di mai, that means how are you, sabai di mai, krap if you're a man, ka if you're a woman, and then if you're out shopping, you can point to something and say ani, ani, this one, this one, and go ahead and laugh at my Thai pronunciation, but just like in Italian, I'm learning, people laugh at me, and hey, at least you make the effort, and then you can say tau rai, tau rai, how much, how much, and what I've been doing lately is also learning my numbers, nung, song, sam, si, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, and then it goes on from there, ho, jed, ped, gao, sip, sip et, and so on, twenties, yisip, and it keeps going and going, it's a great way, every time I pay for something, I use the numbers and I repeat the numbers, it just reinforces it in the old noggin, that is the BMW fan right here, anytime I can rent a BMW, I do it, I don't want to own one, I owned a 3 series before, Tesla, Tesla over there, so that's going to help go a long way and make your trip even that more pleasurable, a little bit of kapung krap can help open the doors for you, and who knows, it can even get you a discount, kapung krap, thank you very much, or just simply say krap, if you're a man, krap, or if you're a woman, go with your ka, I love it when they say ka, it's so polite and nice, the other thing, any country you visit, just like learning a few phrases, I want you to have your Google Translate app ready to rock on your phone, and download the language of the country you're going to, so I've downloaded Thai, so it's there, well, it's there locally on my phone, that's a phrase I've been learning lately, where's the bathroom, and have Thai, have English downloaded, so if you don't have an internet connection, Google Translate still works, they can read it, and then you can also play it, and they can hear it, and then they can talk back, you can translate it, it's great, if you haven't already worked that into your travel routine, do so, pro tip for you is carry the address of the hotel written down on a business card or a piece of paper in the local Thai language, that'll save you, especially late at night if you need to jump into a taxi, not using the ride hailing app, and you can show them the address written in Thai, now, skipping the markets, or not knowing how to negotiate for a great price, well, that can be a mistake, what I want you to do is go into those markets, and learn how to navigate them, and get the best bargains, so what I recommend is go visit places like the Chatuchak Market, that's a famous great market, it's beautiful, so much there on offer, and so many bargains to be had, what you do is start off by asking half the price of what they're asking for, and then you guys find a middle ground there, and you'll get a great bargain on some clothing, some home items, things like this, and watch out for the taxis on the show, that one startled me, there you go, that guy's going about his business delivering the tourists and the locals where they need to go, but at certain levels there are some places where you can do some bargaining, so bring your bargaining skills there as well, and get ready to find a good deal, around the MBK Center on the Sukhumvit line there, you're going to find the Siam Paragon Mall, you're going to find Central World, now these aren't places for bargaining at all, but these are places where you can do some great shopping, even better than what you're going to find back in the United States, Australia, wherever you're coming from, further up the Sukhumvit line, my favorite shopping mall, well, M Courtier, M Sphere, now in all these malls, what's great, not just the luxury shopping, and all the little items you can pick up, electronics, but usually every mall is going to have a level that's a food court, and often times it's in the basement level, or up on the highest level, and this is not like a food court you're going to find in your mall back in the United States, this is quality eating at a great price, so I don't want you to miss out on those bargains to be had, and I want you to navigate around the city, and learn how to find the best bargains, and indulge on your first trip in Bangkok. Skipping the street food in Bangkok out of fear of getting sick, well, you're missing out on one of the best things there is to do in Bangkok, eating street food, what I recommend for you to do is dive in head first, and try it out, there are a few things to keep in mind, go to those places with long lines, there you know the Thai, they enjoy that street food stall, and they're lining up and waiting with their time to get the food, see places that have high turnover, you don't want to go to the stalls where the food's been sitting there for a long time, some great places that have great street food scenes, well places like where I'm at right now, I'm in Chinatown, along Yellow Rat Road, that lights up at night, and in the day on the small soys, the alleyways, like what we have here, you're going to find some great food, also One Ratchada, that used to be the old night train market, the train market with all those colorful tents, now it's all white tents, really beautiful, go there, go to Chinatown, and dive in, enjoy, there are so many great plates you can have, of course you got the Pad Thai, you got the Pad Kra Pao, I can smell it right over there, she's blocking up all the chilies, you have the Som Tam, the papaya salad, you have all the curries as well, mango sticky rice, there's too much to get into right now, we've already talked about the malls and the food courts, those are great, and one thing I forgot to mention about those, they're air conditioned, and of course they're covered, so they're great for beating the weather in rainy season, and they're great for beating the heat in the hot season as well, and you get a great variety of food, keep in mind when you're traveling about Thailand and Bangkok here, you want to drink bottled water, don't go for the tap water, I don't recommend that at all, and everywhere you go, even in restaurants and such, you're going to find fruit juices, smoothies, every place makes them, even the high end restaurants, just remember, they by default will usually put in some sugar, so if you don't want sugar, I've learned the Thai phrase, and I suggest you learn it too, although it's not great, but it always brings a smile, Mai Sai Nom Tam, Mai Sai Nom Tam, Krap if you're a man, Ta if you're a woman, that's going to make sure they don't add in sugar. Ignoring the Thai customs and culture, because this country is steeped and rich in culture and little nuances and rules that we as tourists, as travelers, need to be aware of, crazy things, you might think of like stepping on currency, which is disrespectful to the king, or pointing at someone or a Buddha statue with your foot, I don't know who would do that, maybe you're into foot fetishes, but don't do that. When you come to a new country, just always keep in mind the little nuances and things that could upset someone. The local Thai will give us Falangs, Farangs, a little bit of leeway, but you push them too far, they're going to explode and they're going to point you out. You may say, well, I'm traveling, I'm on vacation, why do I have to do these things, well, you chose to come to this country, you need to follow a few basic guidelines and be respectful. The basic rule is, be respectful and Thailand will love you back. And as a foreigner, what you can do to take it that step further, when you're saying thank you, Krap, if you're a man, or Ka, if you're a woman, press your hands together and bow a little bit, the Y, that'll really impress them and it shows a lot of respect. Now, a lot of these things and so much more, I put together in a Bangkok e-guide that you can download, have in your pocket, offline for when you're traveling around the big mango. Things like where to stay, what to do, things to see. And I just released Thailand Untapped, jammed with information, detailed itineraries, packing tips and food recommendations. There's a link to download it in the description. Falling into overhyped and overpriced experiences. With a little bit of research, you can uncover Bangkok's hidden gems. So what I want you to do, I want you to follow some of these tips. Avoid those overhyped and overpriced rooftop bars. I made a whole nother video about them, visiting the most famous rooftop bars and they're great, but you're going to pay a lot of money for that cocktail with the view. At half the price, you can be a few floors down and Bangkok's full of so many great rooftop bars and you still get an amazing view. Temples, well, skip the big famous one, the Grand Palace. It's beautiful, but you're going to spend a lot and you're going to spend a lot of your precious travel time as well. If you want to see it, go do it. The Emerald Buddha's in there, but there's so many other little great temples and wats that you can explore. Wat Pho, which is near the Grand Palace, has almost a quarter of the amount of tourists that go in there to see the old reclining Buddha. Across the river, Wat Arun. That's amazing, especially at sunrise or sunset. And then one of my favorites, Wat Saket, the Golden Temple, it's really beautiful and not too many people go there. You climb all the way up there and you get a great view of Bangkok. And then the markets, well, there are the famous markets that everybody goes to, but then there are those food markets for clothes and such that not too many people go to. One that comes to mind that I really enjoy is the Wang Leng Market across the Chao Phraya River. You can easily do it with a boat taxi. You get across the Chao Phraya River and you have this beautiful market full of so many local eats and treats and not too many tourists as well. Remember, Bangkok rewards those who venture off the beaten path. Now, if you're enjoying all this content and you're planning a trip to Bangkok or you've been to Bangkok, well, do me a favor and hit the thumbs up down below. It helps me out so much. Also, have you subscribed? I see a lot of people haven't subscribed. Please don't miss out. Subscribe. That way you're not going to miss out on any upcoming content and you support me and the channel grow. Get it out to other travel and food lovers like ourselves. If you want exclusive content, well, I have a Patreon now with all sorts of behind the scenes footage, early bird. Hold on a second. Getting lost or being able to communicate, well, that's a big one and I'm worried about you. I want to make sure you're connected and you can stay online and you're easily traveling around. So, well, do you remember at the start of the video I said there's one tip that was the game changer for me on my first visit to Bangkok? Well, that was making sure I was connected to the internet and by that I mean having my phone always on mobile data, not relying on Wi-Fi and so that meant getting a local SIM card or maybe in your case an eSIM. What you need to do is do it as soon as you arrive in Bangkok at the airport. That's always my advice to any country you visit. Make sure you have an extra SIM card slot in your phone. If you don't, you take out your other SIM card. Make sure your phone is unlocked so you can use it outside of your home country. This specifically applies to the United States. So dual SIM card slots is great or one SIM card slot is fine, but you're going to have to take out your home SIM card and make sure your phone is unlocked. The other option is get an eSIM, both the physical SIM and the normal eSIM. Well, you can get those at the airport, but the beauty with the eSIM is that you can buy them online before you leave to start your travels. In that case, make sure your phone is eSIM compatible. You can look online and figure out how to do that. Sure, you can get here and rely on your hotel or your cafes or at the shopping mall for Wi-Fi, but that's not going to save you when you're out and about down these little streets and you need to navigate with Google Maps or you want to get a grab a ride, hell ride in a taxi or on a motorbike like Uber here in Thailand. You need to be online to do all of that. Remember, a connected traveler is a confident traveler. Bangkok just doesn't welcome you, it challenges you. Rise to the challenge and you'll fall in love with this incredible city. Bangkok is a city of contrast, chaos and calm, luxury and simplicity, but it's these contrasts that make the city so darn magical. Follow these tips and you'll make sure your first trip to Bangkok is unforgettable in a good way. Getting to Bangkok may be the hardest part for you and can set the tone of your entire trip, which is why I made a Bangkok Airport Guide, a whole video. Watch it here next. See you there.