I want to go to Thailand ! Is it safe?

     I always get asked the same questions about my travels to Thailand . I am by no means an expert I have yet to live there and I don’t know all the tips and tricks to make your trip super safe and easy . All I can do is give the answers to the questions that I am asked over and over . The most common one is , is it safe to travel around by yourself? other questions being , can you get by not speaking the language , what do you eat , is it expensive , do you get scammed , how do you get around ? Ill do my best to cover these questions in this post .Eventually I will be making my Thai tips videos for the Fight Chase YouTube channel so keep an eye out. 

• Is it SAFE???

   Now this can be a loaded question .I feel safe in most places . It is rare I feel unsafe and its not normally because of a place , more so a shifty person or group that you have to keep an eye out for . Is it safe? my answer would be yes ! I have walked everyplace I have visited in Thailand at any hour of the day or night . Downtown Bangkok at 4am or the side streets in Pattaya . I am not intimidated by being alone or not 100% sure of where I am lol. Yes i do have lots of tattoos and to some I look like a guy not to mess with . I truly believe if you are secure and not acting like a victim or someone that can easily be taken advantage of then it does not happen. Yes there is always exceptions and I have run into a couple situations but honestly its only been other foreigners that have had to much to drink and I am definitely not impressed by liquid courage . I have never had any situation or argument with a Thai. I know a lot of people that have . Here is my advice. BE RESPECTFUL !!!! this is not a hard concept to most , but again far to often liquid courage comes into play and I guarantee you will lose . The first fight that Kurt and I had seen was 2 large drunk Farang talking shit to 1 Thai guy and as soon as the Thai man was touched the 2 men were kicked and punched from every direction like it was a crazy Jackie Chan movie. So watch yourself .You are in their country be respectful. I had a friend tell me before I went over the first time ” If a Thai gets mad and starts a fight no matter whose fault , smile say sorry and walk away” I now tell this to everyone that goes to Thailand it’s solid advice.

• Do you speak Thai ?

     Honestly this will matter where you plan on going . Bangkok , I have had no problem most people that you come into contact speak english . Taxis , hotels ,restaurants , stores all have english speaking employees . Some places up North I have found english to be less common . If you are in a tourist friendly area you can almost always count on english speaking Thais and even the street signs are going to be in english until you are out of general tourist areas . I don’t speak Thai but I do suggest using sawasdee khrap for male ,sawasdee khaa for female ( hello or general greeting ) . This is the common greeting you will hear everywhere and even if you are not saying it totally right I have found out that most Thai appreciate that you are making the attempt .  Also Koopkhun khrap for male .Koopkhun khaa for female (thank you ) . Other than that the more you know the better you are and easier for negotiations and to make life easier.

• What do you eat ?

     Great question . Most people that like to travel to places in Southeast Asia like that type of food and to be honest I am an american guy that really never exposed myself to a lot of asian food .So let me break it down . I could if I wanted , to eat western food at 90% of the places I have been . Pizza is almost everywhere . from Pizza hut to The Pizza Co. big chain restaurants run through most cities. also Mcdonalds and KFC are a staple in most cities I have seen a few dominos and Carls Jr in Bangkok. On to street food !! honestly my favorite are street car vendors you can get BBQ meat on a stick , noodles fresh fruit and smoothies . The food if great , make sure they recook the meat to help not get food poisoning . Been there done that . Thai food , well its Thailand most restaurants in tourist areas have a western side of the menu and a thai food side so you are safe. So honestly food is the least of your worries . Eat and enjoy !

• Is Thailand expensive?

Well do you want to live like you do at home in the states ? Eating western food and in a large international chain hotel? If so well you will spend western money to eat and about half of what you would pay for an equivalent room at home . Thai food and street food is inexpensive western food is western price . Just because we are in Thailand does not mean McDonalds is only a dollar . It’s about the same price . Rooms I stay at nice rooms with air con and wifi ,tv ,pool and mini fridge for 15-30 USD a night depending on the season . Like I said the Downtown Bangkok international hotels can get up there in price but honestly 200USD would be like a high end sweet . I use an online booking website (they don’t pay me so I won’t promote it lol) but I normally book just my first few nights or a week, before I leave the states . Then I let my trip plan itself ! Movies are cheap and entertainment is not the same cost as the states . I have not been to a nightclub that has had a cover charge yet . Do your research on airfare also . As far as I am concerned Thailand is not expensive at all . I also know many people that travel even cheaper than me . 

• Do you get scammed ?

     Do I get scammed lol … I do my best not to but there are some very good scam artist in Thailand . So yes I am sure it has happened. Now on that note I have learned lots of these scams and learned how to avoid or to negate this from happening . The first one that you will run into in Bangkok almost 100% sure is a taxi trying to give you a ride without a meter . They will charge upwards of 5 to 10 times the amount if you just agree to a price and not have them use a meter . So request a meter if they say it is broken get another cab. Now you will find out that counterfeit goods from Beats by Dre to Nike shoes CK underwear all for sale everywhere guess what they are fake lol. So if you do want to buy any of these just don’t pay anything close to the first price. I cut the price in half and work from there. At some point I will walk away and that will normally get me the lowest price. You will 100% pay more than Thais . So if it seems to good , like a “free show . or free drinks beware there is always a catch and you do not want to be on the wrong side of a bar dispute . You will lose.  If you have some street smarts you will be ok , also when you are getting scammed in Thailand you really are only getting scammed maybe 10 or 20USD .

• How do I get around 

     Transportation is abundant in every place I have visited from the pink cabs of Bangkok the TukTuks of Phuket and motorbike taxis in between . Step one know where the hell you are trying to go lol. If you ask a taxi or tuk tuk driver take you someplace cool you will end up at some gem store or suite shop scam . Figure out where you want to go and then use google maps. I love to walk so if its a nice day and under a few miles I will walk . A taxi will be available on a meter in Bangkok but not most other cities . they will negotiate a flat price and it will be high . The TukTuk is the tourist way to get around and that’s the price you normally pay . They can sometimes be quicker than a cab . A motorbike taxi is by far the cheapest private transport and quickest but holy hell if you want to feel safe this probably is not for you . It was not for me until my last few trips . You see so many motorbike accidents and they are never good . So fast not all that safe . Some areas like Pattaya have what they call a baht bus . its 10bht and you can get on and off where you need in the circle of the main areas that the small pick up trucks fitted with bench seats travel . So travel is not that hard and think of this even if you get scammed in BKK for a taxi from the airport that was and hour and a half ride you probably only paid 30USD and try that in NYC . Also UBER and Lyft are in most areas along with private cars for hire. 

     All in all , don’t let fear of the unknown hold you back from anything in life. If you stay in your comfort zone you are going to miss out on the most amazing people and places in the amazing world we have . So as all my IG posts are tagged #getoffthecouch #seeheworld #livelife !!