Thailand Tips

My stay in Bangkok and Pattaya may have been very limited, but nevertheless, time did not hinder me from enjoying my stay in such beautiful and organised places. Now, let me just give you a few tips to give you a smooth sailing.

AIRPORT

Take a good note as to where your baggages must be retrieved
The Suvarnabhumi Airport is located in an 8,400-acre land, which caters a lot of counters, sections, restrooms and different areas. It's also quite tiring to walk around in circles, trying to figure out, where in that vast location is your luggage.

Foreign currency exchange stalls are every where
To save a lot of time and effort, you may opt to visit any one of them and have your currency converted to Thai Baht.

Food chains
The long walks and wait might deplete your energy, but no worries, for the airport houses a wide variety of food chains. The location of the food stalls depends on the area:

International Departure = Level 4

Main Terminal = Level 3 and Level 6

Domestic & Transfer Area = Level 2

Main Terminal and Baggage Claim Area = Level 2

For the more specific list of dining spots. Click here

Free maps and sim card
Grab a hold of free maps and a sim card. Well, the maps are the necessary ones. These handy yet helpful pieces of glossy paper can be a lifesaver. It is embedded with information around the city from landmarks to hotel phone numbers, and if it wasn't for those advertisements, the maps wouldn't be that big. Never mind, it's foldable.

TRANSPORTATION

From the airport

Public Taxi
If your hotel/transient residence's location is a couple minutes drive from the airport, you may take this option, to save you time and effort, especially when you have a lot of extra baggages with you.

The taxis are and should be metered. If the taxi driver is trying to bargain with you by offering you a one time-big time rate for your journey, just politely decline and find another one.

Here's the rate to be considered:

Metered fare + airport surcharge fee (50 baht) + expressway fee

Car Rental

This option is good IF, you carry a lot of baggages, at least 5 people in the group, and the place where you'll be staying is far.

They offer a flat rate, regardless, where your destination will be, for as long as it is in Bangkok. You may also choose between a sedan and a van.

Airport Rail Link

The airport provides 2 transit options:

Subway Link (Blue Line)

Pretchaburi Station to MRT (Subway)

Sky Train

Phayathai Station for BTS Sukhumvit Line

This option is considerably, faster and cheaper.

photo from Simply Thailand Tours

Head over to google maps to check if your location's near any of the stations of the rail link.

Around the city

Tuktuk and Taxi

One is a locale transportation medium, capable of giving you an unhindered view while dabbling the mixed air and pollution of the city. The other one, is modern and can lift your heavy items with ease. 

As to which is the better, I highly suggest the latter.

When riding taxis, ALWAYS, ALWAYS tell the driver to use the meter. Otherwise, they're going to give you a price, high enough to build another Temple of Dawn.

They do not ask for tips and they give you the best route possible, for as long as you and I understand each other with regard to the route.

Out-of-town trips

From Bangkok to Pattaya, the most convenient way would be is to rent a van. A must tip is that the driver should know how to speak both in Thai and English. Second, he must know all the possible routes and the places. Lastly, his services must not have an additional hidden charges.

Our driver happened to be a fellow kababayan, who has been living in Bangkok for 12 years. He's multilingual (Tagalog, Thai, English) and he's the one who plotted our itinerary to save us time. Our first itinerary was much of a fail because we were trying to squeeze in several places within 8 hours, including the travel time. Plus, he gave us the best package possible.

If you're coming to Thailand, he offers lots of packages, so be sure to check him out.

Etc

• Ask for a card from the hotel receptionist of the hotel where you're staying. Keep it and show it to the taxi/tuktuk driver so he'll know where to drop you off.
• Save a copy of the places where you'll be staying, in your phone or have it printed on a paper. Make sure it's readable. Remember, the name of the place must be in both in Thai and English language. Unless, you can speak their mother tongue or you want to exempt yourself from all the headaches of having to do all the gestures.

photo from google maps

• Do not litter
• If you're going to Thailand for the sole purpose of importing goods to your country, then I suggest to pick a place anywhere in the vicinity of Pratunam. Located there are the malls and market stalls that offer their products at a low price.
• Bangkok is a busy yet developing country. Expect traffic at 12 midnight.