Off of the top of my head, I can’t really think of too many safety trips that I’ve learned from my time in Thailand. It’s a pretty safe place, and the safety tips would be some fairly common sense ones: don’t walk around alone at night, don’t take drinks from strangers, don’t take drugs from strangers.
Some new ones:
If it looks like you’re about to be attacked by a pack of dogs, reach for the floor like you’re about to grab a rock and throw it at them. If you’re on a motorcycle taxi, keep your knees close to the bike, the drivers take sharp turns and get close to cars. If you’re driving a motorcycle or moped, start slow, and try not to let your bike fall to the floor. And if you don’t feel comfortable, don’t use one- falling off is a painful, painful injury with a lot of recovery time.
Travel tips are a bit easier to share:
Always bring plastic bags with you, everywhere. They’re good for dirty or wet clothes, pack covers, vomit, anything
Always pack a bathing suit
Always bring an extra set of clothes, or 3
DOUBLE CHECK FLIGHT TIMES
Whenever I’m sleeping with my bags in a public place, I tie them to myself with sweaters or whatever I have on hand
Buy an eye cover
Put sunscreen, shampoo, etc in a plastic bag. It will explode
Get a carabineer, bring it everywhere
Always have a lock attached to your bag, helpful for hostel lockers
DOUBLE CHECK FLIGHTS AGAIN
Check visa requirements before entering a country
Always check all mirrors when backing up rental cars in crowded parking lots
Take pictures of anything that you’ll rent, and always check how much gas is in
Fanny packs: fashionable, AND functional
Always bring 2 or 3 extra camera batteries
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PHONE IN A TAXI. DON’T DO THIS A SECOND TIME WHEN YOUR PARENTS SEND YOU A NEW PHONE
If you speak any words in the local language you will not get scammed as badly as if you don’t. At the very least, learn “thank you” and “bathroom”
If food looks untrustworthy/has been sitting outside for a long time, stay away
CHECK FLIGHTS AGAIN
Get a good backpack (Osprey Porter 46 is mine and it’s a godsend)
Get a debit card that has 0 withdrawal fees and international transaction fees, the one I used is Charles Schwab and it worked really well
It’s helpful to have a handful of necessary medication and a first aid kit wherever you go
BRING TOILET PAPER EVERYWHERE. You can never have too much, and it’s a lot better than having too little
Don’t keep all of your money in the same place
Keep a journal, and write things down as they happen, you’ll forget about it in a year from now
Allow for traffic in travel time to keep sprinting through airports to a minimum
Follow cultural norms to the best of your abilities
It’s cliché, but trail blaze. Don’t always take the beaten path, don’t always do what other people do. The coolest adventures are those you discover for yourself
