Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'Green Thailand'

Useful addresses

Royal Thai Consulate-General
351 East 52nd Street
New York, NY 10022
Tel: (212) 754-1770, (212) 754-1896
Fax: (212) 754-1907
thaiconsulnewyork.com

Thailand Embassy
29–30 Queen’s Gate
London SW7 5JB
Telephone: (020) 7589 2944
Fax: (020) 7823 9695
Consular Section: (020) 7589 2944/ ext. 117
Office Hours: Monday–Friday 09.30–12.00
www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk

Ambassade de Thailande
8 Rue Greuze 75116
Tel.: +33 (0)1 47 04 32 22
This embassy does not have a web site
But it has a
Bureau de Tourisme
90 Avenue Champs Elysées 75008 Tel.: +33 (0)1 45 62 86 56

General information

Thailand used to be called Siam. In 1939 the name was changed by prime minister Phibun Songkhram, mainly to distance the country form its past. Translated literally, Thailand means "land of the free".

Thailand has a surface of 517,000 square kilometers and a population of 61 million, which 6 million live in the capital Bangkok. 75% of the population is ethnic Thai, 11% Chinese, 3.5% Malaysian, and then there are several smaller minorities. The language is Thai. The country has a constitutional monarchy.

95% of the population is Buddhist, 4% is Muslim. In Thailand, all representations of Buddha are considered holy, regardless of their size or state of dilapidation. Never climb on a Buddha statue to take a nice picture! It's customary to take off your shoes in temples.

Climate and best time to travel

Thailand is situated only a little north of the equator and so it's always hot. Temperatures rarely drop under 30 degrees centigrade. The rainy season lasts from June through October. The hot season is from March to mid-June.

The "cool" season lasts from October to March. This is the best time to travel. In general, the north gets less rain than the south. The eastern part of the country has long periods of drought. According to measurements of the World Meteorologic Organization Bangkok is the hottest city in the world.

Money

Getting cash from ATMs is possible only in larger cities, on airports or in tourist resorts. The Lonely Planet discourages the use of credit cards, because fraud is rampant and in some places rather rule than exception.

If you know which places you are going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's that you can use with MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa

Tipping

The people who wait on you, earn a meagre salary. In restaurants it's okay to leave some coins that remain after paying the check. But give at least 5 Baht: 1 Baht coins are considered an insult. You don't have tip taxi drivers, unless they are extremely helpful with luggage, etc. If you let a porter carry your luggage, give at least 10 Baht and always leave money for the chambermaid: their salaries are based on the assumption that they get tipped.

Safety and security

Traveling in some countries or regions can be dangerous. That isn't always a reason not to go there, but part of preparing well for a trip includes finding out about possible risks.

The CIA Factbook: Thailand is a good place to look. As is the US Foreign Department site. Of course you always should consult your own country's Foreign Department web site.

Health

Find current information on the web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Thailand. Always consult your family doctor and your country's Health Department web site.

Plan your trip to Thailand online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.