7 Things NOT to do in Thailand

Daniel outlines activities, behaviors, and services to avoid during stays in Thailand based on personal experience, covering transportation options, food and tap water concerns, cultural etiquette regarding feet, monitor lizards, adult entertainment zones, and speedboat island tours.

Daniel advises against taking standard metered taxis and tuk-tuks due to inflated fares, driver overcharging by turning off meters, noise, and cost inefficiency, recommending the Grab mobile application despite pickup delays.

Daniel warns against street food due to food poisoning risks and advises against drinking unfiltered, metallic-tasting tap water, recommending bottled water instead while noting showering presents no issues.

Cultural customs treat using feet to handle objects, press buttons, or touch people as disrespectful.

Monitor lizards in parks and riverbanks are generally non-aggressive unless provoked but carry concerns regarding severe bite infections.

Daniel discourages families and people with children from visiting adult entertainment districts such as Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy.

Daniel advises against island-hopping speedboat tours after an unpleasant Phuket excursion involving rough rocking, splashing seawater, rushed stops lasting only 30 to 40 minutes, and illness.

Transportation cautions in Thailand regarding metered taxis, tuk-tuks, and ride-hailing apps.

Food safety, tap water quality, and persistent digestive issues.

Thai cultural norms regarding the use of feet.

Encounters and health warnings associated with monitor lizards.

Adult entertainment districts in Bangkok.

Speedboat island tours in Phuket and related travel conditions.

Daniel read about Thai etiquette during a 12-hour flight from London to Thailand.

Daniel took a green and yellow taxi between two immigration centers and paid 400 baht for a 15-minute journey, later finding a Grab estimate of 80 baht for the same trip.

Daniel's sister contracted food poisoning and vomited for hours after eating street food during a brief visit to Thailand.

Daniel opened doors, pressed elevator buttons, and grabbed a remote control using feet, drawing criticism from Daniel's girlfriend.

Daniel saw a naked man walking along the street within ten minutes of arriving at Nana Plaza.

Daniel and Daniel's girlfriend took a Phuket speedboat tour through rough seas where water sprayed through roof gaps into passengers' faces.

Daniel wrapped a towel from a bag around the face and head to protect against stinging seawater during the boat journey.

Daniel arrived at the islands feeling sick and in a bad mood, experiencing stops that lasted roughly 30 to 40 minutes each before being rounded up to board the boat again.

The medical cause of Daniel's daily diarrhea lasting nearly a year remains unidentified despite dietary restrictions, cooking at home, avoiding street food, and taking supplements.

Daniel recounts hearing that monitor lizard bites transmit flesh-eating bacteria capable of killing a person within 15 minutes in the absence of hospital care.