Thailand Tourist Traps

  Mahouts and Elephants
by aghrtx
 
  • Mahouts and Elephants
      Mahouts and Elephants
    by aghrtx
  •   Excursions
    by aghrtx
  •   Tuk-tuks
    by xymmot
  •   Tuk-tuks
    by xymmot
  •   Tuk-tuks
    by xymmot
 

Most Viewed Tourist Traps in Thailand

76.

Taxi scams   Bangkok

Taxi scams, Bangkok

 45 Reviews  Just be careful with Image Limousine Service (www.imagelimousine.com) The Customer Service is not the same anymore. They drive not with the new Nissan Teana, they would drive also with older Toyota... 

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77.

Shopping and nightlife   Phuket

Shopping and nightlife, Phuket

 26 Reviews  Well, this happened to my friend during my last trip...(for ppl who think i dunno what i am talking abt it was 16th trip to pukhet), since it was his first time he got bedazzled by the relatively... 

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78.

Changing Money   Ko Samui

Changing Money, Ko Samui

 3 Reviews  I`ll describe 2 traps in 1 tip, 1st one - check your money before changing 2nd one- The amount of money you carry No 1 -- Always double check the amount you are about to exchange,this is common sense,... 

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79.

Elephant camps   Chiang Mai

Elephant camps, Chiang Mai

 6 Reviews  We went on a tour to the temple and the driver very quietly offered his services to us as 'you only pay for the gasoline' He charged us 300 baht to go to visit the craft village. But we went to a Gem... 

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80.

Scams and Conmen   Bangkok

Scams and Conmen, Bangkok

 49 Reviews  I really haven't tried to book online for a place in where we can stay when we arrived in Bangkok, because I thought at that time that it's dangerous to enter your credit card number in the... 

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81.

Excursions   Phuket

Excursions, Phuket

 24 Reviews  Be sure to avoid the firm Siam Sea Canoe. They offer the typical tours Phi Phi, Raya, Coral Island, etc. You will find their fancy brochures in your hotel and at tours booking counters which often... 

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82.

Shopping & Bartering   Ko Samui

Shopping & Bartering, Ko Samui

 3 Reviews  Because chaweng beach is the most popular place in samui many shops charge 2-3 times more than it's regular price. Bargain at least for half-price or compare from prices from other shops You can try... 

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83.

Tuk-tuks   Bangkok

Tuk-tuks, Bangkok

 74 Reviews  It's a mistake to paint all tuk-tuk drivers with the same brush. I had nothing but good luck with them. They never quoted a price to take me somewhere. Instead, they said I should just pay what I... 

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84.

Patpong   Bangkok

Patpong, Bangkok

 14 Reviews  Wow, the fact that I saw Patpong in the list of the tourist traps, means there really are a lot of con artists there. Never, ever, EVER, believe when someone calls you to watch the "ping pong show"... 

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85.

Khao San Road   Bangkok

Khao San Road, Bangkok

 9 Reviews  This is the main “backpacker” neighborhood found in Bangkok…and it’s loaded with cheap accommodations, a multitude of bars, restaurants, and travel companies, other businesses and loads of neon and... 

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86.

Airport Duty Free   Bangkok

Airport Duty Free, Bangkok

 3 Reviews  The gist of the scam is that a salesperson will slip something into your shopping bag at duty free outlets letting you believe that it a free gift from your purchase of duty free goods... You will... 

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87.

Tours - unscheduled shopping stops   Bangkok

Tours - unscheduled shopping stops, Bangkok

 17 Reviews  Even though I read all about it here on VT, I still ended up on a tuktuk tour. Basically we happened to be in Bangkok on a public holiday and because of this, when we were told the Grand Palace was... 

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88.

Closed? Best check for yourself.   Bangkok

Closed? Best check for yourself., Bangkok

 29 Reviews  Often when you are looking for directions or the entrance to a temple/palace/... a local comes up to you and tells you that the place is closed. Sometimes it's "closed for lunch", for temples it's... 

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89.

Floating Market   Bangkok

Floating Market, Bangkok

 4 Reviews  There are many floating markets in and around Bangkok. Damnoen Saduak is the most popular, located about 1 hour outside of Bangkok. If you want to go to this one, there are a couple aof ways to do it.... 

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90.

Highway Tolls   Bangkok

Highway Tolls, Bangkok

 2 Reviews  The highway into Bangkok from the outskirts are subject to tolls. If you get into a taxi and the driver asks if you want to go on the highway, you will have to pay the toll. It is normally quicker to... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Hilltribes Tour

by Homanded

Hill tribes tours will be easily acquired through your hotel, street vendors and even at the airport in Bangkok.Beware of the following: Certain points of interest such as Waterfall, Orchid garden and such will be advertised but, due to the various unscheduled shopping stops you may not actually get to see them due to a time constraint.Not necessarily a big deal but, the numerous buying stops get old quick - specially when you're looking at putting in a 12-16 hour day!We were picked up at our hotel in Chiang Mai at 7:00am and didn't get back until after 10:00pm! There seems to be no way to avoid the stops but, if you MUST stop, here is what I suggest:Use the stops as a bathroom break...know that the guides are getting a kickback for your purchases and are simply trying to make an extra buck. Be kind...refusing to stop only seems to encourage bad attitude from your guide. Stick to your...

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TRUST NO ONE BUT YOUR GUIDE (book)!

by Homanded

Outside of temples (specially the Grand Palace). Also, walking down the street on way to a market. you will be offered "help" and inevitably told that regretfully, the temple/palace is closed until later on that day for religious ceremonies or prayer services.The scheme always involves a very helpful stranger who ALWAYS walks up to you and asks where you're from. He'll ALWAYS have a friend who ALSO lives in (in our case, America).He will ask where you're going: "Grand Palace"...He will then inform you that it is closed until 2pm due to prayer services.All of this takes place with a smile on their face and alot of persistence on their part that you should INSTEAD visit this or that place until a later time.At the Grand Palace, we were told the same story about 5 times in the distance of 1 block. One was even a Palace employee dressed in Palace uniform.Do not believe them, continue on to...

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Too touristy!

by TracyG

Pattaya as a whole is way to over rated. Fair enough if you like the package holiday thing, but it is worth going that little bit further to find a truly secluded place. Explore beyond the beach. The West coast Islands are simply stunning and a lot nicer.

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Beware of ladies with large Adam's apples!

by Jschukal

All over Thailand, including Bangkok and the islands, the "lady-boys" run wild. As Thai men have somewhat soft features and a small thin frame, many decide to bend their gender and roam the streets as a female. Please, please don't get pulled away with one of them. I don't care how drunk you are...real women are not that aggressive. Try to be courtious and move along. As a friend of mine found out, they can be quite crazy and prone to fight if you mess with them too much. The manicurist here is an authentic ladyboy. Try to either ignore the lady boys or at least be cordial and say no thanks as you move along. You both will be better off for it. There is no alternative, they are everywhere!

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Khao San Road

by Gage17

Although I have listed this in both the accommodations and nightlife chapters, I could not do so with a clean conscience without also placing it under "Tourist Trap" as well. It is a spot for the majority of farang (foreigner) activity in Bangkok and a hub for backpackers. Here you will find every Western comfort from 7-11 to McDonald's, bars that show American movies and British football. It seems to be the crossroads of Southeast Asia, and some people get caught up in the Mardi Gras atmosphere of Khao San and stay for way too long. While it is nice for the convenience of one-stop shopping in a sense, be wary of getting used to the lifestyle.

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Tuk Tuk, sponsors shops

by Maximilian21

Probabaly one the most annoying things about travelling in tuk tuks are the sponsor shops that they take you to. You are obliged to go and if not the drivers get angry. The shops are usually suit shops, you basically go in and come back out. The best thing to do is pay a little extra for a tuk tuk and tell him not to take you to a sponsor shop. Ive been kicked out of a tuk tuk and been abused because i refused to enter one of these shops,seeing i had already been to 3 i thought my objections where reasonable.

tuk tuks

by pinkclaire

ok so everybody knows this, but i wanted to fill some space, dont tell them it's your first day there.... even if your pasty white skin says different... unless you want to go to lots of scabby tailored clothes shops then be really specific about where you want to go, clearly agree a price and keep insisting that you actually hate shopping and want to go to wherever you wnt to go... the tuk tuk drivers get comission for taking you to crappy old shops with mens tailored suits in. we found the best way to get there was to say you are meeting a friend there in a minute... just be insistant... but keep smiling!!!

Avoid Khatoke Dinner Show in Chiang Mai

by sunnitip

The Khatoke Dinner Show in Chiang Mai was very disappointing and a total waste of time. You are packed in a room with hundreds of other people, rushed in eating horrible, cold food, forced to order drinks at an extra cost, and the show was low-budget, short , boring and just terrible. We have seen an infinitely better show at the Rose Garden in Bangkok. They served fried chicken, fried bananas, cabbage and some day-old, dried-out sticky rice with some sauce. The only thing my children would even touch was the cold, stale fried chicken. If you must go to this show, book this tour from your hotel, because I have seen this dinner-show advertised at other places for as much as $25/ person. We paid about $11/person from the hotel. Go to some of the open air restaurants at the night bazaar in Chiang Mai. Some may even have informal, but much more entertaining shows put on by the employees.

Beware of Bangkok Airport Tour Agents!!

by sunnitip

We booked 2 day tours at the Bangkok Airport. The tour agents first told us they were the 'official' tour agents of Thailand and if we dealt with anyone else we would be cheated. They also said we were getting the best price available, a price that we weren't going to get anywhere else. It was only later when we got to the hotel, we found we were cheated! For the exact same tour, agents at the hotel quoted us a price less than half of what we paid at the airport. By then, it was too late to cancel and we were stuck with feeling foolish and cheated.

One thing to keep in mind is...

by daddygila

One thing to keep in mind is that no matter what you do you WILL BE OVERCHARGED. There is definitely a two tiered pricing system-one for tourists and one for Thais. However you may not be aware since the REAL prices would be so incredibly low. Also certain 'touts' can be obnoxious like drivers or tour operators, but I found other places far worse. Again don't be afraid to bargain. Thai's are mainly very polite despite the tourist onslaught and yes some can cheat you while smiling. Always double check bus arrangements. People are stranded or made to wait for many many hours to make connections at their expense not the company. Before you hire a driver always check the bus schedules because there can be a more comfortable and much cheaper alternative. I loved Krabi. Ko Lanta was quiet and had some charm, lovely long beaches, but on both coming and going you will be covered in a thick red...

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Tourist Traps: Cities in Thailand
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  5. Chiang Mai Tourist Traps
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Questions and Answers

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Q:  I am from Canada and going to Thailand, what kind of plug adapter do I need to charge my camera? 

leics profile photo

A: You will find all the information you need about voltages and plug adaptors (and photos of plug types) here: http://www.kropla.com/electric2.htm 

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