5 Favorite Things to Do in Thailand

Worldwide Traveler Consultant Troy Toms tells you what you need to see on your journey to Thailand.

Visit the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

They’re basically markets on water on a boat. That’s something you can’t really do anywhere else in the world except maybe Venice, and even then, they’re not floating markets. You’ll find food, drinks, arts and crafts, and clothes for sale. Shop owners will sell from canoes, and they bargain. In Thailand, nothing is really a fixed price.

Travel tip: When bargaining, mark down the price by 70%, so this way, you can work your way up. When they counter, you can start walking away. Almost 95% of the time, the sellers will follow you and try to get you to negotiate a new price. What you can never, ever do, is retract a higher price once you’ve given it. That’s when you get stuff thrown at you. That’s happened to me!

Also, sometimes when you bargain, it can be over five cents or a quarter in U.S. currency, so make sure you know the local currency and conversion before you go.

Visit the birthplace of the Thai massage

Wat Pho, or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is one of the largest temple complexes in Thailand and has an impressive history. It’s the birthplace of the Thai massage (and you can still get one here). It was the first public university in Thailand, and it has an impressive collection of Buddha statues, some reaching as high as 49 feet.

Travel tip: When visiting any temple, travelers should dress appropriately with covering over the shoulders and clothing no higher than knee.

Visit an elephant sanctuary

Make your trip amazing with a trip to an elephant sanctuary, like Elephant Nature Park in the Chiang Mai province of Thailand. This park is both a home and rescue center for elephants who have been abused in the past, and here, you can visit and volunteer to care for them. You can help bathe them, forage for food, and interact with them in their natural environment of the rainforest. But the park is not just for elephants. It’s also a home for dogs, cats, buffaloes, and other rescued animals.

Journey to the Phi Phi Islands or James Bond Island

The Phi Phi Islands are reachable by boat cruise. They’re a popular destinations for water sports and an explorer’s delight with hidden caves and lagoons. Kho Phil Phil Leh is famously known as the filming location of the 2000 Leonard DiCaprio movie The Beach.

If you’re a huge James Bond fan, however, then head to James Bond Island in Phang Nga Bay. This trip features the island where The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed in 1974. It offers spectacular rock formations and popular boat tours.

Travel Tip: Unless you are visiting Phuket for a lengthy stay, choose between the Phi Phi Island and James Bond Island. They are roughly 41 miles apart and in opposite directions from Phuket.

Visit the Chatuchak Weekend Market

One of the world’s largest weekend markets, the Chatuchak stretches more than six football fields with 600 to a 1000 shops. The only issue is, about 20 shops sell the exact same products. There’s a shirt that you can buy in Thailand that’s called “Same-same but different.” It’s quite popular.