Guides
Thailand guides on travel, culture, cuisine, and lifestyle—discover top destinations, hidden gems, visa information, and essential tips. Plan your journey with The Thaiger, your trusted source for expert Thailand guides.
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Sponsored Limited-time deal: Save 20% on Cigna's expat health plans forever
Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Thai PM warns about patients relying on medical marijuana as magic cure
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday spoke up about the current flood of interest as Thai public health authorities roll out the first phase of medical cannabis to patients. Read The Thaiger story HERE. The PM cautioned patients against being totally dependent on marijuana-based medicines, saying this practice may lead to their illnesses getting worse in the future. Prayut cited several…
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Thailand’s highest restaurant and bar open at the Mahanakhon building
Mahanakhon Bangkok SkyBar, Thailand’s highest restaurant and bar is now open at Bangkok’s landmark, the King Power Mahanakhon building. Located in the heart of Sathorn and directly connected to Chong Nonsi BTS station, the new dining venue is situated on the 76th and 77th floor of the famous pixelated building. Inspired by the Chao Praya river and the concept of an eclectic journey, a visit…
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Top 10 world locations where people go to play
Where do people travel in the world for ‘play’, not business? Mastercard unveils the Top Ten locations where people travel to play. International travel continues to grow at an incredible rate, transforming local economies and enabling people to broaden their horizons – whether they travel for work or for play. Building on nearly a decade of insight into international travel trends,…
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First roll out of prescribed medical marijuana to start end of July
PHOTO: Chao Phraya Abhaiphubejhr Hospital Thailand’s first quantities of legal medical cannabis will be prescribed and dispatched to registered patients from next month. Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, the public health minister, say that the first 10,000 bottles of cannabis (marijuana) oil extract will be produced by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and another 5,000 bottles by Chao Phraya Abhaiphubejhr Hospital. These authorised practitioners…
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Thai attempted suicide rates are on the increase
The Thai Department of Mental Health has released disturbing research showing the shockingly high rate of attempted suicides and pointing out the need for better education about depression and coping with stress. The research indicates that about 53,000 Thais attempt suicide each year. That’s an average of more than six attempts per hour. Sadly, 4,000 will succeed in taking their own…
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Chiang Mai makes it into the world’s top ten locations to find a vegan burger
Being vegan may have been a bit ‘out there’ ten years ago, but in 2019 it’s all the rage and specialist vegan eating establishments are popping up around the world, including Thailand. Dutch online moving platform ScanMovers.com decided to do some serious research into the matter, to determine the best place to find a vegan eating experience. They compiled a…
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Is sleeping with your fan making you sick?
How do you get a good night’s sleep in Thailand? Do you sleep with the air-con, leave the windows open (with fly-wire screens!), turn the air-con on before you go to bed to cool down the room? Or do you use a fan? A new story from life.gomcgill.com suggests that sleeping with a fan could actually be dangerous to your…
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Top 7 Thailand expat myths
If you read the internet, particularly one particular website we won’t name (thaivisa.com)… whoops, then you’d think that Thailand is a dreadful place to visit, filled with hate-filled ex-pats who live in fear and loathing of, well, everything. According to many, the sky is likely to fall in at any moment and everything in Thailand is too expensive, too corrupt,…
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Phuket in the Top Ten list of Best Places to Visit
Paris topped the US News list of the World’s Best Places to Visit, Phuket gets into the top 10 destinations this year. The annual rankings list the World’s Best Places to Visit, along with region-specific and niche lists. Paris, a long favourite with its world-renowned attractions, excellent cuisine and charming atmosphere, scored the top spot in the Best Place to Visit…
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Top Ten tips to tipping in Thailand
How much is appropriate in Thailand or should you tip at all? There is no rule of thumb although tipping is not common amongst Thais whilst it remains reasonably common with some westerners, but certainly not all. Americans almost tip by habit. Tipping in Thailand is not mandatory but will always be welcomed with a ‘wai’ and a smile. Our…
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New ‘no smoking law’ is not banning smoking in homes – Thai health official
Health official Lertpanya Buranabanthit has been forced to clarify the situation about the so called ‘ban’ on smoking in Thai homes reported over the weekend. He has hit back at claims on social media that the new law is trying to stop people smoking in their own houses. Read the story HERE. Thai social media has made the story the top-trending…
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Passive smokers at home are suffering ‘domestic abuse’ – new law
Smoking in your own home in Thailand may now be considered a crime, if the smoke is considered harmful to other people in the house. The move to ban smoking in homes with other people, and the subsequent inhalation of second-hand smoke, is part of the new Family Protection and Development Promotion Act which will come into force on August…
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Top 10 Thai foods you must try
Thailand is known around the world not only for it’s breath taking scenery, beautiful hosts but also for their food. Fresh and vibrant, the local food in Thailand is cheap and it is amazing. On the street or in a fancy restaurant, it’s all good. Be brave. Buy from the side of the road like the locals do, it will…
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Sephora brings new beauty experience at Central Phuket
PHUKET: Sephora is opening its eleventh store in Thailand at Central Phuket, using over 400 square meters on the first floor at the Festival area. This is the very first Sephora store outside of Bangkok. The new concept will ensure that customers and tourists in the South of Thailand can gain new experiences in discovering new beauty items from more than…
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6 ways to explore a new profession before changing your career path
You’ve decided to make a career change, that’s great (but maybe a bit scary). Now the next thing to do is explore the profession before making a decision to go with it. Once you have made a decision you can search JobCute for the largest selection of new jobs avialable in your chosen profession. You probably have had a chance…
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Extra doses of MMR vaccine approved to help eliminate measles in Thailand
The National Health Security Office has approved 100,000 additional doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to help reduce, and hopefully eradicate, the current rise of measles cases in Thailand. The additional doses of the vaccine will be handed over to the Department of Disease Control in August and will target Thai children aged under seven and adults living in…
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Thai Government announces crackdown on price-gouging private hospitals
Private hospitals, who have become increasingly greedy and expensive because of an unregulated system, will now have to limit their excessive bills for patients. Authorities have now introduced clear legal measures to curb hefty prices and gouging of patients. The new regulations, controlling the price of medicines, medical supplies and medical services, went into effect yesterday. Patients have trying to avoid…
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The rise of the Incels and plastic surgery for men
by Cita Catellya It is undeniable that looks and appearance are often seen as a determinant of self-confidence. It’s one of the reasons why skincare products or even plastic surgery is popular among so many people. Women tend to pay more attention to their appearance and a growing number of them are going under the knife to alter their looks.…
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Comprehensive new Danish study debunks vaccine myths, again
A high-level and extensive new study from Denmark has found no association between being vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella and developing autism. The issue has become a dangerous conspiracy theory that has spread misinformation since being posted, and then shared, on the internet more than two decades ago. The fraudulent claims originated with a 1997 study published by Andrew Wakefield,…
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Thailand’s sex crime laws toughened
GRAPHICS: Nation Graphics Thailand is toughening its sex crime laws related to rape in a bid to better curb sexual assault crimes. For example, sexual attacks against children below the age of 13 will result in life imprisonment under the tougher law, while penalties will double for rapists who share recordings of the assault. The new law also recognises sexual…
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Alzheimer’s patient forced out of Thailand. Immigration rule changes mean mother can’t stay.
PHOTO: 77 year old American Alzheimer’s patient Anna Padgett with care home staff on a field trip “Thailand talks about being a hub for medical care but the immigration rules are just not conducive to that, especially in our case.” The daughter of an Alzheimer’s patient has told ThaiVisa how her stricken mother is being forced out of Thailand. The…
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Incomes on the rise for Thai expats
“The Thai economy has continued to see an upward trend in recent years, with a steady and sustained increase in overseas business…” The pay and benefits packages of expats in Thailand has seen a major increase, with the overall package of an average overseas worker increasing by US$27,917, according to a new survey. Lee Quane of ECA International said the…
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30,000 baht bill for diarrhoea treatment at private hospital
FILE PHOTO It’s enough to give you the s**ts! An unnamed private hospital is being asked to explain how it charged a patient 30,000 baht for the treatment of a simple stomach infection. A source at the Internal Trade Department says that a review of the medical bill indicates the hospital bill was “unreasonable”. “The hospital will be asked to…
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New date for Coronation Day holiday announced
Thailand, the land of a thousand temples. And, it seems, the land of a thousand public holidays. Now, the Cabinet has announced May 4 as the official new Coronation Day official holiday. So it’s not actually a new holiday, but it replaces the date of the previous Coronation Day in Thailand. The new holiday date marks the day that His…
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Update on Chikungunya cases in Thailand
“Chikungunya Virus is an arbovirus of the alphavirus genus, transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, same way Dengue is spread.” The Bureau of Epidemiology, along with the Thailand Health Ministry, are reporting 3,379 chikungunya cases in 23 provinces up to May 13 this year. Phuket, Songkla and Ranong have been the most affected by the mosquito borne viral…
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Twitter and Facebook work to block anti-vax misinformation
If you search for the word ‘vaccines’ in Twitter, the first thing you see from today is a post from the US Department of Health and Human Services pointing you to reliable health information instead of misinformation from the anti-vax adherents. Twitter says it now has a new tool in ‘search’ prompting users to head to vaccines.org, which is run…
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10 million Thais to learn CPR and other life-saving techniques
The King’s Volunteer 904 Central Coordination Centre has assigned the Public Health Ministry to provide training to 10 million Thais in basic life-saving skills, principally learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) machines. The ministry will formulate a curriculum for training the public in CPR and AED and publish the materials online. The project…
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Ban on alcohol sales and consumption for Visakha Bucha Day
The Royal Thai police remind us that today is a sacred Buddhist holiday and there will be no alcohol sales throughout the country. The ban for Visakha Bucha Day is in place for 24 hours from midnight last night (Friday) to midnight tonight (Saturday). People caught selling alcohol are liable to a 10,000 baht fine and six months in jail. The holiday…
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The Nation goes online-only from July 1
PHOTO: Somchai Meesen, CEO of Nation Multimedia Media Group, speaks to Nation TV yesterday about The Nation’s future. “Over the past five years, The Nation has lost 30 million baht a year on average.” The Nation newspaper will stop its print editions and go fully online from July 1, when the independent English-language daily turns 48, to focus more on…
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Expat life in Thailand – a balancing act
We all come to live in Thailand for vastly different reasons. Sometimes love, sometimes an adventure, sometimes escaping something at home and sometimes for business. Our journey to the Land of Smiles, and then our settling in, can be fraught with shocks, cultural and financial. Here is one man’s story as told in ExpatLifeInThailand… by Shane Irvine I didn’t come…
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