What Not to do in Thailand

People come to holiday in Thailand everyday and don't have a clue if they are offending any Thai people or if they are potentially getting them self into any trouble or breaking any laws. Some tourists are too rude and too ignorant to even care. Thailand is a relatively safe place, providing that you don't step out of line and don't break any laws or offend anyone.

Below is a list of some things to help out when traveling here and staying safe for your holiday.

Things Not To Do

Hiring a Jet ski: Many people have come to Thailand and have been caught up in a jet ski damage scam. You don't ever want to find yourself in this situation and if you do, you will either pay a large bill or you could find yourself being hurt.
Basically, there are dodgy jet ski operators all over Thailand who wait for an unsuspecting tourist who look like they have plenty of cash and then blame them for a small ding in the jet ski and then demand excessive repair bills to get it fixed.
Most people who get into this situation, call the Police to try and resolve the matter and the Police act as if they are a good Samaritan doing their job by negotiating a lower price to pay for the damage, but then split it later with the operators.
Yes the Police in Thailand are mostly corrupt and will always stick up for a fellow Thai. The Police know about the scams as the scams have been happening for many years and they always side with the jet ski operators.
There are many people who come to Thailand and never have a problem with hiring a jet ski, in fact most people who hire one wont have a problem, but if they decide that you are it, then you could find yourself paying up to 100,000 Baht for a costly scam.

Taunting or Making Fun of the Lady Boys: A lot of tourists are not used to seeing lady boys around and find it quiet amusing when they walk past or stand there putting their makeup on in the street.
Some tourists get drunk and start making fun out of the lady boys and think they are having some harmless fun until they get a hand bag swung at them or even worse, a bottle smashed over their head.
Lady boys are known to have bad tempers and can explode when provoked. It's also not a good idea to have your photo taken with a lady boy if you have no intentions of paying them for the photo, as they can lose their temper over this too.

Fighting a Thai Man: Most Thai men are easy going people who are very tolerant of other cultures and often put up with drunk loud obnoxious tourists and most times don't seem to lose their cool.
If you behave aggressively and start a fight with a Thai man, you will quickly find your self in a lot of trouble. Even though most Thai men are small, they all stick up for each other and help each other out in an instant.
You don't ever want to find yourself fighting a group of 10 to 20 men and if you get into a fight with a local, that's what you will be up against. If you don't play up, you wont have a problem. Just don't do what you wouldn't do in your own country.

Walking Around the Streets With No Shirt On: It's perfectly ok to walk around with no shirt on at the beach, but walking around the streets or shopping malls or eating in a restaurant without a shirt, is offensive in Thai culture. Most people who don't wear their shirts in Thailand - wouldn't do this in their own country, but seem to think it's ok to do it in Thailand. It offends most Thai people and believe it or not, some people have got fined by the Police for doing this.

Riding Around on a Motorbike Without a Helmet: If you decide not to wear a helmet in the touristy areas of Thailand, expect to to get pulled over by the Police for a fine, as the Police love to make some revenue out of the tourists.

Drugs: If you are thinking of taking drugs in Thailand, don't do it, the penalties are harsh and you could find yourself locked up for a long time for being in possession of a tiny amount of drugs. If someone offers you drugs, just politely say no and keep walking. The people that sell to the tourists have been known to be working for the cops and you could be setup. Some tourists have found themselves in a lot of trouble in Thailand after being setup and they are given the option of paying a huge fine to get let off, or face a long jail term in a prison hell.