I am planning on going travelling to thailand in August, I know it is rainy season. Will this hinder my trip?
Should I look at other places like cambodia? or will I be ok, I dont mind rain, just dont want it to be wet for the entire time I will be there.
Advice from people that have been or live there only please, I have read about weather on the net.
Many thanks
Oh and are there any tips/adivice for single women travelling alone?
You will get some rain during that time of year but the rain usually stops in an hour or two and the sun comes out again. Often the rain falls at night. Some minor flooding until the drains can handle the downpour.
When it rains stop in a mall, visit a restaurant, catch up on your sleep, or see a movie. The rain will stop and the air will be nice and clean and the greenery will be in full bloom.
One advantage of this time of year is that the hotels will be at “low season” pricing and it will be pretty easy to get a place on a walk in if you want.
Safety advice for women is not that different than for men. Be careful of who you trust with your hotel key! Don’t fully trust any strangers you meet on the road. Avoid dark areas late at night, if you feel funny about something then don’t do it!
My recommendation is that you stay in at least cheap hotels with air conditioning because then you can keep the windows locked. With fan only rooms (especially first/bottom floor) you usually only have screens keeping people out. A/C rooms are quieter too! Don’t flash money around. I usually keep small bills in one pocket instead of looking through a fat wallet all the time.
Use the security box in your hotel room for valuables. I would leave a laptop at home if you intend to stay in cheap dorm type places. For photos you can use a Flash Drive or portable hard drive if you want. They will fit in a safety box and most laptops do not! There are lots of cheap internet shops all over Thailand you can use.
On buses, planes, trains even taxi cabs – keep your important stuff like passports, electronics, money, jewelry (better to leave good stuff at home anyway) and medicines with you at your seat. Don’t put money, passport, medicines, valuables in your checked in bag, anywhere – even in your own country!
Keep in touch with your family and friends, tell them who you meet and travel with. Let your friends and family know where you are heading for and with whom. If you are going on a tour tell your hotel where you are going and with what company and tell them when you should be back.
I met a couple older women traveling alone who would use their camera phones to photograph the driver when they went on long trips. They forwarded those camera pics to friends.
Watch out for scams. Google up scams in Bangkok for more info. Tuk-tuks are often mentioned in scams, gems and gold/jewelry usually figure in some scams. If it seems too good to be true it probably isn’t! (Meter taxi cabs, paying the meter fare only, are cheaper for tourists than tuk-tuks anyway!)
Check out the travel forums below for specific information. When you need hotel recommendations mention how much you want to pay per night. Hotels/hostels start around 200 baht and go on up to over 6000 baht per night. Choose a baht figure for you hotel price.
I personally think that Thailand may be safer for you to travel in than perhaps your own country providing you do not do silly things like use dope, travel with dopers, get wasted every time you have a few drinks! Most of the problems I read about with women is when booze or men they pick up are involved!
Good luck.
cambodia tour in Cambodia(www.angkorworldtours.com)
