So you’ve finally reached the dreamland you decided to visit or work at, and you’re feeling somewhat held back by the fear of the unknown? Don’t be disheartened, for that’s completely normal. A good way to break that crippling feeling is to, well, dig right into it. Whenever your muscles ache, you need to train more to heal them – same goes with feeling out of place in a new country.

Exploring the city, of course, should be delayed until you’ve properly adapted to the new conditions, so until then, there are a number of preparatory actions for you to undertake.
We’re sure you feel what we mean so far, and if you’d like us to elaborate, simply read on!

Strut Around, Literally

The best thing you can do at first is to get familiar with your surroundings. It doesn’t matter where you are, the unique spirit of Thailand is ubiquitous. A simple walk around the airport will do the trick.

Then again, if you’ve already arrived at your hotel, take a short walk down your street and back up, so as to explore the environment and maybe catch a glimpse of what you may be visiting later. The best outcome of this little adventure will provide you with the location of the store closest to your hotel, which covers basically anything you might need upon arrival.

Get a Thai SIM Card

We suppose you’d love to connect with your friends as soon as you get there, regardless of the hotel WiFi. You’ll probably send or post a bunch of photos as you’re cruising the city, so a 3G connection is a must.

Putting a little money on your new SIM card will last just long enough for you to record all of your daily adventures while relaying your fascination and excitement to your loved ones back home. 

Besides, if your touring plans differ from those of the people you came with, or if you already have friends nearby, it’s going to be super easy to maintain contact with them using regular messages or calls.

Try the Local Food

Sure, you can have dinner, lunch, and breakfast at your hotel or any restaurant of your choosing, and you can buy loads of snacks to keep your stomach from growling. However, the real magic of Thailand rests within its taste.

The food sold at street stalls throughout the entire country is known for its fabled quality and exquisite taste. The effort that the locals put into making these dishes is often extraordinary, resulting in 5-star meals.

What’s even better is that they’re extremely cheap and yet most of them will keep you from being hungry for a while. You haven’t tasted the world without Thai food, and street stalls offer all of its flavours.

Go for a Foot Massage

Thailand is famous for its esoteric and relaxing massage parlours, where you have the opportunity to experience its beauty in a completely unique way.

These massages are boosted by the complete smell experience, letting your mind wander into the far reaches of consciousness using their meditation methods. 

Thai foot massages are known worldwide for their miraculous effect, and they’re also pretty cheap. Don’t hesitate to hunt for a nearby parlour, no matter which part of Thailand you visit.

Visit a Landmark

If Bangkok is the city you’re spending the 24 hours in, you’re in great luck! Being the capital itself, Bangkok offers you sights that you can’t catch anywhere else in the country.

Of course, you’ve just arrived, but a little sightseeing won’t hurt. Depending on where you are in Bangkok, a little walk to the Grand Palace won’t be too harsh on your feet. Seeing the golden dome will make it all worth it.
If you’d like to see Buddha in an unusual position right after visiting the royal city, you can head to Wat Pho whenever you’re ready to move on with your little adventure. It’s almost right across the street.

A Traveler’s Addiction

Thailand’s beauty and uniqueness manage to instantly attract everyone’s unprepared minds, ranging from mere passers-by waiting for another plane at the airport, to those that have come to stay for good.

A large number of foreigners come over for the purpose of teaching English in Thailand, so the amount of those coming to settle is drastically increasing. Many of them used to teach in China and they preferred to continue their Asian education career elsewhere.

Seeing Thailand’s immeasurable historical and cultural value while knowing you’re about to live there – simply priceless.

I hope you have enjoyed this guest post from Moveinhand! We have visited Thailand a handful of times ourselves and thought these tips would be helpful to those travelling to this beautiful country. We especially love the tip about getting a local Thai Sim card, which we have done ourselves on various trips.

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Alternative accommodation

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“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller