Do’s and Don’ts in Thailand – An Etiquette Guide

Planning a trip to Thailand? Well it’s best to know about some basic etiquette before you venture into a foreign land. This will save you from embarrassing yourself and others in many situations and you will be in the good book of the Thais. Who knows? This might even earn you a favour or two. But nothing good will come out of you being disrespectful or ignorant to local customs and etiquette. So let’s learn a few basic etiquette to follow in Thailand.

5 Basic Etiquette to Follow in Thailand

Dress appropriately

Following the dress code of the place you’re visiting is of utmost importance. When you’re visiting temples and royal palaces in Thailand, it is imperative that you keep your shoulders and knees covered. The dress code applies to both men and women. You won’t be allowed entry if you infringe the dress code.

Touching someone’s head is a big NO

In Thailand, a person’s head is considered to be their most important body part. Under any circumstance refrain from touching anyone’s head. Even you find a baby or a child cute, do not touch their heads. It is extremely improper and you will be frowned upon by the locals.

Always be respectful towards monarchy

Thais hold their royal family in high regards. Even if a coin rolls off on the streets while flipping it, it is a mark of disrespect as the coin has the image of the monarch engraved on it. So you can imagine how careful you need to be in matters concerning to monarchy. The best piece of advice would be to just not speak anything about monarchy. After all, prevention is better than cure.

Do not point your feet

It is considered a mark of disrespect and publicly unacceptable to point your feet to anything or anyone. Always be consciously aware of how you’re sitting particularly if you’re sitting on the floor. Someone might take offence without you even realizing it.

Remove your footwear

It is a common norm to remove your footwear outside homes, temples, restaurants and even outside hotel rooms. A pile of footwear while entering any site is a clear indication that you need to take off your footwear. It is better that you don’t wear shoes or any kind of footwear that you might find time consuming or troublesome to take off again and again. Slippers and sandals are the go to footwear when in Thailand.