Tips

Register Your Travel and Contact Details

All Australians travelling overseas, whether for tourism or business or for short or long stays, are encouraged to register with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade before travel. The registration information provided by you will help them to find you in an emergency - whether it is a natural disaster, civil disturbance or a family emergency. It may also be used to pass other information to you such as, new Travel Advisories, notice of elections and information on other matters relevant to travellers and expatriates.

Weather

The weather in Thailand is reasonable most times of year, although it certainly gets hot during the summer! November through February are the coolest times of year and there is certainly less rain then than at other times in the year. As far as Thailand is concerned, there are no absolute extremes. The rainy season (July to October), the rain isn't permanent - it comes in bursts and cools things down after it has gone!

Thailand's Average Temperatures

Religion

Thailand’s national religion is Buddhism (although there are significant numbers of Muslims and a minority group of Christians) and it is very important to be respectful as far as the religion is concerned. Always dress ‘politely’ when entering a temple or religious shrine. As you are on holiday in a hot country, your perspective of polite dress might be coloured by the situation you are in. However, shorts, bikinis, tops that show your bare arms, skirts that show your legs, open-toed sandals and generally dirty or unkempt attire is considered inappropriate. In some of the larger temples like Wat Prakeaw guards will actually forbid you from entering if you are dressed inappropriately, and you may have to hire sarongs and strips of material to cover yourself up before being permitted to enter. At the smaller temples you are own your own – do the right thing! 

Greetings

Thais do not shake hands; they ‘wai’ – a gesture made by placing your hands together in front of your face a bowing a little. Generally, you should not wai to a child and a younger person should wai an older person first. However, these rules are possibly a little more flexible as far as a foreigner is concerned, the Thais you wai will generally very much appreciate you delving into the local custom and practice.

Dealing with Controversy

In Thailand shouting and shows of annoyance are entirely frowned upon, whatever the situation. There may be times when you face frustrations, do so quietly a calmly. Shouting and showing annoyance are signs of lack of discipline and in doing either you are in fact showing yourself up.

This might lead to the Thai you are talking to trying to help you ‘save face’ by smiling and possibly even laughing to defuse the situation. For westerners in particular, there could probably not be a less appropriate reaction and often it serves to exasperate a situation. The results are often explosive. Rather than deal with the subtle intricacies of this aspect of culture, simply do not get angry – things will work themselves out much better if you can avoid it.

VAT (tax) Refunds for Tourists

As a tourist, you are not required to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) on items more than 5,000 Baht that you intend to take out of Thailand. For most people the amount returned is very welcome and a pleasant surprise, so it is well worth making the effort to collect the paperwork you need for a refund. It is not that difficult to do either.

Stores participating in the refund scheme display a sign stating: “VAT Refund for Tourists”. If you make a purchase from these stores, ask for a VAT Refund Form (P.P 10) and keep the original tax invoice(s) a store gives you.

That is really all you need to do. If you take that paperwork to the 'Customs Inspection for VAT Refund' desk at Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hay Yai, Phuket or U-Tapao International Airports, you will be granted a tax refund. Bear in mind that the tax refund process is the final stage of your journey in Thailand - you will have gone through passport control on your return leg before you arrive at the appropriate counter. You can only make claims on the day you leave the country.

If your claim is for less than 30,000 Baht, you can receive a payment as a cheque or Bank Draft, or the amount can be paid into a credit card account. If your claim is for over 30,000 Baht, you can only receive payment by Bank Draft or payment into a credit card account.

For more information on VAT refund, visit the Revenue Department of Thailand’s website: