What You Need To Do Before You Come To Thailand

Before you move to Thailand you are going to be really excited. You are also going to forget to do and bring many things you need. I made lots of mistakes and want to show you how to be prepared before you arrive so we wrote this guide to tell you what you need to do before you come to Thailand.

Things To Do Before You Leave Home

The things you need to do and prepare before you leave home.

• see your friends – you will miss them and despite their assurances they will come to Thailand and visit you most wont.

• see your family – again this should go without saying but you would be surprised at how many people forget to go and see their family ( or at least call ) before they go away. You don’t want to have upset family members bugging your parents. Also you leaving is likely to be very hard on people, especially your parents. Whilst you’re excited I’m sure most parents are quite sad you’re going to be so far away, even if they say the opposite!

• teach your family how to use Skype – Skype is a lifesaver for me. I use it every week to talk with friends and family back home. However, I only recently on my last trip home taught a few more family members how to use Skype. Remember your older family members might not know about Skype and that you can call around the world for free.

• do some research – you want to have an idea about what is happening. Read up about Bangkok at least. Have a look at teaching opportunities on Ajarn.com. Have a look at recent news stories on Bangkok Post.com. Have a look around this site. You don’t need to be an expert and know everything but as you’re planning to live here you should know a little bit.

•  do your favourite things – remember you might not be home for a while so make sure you go to your favourite places and do your favourite things. Every expat here misses something ( even those who say their home country is hell on Earth and they’ll never go back there again ) You can get most things here in Thailand but make sure you go to your favourite shop or restaurant and really savour the experience.

• book accommodation for at least a couple of nights – Although many people arrive here and head for Khao San I would recommend booking at least 2 nights in advance. You will probably have more luggage than a backpacker and don’t want to be walking around looking for a place. You can always move somewhere else after a few days.

Things Not To Do Before You Leave Home

There are many things that people do which they shouldn’t. 

• arrange a job before you arrive – If you are planning to be a teacher then you shouldn’t arrange a job before you arrive ( unless recruited for an international school ). Many people end up disappointed with their new school and in some cases you will be downright lied to about location, working conditions and salary. You wouldn’t take a job at home without seeing the office or meeting your boss, why would you do it in Thailand? There are thousands of jobs, you will find something when you arrive.

• buy a new wardrobe – you probably read that image and appearance are important in Thailand. Well they are, but that doesn’t mean you need to be wearing the finest suits and dresses from designer shops. Firstly bringing all those clothes will take up valuable packing space. Secondly it will be a lot cheaper to buy clothes here in Thailand. You can also find out the dress code at your new job and buy accordingly. Also Thailand is hot, your home country might not be – clothes here are designed for the hot weather so are a better bet.

• believe the scaremongering online – Thailand isn’t perfect but if you read some forums you might think that you are about to arrive in a war zone with problems around every corner. Bad news travels faster than good news , and people like to complain on the internet. Take whatever people say online with a pinch of salt, remember these people still live here even if they are negative about it. Also you will find friends and family use the “it’s a dangerous place” line. It’s amazing how your Gran will remember reading something in the paper about how likely you are to be killed here.

Bring With You

These things should be in your bag.

• reminders from home – Pictures, decorations and cards will all help you remember home. Having something to see when you arrive homes helps you if you’ve had a bad day or are feeling homesick. Find a few nice pictures and put them in a place where you’ll see them everyday.

• documents – Make sure you have all your documents. Degree and transcripts. TEFL certificates and other qualifications ( TOEIC , First Aid, 50m swimming certificate ) Actually really just your degree, transcripts and TEFL certificate – only bring others if they are truly relevant.

• technology – your phone, laptop and tablet will be used everyday. Using Line to chat with friends, going on Facebook or searching for jobs and accommodation, you will be online a lot.

Leave Behind

The things you think you need but in reality are useless or should be purchased here in Thailand.

• any winter clothes – Ok, maybe in extreme air conditioning it might get a bit cold, and if you go to the north in the winter it can get sub 20 degrees but in general you will be looking at your jumper collection and thinking why did I bring more than 1?

• toiletries – you should obviously bring some to get you started but Thailand sells everything you will need, and probably much cheaper than your own country. You don’t need to bring 100 toilet rolls or 20 tubes of Colgate – we have them here in Thailand.

• all your favourite snacks – Again, we will have most of them here. From chocolate to crisps they are popular. Also if you’re staying in Khao San it will be amazing how many ants will be attracted to the melting chocolate in your bag.

• big electronics – most rooms and condos will come with a TV, fridge and microwave. If they don’t it will cost you a small amount to go buy these. Certainly less than shipping every appliance you own over here. Bring your laptop, tablet and anything you will use.

So there we have it. I wish I had thought of these before I moved here, it would have made my first few months much easier.

If you think of anything else please leave your tip in the comments section.