15 Reasons Why I Love Thailand + Reasons To Visit

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Every fibre of my body loves Thailand. I love Thailand for so many reasons, I could write a whole book on it.

We’ve lived in Thailand, and visited several times since, and still consider it one of the most special places in the whole world.

As soon as I step outside, the heat wraps around me, and the smells waft up my nostrils; despite the stench of durian, rotten fruit, and previous evening’s garbage and falang vomit, I feel alive. Two steps later, I’ll smell incense and pork roasting and all will be good again.

Every step in Thailand brings you something new and exciting to the senses to savour: tastes, smells, warmth, humility, friendliness and spiritual peace.

If you’re thinking about visiting Thailand, and you’re wondering why so many people love Thailand, then below are just a few of the reasons why I love Thailand and you need to visit there this year.

Reasons why I love Thailand

Below are some of the biggest reasons why I love Thailand and reasons why you should add Thailand to your list of places to visit.

1. There is freedom to live life without limits

Australia is a culture that is rigid with rules, fees, fines, taxes and expectations. Our natural state of being is freedom. We actually hate being placed in boxes as it limits our ability to thrive and grow.

I love what seems to be almost an absence of rules in Thailand. Despite this people generally go about living their life making responsible decisions and being kind to one another.

2. The delicious Thai cuisine

Thai is the only style of food that I could eat three meals a day for the rest of my life and be deliriously happy.

Thai people create dishes with ingredients, when separated from the whole, stink and look inedible, but when joined together with the others creates an explosion of flavors that leave you desiring only that food for the rest of your life.

Thai curries have spices and flavor palettes that you won’t find in any other curry. Whether it’s a khao soi or a green curry or panang curry, they are so varied and delicious you could eat them all day without getting bored.

Pad Thai is simple and yet are always packed with flavor. Don’t even get me started on mango sticky rice!

I even learned how to cook Thai food while there… sort of.

3. It’s a unique culture

There is so much to appreciate and savour about Thailand that is unique and different.

Thailand has its own religion, which is a form of Thai buddhism, and so its Buddhist temples and sacred sites are special and unique compared to other places in Southeast Asia.

You can also get blessed by buddhist monks at most temples with is a special part of Thai culture.

They also go all out for celebrations. Whether it’s a full moon party in Koh Phangan or Songkran (Thai New Year) on Khao San Road, or the Lantern Festivals in Chiang Mai, you can expect the parties to go on throughout the night.

I also love their cultural celebrations and their religious ceremonies, which are a wonder to witness. Be sure to take part in them too.

Get yourself a lantern or loy krathong and share in the moment with them.

4. Friendly and fun people

Thai people aren’t so friendly that they will go out of their way to talk to anyone who walks by, they do respect your privacy, but if you are interacting with them, then you are welcomed in like part of the family.

You instantly feel good around them and all your guards drop because you know all they bring to the table is acceptance, warmth and love. On my recent trip to Thailand, I laughed a lot with the Thais, and I realized just why they are so awesome.

They want to laugh more than they want to argue, complain or be bitter.

It’s all about the sanuk. Why would you want to view life in any other way? Life is fun! Don’t take it too seriously.

5. Spiritual beliefs

The Thai people amaze me with how thoughtful and considerate they are. They’ll deviate two blocks on the walking tour just to buy you a bag of food to munch on because you look tired and hungry.

Even though you just ate for the tenth time two minutes ago.

Their attitude is to be kind always.

Choose happiness, be respectful, consider others, laugh often.

I love how they stop to honour Buddha and the King at every photo and statue they see. They bend low to pass you something with two hands.

They greet you with a wai blessing.

They are so reverent and believe that your actions have consequences, so choose the actions that bring about those happy, positive results for all people involved.

6. The language is so unique

I don’t know why I love the Thai language. I think it’s because it’s so different and the only language where I can have very short conversations in it. This is because we lived in Bangkok for 6 months and so picked up a bit.

Apart from the intonations, which I struggle with, I find it quite a simple language to learn and I love trying. I also love to see the joy from Thai people when you practice speaking it with them.

They will sit for hours teaching you and laughing with you at all your silly mistakes and pathetic attempts!

7. There is an ethos of being present

Thailand forces me to be present in every moment. It’s not just a street I can walk down in mind preoccupation, but an adventure I share with tuk tuks, cars, mobile street carts, motorbikes, people, all moving amongst one another.

I’m forced to be present or die. This is living.

Besides there are so many great things to take in when in Thailand why would you choose to live in the world of your head?

8. I love the chaos of Bangkok

Thais learn to get along with the chaos and I do when I’m there. The chaos looks maddening but it does not disturb their inner peace.

One just has to be in the middle of a Bangkok traffic jam to see this in action. It progresses in an orderly manner of acceptance. There is rarely a tooting horn or a word shouted out in anger.

They just laugh, shake their head and say “This is Bangkok – Mai Pen Lai.”

9. Acceptable to be whoever you want to be and you’ll still be loved

One of my favourite things about Thailand is that you will be loved and accepted no matter who you are and what you believe in.

I loved how transgender people were treated with respect and love within the schools I taught at. I never saw any kind of bullying or disrespect instead the attitude was “You are a person just like I am and for that you deserve to be honoured.“

10. Cheap Cost of Living

I love how in Thailand I could have a maid, eat out for every meal and have snacks in between and have a massage at least once a week and would have barely made a dent in my money.

You can live well in Thailand. And life is for living well.

I love how you can barter for a fair price and I LOVE that unlimited phone data that is super-fast is 400 baht for the month.

11. It has beautiful beaches and islands

Thai beach living is for me. The beaches are stunning, the sand soft and white, crystal clear, blue or jade water, depending where you are.

The water is calm and gentle and beckons you to come snorkelling and play with tropical fish up close.

Restaurants with cushions and fresh barbecued seafood and glorious sunsets wait for you in the evening.

A hammock could be stretched up somewhere between trees or on the veranda of your beach shack and touts walk past selling your fresh pineapple on a stick.

Oh and somewhere in the background, chill out vibes are playing.

Island life is a form of lifestyle that resonates with me. It encourages you to go slow, be at one with nature, and simply enjoy the little things.

If you’re looking for beautiful islands to visit, I recommend Koh Tao if you’re into diving, or Koh Samui if you have a family.

Koh Phi Phi is the exception to this and is quite a bustling island now with many backpackers and partiers.

12. You can ride around on mopeds and tuk tuks

I love a wild tuk tuk ride coming home from Khao Sahn Road at 2am, Bangkok traffic has almost disappeared and you clap and laugh as your driver careens around bends on one wheel. Yes. I did say how I loved the absence of Rules. I just find tuk tuks fun.

And I love cruising around the islands and mountains on a back of a moped. Just me, Craig, the wind, sun and stunning scenery to explore.

13. It has vibrant night life

In Thailand life begins at night time. With everything in our home town closing by 5pm we really miss the Thai night. You could wander the streets shopping at night markets, stopping for a feed at street stalls and roam the streets with a beer in one hand and full conversation with friends and giggles with locals.

Not too mention the cheap massages you can get at markets.

14. Thai massages

This won’t be for everyone, but I love a Thai massage. If you haven’t heard of them, they are a unique form of therapeutic massage that originated in Thailand.

It’s also known as “Thai yoga massage” because it involves a combination of yoga-like stretching movements and deep tissue massage techniques.

During a Thai massage session, you lie down on a mat on the floor while the therapist uses their hands, elbows, knees, and feet to apply pressure to specific points on the body.

The therapist will use a variety of techniques including compression, stretching, and acupressure to release tension and improve the client’s overall well-being.

Thai massage is different from other forms of massage because it’s more interactive and involves a lot of movement.

The therapist will move the client’s body into different positions and use their own body weight to apply pressure.

It can be very intense, but it is also highly effective at releasing muscle tension, increasing circulation, and boosting energy.

15. The wildlife

Thailand has so much wildlife to see. From the jungles of Khao Sok National Park, to the national parks in Northern Thailand, there are plenty of opportunities to see wildlife such as elephants and monkeys if you go to the right places.

And it doesn’t stop on land either. The islands allow you to see so much marine life.

There are whale sharks, black-tip reef sharks, turtles, and so much more, when you take diving trips in the Gulf of Thailand (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao).

Final Thoughts on Why I Love Thailand

So there you have it, those are 15 reasons why I love Thailand and you should too.

Whether you’re looking for bucket list destinations or you’re in the process of planning your next vacation, I am sure you will fall in love with Thailand just like I did.

Just remember that Thailand is not like Europe and

More Thailand Travel Tips

Need more inspiration about visiting Thailand? Check out these posts:

• Things to do in Bangkok – City Guide
• 19 tips for visiting Thailand with kids
• 48 hours in Phuket
• Chiang Mai for families

Plan Your Trip to Thailand

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