Thailand - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Quick Summary: Great resource if you're planning an in-depth stay in Thailand for a longer period, but not necessary for a short tourist visitI read Culture Smart!-Thailand before a three-month stay, during which I would be working in both rural and urban areas. The material in the book helped me feel more comfortable and confident before going, but once I was there I hardly touched the book. In urban areas especially, Thai services and people are very accommodating to western culture, and English is commonly used. As a tourist, you can get by with a very limited amount of prior knowledge of Thai culture and customs (although I am not encouraging this), and you can find enough tips about customs, food, and transportation using quick online searches.For those looking to stay long-term, form relationships with the people, or work in the country, I would highly recommend this book. Nothing can fully prepare you for what you'll experience in a different culture, but reading through this book certainly helped me feel prepared. In particular, I found the sections on the history and politics, the royal family, and the values and attitudes of the people to be useful when I was in the country. Also, the chapter on communication, paired with Learn Thai language learning app on my phone, helped me learn several key phrases. Speaking even just a little Thai seemed to have positive effects with Thai residents. The business chapter seems useful for a corporate setting, but I did not find it applicable to my work.Overall, I found that the customs and advice given in this book were accurate, although maybe a little over-exaggerated in regards to their strictness among Thai people and the expectations placed on visitors. Also, the book was published before the King passed away in 2016, so an update is needed. Culture Smart!-Thailand isn't perfect, but I would recommend it to anyone looking to stay long-term or be a more responsible tourist.

The reading offered insight into several things I was hoping to learn prior to try to do business in the Thais corporate environment. Hopefully it will assist me in my objective to do business with several Thai companies.

What's with all the great reviews? Makes me wonder if they're real or not? Is the book terrible? No. Is it great? No. Mostly VERY basic information in small snippets. I am engaged to a Thai girl and wanted to learn more about Thai culture. I read the reviews and had high hopes, however, I'm very disappointed in this book.

This book was great. Gave great up to date details of so many different things. I have been to Thailand many times. This book has tought me a small amount of a lot. It does not go to far in depth, more of small amount of a veriety of subjects. Perfect for someone who is going for vacation or needing a quich reference.This book will fit in your pocket. So in a month on my next trip I plan on bringing it with me. In a lot of ways this book was made to be a pocket book. Giving and easy read or re-read at anytime you need it. If you are going to Thailand i recomend you get this book first. Read on the trip there and skim back through it if need be.

I am heading to Thailand and this is a wonderful book to learn about where to go and their customs. So valuable and so happy to have it before I go.Full of everything you need to know...a must to take with you!

I have bought his book for every international place I’ve been and they really help to guide you around the culture of beautiful countries

I had to present an introduction to Thailand to people at work going there, and chose this, after looking at many resources. Well written, short, concise, interesting. I learned a great deal myself, even after 6 trips to Thailand and having worked there for 9 months.

Has lots of useful info and is a good size to travel with.

We got this for some friends moving to Thailand as a moving gift. They said it was very handy and not so long that you can’t flick through it easily. They read it on the plane and in the first couple of days they were there and said that the general etiquette and business etiquette was very useful. Pleased I picked this for them as there are lots of different ones out there.

Really short, basic book. Can read it all in half an hour and no way worth the price.You can get the same amount of useful information from any other guide book, I was expecting this to go into a bit more detail, but actually it has even less relevant information than Lonely Planet or Rough Guides.Asks more questions than it answers.

Nice book for feeling a taste of Thailand city and people habits. Read it in a plane while flying to Thailand. It was fun comparing book and reality.

Excellent

As expected :)