Scams and staying safe

Most visitors meet no worse than an inflated fare. The common tricks are old ones: a tuk-tuk quoting a fare that's ten times the meter, a stranger who says the Grand Palace is closed today and offers a tour instead, and gem or tailor shops that pay drivers to bring you in. Book rides through Grab or Bolt, agree any tuk-tuk fare before you get in, and treat unsolicited help near a big sight with suspicion.

Know the laws visitors break without meaning to. Vapes and e-cigarettes are banned, and possessing one can mean a fine or worse. Drugs carry heavy penalties. Riding a scooter without the right licence usually voids your travel insurance.

Save the numbers before you need them: tourist police 1155 (English-speaking, with a desk at Suvarnabhumi arrivals), police 191, ambulance 1669. The In an emergency page has them all, with hospitals, and prints on one sheet.

On the road, the risk is real. Motorbikes cause most of the serious injuries foreigners suffer here; wear a helmet and don't ride if you haven't before.

For residents, the bigger risk is now the phone, not the street. Never move money because of a call from "the police", "immigration" or your bank. Hang up and call the official number yourself.