Phuket: Travel Tips Worth Knowing

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.

These 8 are the ones worth knowing before you land, not after something goes wrong.

  1. File your Thailand Digital Arrival Card before you arrive. It is mandatory for every foreign arrival, free, and must be submitted online within 72 hours of landing at tdac.immigration.go.th . Paid copycat sites are scams; the real form costs nothing. A 60-day visa exemption applies to many nationalities as of mid-2026, but a cut to 30 days has been approved and is pending, so verify the current length before you book flights around it.
  2. Motorbikes are the leading cause of tourist injury and death on the island. Wear a helmet, carry a valid license plus an international driving permit, and check whether your travel insurance actually covers scooter accidents; many policies exclude them without a proper license, and checkpoints do fine tourists riding without one.
  3. Never hand over your passport as a rental deposit, for a scooter or anything else. The passport-hold-then-damage-claim shakedown is a documented scam; a cash deposit is the safer alternative.
  4. Respect the monsoon red flags. From May to October, rip currents pull swimmers under most years on the west-coast beaches, often on days that look calm, and Karon sees the most reported incidents. A red flag is a legally enforced no-swimming order, not a suggestion. If a current catches you, swim parallel to the shore, not against it.
  5. Use Grab or Bolt, not Uber. Uber does not operate in Thailand. Only Grab can pick up directly at the airport terminal; Bolt and other apps mean walking to the main road first. Metered taxis are rare, and a documented taxi and tuk-tuk cartel routinely overcharges, so agree a price before you get in or use an app instead.
  6. Lèse-majesté is a real, enforced law, and it applies to foreigners too. Never insult the monarchy, in person or online. Cannabis, similarly, is medical-use-only again as of 2026, not decriminalized or tolerated for casual tourist use, whatever a shopfront suggests.
  7. Temple etiquette is not optional. Cover shoulders and knees, remove your shoes, and never treat a Buddha image or a monk with disrespect. Free sarongs are usually available at major temple gates if you show up underdressed.
  8. Carry cash for markets, tuk-tuks, and island day trips. Cards work in hotels and malls, but ATMs charge a foreign-card fee of roughly 250 to 350 THB per withdrawal, so pull larger amounts less often rather than making several small withdrawals. Tap water is not safe to drink; stick to bottled or filtered.

None of this is meant to make Phuket sound riskier than it is; Thailand sits at the US State Department’s lowest advisory tier, and the island is a genuinely easy place to travel. On the welcoming side of the ledger, Thailand’s marriage equality law took effect in January 2025, the first in Southeast Asia, and Phuket has a visible LGBTQ+ scene, especially around Patong. These tips are the specific, documented risks, not a general warning.

Book airport transfer or a Grab-friendly hotel pickup on Booking.com , or check travel insurance options that cover scooters .

Read more: where to stay , day trips , and things to do .