Responsible travel by country
Pick a country: what the Voykit guide says about animals, photos, local money, water and plastic, crowds and respect — sorted into six themes, with the general rules that apply everywhere.
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Thailand
Thailand guide →Wildlife and animals
In Thailand
Diving and snorkelling: Koh Tao is the cheapest place to learn; Similan liveaboards for the best reefs.
From the guide: Activities
Elephant sanctuaries: Pick places with no riding, no shows and no bathing crowds; many 'sanctuaries' still use hooks — check reviews.
From the guide: Activities
Everywhere: the general rules
- Skip elephant rides, shows and bathing sessions; a genuine sanctuary lets you watch elephants from a distance and does not offer riding.
- No selfies holding or hugging wild animals — sloths, lorises, monkeys, tiger cubs and snakes used as photo props are usually taken from the wild or drugged.
- Avoid dolphin and orca shows and swim-with-captive-dolphin sessions; watch wild ones from licensed boats that keep their distance.
- Do not feed wild animals, touch coral or turtles, or stand on reefs; use reef-safe sunscreen where it is asked for.
- Leave shells, coral, ivory, skins and turtle shell in the shop: many are illegal to export or import.
- Choose operators that follow distance rules, keep groups small and do not chase or bait animals.
People and photos
In Thailand
Drones: Register with CAAT and NBTC before flying; no-fly zones around palaces, airports and military sites.
Risk: Fines and confiscation; prison for unregistered flights in law.
From the guide: Respect and the law
Buddha images, antiques, drones, cannabis: Permits needed; cannabis products cannot be exported
From the guide: Customs
Trekking and hill villages: Small groups with village guides; skip treks sold as 'tribe tours' with photo stops.
From the guide: Activities
Everywhere: the general rules
- Ask before photographing people, and take no for an answer; a smile and a gesture at the camera works in any language.
- Do not photograph children without a parent's clear agreement, and never post pictures that identify them with where they live.
- Skip orphanage visits and volunteering with children on short trips — they can fuel the separation of children from families.
- Village and 'tribe' tours: pick ones run with the community, where people are hosts, not exhibits.
- Check drone rules before you fly one; many countries require a permit and ban flights near religious and military sites.
- If someone asks for money for a photo, pay it or put the camera away — do not sneak the shot.
Money that stays local
In Thailand
Tipping, street food: Nothing.
From the guide: Tipping
Tipping, sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.
From the guide: Tipping
Tipping, taxi / grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.
From the guide: Tipping
Tipping, massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.
From the guide: Tipping
Tipping, guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.
From the guide: Tipping
Tipping, hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
From the guide: Tipping
Everywhere: the general rules
- Sleep, eat and book guides locally owned where you can: family guesthouses, market stalls, community tours.
- Buy crafts from the maker or a cooperative; ask where and by whom it was made.
- Bargain where it is the custom, but stop at a fair price — the last small note matters more to the seller than to you.
- Tip in line with local norms and hand tips to the person, not a shared jar, when that is the custom.
- Pay guides, porters and drivers the agreed rate in full, and check that trekking crews get proper gear and food.
Water, plastic and waste
In Thailand
Tap water: Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
From the guide: Practical
Everywhere: the general rules
- Carry a refillable bottle and use refill stations, filtered water in hotels, or a filter bottle instead of buying plastic.
- Say no to straws, bags and single-use cutlery; carry a spoon and a cloth bag.
- Keep showers short and reuse towels where water is scarce — islands and dry regions ship or desalinate it.
- Take your rubbish out of parks, beaches and trails; bins in remote places are often emptied into the nearest valley.
Overtourism and timing
In Thailand
Quieter months worth going
- Novmedium crowds
- Maylow crowds
- Junlow crowds
- Octlow crowds
- Marmedium crowds
- Julmedium crowds
- Augmedium crowds
Nov: Cool season begins; Loy Krathong and Yi Peng fill Chiang Mai; the Gulf is wet, the Andaman dries out.
Busiest: Jan, Feb, Apr, Dec.
Everywhere: the general rules
- Travel in the shoulder months: lower prices for you, steadier income for local businesses, less strain on the places.
- Visit the big sights early or late, and stay overnight rather than day-tripping — overnight guests spend more locally.
- Spread out: the second city, the next valley and the town an hour away need visitors more than the famous one.
- Follow local limits — timed tickets, closed trails, cruise-day caps — they exist because the place is under pressure.
Cultural respect
In Thailand
The monarchy (lèse-majesté): Any insult or mockery of the King, Queen, heir or regent — spoken, written or online — is a crime; that includes damaging banknotes with the King's image.
Risk: 3–15 years in prison per count; foreigners have been jailed.
From the guide: Respect and the law
Temples and palaces: Shoulders and knees covered (Grand Palace strict: no leggings or ripped jeans), shoes off, feet never pointed at Buddha images.
Risk: Refused entry; sarongs sold or rented at the gate.
From the guide: Respect and the law
Buddha images: Do not climb or pose disrespectfully on statues; Buddha-head tattoos and decor can offend. Exporting Buddha images needs a Fine Arts Department permit.
Risk: Arrest in serious cases; seizure at the airport.
From the guide: Respect and the law
Vapes and e-cigarettes: Import, sale and possession are illegal; police do search.
Risk: Fines, confiscation, and up to 10 years for import in law; tourists have been arrested at the airport.
From the guide: Respect and the law
Cannabis: Re-listed as a controlled herb in June 2025: sale needs a prescription and recreational smoking in public is illegal — rules keep changing, check.
Risk: Fines and arrest; other drugs carry long prison terms.
From the guide: Respect and the law
Smoking on beaches: Smoking banned on many popular beaches (Phuket, Samui, Pattaya and others).
Risk: Fines up to ฿100,000 or prison in law.
From the guide: Respect and the law
Alcohol hours: Shops sell alcohol 11:00–14:00 and 17:00–24:00 only; none on Buddhist holidays and election days — the afternoon ban and fines were being revised in 2025–26, check.
Risk: 7-Eleven will refuse; drinkers can be fined under the 2025 amendment.
From the guide: Respect and the law
Passport and ID: Carry your passport or a copy with the entry stamp page; police spot-checks happen in Pattaya, Phuket and Bangkok nightlife.
Risk: Fine or trip to the station.
From the guide: Respect and the law
Monks: Women must not touch monks or hand them things directly; give way to monks on transport.
Risk: Social, not legal — but it causes real offence.
From the guide: Respect and the law
The head is sacred and the feet are low: do not touch anyone's head or point your feet at people or Buddha images.
From the guide: Etiquette
Everywhere: the general rules
- Dress for the place, not the weather at home: cover shoulders and knees at religious sites and away from the beach.
- Learn hello, please and thank you in the local language.
- Follow what locals do with shoes, queues, voices and phones in sacred places.
- Keep public affection and drinking to what locals do; some laws are strict.
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Trip footprint
For most trips the flight is the largest share of the carbon. Estimate your flight CO₂ by cabin class, and see whether a train runs instead.
Country lines come from the Voykit country guides; laws, bans and customs limits change — check before you travel. General guidance is Voykit’s own. Checked 2026-09.