By now you’ve probably memorised all the holidays in 2015 (as you’ve undoubtedly done with the freshly baked 12 core values of Thai people). Who’s to say, maybe you’ve already gone so far as to mark potential long weekends on your calendar. Well, the government, perhaps inspired by your go-getter attitude, also wants to promote tourism throughout this year. Why not help out, then, by injecting some of your hard-earned dough back into the economy? Here as a guide on your financially righteous quest are our picks of smartphone applications that will help you explore Thailand, the smart way.
Rain or Shine
Get plenty of ideas — in Thai — for this year’s holiday destinations from EDT in Summer, EDT in Winter and EDT in Rainy. As suggested by the titles, each app lists tourist destinations — beaches, national parks, a dam — based on its respective season.
Tapping each destination reveals general information, maps to and recommendations for eateries, hotels and tourist attractions in a particular area. Moreover, you can read comments posted by past visitors.
These three apps should be able to help you plan your travel itinerary, whether you want to experience real winter in Pai of Mae Hong Son or bask in a Koh Chang summer. The apps are free and available on the App Store and Google Play.
Authentic Experiences
Withlocals can connect you with local hosts who are ready to provide you with authentic experiences not found in your average guidebook. Tours, activities and home dinners in eight Asian countries can all be found in the app.
In Thailand, Withlocals can connect travellers with hosts who live in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Phuket. Choose to join a host at his or her home for dinner at the dining table — or, in some cases, on the dining mat. Instead opt for an attempt at surviving the maze that is Chatuchak Weekend Market, where you will hunt for bargains with the help of a local guide. You could take part in a muay Thai lesson in Krabi. Or tour a temple with a former monk in Chiang Mai.
You can easily narrow down your options by filtering them based on cost, the number of people who can join and duration. The English-language app is free to download from the App Store and Google Play. The potential experiences that await you, however, are anything but.
Walk These Ways
For 2.99US$, Greg’s Bangkok provides four walking tour routes in — duh — Bangkok. That’s, like, one tour for a price cheaper than your lunch. Even better, you can enjoy these tours at your own pace and convenience.
Who’s Greg, you ask? He’s a Canadian who has lived in Thailand since 2001. You can read his writing on expat life by visiting his blog (gregtodiffer.com). Judging from the content he’s contributed to the app, we must say he’s quite the egghead when it comes to the capital city.
The four routes are named: Must Sees, Etc., Chinatown Eats, Clear Across Bangkok and Walk on the Wild Side. It’s no tough guess as to what kinds of places are featured on each route. Suffice to say, the app can potentially take you from holy temple ground via a foodie playground by way of a red light district.
One tour contains between 10-15 stops, and ranges from two-and-a-half to five hours in duration. A short audio clip accompanies each stop on each tour. The walking tour app is in English and available in the App Store.
Fruity Fun
Edutour AG showcases various agritourism activities in Chanthaburi and Rayong. The bilingual app marks fruit orchards, herb gardens, and shell and crab farms that welcome visitors.
You can, for instance, tour mangrove forests, where you just might catch a glimpse of red-backed sea eagles, in Klung district. You might instead prefer to collect and sample fresh fruits on 150 rai of Suphattra land in Rayong. These are places perfect for getting in touch with nature, as well as learning firsthand about local ways of life.
Be warned — you might have to get your hands a bit dirty, but then again, that’s part of the fun! The app also includes information on hotels, petrol stations, hospitals, shops, restaurants and other noteworthy locations in the area.
Green Getaway
Sometimes your lungs and mind need a vacation, one for which a trip to Lumpini Park doesn’t cut it. Enter stage left the Khung Bang Kachao application. As you may have guessed from its name, the free app focuses on all the Bang Kachao area in Samut Prakan has to offer. And I’m telling you baby, that’s a lot. The area is already well known as Bangkok’s “green lung”, covering six districts on a peninsula in the Chao Phraya River.
The app might not look as fancy as the others listed here, but within it is a treasure trove of general information and practical tips. Places featured in the app range from temples, museums and markets to farms and parks. Shop and chill at Bang Nam Pheung market or visit the Siamese Fighting Fish Gallery, where you can view various breeds of the colourful gilled fighters in a Thai-style house.
Attractions are shown on one map. Users can tap appropriated numbers to access information or make a call to the location. Also displayed are three biking routes, detailed down to exact turns at specific sois.
Bangkokians looking for day-trips during which they can experience a slower pace of life should definitely check it out. All information is in Thai. Download the app for free from the App Store or Google Play.
Many Maps
Nostra Map Thailand serves the various needs a traveller may have. Want to explore Bangkok by bike? Simply apply the BKK Bike Map layer to the base map, allowing users to view roads that are considered safe — and those that are not. Green roads on the map have been decreed safe; red — you guessed it — the contrary. Not only can you discover safe pedalling routes, but also the location of bicyclist cafes and bicycle shops.
The app also has a “Happy Toilet” layer, which shows nearby toilets at petrol stations, temples and in major buildings. You can never be too sure, after all, when nature’s call will transform to a shriek. Cleanliness of the mapped toilets are certified by the Department of Health.
Another feature worth mentioning is the special event layer. A new layer, Flowers Destination, was released earlier this month, and marks on the map 22 places across the country where people flock to see beautiful blooms, from the big lotus pond in Nakhon Pathom to a mist-shrouded chrysanthemum field in Nakhon Ratchasima. Nostra Map is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.
