When traveling abroad, a uniquely modern culture shock is simply the all the different apps that people use to get by day-to-day. I thankfully have some extended family living in Bangkok who gave me a heads up on the best apps to have downloaded ahead of time. Having these ready to go made my trip to Thailand so much easier, from planning to daily transportation.
Grab
This app is often referred to as ‘the uber of Thailand’, but its honestly so much more than that. You can book pharmacy and food deliveries, female-only drivers (if you’re also a female), or the space on the back of a scooter. The prices are always better than whatever your hotel will negotiate, and I personally feel much safer having cashless payment and gps monitoring through the app.
Agoda
Nearly every hotel in Thailand will be bookable through this app, and it regularly has great discounts and deals available for its users. It’s kind of glitchy and a little annoying to figure out at first, but it’s well worth the convenience and loyalty points.
Line
This app is ubiquitous throughout Thailand. It’s part social media, part messaging app, and I still don’t totally understand it. I used this for making restaurant reservations, making a PCR appointment at a local doctor’s clinic, and even as a loyalty card at a spa. Everyone here seems to use this, and your life will be a lot easier if you do too.
If someone doesn’t use Line, they’ll likely use WhatsApp. It’s worth downloading this as a backup form of communication with restaurants and drivers if you don’t have it already. We found it especially helpful for coordinating day-hire travel and staying in contact with our drivers so that they could wander off for breaks while we were dining or exploring ruins rather than waiting indefinitely in their cars for us.
Google Translate
Everyone knows about Google Translate, but the app itself is really cool because it allows for offline translations when your service is spotty – which is likely when you’ll need it the most! It also has a cool feature for visual translations using your phone’s camera, which is super useful for things like road signs and menus.
Chope
Restaurant booking app used throughout Thailand, but mainly in Bangkok. There aren’t tons of restaurants using this app, but the ones that do often have great dining promotions and make the process of booking a table super easy.
GoWabi
This is a specific app for downloading spa and beauty appointments throughout Thailand. You’ll find a lot of great deals and discounts by booking through here, and won’t have to worry about language barriers for booking the right service. I especially liked the ability to book a massage directly to my hotel room, which was far more convenient and inexpensive that anything a hotel could offer.
Tripit
This app isn’t specific to Thailand, but it makes my travel planning so much easier. It automatically adds any email confirmations to your itinerary, and makes it super easy for me to visually see my plans day-by-day. I’ve used this app for every single one of my travels since discovering it. Trust me, it’s a total life saver.
Currency Converter
I checked through a few apps for currecy conversions and ended up downloading a really basic app. I actually use this app more while I’m still planning than while I’m actually traveling. This one doesn’t require any payment, and doesn’t have any annoying adverts that you have to click through, and seems to update the pricing day to day. It does a basic job extremely well without overcomplicating, which is all I can ask for.
