Driving in Thailand
 

Going to Thailand in October and wanted to drive to and from certain places/cites; such as from Chiang Mai to Chaing Rai and north and south from Phuket, etc. Can it be done with some ease, as in USA and Europe. What are pitfalls...I have plenty of time and enjoy the ability to stop and do whenever! Thanks

You can certainly rent a car with ease, as long as you have an international driving license. Your main problem is safety, since Thai drivers are pretty aggressive and don't have much regard for the rules of the road.

The other problem can be signage, since not all road signs are in English. Some are only in Thai.

up north it is easy....but around bkk not advised....

i would not drive from bkk south further than hua hin or so...

Try and do some research on Thai traffic laws, especially the one about liabilities and your responsibilities in case of an accident.

The biggest headache are the motorcycle. Even if an underage and unlicensed operator was driving down the wrong way of a one way street and ram into your car while you have stop at a traffic light - under Thai law you are responsible to take the injured party to a hospital.

Once you have some understanding of the laws then it's quite enjoyable to drive, especially around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

One thing to mention is that unlike the US and most of Europe, Thailand is a left-hand drive country. So, first you should be quite comfortable with that, as Thailand is NO place to learn to drive on the “other” side of the road.

Secondly, I would never drive in or around Bangkok. Too much traffic, too many hassles.

Thirdly, I don’t see my reason to want to drive TO Phuket, it’s along drive from Bangkok. Flying would be far preferred. Possibly driving around the Krabi area or on Phuket may be convenient; but personally I would spend the money on a boat hire as that IMO is where all the beauty is, on the outlying islands and just out on the water itself. You can spend the day island hopping, that’s a perfect day. Also, not to put too fine a point on it, but about the only place where there is some unrest in the country is in southern Thailand and you may have to drive through some of these areas on your way between Bangkok and Phuket, or if you chose to go into areas of southern Thailand below Phuket closer to the border with Malaysia. Not the most fun I would imagine, road blocks, etc if not any actual danger. I don’t think that this far southern area is actually recommended for tourists currently due to this unrest.

I guess driving around Chiang Mai would be OK, but having a driver to do the work for you may be even more fun. They can stop wherever you want to, too...and you don’t have to worry a about signage or getting lost etc.

I live in Hong Kong and drive here, but just would not think that a “driving” vacation in Thailand would be that interesting (other than very limited bits perhaps in the hills, but drivers are cheap) nor at all relaxing. Australia, New Zealand, up the coast of Malaysia would be great. I just don’t see the need in Thailand.

Assume you know that Phuket is very rainy in October, Bangkok too. Latter part of the month is better, but you can still have a good bit of rain.

I have driven all over Thailand, North South and some of the islands and love the extra flexibility having your own car provides. I have picked up a car from the old Bankok airport and had no problems finding my way down to the Hua Hin area vis the express ways out of teh city. Having said that I would not contemplate driving around downtown Bangkok! I am from the UK so am used to driving on the left so the left side is the right side form (if you see waht I mean!) How much a problem this is I am not sure (but I am sure I will find out when we spend a long weekend in Boston next month!).

Apart from the truck drivers, i did find the Thais particularly agressive, although they did use their horns a lot. What I found a bit disconcerting at first was the quaint Thai custom of driving down the wrong side of the road if you only have a few hudred yard to go to the next junction!

One of the best times I have had in thailand was driving the "Mai Hong Sorn Loop" from Chinag Mai - spectacular scenery and well worth the trip. I tend to use Budget for car rental. They have some very good route guides on their website - http://www.budget.co.th/travel_worldclass.php
The negatives are that there are no rule except that if you are farang it is your fault, Thai drivers are unpredictable (but after a while I found that I adapted to this unpredictability and began to expect the unexpected).

In short, if, as I do, you enjoy the ability to stop where and when you want, may be turn up a hotel that just takes your fancy, driving is for you. If you are at all nervous about driving in the torrential rain, or on the left, then, as Cicerone has said, Thailand is not the place to learn