Solo female - eating out alone in Thailand
 

I'm planning to travel solo to Thailand from mid-December to mid-January. Whilst I'm looking forward to it, I am a little apprehensive.

Can anyone give me any tips about eating in restaurants alone - I don't want to stick my head in a book during the whole meal, neither do I want to stay in my room!

Can anyone recommend any 'solo traveler friendly' restaurants?

Anyone planning on being in Thailand at about the same time?

Thanks very much

We've found that the less "hotel" a place it, the more easy it is to meet and mingle with the other guests. People are pretty open in our experience and warmly welcome a newcomer. Some places are more conducive to this kind of friendmaking. Exceptions to all rules are possible...but...the basic rules we've observed are:

1. small, local restaurants with few tables and friendly looking staff and a good looking group dining/drinking

2. restaurant/bar inside a small resort or guesthouse...easy to meet people staying in the same place as you in this type of place. Darn near impossible to crack the shells of the other guests at the swanky places. Maybe go to the swanky places after you've made some friends somewhere else who will go with you.

3. Ask around in your hotel/guesthouse ...everyone is happy to recommend to the newcomer.

4. Stay long enough in one location so you can become a regular at a place you like. You'll get a better feel for the place as well. It only takes 3 or 4 days, but the longer you stay, the more you are allowed 'in'.\

5. Don't be shy to be the first to speak. If someone would prefer to be alone, they will almost always apologize for their desire and explain for whatever reason they'd feel better without company but will hook up with you another time for a chat and a meal....you know.

6. Relax. Lots of people have meals alone and like it. I have no trouble now, but didn't like to do it when I was younger (and I'm NOT old now ;} only 40)

many fororites travel as single women in thailand and report not problems...just carry on as you would at home...

in Bangkok there are plenty of verry clean food courts. located in most malls and department stores.
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you can grab a bite at a street stall.
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there are plenty of fast food resteraunts in town.
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go to a regular local resteraunt and grab the front row seat looking out into the street, you can have some good food and people watch at same time. .
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plently of people including thais eat solo, especially in the cities.

I'm a male who has traveled solo all over the world and I can say thailand is one of the places where I felft the most confortable when eating out solo. Actually, I' m currently living in thailand, and one of the reasons I decided to stay in the country was, that I could go eat out and not feel like a total looser, which I did feel when travaling in some coutries.

Do not be aprehensive at all!

Thailand is such a eating~friendly country, people seem to be eating all hours of the day, alone, with groups, with families, on streets, in resturants, 24 hours a day! Just go with the flow. Be open and confident..U can dine alone, u may meet other travelrs, or thai~locals as well.

If u are adventurous, there are small roadside street stalls eveywhere where u can sit alone and comfortably dine with the locals..No problem.I do this all the time.

And going to a resturant, do not worry about a thing. Just go! Be open. smile. Chat with the local staff, the waiters. If u are freindly, the Thais will be freindly.

As a solo woman, I have traveled on my own my whole life thus far, and Thailand is surely one of the easiest places to just go about your own business and nobody will bother! Unlike India where i live on/off, a country folks are big on staring at U, no matter what u are doing!@\

So no worries, Thais are very accomadating, happy to have u in their resturant, and very accustomed to seeing foreginers dining alone/...

And, if u are very uncomfotable dining on your own in the beginning, u can always buy a bag of green chicken curry, rice and fruit from the street vendors and make your own room service too..

have a superb trip. Sawadeeka..