Make friends in Thailand! How to enjoy Thailand with locals

Hello.
This is Yucchan. I've been to Thailand over 10 times already, and I've been learning Thai for two and a half years.

I have some friends in Bangkok, and lately I've been hanging out and drinking with them every time I go.
I usually go alone, so I think I'll go several times.

"I'm bored. There's nothing to do when I'm alone."

So, these days, I try to contact them before I go so that I can enjoy my time there.

So how did you find friends?
There are several patterns of encounters, so I will introduce them one by one.

Traveling to Thailand with locals is a little different

- Traveling alone is boring.
・There is no need to worry if you are with someone living in Thailand.

Traveling to Thailand alone can be boring.

I go alone every time, so I understand.

"I'm so bored."

I spend a lot of time in the day, so I have a lot of free time...
Well, it might be nice to take it easy, but it only takes three days.

Can you stay at a resort for two weeks and have fun by yourself? ! (lol)

Making local friends is a must.

There is no need to worry if you are with someone living in Thailand.

I think it would be fun to travel to Thailand with my family and friends.
However, it is a daily occurrence that it takes a long time to catch a taxi, or that you get ripped off.

When you go out with local Thai people or people living in Thailand, you feel a little safer.
I know good restaurants and can go to the market without hesitation.

There is a difference in the sense of security, not only in terms of money, but also in terms of public safety.
You can also pay to hire a guide.

Is that what it's like to tour?

But you want to hear real voices, don't you?
A guide can't do that, so it's better to make friends.

Find friends before you go to Thailand.

1 Use an app
2 Attend a Thai language class
3 Tweet about Thailand on Instagram
4 Get to know each other on SNS

It's roughly like this.

Search using the app (for advanced users)

Instead of using a dating app, I use an app called MeetUp.
There is a community called Japanese Class, and there are Japanese people, and there are also foreigners who like Japan.

This is for very advanced users.
It may be a little difficult if you are not staying for a long time.

Well, I think it's pretty good.
I've only been introduced to it by a friend, so I haven't attended yet, but I hear people will introduce me to it, so I think I'll go next time.

By the way, Tinder is a famous dating app.
However, there are many ladies at night, so be careful.

Attend an online Thai language class

This Thai language class is an online Thai language class.

I used THAI-GO and japanese2thai.com .
Currently, I am taking private lessons from a Thai graduate.

This article:
Traveling will be 100 times more fun if you can speak Thai! Easily learn Thai online

I had the impression that there were a lot of young people learning Thai online.
There were especially a lot of Thai university students and working adults.

When I asked her, ``I'm going to Thailand next time, would you like to hang out with me?'' she surprisingly agreed.

I met several people in Chiang Mai and they were all nice people.
At that time, I was taken to the most delicious Khao Man Gai restaurant in Chiang Mai!

I was also guided around sightseeing in Doi Suthep.

Tweet about Thailand on Instagram

During your stay, if you tweet with the hashtag #thailand, a Thai girl will come and talk to you.
When I tweeted in Japan, a Thai girl who could speak Japanese approached me.

This is my impression, but it's normal to meet people using SNS.

Since I'm over 30, I tend to think that meeting people of the opposite sex on SNS is like a dating site, but it's different for younger people.
. It's a bit of a culture shock (lol)

I've met two people on Instagram so far.
It was fun teaching me Thai and eating meals together.

If you meet someone like this, is it because of money?
I'm sure there are some people who have questions like that, but they're completely biased. Especially in Bangkok, isn't the income much different from Japanese people? There are many people who have it.

The people wandering around Phrom Phong, Asok, and Thonglor are rich people (lol)

The days of being cheap in Asia are coming to an end.

Find people you know who love Thailand on SNS

We met through social media, in my case Twitter.
This is Japanese. I'm a person living in Thailand.

My occupation is a freelance web designer and engineer.

There are so many freelancers in Thailand that it is said to be a nomad's paradise, and you can often see them on Twitter.
Actually, I'm also part of a Thai designer team, and I work there.

I also have acquaintances who are illustrators and manga artists.

When I'm in Japan, I don't often get to meet people, but when I'm overseas, they meet up a lot more often than I expected.
I also met the little monkey from the Thai manga ``Thailand Happy Diary''.

I contacted the author, Tarekku, on Twitter.
I was a little impressed to meet someone I only knew from manga (*´ω｀)

Make friends in Thailand and have a different trip than ever before

I can say this because I made friends in Thailand.
Whether it's a family trip, a trip with friends, or a couple trip, it's fun to go out with friends who live in Thailand.

I think it's okay to go sightseeing only once.
However, when I go with my Thai friends, I see a completely different view.

Besides, sightseeing is usually a fixed place.
There are many tourist spots that Japanese people don't know about.

Especially if you're wandering around alone like me.
Let's make friends!

I think a Thai language class would be a good place to start.