Line – Asia’s version of WhatsApp
Line is the most popular messaging app in Thailand and other southern Asian countries so it’s a very useful app to have. It’s exactly like WhatsApp and more. You can use it in the same way as you use Instagram or any other popular social media app. You can post, gain followers, buy and sell. It’s a really useful app.
Instal the app from App Store or play store and once downloaded use your Thai number for your ID or you can make up your own ID if you don’t want people having access to your phone number. Just like WhatsApp you can also scan QR codes to add friends and you can generate you Qr code for you to be added.
The range of emoticons is vast. When you meet your first Thai girl, don’t be surprised to receive a lot because if they don’t know how the word they want to use, they will use emoticons!
Grab
Grab Is the best and most Popular app in my opinion for you to have in Thailand. It’s just like Uber but with a lot more useful services. You can order food and taxi, obviously, but there’s more! You can choose the type of taxis you want. Here in Thailand you can also get grab bike which is a cheaper and faster option during rush hour because they can travel between cars (as safe as possible). You can arrange for a female driver to pick you up if you are a girl and you feel safer with a woman or if you’re going to party in Bangla road with your mates, you can get a minivan.
You can order from 7Eleven, Tops, Family Mart through GrabMart and many more local stores if you fancy some groceries. There’s even an option for postal service; you can send or receive packages which are tracked. Book hotels, top your phone up or even book experiences. This app has it all!
Google maps
Google maps is just as useful here as it is back home but there’s one option you can utilise. You just landed and still don’t have a SIM card, no problem just make sure you download an offline map of the area you will be travel and no need to panic. This can also be useful for when you’re getting in a taxi with a driver that doesn’t speak or understands much English. Punch in the direction and direct him him to your destination. Make use of the street view or pictures others have added to find your hotel/hostel etc because sometime the address isn’t precise and being able to recognise your building is a big help.
Don’t buy anything at the airport or get a taxi from the airport, they are overpriced. You can learn more useful advise about Thailand here.
Lazada/Shopee
Lazada is the equivalent of the Amazon of Southeast Asia, it’s a must have if you are here for a long stay and you’ve ran out of branded products from home you really need. Maybe you’re a stud and you need a pack of Durex condoms because you go through them in no time. It’s possible, trust me I know. You can get those at local stores but sometimes they won’t have your size. They mostly have Asian sizes here and being a foreigner you’re most likely bigger so it’s good to have your own supply.
Lazada is a one-stop shop for anything and everything. Clothes, electronics, toiletries — you name it, they’ve got it.
Shopee is another big name in the Southeast, it’s similar to Lazada but you can get a few extra that Lazada may not have. There are many private sellers offering items you might not be able to get in local shops. Items such as sex toys which is technically illegal in Thailand but ordering them to your doorstep is perfectly ok. You can even pass through airport security with them. So these two shopping apps are a must!
Wise
Wise (formerly Transferwise) is mainly a way to send money to your friends or yourself. This means that the commissions for sending money to Thailand (or from Thailand) will be much less than what you’d pay for a traditional bank transfer.
To keep it short, once you create your account you can send money to Thailand without having to pay exorbitant bank transfer fees.
Even though there are lots of alternatives, personally I’ve done well with Wise. The service is affordable and fast. All activities on Wise are also monitored and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England, as it’s a firm based in London.
The “secret” of Wise’s low prices is in not having the user directly perform a bank transfer abroad, but to have them send the amount through a local Wise account. If for example, you want to send a transfer from US to Thailand with Wise, you’ll make a transfer to their US account, at which point Wise will send the same amount from a Thai account for the same amount of money that you sent to their US account. This way, not only does the principal notably reduce the cost of forwarding, but the sender will receive an international transfer without incurring any expense.
Today Wise also offers the chance to have a free MasterCard debit card tied to a running online account. The main advantage of this MasterCard is that it’s a multicurrency card.
Phuket night life - sin city 