Reader question: Can a woman travel safely through Thailand alone?

yes Thailand is a safe country just use your common sense
just be careful in traffic Greetings E Thai

Do, many young single women have already preceded you without any worries.
Follow tips Thailand on Facebook and you will quickly make contacts.
Have fun traveling.

Thailand is not called 'The Land of Smiles' for nothing. Thailand is one of the safest countries in the world. Few murders, road fatalities and rapes. Koh Tao and the Deep South are the safest.

Do take Prime Minister Prayet's advice to heart: 'If you don't want to be assaulted as a young beautiful woman, don't walk around in a bikini.' OK, he then apologized for that comment.

All joking aside: my daughter has also traveled through Thailand as a backpacker for months: bus and train. She has always felt safe and has never been treated unfriendly or annoying….

I therefore also think that it is better to leave the taxis, and just take public transport. even Thai young girls often have problems with taxi drivers. But if you continue to act normally and you are a bit distant yourself, don't let yourself be taken in with nice talk by TUKTUK drivers and stuff, in my opinion there is no problem at all

If you have traveled alone in Europe or elsewhere, Thailand is a piece of cake. As Bea writes, if you cross your own boundaries you are more likely to be bothered by non-Asian men than by Thais. When I traveled alone in South America I always told that I had an appointment with friends at a later time that day. Occasionally a convenient excuse to leave a scene that wasn't mine….drug users. I hadn't anticipated the invitation after an hour-long conversation in a park. Incidentally, I am a husband and father of a daughter who, if the situation does not change greatly, I would let travel alone in Thailand with confidence.

You are safe during the day, yes, but not at night. I would go back to the hotel on time in the evening unless you are out with other tourists who can take you back to your hotel.
And we forgot the 'evil man from Krabi'? : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc3jsOqHAQI
Oh yes, and relatively many young people die on islands, so I would skip those too.

Relatively little happens in Pattaya, and when something has happened, the news item on television about it starts in nine out of ten cases with 'In the early hours of….'.
It's not wise to wander around late at night on your own, and even then the chance is greatest that something will happen to you because you trip over your own legs. But until closing time of most entertainment venues, there is no substantially increased risk.
Dress modestly, don't go into a 7-eleven or shopping mall drinking half a liter of beer in a bikini, then you run the risk of being mistaken for a Russian.
In short, no one can guarantee 100% security, but it is absolutely not an issue here.

no problem I think feel free to move around but you always have to be careful, definitely watch all your stuff because of the poverty, have a good trip and big kiss

Eveline, congratulations on a great trip!

Look stupid people who do very thoughtless things can get into trouble anywhere. That will undoubtedly not apply to you. You are rarely if ever harassed here by pushy men who want something sexual from you. Conversely, if I were you, I'd avoid certain types of late-night entertainment venues, unless you're into drunk dudes who've "lost their way home." Being harassed by testosterone bombs like in Mediterranean, Central and South American countries, that really doesn't happen here. Preferably choose places to stay where you don't have to look for a late Tuktuk driver at midnight to take you far to a suburb. Those guys sometimes want to ask emphatically if you are not too lonely…

What usually goes wrong when traveling in Thailand is traffic accidents. Take the time to get used to it. when crossing, traffic comes from the wrong side. Old scooters sometimes trip over their own stand. footrests that stay out sometimes take the skin off your calves. I have been coming here for 18 years now and continue to take everything in traffic extremely seriously. Before anything else, take a week to taste for yourself what it is like here before you start doing adventurous things. you soon feel what life is like here. And, you can always ask a nice lady behind a bar, in a massage parlor or on a terrace to show you around. The girls in my favorite bar here in Chiang Mai regularly take young women traveling alone to a disco or night bar. Just girls together. and also in the guesthouses or hostels where you will sleep you can ask other women for some advice on the spot.

Personally, I would avoid the places most popular with tourists. E.g. no Bangkok, Pukhet, Pattaya or Koh Samui. been there and personally haven't seen the real Thailand. For example, the islands of Koh Chang and Koh Mak are already very different (check blogs on the Internet). In my experience, both the Thai were the nicest and the offer and landscape the most varied in and around Ching Mai. And from CM you have 1.000 possibilities to never get bored. Yesterday I drove my scooter all day through the beautiful mountains. The roads are now top notch. The villages all have something to eat and drink for you. And when I got home I did a wonderful massage (had saddle pain after 7 hours) and had a romantic snack by the river (with live music).

Enjoy it.

Frank

Of course you don't have to frighten anyone who wants to travel to this beautiful country unnecessarily, but it is also stupid to close your eyes to reality. And that reality, based on statistics of crimes and offenses, is that Thailand is a relatively violent and dangerous country: number of road deaths, murders, fights, robberies, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, theft, corruption. And for several reasons, the number and thus the insecurity is increasing. Thailand is also not unique in the world in this.
It is not so much about men or women or about Thai citizens or tourists. They are equally at risk.
When you travel you have to do three things: 1. prepare for the country you are going to (know what is and what is not allowed, what the penalties are for offenses and crimes, what is absolutely different from your own country) and 2. adapt to local norms and values. In the latter case, it is not about what is or is not allowed by law, but what is decent and appropriate, in short what is and is not appropriate in Thailand (one of which is not to wear provocative clothing on the street: you don't do that and not because it is dangerous). may be but because it shouldn't). Point 3: just always keep using your mind.

Dear Eveline,

'Dress decently, normally, and not provocatively…', many responders say…..

That doesn't mean anything other than that they actually think it's dangerous for a woman in Thailand. Because what is decent, normal and unchallenging depends not on your judgment but on the judgment of the man who is looking at you, and you have no influence on that.