While politeness is in style all over the world, there are a few guidelines you can follow that your Thai hosts will appreciate.

Putting on a Smile
In Thailand, almost everything in life involves a smile, even blunders and mishaps. Westerners often mistake this for being laughed at. For example, if a waitress forgets an order and laughs, she is not showing contempt, just making the best of a bad situation. If you complain, do so gracefully as anger usually gets you nowhere.

Dressing for the Occasion
Cleanliness and neatness are also important. In tropical Thailand, never put off showering or doing your laundry. Most Thais keep themselves scrupulously clean and dress respectably. T-shirts, sandals and knee-length shorts are suitable for informal occasions, but visits to palaces, government offices and some temples usually require something more appropriate. Nudity is forbidden, and topless bathing can offend, even though it is tolerated on some tourist beaches.

Showing Respect
The head is high and the feet are low, both physically and spiritually. Never touch anyone’s head, and avoid gesturing (especially towards a Buddha image), moving things and touching people with your feet, even if you do see people doing it to their friends. Before entering a temple or a person’s home, remove your shoes.

Good Table Manners
Shared meals are served in separate dishes with serving spoons. If someone invites you to eat, use the serving spoons to put food on your plate, not your personal spoon. Take small amounts of all the food instead of keeping one kind for yourself. Using a toothpick after the meal is acceptable if you cover your mouth with one hand.

Central Thailand, the north, northeast and east have three seasons: hot (February / March to June), rainy (June to September / October) and cool (October to January / February). Countrywide, humidity is high almost all year.

Temperatures in Bangkok are mostly hot, with highs of around 35 C [95 F] in April, dropping to roughly 30 C [86 F] in December. This is the best time to visit, when cool breezes make sightseeing much more pleasant. The monsoon rains usually come in brief but heavy downpours – sometimes producing flash floods – followed by sunshine.

The north (especially Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son) and the northeast can become chilly around New Year, with night-time lows of 11-13 C [52-56 F]. Bring warm clothing. However, daytime temperatures are in the high 20s [70-80 F], reaching the mid-to-high 30s [95-105 F] in April. Rainfall, although not as heavy as in Bangkok, may make trekking a challenge from July through September, but this is when the north is at its greenest. October to January is probably the most comfortable period for trekking.

The south, roughly from Prachuap Khiri Khan to the Malaysian border, has two seasons; rainy and dry. It is always hot and humid, and the rainfall here is heavier than the rest of the country, especially from March through November. Temperature highs range from 30-36 C [85-96 F] on the eastern side of the southern peninsular and dip slightly on the western side, from 28/29 C to 33/34 C [80 F to 90 F]