Planning a trip to Thailand and thinking what apps would be good to have on your phone? Some of Thailand apps can really make your traveling in the kingdom much easier. When you will be preparing for a trip, don't forget to install 10 best apps for Thailand travel on your smartphone as these apps can be very useful during your stay in the "land of smiles".
Thailand SIM card
During your trip in Thailand, internet access on your phone can greatly simplify your life. It’s best to buy a local SIM card with an internet connection to stay conveniently connected on your holiday in Thailand. Local SIM cards are not expensive and easy enough to get upon arrival so you can use all the apps right away. To save money, pre-book Thailand SIM card online and pick it up at the airport.
Best Apps for Thailand Travel
Your Thailand trip will be much easier if you will install most of the below listed apps to use in Thailand. 10 best apps for Thailand travel that will be really useful on your trip are the following.
1. KLOOK
If you are planning to visit Thailand and looking for the best deals on attraction tickets and activities, then KLOOK is a must download app. KLOOK is the platform where you can order SIM card or book travel activities, tickets to amazing tourist attractions, and local experience tours around Thailand significantly cheaper and faster than buying directly at the counter. It's hassle-free, easy to use. Various promotion codes offering additional discount are also available for the users of this app!
To get the best offer, we usually compare deals on KLOOK with another great app for tours and tickets - GetYourGuide.
2. Hotel Booking App - Agoda or Booking
Agoda and Booking.com are the tools for you to find hotels and other accommodation all over Thailand. These applications are easy to use and let you check the price, hotel location and daily deals fast. You can switch to the map and see the rates of hotels in your preferred location. These apps make comparison of the hotels really easy. Normally, the prices are lower if you are using the app on mobile phone than desktop computer.
Even if Booking.com is better known worldwide, it’s not uncommon to get better hotel deals on Agoda when it comes to finding a hotel in Thailand.
3. Traveloka
Before your long holidays in Thailand, you must conclude your travel plan and the first thing to do is booking flights and hotels. Traveloka app can help you to book flights cheaper than normal. This application covers all the main worldwide airlines. Booking with Traveloka is a good choice if you are looking for domestic flights. Traveloka also has special offers in "ongoing promos" section for people booking through the application so we’ve booked tickets many times with this app and always got a price better than on the website of airlines. After the booking and payment is completed, the app will send the electronic ticket or booking confirmation via smartphone, so you won’t need to carry the documents and will be able to access the information at any time.
For international flights, you can always keep an eye on SkyScanner.
4. Google Translate
One of the major issues when going abroad is the language and not many Thais know English well. Knowing “Sawaddee” for saying “hello” or “Khop Khun” for saying “thank you” is not enough for travelling in Thailand. This is why Google Translate application needs to be installed on your phone. It's just a straightforward and simple way to translate text into foreign language quickly and Google Translate works well enough with Thai Language. You can even scan the text with your mobile camera and translate it automatically into the language you want. This application is very useful for translating restaurant menus, signs or transport tickets in real time.
5. Grab
Grab, similar to the Uber application, is an app that allows you to get a taxi fast and easily without advance reservation. Grab also offers a wide range of travel options including taxis, personal cars, motorcycles, and delivery services. All you need to do is choose the origin and destination, this app will calculate the distance, expected time and estimated fare and you will only have to wait for your taxi to arrive and take you to your desired destination. With the delivery service feature, you can order food, parcels, and even bulky or heavy items from nearby restaurants or supermarkets.
Using Grab is convenient as you can choose to pay your fare in cash or credit card and you will receive an email receipt every time after the trip. Grab app in Thailand can also be used in English, and you do not need to worry about the language. There is a texting section for contacting the driver, where the message will be automatically translated into English and Thai.
6. Line
You may think WhatsApp or Skype are the most popular applications for chatting, but it's not like that in Thailand. Line is more essential and used by locals to communicate via instant messaging. Line is a free application that only needs your phone's internet connection to send and receive messages, calls, photos, videos, documents, and Voice Messages to your friends and family. Most people in Thailand use Line to stay in contact with everyone, therefore, having this app will make it easier for you to contact with your new Thai friends.
7. Wise
Wise is an app that lets you check exchange rates, send money, receive payments from abroad, pay bills or send money back home to your loved ones – wherever you are. As Thailand has its own currency and Thai baht is only accepted in Thailand, this app will help you to convert between Thai Bath and the currency of your country of origin to avoid confusion. You will know if the thing you want to buy is cheap or expensive and how much you pay by just entering the amount and automatically converting it to your currency or vice versa at the exchange rate of the day. The app is very useful and makes it easier for you to control your money.
8. Google Maps
Google Maps is a must-have app on your smartphone when traveling to Thailand. Google Maps lets you know your location and traffic conditions with a single click. It helps you decide which means of transportation you should use to reach your destination. This application will also help you plan your trip in advance by making a list of the tourist places you want to visit, the hotels you want to stay, or the best restaurants to eat at without getting lost.
An interesting function and undoubtedly a great advantage of using Google Maps is that this app lets you download maps of the city beforehand so you can use it offline, in case you have no network coverage in certain areas of Thailand.
9. Thai Best Dict
This is a dictionary application that can be used offline. It will be a good translator for your trips or when no internet connection is available. With Thai Best Dict app, you will be able to translate words both from English to Thai and from Thai to English. We like using it because the translation of word meaning is quite detailed and you can listen to the correct Thai pronunciation.
10. AirVisual
AirVisual is an app that is useful for everyone who is concerned of their health. As the environmental standards in Thailand are quite poor, sometimes the polluted air covers the entire city, especially Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The app is designed to be convenient to use, with detailed pollution information and division into colors according to air quality. This app will help you to understand the environment you're travelling to and act accordingly to protect yourself.
Install these useful applications on your smartphone and make your travelling around Thailand much easier!
Bonus Thailand Apps
ViaBus
ViaBus is a cool app for public bus rider that is very useful when traveling by Bangkok public bus as with the use of it you no longer have to stand and wait for the bus without knowing when it will come. The new buses are equipped with GPS, so you can check the current location of each bus, bus route, bus stop, and also tells you how to connect to other means of public transportation, such as BTS, MRT or river boats, and gives you an approximate time required.
Foodpanda
Foodpanda is the first food delivery service in Thailand. With this application, you can search the restaurants nearby and choose to order your favorite dishes from Thai food to pizza and gourmet dishes to be delivered right to your hotel or accommodation without having to go out. The menu displayed includes reviews and ratings of the restaurants from other customers. Foodpanda is packed with special offers from many restaurants such as free delivery or special menu. Foodpanda accepts both credit card and cash payments.
Get this Thailand app in case you can't find the food you want on Grab app or to compare the offers between these two food delivery apps.
Shopee
Shopee, Thailand version of eBay or Amazon, is one of the most famous online shopping apps in Thailand. This is an app that allows you to search and order all the products relatively easily. The delivery is possible throughout Thailand and you can also check the delivery status on the app. Shopee is ideal for those who intend to stay in Thailand for longer periods.
There is also another app called Lazada, which is good for ordering goods. You can compare price between these two apps before buying.
Amazing Thailand
Amazing Thailand application is a travel guide app made by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). This app allows you to search for the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, covering all provinces and including travel tips, accommodation, events & festivals, shopping, food and more. It's easy to travel around Thailand with just one app.
Wongnai
Wongnai is an application that helps you choose a restaurant in Thailand from more than 250,000 restaurants around the country. With this application you can find nearby restaurants with detailed information and real user reviews that can help you to decide on where to go. You can instantly share reviews or food photos as well. It will also help you to discover great spas and many other beauty services.
Tips
Consider buying local Thailand SIM card to stay conveniently connected on your holiday in Thailand. Booking Thailand SIM card online is much cheaper and easy enough to get upon arrival so you can use all the apps right away!
More information about Thai mobile phone service providers and SIM cards offered for tourists can be found here: Getting Thailand SIM Card.
For more great apps check 35 Must-Have Thailand Travel Apps.
