5 Best Apps for Travel to Thailand
Thailand is a tropical paradise and is easily one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia, especially for young travellers looking for an exotic landscape, beaches, diving and parties… Yes, a lot of parties! Of course, there are also amazing temples, museums, mountains and smaller villages that offer even more profound inspirations. So here are the best apps to help you make the most of your trip to Thailand!
Islands off the coast of Thailand offer colorful reefs for diving and snorkeling. Now, there are apps to log your dives or scout out your next one! With the help of an app phrasebook, booking a dive guide is easy! The remaining apps on this list are for booking hostels, taxis, buses, subways… All the tedious stuff. Picking up a cheap SIM Card will allow you to use all these apps on the go. But lastly, check out the fun Muay Thai app in our bonus section, you may be inspired to view a match in Bangkok!
1. DG – Divers Guide
Divers Guide is a great app still building out content on Dive Sites around the world. The App is mostly focused on European sites but has some info on Ko Tao in Thailand and likely more destinations in the near future.
For Ko Tao, the app has pins for all the nearby diving sites, info on visibility, water temperature, depth and current. The added feature of this app is that you can log your own dive there, give the site a rating and leave a remark for other divers! The App is really quite impressive, but could be more user-friendly.
You can subscribe for additional content but the free version is already very useful and informative.
- Price: Free, optional subscription
Global Dive Guide
This app is amazing for diving but the content is still being published for Thailand and other popular scuba diving destinations. Each destination is $1.39 through the App but includes beautiful photos, diving sites, info on depth, visibility, fish species you’ll likely see at each site and dangers to look out for.
For Thailand, the app only has the Similan Island sites, but we’ll keep an eye on it as more content is published. Of course, the info is available offline too!
- Price: $1.39 per destination
2. Thailand Dictionary +
I found this App series while researching for Vietnam and really like it. The layout is simple and easy to use with a list: Search, Scan, Bookmarks, Translator, Phrasebook, Flash Card Etc…
The app includes pop up ads but also includes a number of study games in addition to the great phrasebook that is both extensive and easy to navigate for various topics: Transportation, Numbers, Basics, Emergencies etc…
I was very impressed with this app. Luckily this time the app is available on iOS and Android devices! Enjoy!
- Price: Free
- Alternatives: Learn Thai Phrasebook, Thai By Nemo
Thailand Phrasebook
Codegent has a series of phrasebooks for many languages. The apps are all pretty good but the pricing varies from app to app and between iOS and Android. To be honest, I prefer to recommend free stuff.
This Learn Thai App is free and includes all the basics like Directions & Places, Transportation, Eating Out and Emergency words. Upgrading unlocks the more advanced content for only $5.49. The one aspect I really like is the voice feature. You can hear the correct pronunciation which is really important for trying to speak Thai.
- Price: Free, Upgrade for $5.49 USD
- Alternatives: Learn Thai Phrasebook, Thai By Nemo
3. Hostelworld
In Thailand Hostelworld is easily the best app for booking cheap accommodations as a solo Traveler. For couples, Guest Houses are quite popular in Thailand so using Booking.com will give you a bigger selection.
When my hostel in Guangzhou gave away my bed, they honored their guarantee and refunded my deposit and gave me $50 towards my future bookings… The original booking only cost me $12. They take care of you.
The app focuses on hostels. Of course, single private rooms are often available too. Hostel bunks in Thailand range from $2 to $10. Check out our 5 hostel essentials for solo travelers article to ensure you are prepared for your stay.
- Price: In-App Bookings
- Alternatives: Booking.com, Agoda.
Trip.com
Trip.com is a great alternative for booking a hostel, guest house or hotel in Thailand. Trip.com has some really aggressive promotions, discounting hotels 30-50% because they are a relatively new player internationally. Trip.com is actually the international brand of CTrip in China.
I compared the prices to Hostelworld and they are the same, but I would check it regularly to snag one of their big sales. Especially if you intend to splurge on a fancy hotel in Bangkok as they are some of the most affordable 5 star hotels in the world. Likewise for the beach side cabins in Koh Samui!
4. Next Station: Bangkok
Next Station: Bangkok is a small app that was designed to work alongside Google Maps. Bascily, you can search for a hotel, museum or other tourist site and find the nearest subway station. From the Station profile you press three little dots in the right hand corner to export to Google Maps. Easy, simple and light on data storage.
For a more powerful subway app, try the Bangkok MRT official app. Honestly, you don’t really need a subway app in Thailand since only Bangkok has one… and Google Maps and Maps.me is often enough.
That being said, I got lost in Bangkok for hours trying to use public transit, so I tend to like having as many route apps as possible.
- Price: Free
- Alternatives: Bangkok MRT, Bangkok Metro iOS Only
5. Grab Driver & Taxi
Grab is a ride app similar to Uber except that payment is made in cash rather than charged to your credit card. The advantage of using Grab over Uber is that there are more drivers and even cheaper motorbike options.
The base fare usually around 50 BHT ($1.80 USD) + 5 BHT per Km ($0.15 USD). Motorbikes are cheaper at 25 BHT base fare + 5 BHT per Km for trips 2 Km or less. Pricing comparison here for different options including Uber and regular Taxis service.
The one drawback is that the drivers (Taxi or Car) are expected to call you to confirm the pick up location, obviously most don’t speak English. So picking up a SIM Card for cheap is useful. Choosing Grab Taxi over Grab Car is likely easier as the drivers are more familiar with the popular hotels and sights.
Because credit cards aren’t widely used in south Asia, Grab has thrived over Uber in Thailand, Vietnam and other south asian countries.
Bus Bud or 12Go Asia
Busbud is a US based company for all things buses everywhere. It’s really useful in countries like Thailand where bus companies run different routes. For example, Bus Express operates a route from Bangkok to Phuket, but Bangkok Busline is the preferred choice from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
My recommendation is to search for the tickets and routes on Busbud and purchase them directly at the appropriate counter at bus station to get the best price. But keep in mind picking up your tickets a day or two in advance is always best as some routes are likely to sell out.
Another great website that doesn’t have an App yet is 12Go Asia. They are recommended by Man in Seat61, so you know it’s good!
Bonus App: Muay Thai MA
Muay Thai and Martial Arts is pretty niche and not for every Traveler, so I didn’t want to include it in the normal list. But it’s an incredibly popular sport in Thailand and increasingly popular worldwide.
This app is pretty simple and includes info on the history of Muay Thai, a gallery of amazing photos, basic techniques, terminology and more.
Attending a Muay Thai fight in Bangkok is a popular event not only for locals but also for international travelers. So downloading this app can help you become familiar with the terms and techniques you’ll see first hand in the arena!
If you are interested in Muay Thai, I also include links to a Muay Thai Podcast and awesome movies on our Thailand page under Books & Things. I’ll take any excuse to promote Jean Claude Van Damme!
More Info on Thailand
Disclaimer: Hostelworld and Trip.com are an affiliated partners, we make a small commission from bookings at no cost to you.
Now, no app in the world is going to help you use the squat toilets in Thailand. But our article on How Everyone Poops in Asia might just help, a little :). We also created a Quickie Guide for Thailand with Visa information, daily costs and transportation info, and a list of movies, books & podcasts under Books & Things..
Lastly, consider picking up a SIM Card for use in Thailand, they are cheap and easy enough to get upon arrival or order online. That way you can use all the apps on the go!
