Tourist literature has so successfully marketed Thailand as the "Land of Smiles" that a lot of tourists arrive in the country expecting to be forgiven any outrageous behaviour. This is just not the case: there are some things so universally sacred in Thailand that even a hint of disrespect will cause deep offence. The worst thing you can possibly do is to bad-mouth the universally revered royal family.

Thais very rarely shake hands , using the wai, a prayer-like gesture made with raised hands, to greet and say goodbye and to acknowledge respect, gratitude or apology. The wai changes according to the relative status of the two people involved: as a farang (foreigner) your safest bet is to go for the "stranger's" wai, raising your hands close to your chest and placing your fingertips just below your chin.

Thailand shares the same attitudes to dress and social taboos as other Southeast Asian cultures.