Beachmeter Blog

Impress Everyone With These Thai Beach Phrases

3 min read

Two longtail boats lying on a beach in Thailand with limestone cliffs in the background

Heading to a Thai beach?

After you have mastered the most important Thai words like “thank you” (khòp khun), “hello” (sàwàddee), “(I) don´t want (that)” (mâi ao), and of course our Thai Beach Vocabulary vol. I and vol. II, it´s time to put together a few Thai beach phrases to help you make your beachlife in Thailand a breeze.

Survival Thai Beach Phrases

You may not understand the entire answer you receive, but perhaps some articulation, pointing and language hacks will get you there. At a minimum, you will impress local residents with your efforts, and you will be able to order one, two, or three beers. Remember to click the sound icon to hear how each phrase is pronounced, and see if you can parrot the sounds and tones.

PHRASE	PRONUNCIATION AND TONE	THAI SPELLING	SOUND
Let’s go to the sea!	bpai (mid) thá-leh (high-mid) gan (mid) thùh (low)	ไปทะเลกันเถอะ
Which beach is most … ?	hàat (low) năi (rising) … thîi-sùt (falling-low)	หาดไหน … ที่สุด
popular / quiet / beautiful / romantic	yôrd (falling) ní-am (high-mid) / ngîap (falling) / sŭai-ngaam (rising-mid) / roe-maen-dtìc (mid-mid-low)	ยอดนิยม / เงียบ/ สวยงาม / โรแมนติก
Does this beach have …?	hàat (low) níi (high) mii (mid) … măi?	หาดนี้มี … ไหม?
shade / sunbeds / restaurants / hotels	rôhm-ngao (falling-mid)/ dtiang (mid) àap (low) dàed (low) / ráan aa-hăan (mid-rising) / rohng-raem (mid-mid)	ร่มเงา / เตียงอาบแดด / ร้านอาหาร / โรงแรม
one / two / three beers, please	kŏr (rising) bia (mid) nèung (low) / sŏong (rising) / săam (rising) kùat (low)	ขอเบียร์ หนึ่ง / สอง / สาม ขวด
Is it safe to swim?	wâai-náam (falling-high) bplòrd-pai (low-mid) măi (rising)?	ว่ายน้ำปลอดภัยไหม?
Where can I buy …	séu (high) … dâai (falling) thîi-năi (falling-rising)?	ซื้อ … ได้ที่ไหน?
sun lotion / flip-flops / water	cream (mid) gan (mid) dàet (low) / rong (mid) táo (high) dtàe (low) / náam (high) bplào (low)	ครีมกันแดด / รองเท้าแตะ / น้ำเปล่า

At the end of each sentence you can add a little polite khâ (female) or khráp (male) to soften the sentences. If you want to print out, save on your computer or share these Thai beach phrases, you can find a printable version of the phrases here.

We hope you will find these phrases useful. For more Thai beach phrases, Thai-Language.com has a good list of useful words and phrases and even a little illustrated Thai language beach story with a conversation between two men at the beach.

Good luck!

Green Hotel Bookings Made Easy

6 min read

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Sunshine falling on tropical green palm leaves

How to find a green hotel?

What do you do if you prefer to stay at a hotel that cares about its employees, the community it operates in, and the natural surroundings? You may have stayed at such a hotel before, you may have friends who can recommend hotels to you, but there are only so many places you can cover by first or second hand experiences.

There are plenty of results if you make a generic search for sustainable hotels on google, and there are plenty of national and international organizations that certify hotels that care. But how do the hotels and certification organizations define being sustainable? The criteria applied vary greatly. And they should, because the relevance of sustainable practices vary according to the type of hotel and the natural and societal environment it operates in.

To help you through the jungle of green hotels, luckily there are great resources that help you find the accommodation you want and inform you on their sustainable practices. The green hotel search engines will quickly help you to locate sustainable hotels in your desired area.

Sustainable hotel search engines

Here is a list of online and worldwide sustainable hotel databases to get you quickly started:

Eco Hotels of the World

A worldwide database of eco-hotels that are given a score from 1-5 Eco-Stars. The stars are given based on a rating form submitted by the hotel. The focus is mainly on environmental sustainability. For each hotel, you can see their green ratings and practices on five different criteria: Energy, water, disposal, eco-active, and protection.

Update: Eco Hotels of the World is now shut down.

Environmentally Friendly Hotels

A worldwide database and guide to sustainable hotels. 1-7 green leaves are given based on how many of 30 “green attributes” the hotel fulfills. The checklist of the green attributes is submitted by the accommodation supplier. The focus is primarily on environmental sustainability.

BookDifferent

A hotel booking database which shows the carbon footprint of hotels and indicates whether they are certified by one of the major sustainability certification schemes. The carbon footprint is calculated according to a formula developed by Breda University of Applied Sciences (NHTV), BookDifferent, and partners from the Dutch tourism sector. The formula considers emission heavy facilities such as air-condition, swimming pools, and saunas. BookDifferent has both green and “ordinary” hotels. Their database is based on that of Booking.com, and they give a price guarantee on their hotels. About half of BookDifferent’s profit goes to a charity chosen by you.

TripAdvisor

Yes, you read right. Tripadvisor has launched its “Green Leaders” programme. Hotels receive bronze, silver, gold or platinum according to their efforts. Hotels have to apply themselves and make data available on their efforts on sustainability. Tripadvisor may receive feedback from users who have stayed at Green Leader hotels, and external audits will be made at properties also.

It is unclear whether all properties will be audited before being given a badge. Once you have searched for a destination on TripAdvisor, you will see a filter where one of the categories is “Style”. If you click “See all”, you may find that there is a “Green” option you can tick (only if there are green options at the selected destination).

It’s a Green Green World

Also known as GGW, this website invites hotel properties to list their own green initiatives by filling out a form. GGW will then feature the hotel along with the information provided on the website. There is no rating given and no auditing. The GGW includes hotels from all over the world. The focus is on environmental sustainability.

Update: It’s a Green Green World is now shut down.

BGreener

This website focuses on the Indonesian island of Bali. BGreener suggests green hotels, travel tips and consultancy on sustainable travel. The featured hotels promise to deliver the most enriching travel experiences, focusing on a select group of hotels that truly care about their travelers, their staff, and the environmental and social surroundings they work in. BGreener has each partner fill out a questionnaire on what makes their accommodation experience unique as a result of their sustainability benefits, efforts, and awards. In this way, travelers will know what to expect in terms of green experiences and practices.

BGreener has developed a sustainability section for hotels and suppliers in the hospitality industry, a peer-to-peer sharing platform for simple tips and best practices on social and environmental sustainability in tourism. Here you can find amazing (and free!) webinars and podcasts with international industry leaders sharing their insights and tips on sustainable tourism management.

GreenHotelWorld

GreenHotelWorld is an online booking platform for green hotels worldwide. When you make a hotel search on the website, you can see which sustainable practices each hotel carries out. It is possible to filter the hotels according to their “green practices” such as environmental protection, social responsibility, local resources, cultural heritage, and third party certification status. If your chosen hotel has not been green certified by one of the many eco-certification labels GHW works with, the company has teamed up with myclimate to offset the carbon footprint of your stay. The search results are based on the Expedia hotel search engine, and GreenHotelWorld offers a price guarantee for a vast number of the hotels on offer.

There is no excuse not to book a green hotel!

Find more eco-hotel platforms and tips on how to be a green traveler on The Dharma Trails’ Where to find Eco Accommodation.

Now that we have walked you through these online tools for finding sustainable hotels, there is no excuse not to use one of them. These green hotel platforms will enable you to find your responsible accommodation providers from small family owned lodges to large luxury hotels. Remember to give feedback to the hotels and the booking platforms on your experience, so they can keep their databases up to date and help other travelers find high quality green hotels that care about their social and natural surroundings.

Did we forget a green booking engine? Please let us know and we will update our list.

Practical Tips for Sustainable Travel

3 min read

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Homestay experience in Malaysia with tourists eating local Malaysian cuisine with their local homestay hosts. Homestay accommodation is one of many simple tips for sustainable travel.

Have you ever wondered what you can do to travel like a sustainability champion?

Some people mistakingly think that the very act of traveling is incompatible with sustainability because of the carbon footprint from transportation. But sustainability is not some kind of polarized either / or action. There are a great many things you can do (and not do) in order to make your travel more socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable. Most of them are rather simple, even common sense.

Here is an overview of things you can easily incorporate in your travels. By following these tips you will both limit the negative impacts of traveling and award yourself a more meaningful travel experience.

Practical Tips for Sustainable Travel

Image credits: unuk

These simple sustainability tips apply to all kinds of travels whether it be a city break, a 6-months backpacking trip, or a beach holiday.

Common sense should not be left at home

In various forms, travel can be a relief from all the worries and responsibilities at home. Sometimes, tourists take their traveling freedom a bit too far though. Just like at home, there are rules and cultural norms to respect, and there are natural environments to consider. Why would that be any different a thousand miles from home?

It is not uncommon for hotel guests to leave the air-condition on for hours while they are exploring the area. In this way they don’t have to endure the 2 minutes of slightly too warm or too cold a room. Would you do that at home? Hopefully not.

Would you point your camera in a strangers face and snap away without seeking acceptance first? This is as intrusive in other countries as our own. Instead ask politely, strike up a conversation, and you will find that most people will gladly award you with their picture. These are common sense behaviours, but still some travelers seem to leave their brain at home when they travel.

Eat, stay, and buy local

Why not eat locally? You treat yourself to new tastes, new ways of eating, and important cultural insights when you eat locally. Why not stay at a family-run hotel instead of an international chain hotel? Why not buy locally made art, food, and fashion instead of visiting the very same stores you can find in a hundred other countries?

You will minimize tourism leakage by supporting the local community directly. You will interact with your local host or seller, and you will do what traveling should first and foremost be about: Excitement, novelty, surprise, learning new ways, and exploring your own cultural background in comparison.

You might add that travel is mostly about relaxation, pampering, and re-juvenation in today’s world. Even so, it’s simple to inject some sustainability in there. Just follow these simple tips for sustainable travel as presented in the infographic.

Three central resources on sustainable tourism

For more tips on sustainable travel, we suggest you to explore the websites of The International Ecotourism Society (Ties), Sustainable Travel International (STI), and Pacific Asia Travel Association’s (PATA’s) website on tourism sustainability and social responsibility, sustain.pata.org. Here you will find a lot of background information on sustainable tourism along with guides, case studies, and research.

Photo credits (cover photo): Tourism Malaysia

Man-Made Beaches – from Grooming to Construction

5 min read

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Man-made beach north of Phuket with a romantic beach construction, a green heart, and sunbeds facing the Andaman Sea.

Why man-made beaches?

We like our beaches to be clean, comfortable, and stunning. We want soft white sand and coconut palms. So what happens when a beach does not live up to our criteria of safety, comfort, and beauty? Sometimes we groom it, and sometimes we cover up the small “natural mistakes” with a little landscaping. If we have no beach or island at all, we can just construct it! From grooming to construction of beaches, not many popular beaches of the world are untouched by human “beach optimization”.

The construction of beaches

Natural forces like gravity, tides, and the large water masses of the sea are the main creators of beaches. Actually sediments of sand originate from the weathering of rocks resulting from natural elements such as water, wind, and sun. Consequently, changes in weather conditions will have an impact on the characteristics of beaches. A good example of how natural phenomena can change beaches is the terrifying tsunami in 2004 that hit coasts in the Indian and South Asian Ocean.

Many popular beaches around the world are not only a result of natural forces, but are actually to some degree man-made. The degree to which beaches are constructed varies a great deal, and it is all done in an attempt to create safe, comfortable, and attractive beaches that attract visitors.

Beach construction continuum

Here are examples of how beach construction can take place from minor grooming to one hundred percent man-made:

Beach cleaning
Beach nurturing and raking
Minor landscaping such as adding sandbags
Removal of sharp rocks and pebbles
Importing sand and palm trees
Artificial platform beaches
Heavy machinery construction of beaches and bays
Man-made islands

At the light end of the scale, beaches are nourished and cleaned from garbage and ocean debris, while some beaches are raked daily to make the beach look as neat and inviting as possible.

Beach grooming and garbage removal helps keeping the beach attractive

Other beaches are constructed with sandbags with sand strewn over them in order to save some beach for the high tides, protect buildings on the beach from incoming waves, and to create a safety wall for erosion and potential floodings.

Malaysian beach elevated and protected from erosion and tides by sandbags and fences

Sandbags protect the beach and bungalows at Koh Phayam, Thailand

Some beaches are re-constructed after storms and landscaped to both satisfy visitor preferences and to withstand rough weather conditions.

Beach construction in north Khao Lak, Thailand

This beach platform is safe from high tides

Moving towards more manmade beaches, there are hundreds of seaside resorts that don’t actually have a proper beach. To satisfy and attract clients, they sometimes construct a plain area with concrete and add a layer of sand on top. It is also common that resorts simply remove all boulders and pebbles with heavy machinery and then import sand.

Constructed beach area at Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa in Malaysia

This man-made beach deck will not be affected by high tide

On far end of the scale of beach construction, we have destinations such as Singapore’s Sentosa Island and Dubai’s manmade islands. Sentosa Island is basically a theme park and weekend holiday oasis for Singaporeans and visitors who want a quick escape from the city. The island’s three main beaches Palawan Beach, Siloso Beach and Tanjong Beach are all artificial with imported sand from Malaysia and Indonesia. The boulders on the beach also seem artificial, as they have a hollow sound and feel when you knock on them. Sentosa Island still has a lot of forested areas, and there is an abundant wildlife of monkeys, lizards, and birds.

At the extreme end of man-made beaches and islands we have projects such as the entirely constructed Palm Jumeirah (Palm Islands) and The World Islands of Dubai. Most of the plots and houses here are owned by billionaires. There is a ghost town feeling about these islands, since they are rarely used by their rich owners. Shops and local life is a scarcity here, especially during the summer months. The huge beach villas lie untouched like a forsaken barbie glamour town.

Dubai is famous for man-made beaches and islands

The 100% man-made Palm Islands of Dubai

Photo credits: Castles Made of Sand

More on beach construction and man-made beaches

If you like to know the theory and science behind beach construction, take a look at Beachapedia. It has a great number of examples of man-made beaches and guidelines on how to construct a beach. Beachpedia.org

We also found some great articles on artificial beaches. You may be surprised how many beaches around the world are actually much more than beautiful shorelines constructed by Mother Nature.

12 Incredible Artificial and Man-Made Beaches
by Weather.com

Nature vs. Nurture: Are Manmade Beaches Better?
by Flight Centre

World’s must stunning man-made beaches
by Fox News

How to Bargain in Thailand

6 min read

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Charming tourist shop in Thailand displaying Thai products such as fisherman's pants, hats, and t-shirts.

The exotic act of bargaining

“Traveling to Thailand? You better polish those bargaining skills”. Isn’t that what we read or hear before our first trip to the East? First time travelers to Thailand come with the mind-set of being ready to put on their tough bargaining face, ready to seem unimpressed and walk away from any seller who doesn’t give a discount on the initial price.

Tourist t-shirts in Thailand from Khao San Road showing a tuk-tuk and an I love Bangkok print.

Be prepared to bargain for these t-shirts on Khao San Road in Bangkok

Although it may be a big part of the dominant discourse on traveling in Thailand, the idea that everything must be bargained for is exaggerated. In fact, the hard bargaining in Thailand is mostly confined to the most touristy areas. You may think that this is about sellers trying to take advantage of tourists with no idea about price levels and the currency value of the Thai Bath. This is often the case with tuk-tuk drivers offering “good prices for you my friend”, but otherwise we argue that this is more about tourists insisting that a price not bargained for is not a good price. In turn sellers have had to start a little higher on their prices to satisfy the exotic hunger of the tourists to get the honour and personal travel story of a successful bargain.

If you walk around a market, there is much less bargaining going on between Thais compared to what you might expect. This is because the parties have a pretty clear understanding of what a mango, a bottle of water, and a pair of socks should cost, so there is not a lot of room for bargaining. The lack of price tags in these places may have led foreigners to think that bargaining is necessary, and therefore tourists may insist on lower prices regardless of what the initial price given by the seller.

Thai street vendor selling chicken and beef satay.

You would not get much out of bargaining with this Thai street vendor

Discount clothing in a Thai shopping mall with customers looking for good bargains.

You are not expected to bargain here either

I used to think bargaining was mandatory at every market and that every transaction was an opportunity to slice the price and flex some bargaining muscles. However, I slowly started to realize that in the vast majority of cases the prices given to me were the same as those given to Thais. Often I would even walk away with a price a few Bath lower than my Thai counterparts due to my insistence on a lower price.

At the same time, there has been a noticeable change in the way shops and market stalls deal with bargaining in Thailand over the last 10-15 years. Price tags have become a lot more common, and increasingly the sellers insist on fixed prices. This could both be a way of not wasting too much time haggling over prices with tourists, and it could be a trend towards shops and marketers professionalizing their operations. For travelers who don’t like to argue about prices and feel insecure about the price level of products, this is a welcome change. For travelers who have looked forward to the exotic act of bargaining, they may walk away disappointed that the sellers don’t move an inch. If you really want a successful bargaining experience, you have the best chances if you buy several items. This method works nearly every time.

A quick summary on how to bargain in Thailand

The idea that you have to bargain for everything in Thailand is exaggerated and based on exotic imagery.

Bargaining is most important in touristy areas since sellers have become used to the insistence on price haggling from tourists.

In less touristy areas of Thailand, taxi drivers, shop owners, and market sellers give you reasonable prices identical to the ones given to local residents.

The absence of price tags doesn’t necessarily mean that bargaining is expected . It could mean that the common buyer and seller know the price level already.

It has become harder to bargain in Thailand and more items are now with price tags.

Bargaining is much easier if you buy more than one item.

Two small tips on bargaining in Thailand

One
Before you start bargaining, make up your mind on what you think is a fair price for the item of interest. If you don’t know the price level, have a look around and ask a few different shops about their prices on similar items. You will quickly find out whether you can agree on a price.

Two
Teach yourself how to properly say hello in Thai. If your pronunciation is good, the seller will instantly know that you are not new to Thailand and thus know what things cost. Sawadee kha/khrap is the formal way of saying hello in Thai if you are a woman or a man, respectively. Even better, skip the ‘sa‘ and go for the more casual wadee kha/khrap.

More on bargaining in Thailand and Southeast Asia

We will not walk through the other bargaining do’s and don’ts such as smiling, having fun, walking away etc. but leave you with a list of tips from other websites.

“Should I bargain for everything I want to buy in Thailand?“
by Travelfish.

“Bargaining in Thailand“
by The Farang.

“Our top 10 hot tips on how to barter your way to the best price in Thailand“
by Travelling King.

“Bargaining in Bangkok“
by I Am Wannee.

“How to Haggle“
by One Eyebrow Raised.

“The Do’s and Don’ts of Haggling in South East Asia“
by South East Asia Backpacker Magazine.

Why Travelers Shouldn’t be Afraid of Tourist Scams

4 min read

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Tourist scams in Thailand with excerpt from Lonely Planets Thailand's Islands & Beaches

Walking down Khao San Road in Bangkok, Jalan Jaksa in Jakarta, or the Old Quarter in Hanoi the same thing always happens…

One, you see local residents approaching travelers and trying to engage in conversation, and two, you see the travelers closing up like a clam and either completely ignoring them or simply shaking their head saying “no” regardless of what is being said to them. You know what we are talking about, right?

Tourist Scam Phobia

They have become immune to approachers from being stopped every 2 seconds, and/or they have been bitten by the “I am NOT gonna be scammed, NEVER, EVER!” bug. It is sort of like a vicious circle. Tourists attract scammers, pickpockets, and gold diggers. These people try to take advantage of the insecurity, the naivety, and the good hearts of travelers. Once being aware of the dangers, in turn the travelers put up an impenetrable invisible wall to all local residents, unless it’s the cashier at the convenience store. This is perhaps a good strategy in the most touristy areas, but if the traveler brings this mindset along to less touristy areas, it can hurt the ability to experience the unexpected and find the meaningful in traveling.

So as a consequence, travelers risk cheating themselves of one of the biggest travel treats in the world – engaging with local residents, making new friends, and learning about the country they visit from insiders.

Tourist Scam Websites and Warnings

There are travel destinations where you will quickly learn to fend for yourself if you didn’t know how to already. But if you have done a little research, you have probably stumbled upon forums, guidebooks, websites, and blogposts that warn about the different scams you should be aware of as a tourist. Here are a few examples:
– Buyer Beware: 10 Common Travel Scams by Lonely Planet
– 21 Most Common Scams in Thailand by TravelScams
– 10 Travel Scams to Avoid in South East Asia by South East Asia Backpacker Magazine
– 15 Common Scams of Southeast Asia (And How to Avoid Them) by Livin Pura Vida
– 40 Tourist Scams to Avoid This Summer by Just The Flight
– BangkokScams.com, an entire website dedicated to share and inform about tourist scams

“Grand Palace is closed today my friend” – classic tourist scam in Bangkok

Photo credits: BangkokScams.com

These resources offer good advice, but also present the danger of occupying your mind into thinking your holiday is more about not being outwitted by scammers than by enjoying your destination with an open mind.

Being afraid of tourist scams is a bit like being afraid of leaving your home:

The odds that you will not be scammed are pretty good, and so are the odds of you being safe in your home, respectively. The problem is that you miss out. This chart shows the relationship between meaningful interactions with local residents and exploring the destination you are visiting in relation to the tourist scam phobia. Basically, they don’t go together.

Our point is, you should be aware but not afraid of tourist scams. Be a heady traveler, don’t walk around drunk on the street, don’t put your wallet in the back pocket, be sceptical if an offer is too good to be true (then it probably is too good to be true), and so on. These are completely basic rules that not only apply to any travel destination, but presumably also to your home town. By using common sense, you will avoid the majority of scams, and should it happen that someone fools you one way or the other, at least you have a story to tell. But don’t let the tourist scam phobia rob you of engaging with your chosen travel destination.

The Best Beach Cocktails

2 min read

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Animation of three summer and beach cocktails with tropical fruits in front of the blue sea.

“Beach & Beers” was the official theme of our recent beach adventure

We filled a bag with ice and beers, went to the beach for two whole days, swam, played frisbee, relaxed, and oh yeah.. drank beer. Beaches and beers are a fantastic combination, but what if you don’t drink beer or want something slightly more sophisticated?

The Best Beach Cocktails

Beach cocktails should include some basic characteristics:

They should be fairly easy to make
They should quench your thirst
They should be fruity and tropical
They should cool you down
They should have a relatively low alcohol percentage

Don’t forget that your beach cocktail should be enjoyed with sea breeze and the proper beach chill music. Have a look at this inspiring list of easy to make beach cocktails from Sea Side Reservations. “Liquid Sunshine” – such a telling title:

Is your favourite beach cocktail not on the list? Give us a shout and tell us about it! And friends, don’t forget to drink responsibly at the beach and otherwise.
Feature image credit: Freepik.com