Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Thailand for Children
Small children are instant celebrities in Thailand and attract paparazzi-like attention. Ba-
bies do surprisingly well with their new-found stardom, soaking up adoration from gruff
taxi drivers who transform into loving uncles wanting to play a game of peekaboo (called
'já ăir'
). If you've got a babe in arms, food vendors will often hold the child while you eat,
taking the child for a brief stroll to visit all the neighbours.
At a certain age, kids can develop stranger anxiety, which doesn't mix well with the Thai
passion for children. For the preschool set, who are becoming self-conscious but still have
major cute quotient, stick to tourist centres instead of trotting off to far-flung places where
foreigners, especially children, will attract too much attention. A polite way to deflect spec-
tators is to say the child is 'shy'
('ki aye')
. Thais understand this emotion.
Older children should be safe from Thai attention, though they might get nervous about
the cities' natural chaos and the confusion that arises from being in a new place and having
to negotiate transport. Consider giving your children a role in travel planning: reading the
map, setting up an itinerary or carrying the water bottles. You're moulding future travellers.
Thai cities can be claustrophobic and the heat can make it difficult to wear out energetic
children. Staying at a hotel with a pool will give the kids enough exercise not to bounce off
the proverbial walls.
To smooth out the usual road bumps of dragging children from place to place, check out
Lonely Planet's
Travel with Children,
which contains useful advice on how to cope with
kids on the road, with a focus on travel in developing countries.
