Backpacking seriously changed my life: I did it the first time when I was in my early 20's and it changed where I was headed in life professionally as well as expanded my knowledge of other cultures not just of the countries I visited, but also the people from all over the world that I met along the way.
I also got ripped off a few times but not knowing some of the things that I am going to discuss right now. These are all pretty common schemes that exist in countries all over the world. I chose Thailand as my location because this is where I first encountered them. They do, however, exist in many other countries as well.
The new friend who is local scam
This is a very unfortunate one because it preys on your sense of friendliness. Normally it happens when you are walking around lost or on your own and a friendly and surprisingly fluent in English new pal comes to your aid. They will invite you to sit and have drinks with them and they will pay for the drinks. Eventually you will offer to get the next round and that's when you show your cards. The person will be able to see how much money you are carrying and where you keep it.
Then, they will offer to take you to a nearby restaurant than their friend owns and show you a true local experience. You have let your guard down and now feel a bit indebted to the person because of their generosity. When you arrive at the restaurant there will not be an menu that you can read. At some point in the meal your new "friend" will disappear to go to the toilet and then never return, sticking you with a very overpriced meal.
This happened to me on my 2nd day of backpacking, and really affected me negatively. Even though it was only for something like $70, I felt betrayed and was very untrusting of any new "friends" that i met at places. I wouldn't accept free drinks from anyone from that point forward and I never went anywhere with someone when i was unfamiliar with the destination.
The cheap transport or tour scam
This is very common everywhere in the world and not just cheaper countries popular with backpackers. A person will approach you about going on a tour of the local area where they will tell you some ludicrously low price for a combination tour of local sites. For me this was a temple, a river attraction, and a "market."
The market is where they get you because it isn't a market at all. It is a tailor or a gem scam shop where high-pressure salesmen will attempt to coerce you into purchasing something you do not need that is either fake or very low quality. When you refuse the friendliness disappears and your driver will become very angry with you if you don't stay longer in the shop claiming that he gets free gasoline vouchers if you stay inside for 20 minutes minimum.
I have no idea if this is true about the gasoline but he will refuse to carry on with your "tour" until you comply or run away. Since I had already been taken on a scam dinner, I was not going to tolerate this and simply hailed a metered taxi to get me out of there. The tuk tuk driver started then to shout at the taxi driver in a language that i do not speak.
Fortunately, the taxi driver was unconcerned with his shouts and left anyway. I could see that having gone a lot worse than it did.
Basically, if something seems too cheap to be true, you didn't discover a hidden secret, you are about to be ripped off
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The meter is broken scam
This scam doesn't happen as often as it used to because now everyone is carrying a smartphone with a camera and all drivers are required to display their taxi license in full view to the passengers in the back. If you take a photo of this they will know that you can easily report them and the actual police actually DO follow up on these things.
When you open the door of the taxi simply say "meter?" and if he says it is broken close the door. The meter is not broken, he just doesn't want to use it. I have ridden in hundreds of metered taxis in dozens of countries... the meter is not broken because the driver would get in a huge amount of trouble for operating a meter taxi with a broken meter.
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Do not sit down until it has been established that the meter is functioning or you will end up getting overcharged.
Most countries have some sort of ride app such as Uber or Grab Taxi and if you got a data package when you arrived it is probably just better to use these systems anyway. There are very few countries that do not have them in place
These are just a few of the many scams that exist out there and it is unfortunate that there are people that do them but that's one of the pitfalls of budget travel: You need to be on your guard. The good news is that most of these scams are easily identified if you know they exist.
Have a great trip!
Travel Resources for your trip to Thailand
Recommended by TravelFeed
Flights: We recommend checking Kiwi.com to find the best and cheapest flights to Thailand.
Accomodation: Explore the best places to stay in Thailand on Booking.com, Agoda and Hostelworld.
Travel Insurance: Medical emergencies abroad can be pricey, but travel health insurance is not. We always use SafetyWing for affordable and reliable coverage.
Car Rental: For hassle-free car hiring, DiscoverCars is our trusted choice with a wide selection of vehicles.
Internet: Got an eSIM compatible phone? Airalo is perfect for reliable internet access during your trip. Just install it before you go, and you're set!
Day Trips & Tours: We recommend GetYourGuide for a variety of well-organized and enjoyable activities.
Travel Planner: Need a hand planning? Our free travel planner chatbot is your personal guide to Thailand. Chat now.
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