Authentic Thailand: A CEO’s tips for travelling like a local

Thailand has quickly become one of Southeast Asia’s premier travel destinations, drawing tens of millions of visitors annually.

It’s a country that’s accessible to both budget backpackers and luxury travellers, bolstered by a globally celebrated culinary scene and a hospitality culture that has earned the nation the title of the ‘Land of Smiles’.

“If you’re coming to Thailand and you're talking to the local people, we always smile to you first … because we still believe if you smile to the world, they will always smile back to you,” says Sonny Prarohittanont, a Chief Experience Officer in Thailand.

Prarohittanont is one of many working in Thailand’s travel industry that takes immense pride in his job. While the work can often be fast-paced, he emphasizes he is always ready — and sticks to a simple motto that he lives by each day: “Take it easy.”

For Prarohittanont, being a CEO isn’t about long meetings or detailed spreadsheets, it’s about bridging cultures and ensuring that travellers feel welcomed into his homeland.

Whether he’s teaching a visitor the subtle grace of the “wai” greeting or introducing them to iconic local meals, his mission is to educate and connect travellers to Thai communities.

"I like to be changing people's lives and making people happy with the community," he says.

"Because on my personal level, I like to make people around me happy all the time. If you’re happy, I’m always happier."

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Whether it is the ability to navigate easily between mountain jungles, national parks, and island beaches, or the warmth of locals who delight in sharing their traditions, Thailand’s unique combination of accessibility, value, and profound cultural variety creates a transformative experience that consistently keeps travelers returning time and time again.

Prarohittanont says he truly believes that to travel is not to observe, but to open your heart — and to live, if only for a few days, exactly as the locals do.

“Open your mind and go outside the home, travel to see the new things you've never seen, its culture, nature, how the people are living there, and then your life will be changing when you're coming to visit a beautiful place. Go with the flow. Take it easy,” he says.

“That's going to get you a great memorable experience in every country you've been in.”

Three things that Prarohittanont emphasizes travellers cannot miss when coming to Thailand are: trekking through jungle life in Chiang Mai, basking in the scenery at Khao Sok National Park and snorkelling in Ko Lipe.

In addition, Prarohittanont emphasizes it’s essential to make a stop — or multiple — at local 7-Eleven stores to stock up on unique snacks and personal items.

“They sell everything. Ham and cheese toasties, milk, medical tablets, Tiger balm, barbeque – everything!” he says.

Prarohittanont encourages travellers to book a trip to Thailand with G Adventures to experience Thailand through the eyes of local leaders like himself, who are dedicated to authentic, community-driven connection to ensure a traveller experiences the best trip possible.

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