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Thailand has lovely scenery and is well known for its outrageous nightclubs. The established reputation of the evenings are like Amsterdam without the wooden shoes. Believe it or not, this is only some of the picture. As with any trip abroad, before departing, remember to check with the proper authorities to determine all of the regional laws and customs.

When traveling in a foreign country, you should not carry certain documents with you unless you know in advance that you will need them. You will almost certainly need your original travel documents when you want to board an international airplane flight. Otherwise, you should make a photocopy of documents such as your driver's license, passport, and birth certificate and store the originals in a hotel safe.

Since tourists are drawn to Bangkok clubs like moths to a flame, it's no surprise that pick pockets and other thieves and con men abound there too, looking to make rich targets of the unsuspecting sightseers. Particularly when you are drinking or partaking of locally legal drugs, you should remember to watch your personal belongings very carefully.

Additionally because of the increased popularity for everyone, Thailand's government and bar owners have worked to pass laws that will make tourists feel safer and be better able to enjoy themselves. For example, identification is now required at the entrance before anyone can enter a bar. To guarantee your own entry, you might want to call ahead and ask if your passport will suffice to allow you entry into the place you want to visit.

In Thailand as in America, the significance of secondhand smoke is now recognized and has caused new statutes to be put into effect as to when and if customers in Bangkok taverns may continue smoking. These statutes vary from day to day and week to week, as well as from venue to venue. If smoking really matters to you, you will want to verify in advance the status of a given location.

Strip clubs are an extremely popular type of bar in Bangkok. These places are open late at night. Compared to clubs and bars in the United States, Thailand's clubs have more relaxed rules. Thailand has different laws pertaining to these establishments. "Katoeys" or transvestites are common terms heard in Bangkok bars. Knowing a little about the culture of where you are visiting can save you trouble and embarrassment in foreign lands.