How To Learn Thai Travel Words And Phrases With italki

If you’re traveling to Thailand for a week or two, you might be asking yourself: “Why learn Thai?” After all, plenty of tourists get by without knowing a word of the language. Although this is true to an extent, does that mean you shouldn’t learn Thai? I’d argue just the opposite.

By the end of this guide, you’ll discover how italki can help you learn Thai travel words and phrases through the help of their native Thai-speaking teachers. If you don’t have time to read this entire review, follow this link to get $10 in italki credits.

Otherwise, stick around and I’ll show how italki can help you learn Thai for travel and what my experience with the platform has been like so far.

Why Learning Basic Thai Will Change Your Experience In Thailand

Speaking basic Thai helps you:

• Flag down and tell a taxi driver where you want to go: You won’t be taken “the long way” and overcharged because you can’t explain where your destination is.
• Ask a cook to not add certain ingredients to your food: If you have food allergies or follow a certain diet, speaking basic Thai will help you make sure what goes into your body won’t ruin the rest of your trip.
• Find out how much something costs and negotiate lower prices: Thailand is infamous for it’s double pricing. Imagine being able to speak Thai and getting local prices on food, goods, and services.
• Connect more authentically with Thai locals: With even just a little Thai, you can chat it up with the auntie who runs the smoothie stand or talk to someone interesting over a beer at the local pub.
• Immerse yourself in Thai culture: When you learn the Thai language, you discover more about Thai culture. The language has numerous rules that will reveal to you how Thai society works on a deeper level.
• Avoid scams: Thais, for the most part, are non-confrontational. But a certain group of people in the tourist areas see tourists and see opportunities. If you can tell them you’re not interested in Thai, they’ll leave you alone.

Imagine how empowered you’d feel coming to Thailand for even a short vacation and being able to do these things.

Why italki Works

As a long-time learner of Thai, I’ve bought and read the most recommended books, listened to premium podcasts, and attended in-person classes in Bangkok. You name it, I’ve tried every method of acquiring the language. But I found an issue with each of these formats. I was always at the mercy of a cookie-cutter curriculum created for the mass market.

Books are too formal and don’t reflect how Thais actually use the language in everyday life. Podcasts always seem very rigid. Most in-person classes I took were taught by “teachers” who were there just for a paycheck.

It wasn’t until I sat down with someone one-on-one to learn Thai that I was able to really level up my language skills. And this is where italki comes in.

Passionate And Professional Thai Teachers And Tutors

I’m not sure if this is just a phenomenon in Thailand, but it seems that social media has set the bar very low for online Thai teachers. You just need a good personality and decent looks, and you can amass a large following. But when it comes to actually teaching the Thai language, these influencers don’t know much.

italki is quite the opposite. You’ll find over a hundred real and experienced Thai teachers and tutors who are passionate about helping you learn the Thai language. Also, the platform matches you up with the right teacher based on your personal preferences and interests.

Custom Thai Language Courses

With italki, you get to design a Thai language course with your teacher based on your travel needs. If you want to focus on being able to order food or beers, you can do that. If you want to practice negotiating prices at the market, you can do that too. Or you can mix the courses together. You can see below the agenda I choose for my first lesson.

Optional Group Classes

If you’re traveling to Thailand with friends or a significant other, you can learn Thai as a group through italki. And you don’t even have to be in the same place. As long as you have an Internet connection and the italki app or a way to log into its website through a browser, you can dive into your lessons from anywhere, at anytime.

My Experience Using iTalki To Learn Intermediate Thai

I have a lot of interests, and Muay Thai is just one of them. In addition to continuing to build out MuayThaiStadiums.com, I’d love to start a YouTube channel where I share stories about my experiences in Thailand — while speaking only Thai. It’s a goal that I’m giving myself one year to complete. Because of this, I need to practice telling stories in Thai more often, so I’ve turned to italki for help.

After signing up for a free account, I browsed through some of the teacher profiles and came across one of a lady named Mai. I saw that Mai had a lot of positive reviews, so I watched her introduction video and she seemed like a good fit for what I was looking to practice.

I signed up for a 30-minute trial class, and I wasn’t disappointed. Mai asked me about my goals and then laid out a plan for how I could reach those goals. With some time left, she asked me to tell her a story in Thai. During the process, Mai corrected my pronunciation mistakes and taught me new words. After only 30 minutes, I had added about 10 new words to my vocabulary.

But here’s the thing, because we were practicing what I wanted to learn, I was able to use it in the real world immediately. This wasn’t a pre-determined lesson that I’d forget as soon as my session was over. Since then, I’ve continued learning with Mai. In fact, my Thai sessions are becoming one of the best parts of my schedule.

How To Use italki

Setting up an italki account is easy, and scheduling your first lesson is even easier. Here’s how to do it.

Set Up An Account

Joining italki is free. Simply fill out your email, password, and username, then click the verification link when it gets to your inbox. Once you verify your account, you can add a profile picture if you like. But you definitely want to fill out the rest of your profile, such as your learning level, language skills, and interests. This helps italki pair you with the right Thai teacher.

Pick A Teacher

With your profile complete, italki gives you a list of suggested Thai teachers. You can browse their profiles or generate a new list. I went through quite a few profiles, watching the introduction videos and reading their bios before picking Mai.

Schedule A Trial Lesson

Before I booked a package (which is not necessary, by the way), I opted to do a trial lesson with Mai. italki makes it easy to do this. From the teacher’s profile page, you click the red “Book Lesson” button to get to the teacher’s schedule. Once there, you can pick a time that suits both you and the teacher.

Prepare For Your First Lesson

Once I booked my trial lesson, italki created a virtual classroom that I could enter at any time. From here, I was able to check my video and audio settings to be sure the platform worked with my browser. I highly recommend you do this. The last thing you want to do is fumble through audio and video settings during valuable teaching time.

Take Your First Lesson

I was happy to find that Mai arrived in the virtual classroom right on time. She introduced herself and starting asking me questions in Thai. This way, Mai was able to gauge my level and proceed from there. She asked why I wanted to learn Thai, and I explained to her that I wanted to be able to tell stories in Thai. So, Mai asked me to tell her a story. While I did my best, she listened intently, taking notes. When I was finished, she praised what I said right and gave me feedback on my pronunciation, vocabulary choices, and more.

Book Your Next Lesson(s)

As soon as you’ve finished taking your lesson, you can book another one immediately. Or, if you’d rather take a trial class with another teacher, you can do that too. Since I was happy with Mai, I booked another lesson immediately so I could secure my spot.

How Much Does italki Cost?

What I like about italki’s payment model is that you don’t have to subscribe for pay for a monthly subscription or course. You only pay when you’re ready to learn with a teacher or use a Thai language learning tool.

Prices depend on how experienced your Thai teacher is, how many classes you book in advance, and how long you want those classes to run for (30, 45, or 60 minutes). On average, you can expect to pay between $15 and $20 for a one-hour lesson. The more lessons you book in advance, the cheaper it gets.

How To Get The Most Out Of italki Before You Leave For Thailand

If you’re not looking to master Thai but simply want to be good enough to ask questions, get Thai prices on goods and services, or strike up short conversations while in Thailand, tell your teacher all this ahead of time. He or she will design a course based on your needs. After all, there’s no point in learning how to say the months of the year or the days of week while on a short visit to Thailand. You want to focus on what will matter most.

How Far Out From Your Trip Should You Start Learning Thai?

I’d recommend giving yourself at least one or two months of studying Thai two to three times per week. At this rate, by the time you arrive in Thailand you’ll know how to ask questions and how to listen for answers, get basic directions, order food, negotiate at markets, and more.

Do You Have To Pay For Long-Term Subscriptions?

No. When you learn on italki, you pay as you go. You can book lessons in advance with a teacher, but you’ll never be locked in to a long-term subscription. italki also comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

My Final Thoughts On Learning Thai With italki

If you want to connect with Thai locals, enrich your cultural experience, and increase your chances of paying lower prices on goods and services, use italki to start preparing for your trip to Thailand now. I’ve been using italki for my Thai language learning goals. And the platform has been a game changer. Sign up for italki now and get $10 in italki credits that you can use toward your Thai learning journey.