Sustainable travel
If "sustainability" matters to you at home, you probably don’t want to give it up on holiday either.
Thailand’s tourism industry has come to understand this too, from hotels to restaurants. What to expect and what you need to know.
Duration: approx. [4:20]
As of April 2026
Audio Transcript
A Sustainable Vacation in Bangkok
If protecting the environment matters to you at home, don’t simply forget about it on holiday—not even in Bangkok.
Of course, Thailand is organized differently from Europe in many ways. You notice it quickly when it comes to waste. Unfortunately, plastic is still part of everyday life. At markets, street food stalls, cafés and takeaway restaurants, almost everything is wrapped—often twice, and usually in plastic.
You see the effects every day: in canals, rivers, on beaches and, eventually, in the sea.
But I don’t want to just criticise. Awareness of environmental protection is slowly growing in Thailand too. And honestly, it took a long time in our part of the world as well.
I’ll be honest: I’m no radical eco-missionary. I’m neither vegan nor do I avoid driving or flying as a matter of principle. But I firmly believe that even small changes help—at home and on vacation.
We shouldn’t sort our rubbish at home and then act as if plastic suddenly doesn’t matter in Bangkok.
That’s why I’ve also considered sustainability in my hotel recommendations. Where I have more information, you’ll find a short eco note. If there’s no note for a hotel, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s bad. It just means I don’t have reliable information about it.
I’ve also revamped my restaurant recommendations. For the first time, there’s a separate list of good vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Not dogmatic, just mindful.
Getting around is an important consideration. I'm a big fan of Bangkok's public transport. The Skytrain, subway, boats on the Chao Phraya and buses are often faster than you might think. And they save you a lot of time stuck in traffic.
If you’re travelling along the Chao Phraya, there are now electric tour boats too, such as the Thai Smile boats.
For guided tours, I recommend going with smaller local operators for bike or e-scooter tours. Large platforms are convenient, but I personally prefer to support local businesses. That’s sustainability too—not just environmentally, but economically.
You can hardly avoid Bangkok’s plastic overload altogether. But you can cut it down significantly.
Bring a water bottle, ideally one you can refill along the way. A travel mug is useful too. You can simply ask coffee stalls or street food vendors to fill it up. And in the heat, these mugs keep drinks surprisingly cool.
A small camping cutlery set or a spork can also come in handy. In Thailand, people usually eat with a spoon and fork. Bring your own cutlery and you won’t need disposable utensils.
Reusable fabric bags are also handy, for example at markets. And it’s easy to avoid plastic straws. I like to buy bamboo straws locally.
You can also make small changes at your hotel. Bringing your own soap, shampoo or shower gel—ideally in refillable containers—helps avoid lots of little disposable bottles. Refill stations and sustainable shops can now be found in Bangkok too. You’ll find some of them in my guide.
And if you’d like to experience the classic Bangkok feeling of a tuk-tuk ride, you can now do it more cleanly, too. You can book electric tuk-tuks through an app. They’re more comfortable and spare you the unpleasant exhaust fumes of old tuk-tuks.
A sustainable holiday in Bangkok doesn’t mean getting everything perfect.
It means traveling more mindfully: less single-use plastic, more public transportation, more local businesses, and a little more awareness of the impact of our own actions.
This isn’t about going without. It’s more of a mindset.
And if lots of travelers put just a few of these little things into practice, it can make a bigger difference than you might think.