Scooter Diaries: My Wild Ride Through Thailand

When I first started planning this blog post, I was going to title it: “How I Didn’t Die Riding a Scooter in Thailand.”

My grand plan was to zip around the island on my own little scooter. After all, they’re insanely affordable, fuel-efficient, and everyone does it here. It felt like the obvious choice for a free-spirited traveler exploring Thailand.

Then I landed in Phuket and saw the roads with my own two eyes. That dream? Yeah. It died immediately.

So, what’s the driving situation like?

Let’s just say… I'm not in Palm Beach anymore. To be fair, I’ve driven in the U.S. (obviously) and even in Europe as a teenager. I remember being mildly intimidated by German road signs and aggressive autobahn drivers, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly.

Thailand, however, is a completely different beast.

Let me break it down for you:

• The steering wheel is on the right.

• They drive on the left side of the road.

• They pass right-to-right… which feels like playing real-life Mario Kart when you're not used to it.

There are hundreds of scooters swarming through bumper-to-bumper traffic like mosquitos with motors.

But here’s the wild part: There’s no honking. No yelling. No road rage. People just flow. It's chaotic, but it’s… peaceful chaos? A kind of organized mayhem with surprisingly Zen energy.

So, did I drive a scooter?

Technically, yes. But only inside my quiet little neighborhood in Laguna.

Venturing even to nearby Bang Tao? Nope. Not yet. Instead, I’ve fully embraced an app called Bolt (basically Thai Uber, but cheaper and mainly scooters).

Yes, you read that right; you don’t order a car, you hop on the back of someone’s scooter and trust them to get you wherever you need to go. It’s thrilling, slightly terrifying, and way faster than sitting in traffic.

My first time on the back of a scooter, I gripped the seat like it was the last coconut on the island. My driver took me up a hill so steep I was positive we were going to fall backward and roll into the jungle.

Now? I still clutch the seat like a nervous tourist, but I scream internally instead of out loud, which feels like progress.

I've attached a few photos from my rides. You know… just in case you want to live vicariously from the safety of your couch. Or, you know, plan your own scooter-fueled adventure. Just bring a helmet—and maybe a Lorazepam!