Life in Southeast Asia can certainly be peculiar, and first-time visitors will certainly want some of our important tips for remote workers in Chiang Mai. Indeed, the city is relatively easy to navigate but there are certainly a few things you can do to make sure your time here is as incredible as it is supposed to be. An important tip for your arrival in Chiang Mai will be to consider renting a hotel for your first couple of nights, while you take some time to get a sense of the city and visit some local apartments in person. After your arrival, you will also want to quickly get yourself a SIM card at any authorized branch around the city, or at any 7-11 - remember to bring your passport for this procedure.
Below, we outline some more great tips for remote workers in Chiang Mai.
With such an extensive expat and digital nomad community here, one of our best tips for remote workers in Chiang Mai is certainly to join one of the many international groups available in the city. Joining a group in Chiang Mai will give you a useful sense of belonging in this vibrant city, and give you the chance to meet other people with similar interests. The many international groups available here have regular meetups around Chiang Mai for coworking, social events and even language exchanges, meaning you will always have activities to attend during your time here. The Facebook groups available are also excellent spaces for you to ask for recommendations and get additional important tips for remote workers in Chiang Mai.
As is the case across most of Southeast Asia, motorbikes represent one of the best ways to get around cities and regions. The case is no different in Chiang Mai, and one of our useful tips for remote workers here will be to consider renting one of these vehicles at some point during their stay. Indeed, public transportation is not excellent in Chiang Mai and a motorbike is bound to give you an added degree of independence to get around not only the city but out into its beautiful surrounding areas in northern Thailand. Of course, you will want to know riding a motorbike is the right choice for you - road safety is notoriously bad all across Thailand, and traffic accidents are not uncommon. If you do decide to rent a motorbike for a quick day trip or even your daily transportation around Chiang Mai, daily rentals should cost no more than 9USD per day and monthly rentals no more than 90USD.
One of our essential tips for remote workers in Chiang Mai is certainly to leave conventional notions of supermarket shopping at home and delve deep into the city’s market culture. Of course, you will spend time at Chiang Mai’s Night Bazaar, where you will find some of the city’s best street food as well as street performers and local artists. During the day, Warorot Market offers delicious local specialties as well as an impressive clothing selection in the upper floors of an old building dedicated entirely to the market. At Muang Mai Market you can expect to find some of the best wholesale prices for fresh, local produce; and JJ Market is the place to be for antiquities aficionados and those looking for a distinct kind of market experience! Don’t forget to head to Riverside also for the beautiful Talat Tonlamyai flower market!
Across Thailand, you will feel the country’s deep cultural and spiritual traditions all around you. One of the best ways for you to experience Chiang Mai’s culture will certainly be to attend one of the city’s festivals throughout the year. The Yi Peng and Loy Krathong celebrations, which usually take place around November each year, will provide visitors with a unique experience as the city’s emblematic lantern festivals. Equally, the Thai New Year celebrations (Songkran) in April are unmissable and celebrated with huge water fights across Chiang Mai and the rest of the country.
For more information about living in Chiang Mai as a remote worker, check out our complete Chiang Mai guide.