We obviously love to travel.  It’s our number one passion in life and one that I see continuing forever.  While we love most aspects of travel, there are a few things about it that just plain suck.

Getting taken advantage of as a tourist is one of those unfortunate aspects of travel.  One negative part of travel is having to deal with being discriminated against and being treated as a dollar sign, particularly as a westerner in a non-western land.  In a recent post by Rease on Go Girl Guides, she wrote about ways to make sure you’re not ripped off when taking a taxi in Buenos Aires.  That post became the inspiration for this one.

Fortunately for me, I have Megan to make sure that getting ripped off rarely happens.

Traveling in Bangkok – Always be on your toes

For anyone who has ever traveled to Bangkok, you have no doubt had your run-ins with shady taxi and tuk-tuk drivers.  From the infamous, “The Grand Palace is closed today, but I can show you many other temples (and my buddy’s silk shop)” scam perpetrated by tuk-tuk drivers throughout the city to the cab drivers who refuse to turn their meters on for foreigners, as a visitor to Bangkok, you have to always be on your toes.

This is a reason why many travelers dislike Bangkok.  And while this aspect of Bangkok can be frustrating, it’s just one tiny negative to an otherwise awesome city that has become one of my favorites in the world.

Do Your Homework

It always pays to do your homework when visiting a place like Bangkok or Delhi or any other city that is infamous for trying to rip off tourists.  If you know what to do, your time there will be very pleasant and you can keep your encounters with nefarious characters to a minimum.

We had read about the Grand Palace tuk-tuk scam many times before arriving in Bangkok.  We had also read about cab drivers refusing to turn their meter on and instead wanting to negotiate a flat rate which would obviously be much higher than if they used the meter.

It’s also important to know the local customs and how people react to conflict.  Another find from guide books and message boards is that Thai people don’t generally like conflict.  Raising your voice and yelling would not be met kindly in most situations.  It’s better to remain as calm as possible, keep a smile on your face, and not lose your cool.

Familiarizing Ourselves With Bangkok

Megan and I arrived in Bangkok for our first trip into Southeast Asia.  We were about 6 months into our RTW, and 2 days after our arrival in Bangkok, my Mom and 19-year-old sister were set to visit us for 2 weeks to travel around Thailand with us.  It was our first time in SE Asia, my Mom had only been out of the US a few times, and this was my sister’s first time out of the country.  Needless to say, we were a bit nervous.

Megan and I spent those first few days exploring as much of the city as possible to try to get the lay of the land.  We took the skytrain, subway, a river boat, tuk-tuks, and taxis to familiarize ourselves with the city and its public transport.  We had few problems and felt confident with my families’ arrival the next day.

A Problem Arises

The first day my mom and sister were in town, we decided to go see a few of the most famous sites, the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  As per the usual in Bangkok, it took us a few tries before we found a taxi driver willing to turn on his meter.

After finding one, we all hopped in, Megan in the front seat with me, my Mom, and sister in the back.  We were off and promptly jumped on the highway.

First sign something was wrong

Since Megan and I had already taken a taxi to same area as we were going and didn’t use the highway, we both looked at each other with confused looks.

Megan questioned the driver, “Highway?”

“Highway.  Best way,” he retorted.

We accepted this as I hurriedly retrieved my map and tried to find out where we were.  As we zipped down the highway, I got my bearings and realized that we were being taken in the complete opposite direction of where we wanted to go, as the numbers on the meter kept getting higher and higher.

Megan asked again, “Grand Palace?  Highway quickest way?”

“Yes, fastest, highway no traffic.  On roads, much traffic,” he explained again.

We didn’t believe him for a second as our meter climbed past what we paid the previous day as we were still on the highway going the opposite way.

Finally, my lovely wife, employing our Divide and Conquer tactic, calmly but firmly, and with a giant smile, says to the driver, “We will NOT pay more because you are taking us the long way.  We paid 150 baht yesterday to come here, and we will NOT pay more than that.”  The meter was already past 150 baht.

He gave her a somewhat worried look as he said, “150 baht, no!  Not possible.”

He showed signs of weakness as he wasn’t quite as confident as before, and he quickly got off the highway on the next exit.  As we weaved through the chaotic Bangkok traffic, we got closer and closer to our destination, our meter now nearly twice as much as it should have cost had he not taken us for a ride.

We all remained calm, just talking amongst ourselves until we came to a stop.  The meter read nearly 300 baht by this point, double the cost of the previous day.  My wife just gave me a simple look that said “I got this one,” and my family and I exited the car as Megan stayed in the front seat.

She proceeded to hand him 170 baht.  He flipped through the money and immediately pointed to the price, saying “Meter, meter!”

Calmly, and with a smile on her face the entire time, Megan simply said, “You took us the long way.  I know how much it should cost to get here.  I will NOT pay more than I should because you decided to take us for a ride.  Take this money, and I will pay no more.”

At this point, the taxi driver was pissed.  Despite what we had read about Thai people and their aversion to loud conflict, he got angry and started screaming, “Meter, meter, meter!!”

Calmly, Megan said again, “I will not pay more.  This is what it should cost.  I will be more than happy to go get that police officer over there if you don’t think that is fair.  Maybe he can help us resolve this.”

At this point, he had enough, and he kicked her out of his car while shoving the money in her hand.  Megan pleaded with him to take the money.  “No, I want to pay you, just not more than what is fair.”  Again, nothing but a smile.

He would have none of it, and waved her out as he sped away quickly.

It’s important in situations like these to stand your ground.  We have no problem paying a little extra because we are tourists.  We don’t try bargaining things down to save ourselves an extra 50 cents, but a line has to be drawn somewhere, and I love how Megan took care of the situation so calmly and coolly.

I have read and heard many stories of travelers being taken advantage of, and I know we have certainly fallen prey to plenty of petty scams while on the road.  Researching, doing your homework, and being aware of the local customs of the country you’re visiting is very helpful, saving both time and headaches.

Have you been scammed while traveling before?  Have you called someone out for trying to take advantage of you?  Comment below to share your story.