Taking a Speedboat to the Thai Islands: What the Ride Is Really Like

Published 2 October 2026 · By the Visit-Thailand editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

A Thai island speedboat is fast, loud and cramped, and in any swell it bangs hard on the waves. Sit as far back as you can, use the toilet before you board, keep your valuables in a small bag on your lap and wear the life jacket.

Speedboats carry a large share of the island traffic in the south, especially on the Andaman side, where they link Phuket, Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, the Trang islands and Koh Lipe. They are usually the quickest way between two islands. They are also the least comfortable boat you can choose, and nobody tells you that when you buy the ticket.

This page is about the ride itself, from the moment you buy a ticket to the moment you step off with your bag. Who runs which route, and how a speedboat compares with a catamaran or a car ferry, is covered in our guide to ferries and island boats in Thailand. What follows is based on many speedboat trips by our editor over the years, so where we say "in our experience", that is what we mean.

What the ride actually feels like

Expect speed first. A speedboat with two, three or four big outboard engines gets up to cruising speed quickly, and the engines are loud for the whole trip. Talking to the person next to you means raising your voice, and on most boats there is no point trying to sleep.

On a flat sea the ride is fun. In any swell it becomes a series of hard jolts: the hull lifts on a wave and drops onto the next one, and you feel each landing in your back and your neck. Spray comes over the sides and through any open window, so people sitting near the front or at the edges can arrive damp even on a sunny day.

Most speedboats used for island transfers have a roof or a canvas cover, but the sides are often partly open. That keeps you cooler than a closed cabin would, but it also means sun on one side in the morning and rain coming in sideways in a shower. Bring a light rain jacket in the wet months and sunscreen in any month; our page on heat and sun in Thailand explains why an hour on open water burns faster than you expect.

If you have back or neck problems, are pregnant, or are traveling with a baby, think twice about a long speedboat leg. A slower ferry or catamaran on the same route, where one exists, is far gentler.

Buying a ticket: online, at the pier or on the island

There are three common ways to get a speedboat ticket, and in our experience it pays to compare them rather than pick one by habit.

• Online before you travel. Booking platforms such as 12Go list many speedboat routes alongside ferries and minivans, often as a combined ticket with the road transfer to the pier. Our review of 12Go and how its bookings work explains the vouchers and fees. This is the calm option for a fixed date or a connection to a flight.
• At the pier. Operators have counters at the main piers. You see which boats are actually going that day, and you can sometimes choose an earlier or later departure.
• At a travel agent or ticket shop on the island. Every island with tourists has small agencies selling boat tickets, often with a pickup from your hotel included. Prices for the same boat can differ between shops, so ask two or three before you pay.

Whichever way you buy, check the operator's name, the departure pier and whether the price includes the transfer from your hotel. Keep the voucher or receipt until you are on the boat; on many routes it is exchanged for a boarding card at the pier. Have your passport with you as well, because operators may record passenger names and passport details before departure, a measure the Marine Department introduced according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Boarding numbers and how you get on the boat

The boarding routine varies from pier to pier, but on most piers we have used, you get a card or a sticker with a number when you check in. The number decides the order in which passengers are called to the boat. If you want a seat at the back, check in early: a low number usually means first choice of seats.

Stick the sticker somewhere visible, on your shirt or your bag. Crew members use it to group passengers who are going to different islands on the same boat, and at a busy pier with several boats leaving at once it is how they make sure you get on the right one.

How you physically board depends on the place:

• From a pier. The easiest case. You step down from the pier onto the boat, often across another moored boat. Take the crew's hand; the decks are wet and they move.
• From a floating pontoon. Some islands have a pontoon out in the bay, and a longtail boat (the long wooden boats with a car engine on a pole) takes you between the beach and the pontoon. Our old guide on traveling to Koh Lipe describes how this works on arrival there.
• From the beach. Where there is no pier at all, the boat comes in as close to the sand as it can and you wade out and climb aboard, usually at the back. Expect water up to your knees, sometimes higher, so wear shorts and sandals that can get wet, and keep your phone in your hand or in a sealed pouch, not in a trouser pocket.

Luggage: hand it over, then expect it to get wet

On almost every speedboat we have taken, you do not keep your large bag with you. You hand it to the crew on the pier or the beach, they stack it in the bow, at the back or on the roof, and you get it back when you step off. On a full boat the pile can be tall, and bags are thrown rather than placed.

That has three consequences. Your bag will probably get wet from spray or rain, it will be knocked about, and you will not be able to reach it during the trip. Plan for all three:

• Pack the main bag in a dry bag, or use a rain cover over a backpack. A plastic bin bag inside the bag works too.
• Soft bags survive better than hard suitcases, and they are easier for the crew to carry through shallow water.
• Keep everything you cannot afford to lose or soak in a small bag that stays with you: passport, money and cards, phone, laptop, camera, chargers and any medicine you need that day.
• Do not put a laptop in a bag that goes on the pile. Even in a padded sleeve it can end up at the bottom.

Do not count on compensation if something breaks. Operators' terms limit what they pay; Lomprayah's conditions, for example, cap its liability for property damage at 3,000 baht per person, and only where the company caused the damage. Check what your travel insurance covers for baggage and electronics, and our Thailand packing guide has more on choosing a bag that suits island travel.

Where to sit: as far back as you can

The single most useful tip on this page is to sit at the back. In our experience the stern rises and falls far less than the bow. The front seats are the ones that slam down hardest on every wave, and they also catch the most spray. In rough water the difference is enormous.

If you get seasick easily, aim for a seat at the back with a view of the horizon, preferably on the side away from the sun. Fresh air and a fixed point to look at help many people. Reading or looking at your phone usually makes it worse.

Some speedboats have a few seats on the open rear deck behind the cabin. They are the smoothest seats on the boat but also the loudest, closest to the engines and the exhaust, and with no shelter from sun or rain. On a short, calm crossing they are pleasant; on a long one, most people end up back inside.

Space on board: narrow benches and knees touching

Speedboats are cramped. Seating is usually on narrow padded benches or rows of seats close together, and on a full boat you will sit shoulder to shoulder with strangers, often with your knees against the seat in front or against the knees of the person opposite.

Legroom gets worse if people bring big bags inside, so keep your small bag on your lap or between your feet. Tall travelers should try to get an aisle seat or a seat facing the open back. On a trip of two hours or more, the lack of space is often what people complain about afterwards, more than the waves.

If the boat looks clearly overloaded, with people standing or sitting where there are no seats, do not get on. The ferries guide linked above lists the other checks worth making on the pier before you board.

The toilet: use the one on land

Most of the larger speedboats have a toilet, usually a small cubicle at the back or below the front deck. It is tiny, and once there is any sea it is almost impossible to use: the boat throws you from side to side, the door is hard to hold, and the floor is wet. Smaller boats have none at all.

Use the toilet at the pier or in the café before you check in, even if you do not feel you need to. On a long route with stops at other islands, you cannot rely on a chance to get off. Drink some water before the trip and carry a small bottle, but do not drink a large coffee just before boarding.

Seasickness tablets: buy them before the trip

If you think you might get seasick, take a motion-sickness tablet. They are sold at pharmacies across Thailand, and in our experience 7-Eleven stores often stock them too. Ask for medicine against seasickness; the Thai phrase is ya kae mao ruea. Our guide to what you can buy over the counter at Thai pharmacies explains how pharmacies work, and the 7-Eleven guide covers the shops themselves.

We do not give dosing advice. Follow the instructions on the pack or the advice of the pharmacist, especially for children and if you take other medicine. The leaflet also says how long before departure to take them, which matters more than people think, and many of them make you drowsy, so read the leaflet about alcohol and about driving a scooter at the other end.

If you are sick during the trip, tell the crew. They usually have plastic bags, and they may let you move to a seat further back or closer to the open air.

Life jackets: one for everyone, and you should wear it

There must be a life jacket for every passenger on board. The rule goes further than that. In a 2016 summary of Marine Department measures, the Tourism Authority of Thailand states that passengers must wear their life jackets for the whole time they are on the boat.

In practice, on many speedboats we have used, wearing it is left to each passenger. The jackets are handed out or hang under the roof, the crew may or may not mention them, and plenty of people sit with the jacket on their lap or not at all. We recommend wearing it, done up, for the whole trip. A speedboat that hits something at speed throws people around, and the jacket keeps you afloat if you end up in the water.

Check before departure that there are jackets in children's sizes if you travel with children. If none are offered, ask; if there are none on board, consider waiting for another boat. This is not a theoretical risk: the UK Foreign Office records island boats sinking or colliding, with deaths, and blames overloading, poor maintenance and monsoon seas.

Weather, cancellations and stepping off

Speedboats are the first boats to be cancelled when the sea gets rough, and on the Andaman coast many speedboat routes only run in the drier months. If the crew or the pier office says a boat is not going, accept it. Our ferries guide, linked at the top of this page, explains the monsoon seasons on each coast and how to plan buffer time around them, and the rainy season guide covers travel in the wet months more generally.

Arrival is usually quick. On a long route that stops at several islands, listen for your destination: the crew calls it out, and you have only a few minutes to get off before the boat leaves again. Your bag will be handed out on the pier or the beach, or put on a longtail for the last stretch to shore. Check that you have the right bag before the boat pulls away, and look at it for damage while the crew is still there.

At some islands there is a fee or a short longtail ride between the boat and the beach, payable in cash. Keep small notes in your pocket rather than in the bag that went on the pile. For route-specific details such as the piers between Phuket, Krabi and Phi Phi, see the island guides.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a toilet on a Thai speedboat?

Most larger speedboats have a small toilet, but smaller boats have none. Even where there is one, it is very cramped and almost impossible to use once the sea is a little rough, so use the toilet at the pier before you board.

Where is the best place to sit on a speedboat?

Sit as far back as possible. The back of the boat moves much less than the front, which bangs down hardest on the waves and catches the most spray. A seat at the back with a view of the horizon also helps if you get seasick.

Where can I buy seasickness tablets in Thailand?

Pharmacies sell them everywhere, and in our experience many 7-Eleven stores stock them too. Buy them before the day of travel and follow the pack or the pharmacist's instructions. Many tablets cause drowsiness. Avoid tablets sold by vendors on the pier, as you cannot tell whether they are genuine.

Will my luggage get wet on a speedboat?

Probably. Large bags are handed to the crew and stacked in the bow, at the back or on the roof, where spray and rain reach them. Use a dry bag or a rain cover, and keep electronics, documents and medicine in a small bag that stays with you.

Do I have to wear a life jacket on a speedboat in Thailand?

The Marine Department rule, as reported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, is that boat passengers wear life jackets at all times on board. In practice the crew often leaves it to each passenger. We recommend wearing it, fastened, for the whole trip.

Should I book a speedboat online or at the pier?

Both work. Booking online, for example through 12Go, suits a fixed date or a flight connection. At the pier or a travel agent on the island you can see which boats are running and compare prices. Comparing two or three sellers is worth the few minutes it takes.

Sources

• Tourism Authority of Thailand – Marine safety measures and regulations in Thailand (June 2016) (checked October 2026)
• UK FCDO – Thailand travel advice: Safety and security (sea travel) (checked October 2026)
• Lomprayah – Terms of Service (luggage and liability) (checked October 2026)