One of the things I am best at in a new culture is stepping right into it and busting right through all the barriers. I’ll walk into a crowded room of people who don’t speak my language and just start mingling, and before I know it, I’m the life of the party.

Sometimes I’ll meet an open-minded tourist who I’m willing to drag out into the Thailand I know, and it’s typically an eye-opening experience for them, so today I want to give some tips on how you can do the same for yourself.

1. Break Away

Sure you’ve heard it—get off the beaten track. If there was a traveling advice cliché, this is it. But what I want to stress even more is break away from other travelers. Bottom line—people in Thailand are typically intimidated by farang. Two or three farang, and you’re making it really hard to meet people. In fact, this is even true in bars in America and Europe.

But even more limiting is the temptation to just enjoy the beach parties and the tourist scene when you’re with a group of foreigners. You might all start off with good intentions, but you meet some cute travelers by the beach and you meet up with them at a beach bar, and before you know it you’ve integrated into the backpacker scene.

It’s not easy to break away from the crowd once this happens, naturally. You’ve got new friends. You’ve shared some experiences. And you’d almost feel like you were betraying them if you took off on your own.

So resist the urge from the get go.

2. Don’t Make Plans

Thai people typically just go with the flow, and you should to. The sights are great, but I like to just hop on a motorbike, point it in a random direction, and just start driving. Find some random pub in the middle of nowhere. If you’re in the city, hope in a taxi with a driver that speak decent English, and ask where the university bars are (assuming you’re a bit younger).

And if you get invited to share food or drink with some Thai locals, just go with it. Don’t say you need to skip out because you’ve got somewhere to be, even if you do. Just go with the flow and see where it takes you. You’re about to see a whole new side of Thailand.

3. Break the Stereotypes

Especially if you’re a white male, you’re not going to get out into the normal population very easily if you’re running around with some girl you met down at one of the beach bars. People will see you together and immediately make assumptions about who you are and what you do. Just be aware that if you run around with a bargirl that dresses and acts like a bargirl, most people aren’t going to spend a lot of time getting to know you.

4. Be Fearless

It’s not exactly acceptable to just walk up and start talking with a group of Thais in a social setting if you don’t know them, and while I usually stick to the cultural norms, this is one area in which I like breaking all the rules. In this case, you can get away with it because you’re a foreigner.

So just walk up to people and start talking to them. Joking is the number one entry point, and you’ll be surprised how much you can actually joke around when neither of you is fluent in the other’s language. Keep smiling, keep laughing—in most cases they’ll drag you into the group and show you the time of your life.

4. Find a Host

Do this enough times, and you’ll end up meeting someone who sort of “adopts you” for the night and hangs around making sure you have a good time. Thais are extremely hospitable. Don’t take advantage of people, but have fun, and make sure you get their phone number so you can meet up with them again. Go out with a group of Thai people on the town just a few times, and before you know it, the whole local scene will know your name.

As you probably guessed, all this is much easier when alcohol is involved, and it is true that the liquor certainly breaks down social barriers. If you’re not much of a drinker, beware, because you will be force-fed drinks. If you want to meet locals without dealing with that part of it, you certainly can, but it may take longer.

That said, I’ve often just spent extra time talking with people at cafes and before I knew it they were asking to trade language lessons or take me fishing, etc. Just get away from the tourist crowd, go talk to people, and if you don’t drink much, spend a lot of time at cafes in the city, getting to know the help can chatting up customers. Become a regular, and before you know, you’ll have a whole new set of friends.

Have a blast.