What to do if you are partying and you lose your friends…..
The first thing to do if you are out on the island or partying and you lose your friends - do not panic! This is a very small island and although there are sometimes thousands of people at the party you are at and it seems massive, you are in a very small area geographically.
So just hang around and relax and carry on partying - try using this situation positively as the usual experience on this island, like anywhere, if you are alone you will talk to more people and make more friends rather than just staying in your group.
If you all have smartphones which everyone seems to have these days then find a place where you can hook up to WiFi and send them a message with where you are. Don't be worried if they do not reply straight away as they are most probably either looking for you or looking for some WiFi themselves to contact you.
A good thing to do when you arrive here is to buy a Thai sim card for your phone, most phones are unlocked so will work easily with these sims or to be extra safe you can always buy a cheap phone for under a thousand Baht. This way you will even be able to call each other if you are seperated.
In any case, please stay safe - if you are a woman alone then try talking to other women who will be in a group of females or in a group of both sexes - explain that you have simply lost all your friends as a conversation starter and in our experience people are very nice and caring around here, and they will help you out and ask you to join in their evening, and keep you company until you get contact from your friends.
If you find that it's getting late and you still cannot find your friends or friend and then go back to your accommodation in a public taxi and ask the receptionist or night guard if they have seen your friends and if they have returned already.
Our previous article on what to do if you are a male or female travelling alone will give you some guidance and the main object of this is your safety.
If the next day your group of friends or your friend has not returned to your accommodation then in our experience they will still be out partying so again just enjoy your day until they return.
On the other side of this - if you are in a group of friends you have made at your hotel/hostel or it is people you are travelling with from home and one has disappeared then the same rules apply - don’t panic. Find some WiFi and send them a message or use your 4g signal if you have one and contact them to see where they are and if they are ok.
As always if you are with a group of friends and you simply disappear from them they will be worried for you so always tell someone where you are going and who you are going with.
If it comes to the most drastic and very rare situation that your friend has not returned the next day and you class this as out of character, you can ask your hostel or hotel to ring the hospitals as they may have had an accident and the hotel/hostel will want to help you find your friend as quick as possible. This is a very rare occurrence, people sometimes just get lost in the party scene and don’t realise how late it's getting as they will be having lots of fun with new people they have just met.
Stay safe, together and communicate - if you meet the potential love of your life and decide to go to a different bar or party always tell someone where you are going and nothing can go wrong.
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