I've honestly never left the US other than going to Canada.
A buddy of mine was in Thailand with the army, he said it was a very interesting place, and he said the same thing. Stay out of the areas where that kind of stuff goes on and you will be fine.
I used to fly in there often for the job. My wife and I vacationed in Phuket. Rented an 8 bedroom home on the ocean with three pools for $100 per night, just the two of us. That was three months before the tsunami hit. Phuket was way laid back. Pattaya- well, as many times as I went, I only have snatches of memories, but I'm sure I had a great time. The midget Muy Thai fighters come to mind...
Another time, I was sitting in my office and felt like a whim, closed my eyes and pointed to the map and ended up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Rented a car, never did drive it, but went with a family I met (the lady who rented me the car) way up North near the Thailand border with them. Pure jungle, all Muslim, no beer, but I had a blast. Best vacation I've ever had, and with zero planning.