What to Prepare When You Visit Thailand

You visit Thailand, stepping on a quiet beach with soft sand as white as coconut meat. The green-hued ocean invites you to dive in, but you hold off for a minute to listen to violent waves hitting the shore. Pulling back water from the shoreline to help feed the next wave, the sea produces gurgling sounds. Walls of the ocean rise, and powerful waves pitch forward before striking with thunderous force. Inhaling the salty air, you gaze at the Andaman Sea, watching it slap the craggy rocks surrounding the cove.

Not long ago, Thailand travelers could only dream of a scene like this, but times have changed. Not only have travelers learned to live with Covid, but the kingdom also ended its Covid-19 Emergency Decree on September 30 this year, making travel much more straightforward. Coronavirus is now officially a “communicable disease under surveillance.” Still, you’ll want to be sorted for your visit to Thailand. Here’s what to prepare, from visas and travel insurance to packing essentials and places to stay and visit.

Visas

Visa Exempt Stay

Depending on how long you intend to travel across the country, you may benefit from the visa exempt rule. It’s a scheme that allows tourists to visit the Land of Smiles visa-free for typically 30 days. But to help Thailand’s travel industry bounce back during the upcoming high season, the kingdom has extended that period to 45 days for travels from October 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. You must also be a national from one of the following 64 countries to visit Thailand without a visa:

Andorra, Argentina(90 days), Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil(30 and 90 days), Brunei, Cambodia(14 days), Canada, Chile(90 days), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea(30 and 90 days), Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar(14 days), Monaco, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru(30 and 90 days), Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak, Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam

Tourist Visas

• If you want to visit places in Thailand for 60 days or fewer, you’ll need a tourist visa. 
• Note that single-entry tourist visas are valid for one entry within three months from the application date
• The “enter before” date on your visa specifies the last day you can use the tourist visa to enter Thailand. 
• Be sure to check your immigration stamp to know how long you can stay once the immigration officer has stamped your passport upon arrival.
• A multiple-entry tourist visa is valid for six months, and you can stay for up to 60 days per visit. 

 Pro tip: 

Whether you use the visa exempt scheme or arrive on a single- or multiple-entry tourist visa – you can extend your stay by another 30 days if you apply for an extension at any immigration office.

Travel Insurance

Getting travel insurance was already a wise movement before Covid turned the world upside down. Even if it’s no longer mandatory, incidents and illnesses can still put a damper on your holiday excitement. Healthcare isn’t free in Thailand; a good insurance plan can protect you from unforeseen medical costs and let you travel with peace of mind. A decent insurance plan will also cover things like flight delays, lost luggage, or damage of personal possessions.

Places to Stay

When you travel to Thailand for a week or two, accommodation is not the most important thing to worry about. But what if you explore the kingdom for months? You could ride a train from Bangkok to nowhere, watch neatly aligned rubber trees roll past, and then rent a bamboo bungalow in Koh Phangan. That will only set you back 4,500 to 6,000 baht a month ($119 - $158). 

An apartment or a house costs a little more and may require some planning. As a rule of thumb, the further away from the beach a property is, the lower the price you’ll get. Obviously, prices increase during the peak season from December to April.

Ask about the monthly utility costs if you rent an apartment, condo, or house. One unit typically costs between five and seven baht ($0.13 - $0.18). Most flats and condos charge more than the government rate to pay general building costs. Ask the landlord whether extras like cable TV and WiFi are included in the rent, too.

Checking the area out while you’re in Thailand has some advantages, but the easiest way to find a room for rent is online, e.g., on Airbnb. Thailand-property.com has condos for rent in Phuket, and Facebook groups for expats can hook you up with private landlords.

Travel Itinerary

While traveling without a plan appeals to some travelers, having some idea pays if you only come for a short time. There are so many things to do in Thailand; you’ll want to know where the Andaman Sea, the Gulf of Thailand, the former Lanna Kingdom, or Isan is.

Traveling across the country has never been easier. While flying from north to south doesn’t cost much with airlines like Air Asia, Nok Air, VietJet Air, or Thai Lion Air, a good ground transportation company is Bookaway. And TAGTHAi, a City Pass app that provides a seamless travel experience, gives you access to attractions like Bangkok’s Mahanakhon SkyWalk, Chiang Mai’s Lanna Kingdom Elephant Sanctuary, or Koh Hey, aka Coral Island near Phuket. 

“You get a bit of everything in Thailand,” says Taro, the head of TAGTHAi. While the One-, Three-, Five-, and Seven-Day City Passes are currently available for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, more partners, cities, and places to visit in Thailand are in the pipeline.

Packing Essentials

From the jungles in the north to the islands in the south, Thailand has various climates. Whether you need a packing list for June or December, visit Thailand for a week or a month, here’s what you’ll need:

 

• A pair of decent flip flops; your feet will say thanks (homes, family-run shops, pharmacies, some restaurants, and surely temples, will ask you to take off your shoes before entering)
• A 50l backpack will do (don’t overpack!)
• A reusable water bottle
• An LED torch
• A waterproof cell phone pack
• A day bag to carry around your stuff
  
   

Whatever you pack before you visit Thailand, what you no longer need is a negative Covid test or a vaccination certificate. Just go. 

Need some trip ideas? TAGTHAi’s Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Phuket blogs will provide some inspiration.



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