Thailand Travel Tips & Guide for Travellers. Popular Holiday destination Thailand. Tips for Travel to Thailand pertaining to visa and passport requirements, flight tips, and intoxicants.
Useful Travel Tips for Visit to Thailand
Thailand, a globally popular destination for tourism, remains one of the top most travel places in Asia. Crammed full of countless crowd magnets, the country assures ample opportunities for spending unforgettable holidays. Here are some useful tips that can come in handy for travellers who are planning to book cheap flights to Thailand.
- Tips for Visa to Thailand
- British passport holders taking flights to Thailand are permitted to stay in the country for 30 days. They need not obtain a visa in advance. However, visitors arriving at overland crossings are only permitted to stay for 15 days without a visa. Anyone planning to stay beyond the permitted timeframe is mandated to get a valid visa or an extension of stay.
- Staying in Thailand for a longer period than the time authorised on arrival without a valid visa or an extension of stay is a crime under Thai Immigration law. This entails a fine of 500 baht per day for every day of overstay, excluding the first day, and can stretch to a maximum of 20,000 baht.
- Overstaying one’s visa may even result in detention, fine and even deportation at the defaulter’s own expense.
- According to Thai authorities, overstays of more than 42 days will lead to detention. Such defaulters may also be black-listed and barred from visiting Thailand in the future.
- Extension of stay, new visa, or an entry permit should only be obtained from an Immigration Officer at some point of entry into Thailand, from an Immigration Office in the country, or from a Thai Consulate or Embassy. These are the only legal means.
- Anyone buying a cheap visa from travel agents, visa shops, and other dubious means should know that such a visa may very well be illegal and can attract legal action, which may include a hefty fine, prohibition from entering Thailand again, and imprisonment.
- Clarifications pertaining to entry requirements and visas should be addressed to the Royal Thai Embassy.
- Travellers to Thailand must check Foreign Office’s website for more details on entry requirements and updates.
- Visa Restriction Pertaining to Employment in Thailand
- Anyone planning to get employed in Thailand needs to have a valid work permit. Getting this work permit can prove to be a time consuming and tough task. This prompts some people to take up employment, while holding a tourist visa. This is illegal and can result in arrest and deportation.
- Passport Requirement
- Entry to Thailand is often refused to travellers whose passports have a validity period of less than six months. One also needs to ensure that there are no missing pages on the passport and that it is not damaged in any other way.
- Intoxicants
- Drug laws are pretty strict and possessing even small quantities can lead to a jail sentence. Even possessing marijuana can result in a long spell in prison along with a big fine.
- Travellers buying tickets to Thailand should know that the punishment for possessing or trafficking Class A drugs is the same as that for heroin.
- Amphetamines and Ecstasy are classified as Class A drugs. Those caught with at least 20 grams of a Class A drug at a point of exit from Thailand are highly likely to get the death sentence.
- No one boarding flights to Thailand is permitted to take more than 200 cigarettes per head into the country. Flouting the rule results in confiscation of the cigarettes as well as a heavy fine.
- Popular Airport, Airlines and Flight Information
- Most international flights to Thailand connect to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Other popular resorts including Phuket, Ko Samui and Chiang Mai are also connected by international airlines.
- A network of domestic and regional airlines such as Bangkok Airways and Thai Air Asia serve various destinations in the country as well as regional destinations.
- Thai Airways, the national airline of Thailand, connects the country to various destinations within Asia as well as Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
- The chance of getting tickets for cheap flights to Thailand are higher during the off season travel months of July to September. This is the monsoon season in major destinations such as Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, and Ko Samui. However, these months may not be conducive for those looking to buy tickets for cheap flights to the southern islands of Thailand.
- Miscellaneous Tips
- Being critical of or making offensive comments on the king or other members of the Thai royal family is a criminal offence carrying prison term of 3 to fifteen years or even longer. This is called Lèse Majeste.
- Standards in government run medical institutions may not be at par with the UK, while private healthcare is prohibitively expensive. Before undertaking travel to Thailand, visitors should buy full comprehensive medical insurance cover.
- British nationals planning to extend their trip should register with the British Embassy in Bangkok when they arrive.
- With Thailand being a hub for international tourism, there are higher chances of catching Sexually Transmitted Diseases here.
