So I'm planning on booking a flight from New Zealand to Thailand late january. As an American, how do I get a visa? I'd like to be able to stay awhile, possibly 6+ months if I really like it. Do I need to find a Thai or US embassy here in NZ? Can I just get one when I get to Thailand? Is it possible online?

Get 30 day visa on arrival and after a month take a two day trip to Laos and get your double entry visa which will be good for six months.

Thanks for the quick reply. On arrival, you mean at the airport at customs? Do I need to book a round trip flight before hand? And if so, would it need to return within 30 days?

hey. i want to ask smth.
i live in europe,cyprus. the things here r v bad, i own a 250m3 house which values at abt 350k Euro.my mortgge is about 170K. should i sell the house and go live happily ever after in Thailand?

my wife is Thai and owns 2 houses in Pattaya and 1 appartment in BKK.

There is something not quite right here methinks

time for visa-run soon so i went to a visa shop/agent to get info, she told me that i could go to laos and get a tourist visa there..
OR that she could make me sick and give me a 30, 60 or a 90 days special visa for people whos injured/sick/whatnot but cannot make their flight back home(nothing wrong with me )
anyone heard about these visas? good thing about it is that i dont have to leave the country or do anything, just pay 10-12k bht, get 2 photos and give passport and i get 90 days, but ive never heard of this special visa and im wondering if its bull**** and their trying to get money
so anyone has any experiences or more info?

check if there is an embassy near you first that issues double or triple entry tourist visas before you decide anything and if it's a hassle to get one

our cracker here is talking about the 30 day visa exempt stamp that you get when you arrive in thailand without a visa.

visa on arrival is something else and as an american you are not qualified for that (and you dont even want to be so dont worry about that)

some airlines demand a return ticket and yes it has to be within 30 days if you board the plane without a visa. you could get a cheap airasia flight to malesia or cambodia or something and then later decide if you want to use it or not

never heard of this

probably a scam or atleast completely illegal

just go to laos and get your visa. it's just a couple of days trip...

Your videos make me hate you

yeah guess so, well laos it is then never been there so might be a fun trip?

I called http://www.trailfinders.com/ and managed to find and book 1 years return from Jan 07 for £675 with etihad airlines. You can probably get cheaper with a shi##ier airline. Also noticed some good deals if you leave a bit later on in the year.

Does anyone here no the chances of getting infected with Japanese encephalitis ? Docs cant get any vaccine b4 I leave :S

also anyone can recommend travel insurance from UK for 12 months?

you are only really gonna get japanese encephalitis if you go in to the really rural areas and even then you'd have to be super unlucky, you have close to a 0 chance of getting it in bkk or any other touristy area.

travel insurance is -EV but if you have to get it then i think this is the best place http://www.moneysupermarket.com/travelinsurance/


DAN!

Thanks Dan, The doctor couldn't really tell me much and was reading the info off of that same website I had already read. Although she did have a daughter that had just been to Thailand and gave me a bunch of tips.

I agree that insurance is -EV but in the event of a freak incident costing more then $20K+ I would not be able to pay. So better to be safe then broke?

Probably?

No offense dude but there are half a dozen airlines that will fly you there for 1/3 of that.

My definition of a "****ty airline" is one that charges 3x as much for the same fare to the same destination.

lol @ dan

also, i dont think 1 year's return for 675 pounds is that expensive...

i've read almost half this thread and im convinced to go to thailand in january. i have a pretty big budget, but dont really want to spend more 2.5k/month for a 2bdrm apt. i'm not sure i want to commit to a 6 month lease, are there any websites where i can find a place for 1-3 months?

my plan right now is to go to bkk, go to the dream hotel for a week. maybe go to phuket after ~10 or so days. find which place i like better/look for a place once im there.

anyone thats been there have a better plan than that?

should i bother doing rosetta stone thai?
do i have to go to a thai embassy here in the US, or do i just show up and get my visa?

thanks for everyones help.

for short term you can pick and chose among most of the serviced apts/hotels with that budget.

If you want to rent for 1-3 months the best places are serviced appartments, my two favorites are legacy and fraser, but theres a lot of them out there. You will pay more than a condo for the same thing, but you have the flexibility of short time rent and pretty decent comfort.

http://www.legacybangkok.com/
http://bangkok.frasershospitality.com/

dave,

get a tourist visa from the US if you are staying longer than 30 days

would it be safe/is it a good idea to bring 10k cash? just came from argentina and it was pretty annoying to get money. im getting real excited. trying to decide between fraser hotel and dream hotel. ty for help everyone.

that's a better idea than picking a fight with a tuk tuk driver, and a worse idea than bringing a atm card that gives you access to 10k cash, or traveller's checks

About how much $$$ monthly do you think I would need;

- Condo with good security, stable internet, air conditioning, gym nearby. ( near beach I guess )
- Eating whatever I want at any time ( mostly western food but I love sea food and I am up for anything that looks good :P )
- Some sport activities ... Muay Thai,tennis maybe something else

I kinda have my own nightlife calculations but have no idea for expenses above.
Also what are maid prices ?

And last question;

If I want to try it out for a month, what would be cheap but yet good way to come from EU to Thai and back(air air air)

And in 2010 what will be the best month to visit and see beauties of Thailand

daniel,

best months weather wise are january-march, ok months december,april-july

i wouldnt come for 1 month between august-november

renting for one month is obv much more expensive than renting long term

i think you are looking at something like $600+ for that month atleast in phuket (since you wanted a beach with sports activities i think it's one of the best options)

western food dishes cost usually around 200 baht ($6) while thai food costs 30 baht and up ($1+)

all this in phuket and in my experience

i've stayed at both and fraser >>>>>>>> dream . Fraser is proper apartments so you have a seperate bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom (TV in bedroom and living room). dream is just one medium sized hotel room with a bathroom.

i would trust our friend dan here