Thailand
Guides
Short, checkable answers for traveling in Thailand. Rules and prices are dated. Topics is where the community talks about what happened this week.
20 guides · checked against official sources
Visas and entry
5 guides- Thailand visa 2026: 30-day rule from 15 SeptemberThailand’s 60-day visa exemption has been revoked. The Ministry of Interior notices were published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026 and take effect on 15 September 2026, when the tourism exemption becomes 30 days for 60 countries, 15 days for two, and Visa on Arrival for three. Entries on or before 14 September keep the stay stamped on arrival. This is not legal advice.VerifyChecked 9 September 2026
- Thailand digital arrival card (TDAC): free and requiredThe Thailand Digital Arrival Card is free, and every non-Thai national entering by air, land or sea has to submit one before arrival. The official window is three days before your arrival date, and the only official site is tdac.immigration.go.th. It is not a visa, and any page charging a fee is not the Immigration Bureau.VerifyChecked 9 September 2026
- Thailand visa on arrival: who still gets itVisa on Arrival is a paid stamp bought at a designated Thai checkpoint by nationalities that are not visa-exempt. From 15 September 2026 it shrinks sharply: the Royal Gazette notices published on 31 August 2026 cut the VoA scheme to just three countries or territories. Most travellers who once considered VoA now fall under a visa exemption, a bilateral agreement, or a visa they must obtain before flying. This is not legal advice.VerifyChecked 9 September 2026
- Extend a Thailand tourist stay in 2026You extend a Thai tourism permission in person at an Immigration office, once per entry, before the current stamp expires. Practice through 2026 centres on form TM.7, a photo, photocopies and a cash fee commonly reported at 1,900 THB for 30 extra days. Since 15 September 2026 the exemption itself starts at 30 days, so the practical ceiling is now around 60 days rather than 90. Officers decide. This is not legal advice.VerifyChecked 9 September 2026
- Thailand DTV: not a holiday stampThe Destination Thailand Visa is a real visa on the Thai e-Visa site for remote work (“workcation”) and specified Thai soft-power activities. You apply from outside Thailand. It is not the tourism visa exemption (30 days for most passports since 15 September 2026) and not Visa on Arrival. Requirements and fees are set by the mission that receives the file.VerifyChecked 30 August 2026
First trip
6 guides- Apps to meet other travelers: an honest comparisonApps for meeting other travelers fall into three groups: nearby-radar apps, activity apps, and community forums. Which one works depends far less on features than on whether anyone is actually using it in your city this week. This page judges them on four criteria stated up front, and applies the same criteria to Meet Locale.Checked 9 September 2026
- Thailand eSIM: does it work, and is it legit?Yes, eSIM works in Thailand — AIS and True both sell tourist eSIM, and you can install the profile before you fly and activate on landing. Thai law requires registering the number against your passport, which is the fastest way to tell a real seller from a bad one. AIS listed tourist eSIM from 399 THB when checked on 30 August 2026.Checked 30 August 2026
- How to plan a solo trip to ThailandPlan a Thailand trip in dependency order: dates first, because the season decides which coast works; then length, then entry paperwork, then budget and insurance, and only then bookings. Most trips go wrong because someone booked flights before checking the monsoon. Checked 9 September 2026.Checked 9 September 2026
- First 72 hours in ThailandThe first three days are logistics, not a temple marathon: TDAC already filed, SIM or eSIM on, cash or a working card, a bed near transport, and a ride that is not a tout. Bangkok first-timers should land, sleep, and learn BTS before they book a 14-day island hop.Checked 30 August 2026
- Best time to visit ThailandThere is no single best month for all of Thailand. Cooler and drier for much of the country is roughly November–February (peak prices). March–May is hot; Songkran sits in mid-April. The southwest monsoon typically soaks the Andaman (Phuket, Krabi) about May–October while Gulf islands are often wetter October–December. Northern haze is a separate February–April problem — in 2026 Chiang Mai still had world-ranking AQI days in March and April.Checked 30 August 2026
- Thailand in 10 days: what to keep and what to cutTen days is two places done properly, or three places if one of them is only Bangkok. It is not Bangkok + Chiang Mai + Phuket + a second island. As of 30 August 2026 the default first-timer shape is: three nights Bangkok on the BTS, then one coast in season — Andaman roughly November–March, Gulf often the workaround in boreal summer. Skip a smoky north in March. File TDAC. This is a cut list, not a temple marathon.Checked 30 August 2026
Getting around
2 guides- BKK to Bangkok: train, Grab, or taxiFrom Suvarnabhumi (BKK), the Airport Rail Link to Phaya Thai is the predictable daytime option: about half an hour, fares published in 2026 guides at 15–45 THB (45 THB to Phaya Thai). After midnight, or with heavy bags, use the official taxi queue or Grab from the marked pickup. Confirm fares on the station board.Checked 30 August 2026
- Don Mueang vs SuvarnabhumiSuvarnabhumi (BKK) is Bangkok’s main long-haul hub and has the Airport Rail Link. Don Mueang (DMK) is the older north Bangkok airport used heavily by low-cost and domestic flights. They are about 50 km apart. The free AOT shuttle is for connecting passengers with proof of an onward flight, not for tourists going into town.Checked 30 August 2026
Budget
1 guideIslands and coasts
1 guideWhere to stay
2 guides- Where to stay in Bangkok the first timeFor a first Bangkok stay, pick a bed you can reach on rail without guessing traffic. BTS (Bangkok Mass Transit System) runs two lines that interchange at Siam; the Sukhumvit Line is the long north–south/east spine, the Silom Line the shorter west–east. Old Town (Rattanakosin) and Khao San are not on that Skytrain. Last checked 30 August 2026. This is not a hotel list.Checked 30 August 2026
- How to make friends in BangkokMeeting people in Bangkok is easy; keeping them is the hard part, because the foreign community turns over constantly. What works is choosing activities that put you in front of the same faces week after week — classes, gyms, run clubs, volunteering — rather than collecting one-off introductions. Checked 9 September 2026.Checked 9 September 2026
The north
1 guideSafety
2 guides- Is Thailand safe to travel alone in 2026?Thailand is a common destination for solo travellers and violent crime rarely involves tourists, but the risk that actually injures visitors is traffic rather than crime. The UK FCDO cites WHO ranking Thailand among the deadliest countries for motorcycle deaths. Two regions carry active government warnings. Checked 9 September 2026.VerifyChecked 9 September 2026
- Thailand tourist scams: what embassies actually listAs of 30 August 2026, US and UK travel pages still warn about overcharging taxis and tuk-tuks, gem and “temple is closed” diversions, passport-held vehicle rentals, inflated bar tabs, drink spiking, and job offers that move people into neighbouring-country compounds. Thailand.go.th says refusing a taxi meter is illegal and lists tourist police on 1155. This is not a crime map of the whole country and not legal advice.VerifyChecked 30 August 2026