Pictures of remnant abandoned old wooden bungalows at a built up resort beach at Ko Phangan island. Once upon a time simple wooden bungalows catering for backpackers / budget travellers were the main form of accommodation on Ko Phangan and most of the Thai islands. At the beach pictured only one old style bungalows from the 90's period is still operating, the rest of the beach is hemmed in by resorts.

UPDATE - Have just been told the land at this secluded rustic spot has been sold and a new resort will be built. When that happens from the northern part of the beach all the way to the bottom end it won't be possible to walk the length of the beach without seeing modern resorts. No part of the beach front land will be natural.

Hi,

Currently in Phangan... ( not happy about that but had to go there for a few days for some reasons ) and I saw that menu of the bar inside the HalfMoon festival... quite shocked about it.

As in the title. Edge of my Passport became slightly wet in heavy rain in my backpack. I am leaving for Thailand in 10 days. Will this be an issue?
Thank you for your input!

This is a long shot but if you are staying on Phi Phi island in the next few months please give some love to this cat I named Luna. She is underweight and seems to show signs of FIV. I fed her tuna water and cat food for the last few days (in compostable bowls) but it would be lovely if anyone visiting soon could keep an eye out for her and feed her. She is living around 1, 1 Moo 7, Koh Phi Phi, Amphoe Mueang in an abandoned building.

I have contacted the animal charity in Koh Lanta but am aware they are not government funded and have a lot on their plate.

I’m leaving tomorrow, if anyone has any advice please let me know!

Heading to Thailand for a few weeks and I'm probably overthinking this but I'm going to be booking tours, transfers, scooters and random activities as I go. Seems like half the places want your number or WhatsApp to confirm everything. Do you guys normally just give out your main number while traveling or use a separate one? I really don't want to come home and realize my number ended up on a million marketing lists.

I now live in Thailand so do not have this up to date knowledge. My friend arrives next week after midnight at the airport and will need to cash a $100 bill in order to get some baht before hopping in a taxi to get to his hotel in Bangkok. I told him it’s best to go to an exchange booth so he can ask for small notes ( 100 baht & 20s) so he has small change to pay the taxi for the tolls and fee. ( ATM machines usually give out 1000 baht notes)
Question: Are there any money exchange booths open after midnight at Suvarnabhumi Airport ? If so, where are they located?
Yes- he will exchange more money once he is in Bangkok.

Hi. How much cash do you recommend taking to Thailand, and how much should I keep on my card? It’ll be my first time there—most of my accommodation is already paid for. I’m wondering how to split it up: where is it better to pay with cash, and where with a card?

I’ll be visiting Bangkok, Pattaya, Chanthaburi, and Koh Chang from October 3rd to 21st.

Thanks for the advice.

Hey folks,

I (26M) am going to Thailand for the first time and only bought a one way ticket. I am leaving LAX on December 29th and landing in Bangkok December 30th in the late PM. I’ve never traveled before, let alone solo backpacked, but I’m currently at a point in my life where I wanna go see parts of the world, and Thailand has always been high on my list.

The reason I only bought a one way ticket is because I don’t wanna be stuck to a very hands on itinerary. Meaning, if I planned on going north but end up wanting to go south, I have the flexibility to do that. Same with other countries.

What I envision the itinerary being is the following:

• 30th to 3rd: Bangkok, NoMads Hostel (booked). Daily excursions, Ayutthaya, nights on Khao San Road, hopefully meet some people to hang out with from the hostel. Spend New Year’s weekend in Bangkok.
• 3rd to ∞: Travel up north to Chiang Mai. Visit Chiang Rai, an elephant sanctuary, train Muay Thai (could be down to do this for multiple days). Potentially even stay in a less touristy northern city than Chiang Mai.
• ∞ to ∞: Should I travel northeast? Maybe hit Udon Thani, Loei, or Khon Kaen. I’ve done a small amount of research on northeast Thailand, and nothing seems to stick out too much or really grab my curiosity.
• ∞ to ∞: Make my way down south to the beaches. This is more my vibe, and I would love to spend a lot of time in different beachy areas and different hostels. Krabi, Koh Lipe, Koh Tao, etc. I would love a mixture of touristy and local stays. Really wanna hop around in the south. Absolutely love the beach vibes.

Biggest Questions:

• Should I worry about booking hostels only 2 to 3 days out during peak tourist season? Looking at staying in Social Hostels. For example, if I decide to leave for somewhere last minute, would it be hard to find a hostel in the area?
• Should I worry about booking things to do or tours in advance due to peak tourist season? I understand that a lot of hostels have day trips and will lean on that, but I’m curious.
• What are the best ways to travel to each location in y’all’s opinion? From Bangkok to the north, potentially northeast, and then down to the south. I’m willing to save money by doing longer trips.
• Should I try to stay in certain areas during certain times of the month? From y’all’s experience, does it feel more crowded during certain months than others in peak season, or is it all kinda packed? Like, is it less crowded down south in January?
• Does it make sense to go north and then south?
• A party night here and there would be fun. I’m not against going to any festivals or big parties, like the Full Moon Party, etc. Would love festival or party recs!
• If you were to dip over to another country in the area, where would you go and why?

Smaller Questions:

• What and where were some of your favorite social hostels?
• What and where were some of your favorite party hostels?
• What are some must dos in each place?
• What is the minimum amount of baht you think you should carry at all times?
• Best Thai Dishes?
• What Liter backpack would you recommend?

Some key points:

• I do understand the initial 30 day stay (starting September 15th), prior to applying for the tourist visa and adding an additional 30 days.
• I am also aware of needing a return flight to get through immigration, but plan on buying a return flight on departure day and refunding it. I have no plans of overstaying my 30 to 60 days. I just want flexibility.
• I will be getting travel insurance.
• I would love a mixture of touristy and local vibes throughout all areas of Thailand.
• I really wanna focus on staying in social hostels to meet people from all walks of life. I’m a social butterfly, so I’m very excited to meet other travelers as well.
• I am also very interested in visiting other surrounding countries. If I were to extend my travel plans beyond Thailand, where would you recommend going?

Sorry if I sound arrogant or anything of that nature. This is my first time traveling, so I’m still figuring all of this out. Any advice is appreciated!

My partner and I are from the UK and have been traveling around Southeast Asia this year. Our Thailand visits so far:

• December (last year): Thailand - 3 weeks
• Jan/Feb: Thailand - 1 month total
• July: Thailand - 3 weeks

(In between we've been to Sri Lanka, elsewhere in SEA, and Bali.)

The plan: We're heading back to Thailand mid-October for 1–2 weeks, then flying to Jakarta on the 23rd for a concert. While in Jakarta, we want to apply for a Tourist Visa so we can return to Thailand afterwards and stay for 60 days. (visa exemption reduced by then)

By the time we apply in Jakarta, we'll have been to Thailand 3 times already this calendar year. We haven't been maxing out visa exemptions or doing back-to-back "visa runs". we have friends living in Bangkok, which is why we keep going back to visit.

My question: Is visiting this many times in a year likely to be a problem when applying for a Tourist Visa, or could it get flagged/questioned at the embassy or on entry? Anyone had experience with something similar? Thanks in advance

Hi folks,

I am planning to do a tandem skydiving in Rayong (near Pattaya) in Sep 3rd week (Sep 19-26). I wanted to check if that's a good time to do in terms of weather? Are there frequent slot cancellations due to rains?

I would appreciate other possible drop-zones if any in terms of favorable weather in Sep to have memorable experience.

Thanks.

Some background : I worked in the US for good 6-7 years, have good savings and wanted to take a break and focus on traveling, getting fit and just becoming a better person overall - learn new things etc.

I visited thailand and really enjoyed it and decided to apply for DTV visa Muay Thai as soft core and worked with a muay thai gym in chiang mai for this. They asked for 6000 thb for documentation and annual fee of 30k thb. And said that if the visa is rejected then they will return the amount.

I applied for DTV in August from bali and the application was routed to the Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta. In about a week or so they responded asking for a correction letter from the gym. The gym was obstinate and giving me the same letter again to upload but when i used AI to translate all the documents from thai to English i realized the letter was addressed to bali embassy and not Jakarta. So I told them that and they fixed it and then I submitted the documents again.

The visa got approved in a few days after but it said tourist tr and had 6 months of validity until end of February. Now I emailed the embassy and asked them to confirm if it’s an error and they responded with a generic “Decisions regarding visa categories and approvals are entirely at the discretion of the Consul, as he or she deems appropriate for entry into Thailand”.

Now the gym is saying the visa is not rejected so we will not refund the amount. I paid them extra for documentation and they guaranteed that they would return if the visa was denied. I have some other family plans so I won’t be able to use the visa for the most of its duration.

I feel like all the love I had for thailand is just washing off and I am seeing the true reality of how everything is like. As a tourist I guess I wasn’t seeing all this in my day to day life of being there (i was there for around 100 days in multiple trips).

I showed them more than enough money needed. I have worked in big tech companies as a software engineer. It’s not like I am a scam. A part of me just wants to use these sessions and just be done with the country. It feels like I got scammed by the government firstly to pay for DTV fees, then this Muay Thai gym. I am glad I didn’t opt for a 2-3 yr course with this gym. And a part is glad that the country saved me more money overall. I would have spent 2-3k USD a month living there. I will either move to Bali or my home country.

Wanted to share this in case it helps anyone in the process.

We’re Spanish passport holders. We land in Tokyo in a few days and stay a month, then continue to Thailand for about six weeks (arriving around 30 September).

As published yesterday, from 15 September the visa exemption drops from 60 days to 30 — so on arrival we’d only get 30 days, which isn’t enough for our stay.

My questions:

1. Can we apply for a 60-day tourist visa (TR) from Tokyo, even though we’re not residents of Japan — either at the Royal Thai Embassy or through the official e-Visa portal?
   
2. If yes — what documents are required, and how long does processing take?
   
3. Or is it simpler to enter visa-free for 30 days and then apply for a 30-day extension at an immigration office inside Thailand?

If anyone has applied for a Thai visa from a third country recently, I’d love to hear how it went

Hi everyone! I’m planning my honeymoon in Thailand in November 2026. 🇹🇭

I’m getting married on 7 November, but I need to apply for the Thai tourist visa before the wedding and book our hotels in advance. The hotel reservations will be under my name only.

For those who have been in a similar situation, what should I do for my wife’s visa application? Can she submit the accommodation bookings under my name, or do we need to wait until after the wedding to provide the marriage certificate?

Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated! 🙏

Hi everyone! For my next Bangkok Trip I thought about the following two hotels

1. Grand Centre Point Lumphini (so far my fav)
   
2. Eastin Grand Phaya Thai

Both look fabulous. Anyone stayed in one of those and can recommend? Or can you recommend other hotels in this price range?

Thanks!

I will be applying (online) for a 60 day visa and they are asking for proof of accommodations. I have not planned anything beyond the first 2 weeks.

Any easy ways to work around this?

Hi! We’re a couple travelling with our 1.5-year-old and planning a 3-week trip to Thailand in July.

Which areas would you recommend for that time of year, considering the weather and travelling with a toddler?

We’d love beaches, nature and some culture, without moving around too much.

Thanks! 🇹🇭

Hi,

​I’m finishing up the island leg of my trip on Koh Lipe and leaving on Nov 24. I was looking at a 14:15 direct flight from Hat Yai (HDY) to Chiang Mai. At least, this was the plan before I realized the schedule for the boats.

​The earliest boat from Koh Lipe drops off at Pak Bara Pier around 11:00. I originally looked at shared vans, but they seem to take 2+ hours and wait for passengers. Arriving at the airport at 13:30 cuts it way too close.

​Since it's just two of us, we’re considering booking a private taxi straight from the pier to HDY to skip the waiting. I'm hoping this will get us to the airport by 13:00.

​A couple of questions for those who know the route:

1. ​If we reach the airport at 13:00, is 75 minutes enough time to drop bags and clear security for a domestic flight at HDY?

2. ​Are private taxis reliably faster than the vans? How much drive time should we realistically expect?

3. ​Any recommendations for reliable private transfer companies?

Getting to Chiang Mai that day is super important to us because we are arriving for the Yi Peng festival, so we really don't want to miss the flight. Thanks in advance for the help!