About Thailand

Although the vast majority of tourists will only be familiar with Bangkok’s modern international airport, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand has dozens of airports around the country. Combined with a highly competitive domestic flight industry they offer a very cheap and convenient way to get around the country. Thailand is a reasonably large country and many journeys by bus can take more than 12 hours, especially when taking into account the various stops the driver may make. With the introduction of super-discount domestic carriers such as Air Asia and VietJet Air, you may well find that for the same cost of the bus ticket, you could fly and save yourself a lot of time and hassle. Some of the smaller, provincial airports are often not much more than a landing strip with an outbuilding but at all of the airports, you’ll be able to find public transport options or somewhere to rent a vehicle. Bangkok – Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok’s modern and sprawling airport was built in 2006 and has all the features you’d expect of an airport in the west, and is located around 30km east of central Bangkok. There are numerous shops and food outlets, serving everything from local Thai food to

Thailand has many land borders with its immediate neighbors of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Malaysia. However, as you read this article, most, if not all will be closed due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions. Whether you’re leaving briefly to obtain a new visa-exempt entry, traveling to an embassy to obtain a new Non-O visa, or just planning to visit another country as part of your travels, here you’ll find all the information you need about all the various crossing points, listed by country. There are several very popular and commonly used crossings, as well as many more obscure and quieter crossings. Some crossings are known to be a bit more problematic than others, most noticeably the Aranyaprathet/Poipet crossing into Cambodia, where you will find very militant and fussy immigration officers as well as a swarm of people trying to get money out of you. Quieter crossings such as Savannakhet/Mukdahan will likely be less of a headache, however, crossing the border will still take you around half an hour or so, depending on how busy it is. The attitude of the immigration officials also appears to vary between the different crossings, with some being friendly and

January 1 – New Year’s Day It is a celebration of the brand new year. All schools, government offices, and banks are closed for business. The commercial establishments will remain open. All airports, land borders, and seaports will remain open. February 10 – Makha Bucha Makha Bucha is one of the 4 most important Theravada Buddhist holidays in Thailand. It is an occasion when Buddhists go to the temple to perform merit-making activities, such as almsgiving, meditation and listening to teachings. Although Makha Bucha is a national holiday, banks and commercial centers are open. No alcohol for sale, from midnight to midnight of the holy day, meaning you cannot buy alcohol from convenient stores and bars. Pubs and bars are closed. April 6 – Chakri Memorial Day It is the founding of the Chakri Dynasty which dates back to more than two centuries when the capital city Bangkok was initially established. The day is celebrated with enormous enthusiasm in the Royal family and all the government offices, banks and schools are declared closed. Other normal business open as usual and are unaffected by the celebrations April 13, 14, 15 – Songkran The Songkran Festival is a time when family and