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Thailand has basically moved into a "Pandemic? What Pandemic?" mindset. They're dealing with outbreaks and clusters in much more limited ways and are relying heavily on the fact that people are lining up for their third or fourth shot at this point (I've had 2x AZ and 1x Moderna; my wife 2x sinopharm, 1x AZ, and 1x Pfizer) so when people do test positive it's typically mild. I think the Thai Pass system is working more or less as intended at this point with one night of quarantine being all you need. Mask use is pretty common everywhere but restaurants, so that's a big bonus as well.
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Mar 14, 2022 00:24
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From what I've seen, Thailand has basically decided it's time to move on. Things are open, Songkran is happening. I would say it's a bit early to book. Historically, plane tickets are cheapest around 6 weeks before the flight.
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Mar 14, 2022 00:25
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Yeah, I'm thinking of jettisoning my Vietnam idea for a mix of Thailand and Malaysia, but I had my heart set on the former. But I also think Vietnam's government is far more likely to say "shut it all down" at a moment's notice and for the tourism infrastructure to still be lacking. I'm more interested in natural sights and historical museums, less interested in beaches, nightlife and temples so I think Thailand and Malaysia mixed together is doable for what I want to see vs spending all 3 weeks in Vietnam.
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Mar 14, 2022 00:33
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There's a lot of cool nature poo poo in Thailand that often gets overlooked for beaches and nightlife. Khao Yai National Park is stellar for instance.
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Mar 14, 2022 00:55
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Atlas Hugged posted:Golden Bay Leaf has closed. The owner/chef was reportedly hit and killed by a tuk tuk when he was crossing the street. This was one of the first restaurants goons in Bangkok recommended I check out and was a staple I would bring any goon passing through to. Thanks for sharing this. I went 7 or 8 years ago, I think because I had seen it recommended on SA. I've got plenty of great food memories of Thailand but that place stood out. I regret not being able to fit in a visit last time I was in Thailand even more now!
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Mar 14, 2022 01:01
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kuddles posted:Yeah, I'm thinking of jettisoning my Vietnam idea for a mix of Thailand and Malaysia, but I had my heart set on the former. But I also think Vietnam's government is far more likely to say "shut it all down" at a moment's notice and for the tourism infrastructure to still be lacking. Malaysia is loosening up but everyone's still wearing masks if that helps you gauge things. For museums the only one I've been to in recent years is the Islamic Arts Museum in KL which is really cool, haven't visited any others in a long time so can't really speak to their quality. Natural sights will do you good at least. Are you planning on visiting East or West Malaysia? I feel like East might be better if you want more nature TBH. There's Mt Kinabalu of course but there's also stuff like Mulu Caves in Sarawak and a few great diving spots in east Sabah if you're more of an aquatic bent. Food's great either side at least.
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Mar 14, 2022 09:47
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Imasalmon posted:So, following up on this weird rear end post of mine, I've still not been able to find these for sale anywhere. The thread very helpfully informed me that in Roman culture they are called fascinus, but I still can't find something like them for sale. Is this it? (spoiler because penis)  If it is, you can try looking for "ปลัดขิก 4 ขา" "Pa-lad-kik see khaa".
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Mar 14, 2022 09:55
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Ibblebibble posted:Malaysia is loosening up but everyone's still wearing masks if that helps you gauge things. For museums the only one I've been to in recent years is the Islamic Arts Museum in KL which is really cool, haven't visited any others in a long time so can't really speak to their quality. Natural sights will do you good at least. Are you planning on visiting East or West Malaysia? I feel like East might be better if you want more nature TBH. There's Mt Kinabalu of course but there's also stuff like Mulu Caves in Sarawak and a few great diving spots in east Sabah if you're more of an aquatic bent. Food's great either side at least. At this point I might as well wait until the March 15 announcement because I still got Vietnam in my sights, although my COVID cancellation was the 3rd time I planned to go and failed so I'm worried fate is telling me I'm never supposed to go.
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Mar 14, 2022 13:37
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Atlas Hugged posted:Thailand has basically moved into a "Pandemic? What Pandemic?" mindset. Vietnam is the same. Everything is open, getting covid-19 now seems common and Not a Big Deal
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Mar 15, 2022 04:59
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Paperhouse posted:Vietnam is the same. Everything is open, getting covid-19 now seems common and Not a Big Deal This is a good update to know. Thank you. It might just make my idea for a rainy season visit in the next couple months a possibility. Pending WW3 of course.
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Mar 15, 2022 18:45
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I should mention I'm talking about Ho Chi Minh as that's where I am. I think the rest of the country is similar though
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Mar 17, 2022 08:19
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Carl's Jr officially closes business in Thailand this month.
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Mar 17, 2022 11:16
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Oh no, what's next, Sizzler? 
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Mar 17, 2022 20:22
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Sadly, Sizzler is popular. I am a big fan of the Carl's Jr chili burger.
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Mar 18, 2022 02:27
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Paperhouse posted:I should mention I'm talking about Ho Chi Minh as that's where I am. I think the rest of the country is similar though I'm getting closer to re-booking my 3 week Vietnam trip. Trying to decide if I am going to go mid-September or closer to late October/early November. I'm leaning towards the former because I really would like to see Hoi An (which I understand will likely be flooded by November) and some green/yellow rice fields in the North, but I know that's risking typhoons messing with plans and me sweating like a pig in a lot of places. kuddles fucked around with this message at 17:32 on Mar 18, 2022 |
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Mar 18, 2022 17:22
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kuddles posted:Well, it sounds like it's the rest of the country now. They basically announced that you now only need a negative test when you come in, no quarantining and no vaccine check, which both sounds good and a bit frightening if cases get out of control again.
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Mar 28, 2022 17:51
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Im in Thailand RIGHT NOW!!!!!
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Apr 9, 2022 00:23
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Cool!
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Apr 9, 2022 01:51
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Atlas Hugged posted:Thailand has basically moved into a "Pandemic? What Pandemic?" mindset. They're dealing with outbreaks and clusters in much more limited ways and are relying heavily on the fact that people are lining up for their third or fourth shot at this point (I've had 2x AZ and 1x Moderna; my wife 2x sinopharm, 1x AZ, and 1x Pfizer) so when people do test positive it's typically mild. I think the Thai Pass system is working more or less as intended at this point with one night of quarantine being all you need. Mask use is pretty common everywhere but restaurants, so that's a big bonus as well. Pretty much the same over here in the Philippines. The big test is gonna be the national elections next month. Not looking forward to the outbreak after May 9th.
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Apr 9, 2022 16:31
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cheeseboy58 posted:Im in Thailand RIGHT NOW!!!!! Arriving at the Phuket Sandbox on the 19th, then to Krung Thep a week later. Wait is too long.
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Apr 9, 2022 22:39
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Have fun!!! I love it here 😁 test and go was easy. Taking 5th day test tomorrow. I do appreciate everyone wears masks here and its nbd compared to US where everyone is bitching like babies. My wife finally got covid here after never getting it in USA though LOL. Life
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Apr 10, 2022 11:38
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I have a coworker friend that is leaving the US to work for the Red Cross, being stationed in Gingoog City, in the province of Misamis, Philippines. I want to hop on a plane and visit him and see how he likes working for the Red Cross incase its something I want to do someday. Anyone itt have some insight into that part of Philippines? Doesn't seem very touristy. Also plan to keep heading East and go around the whole planet, still in the planning stages.
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Apr 10, 2022 17:46
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Cheese Thief posted:I have a coworker friend that is leaving the US to work for the Red Cross, being stationed in Gingoog City, in the province of Misamis, Philippines. I want to hop on a plane and visit him and see how he likes working for the Red Cross incase its something I want to do someday. Anyone itt have some insight into that part of Philippines? Doesn't seem very touristy. Also plan to keep heading East and go around the whole planet, still in the planning stages. I've been to Davao but it's pretty far away and enormously bigger. Seems like a really small town, but at least sheltered from major storm events. I would keep my eye on the elections coming up on May 9 and how nice it is to live there. Duterte stirred up a lot of poo poo on Mindanao, but BongBong Marcos is the current frontrunner with 70% of Mindanao votes. So if he wins, it might be a hospitable place to be for a few years.
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Apr 10, 2022 18:57
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cheeseboy58 posted:Have fun!!! I love it here 😁 test and go was easy. Taking 5th day test tomorrow. I do appreciate everyone wears masks here and its nbd compared to US where everyone is bitching like babies. My wife finally got covid here after never getting it in USA though LOL. Life This kinda intrigues me. For the 5th day test, let's say you're negative in Bangkok for day 1, then went elsewhere after passing, do you have to fly back to the same city where you got your 1st day test? I'd assume not and there's a bunch of approved hotels all over Thailand's tourist hotspots. Next question is what happens with a positive test, 5 day quarantine in that hotel? I assume you guys are going through this now. I'd love to go back to Thailand again so this is all very promising but I'll probably wait till next year or something.
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Apr 11, 2022 19:34
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You used to have to book another hotel if you travel that does PCR testing for day 5 but now the first hotel just gives you a self test kit. You gotta download a covid app and show the results on there but i didnt see anywhere to upload?? Was weird. Feel like they will probably get rid of the day 5 stuff eventually I have no idea with the positive test how long they quarantine you. If you play your cards right and dont get sick before you leave youre kinda guaranteed to get a negative result even if u get it on the plane since covid takes a while to kick in iirc
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Apr 12, 2022 02:30
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Bushmaori posted:Arriving at the Phuket Sandbox on the 19th, then to Krung Thep a week later. How long did it take you to get your test result? A friend went to Bangkok and could get an express result, was that an option for you?
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Apr 20, 2022 04:28
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EvilElmo posted:How long did it take you to get your test result? A friend went to Bangkok and could get an express result, was that an option for you? About five hours after the test, I wasn't told about any express result availability. I did run into a problem in that the front desk of my hotel told me that the MorChana app (which Thailand is using to track spread) would change its main display to green when the test result came back negative. Even though the test came back negative the app still didn't turn to green, so I stayed a night in the hotel when I didn't need to. So just be aware the staff might not know for sure how the system works for everyone, or it might be glitchy, in which case using the emailed negative test will get you out and about.
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Apr 20, 2022 10:20
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Cheese Thief posted:I have a coworker friend that is leaving the US to work for the Red Cross, being stationed in Gingoog City, in the province of Misamis, Philippines. I want to hop on a plane and visit him and see how he likes working for the Red Cross incase its something I want to do someday. Anyone itt have some insight into that part of Philippines? Doesn't seem very touristy. Also plan to keep heading East and go around the whole planet, still in the planning stages. I am in Cagayan De Oro (CDO) city RIGHT NOW (for the first time since before Covid), which is less than 100km / 60 miles away by road from Gingoog (pronounced sort of like hin oo oh) although I have only been as far as Duka bay (38 km away). Very pleasant part of Mindanao and there are some touristy things to do in the general area - depends what you like. Resort stays, fun parks, water parks, Islands (Camiguin Island is a must see for you), hikes not so much, driving around is an adventure and I love it but looking at how a bunch of wowsers on R/idiotsincars are and that you are from the US, it might be a bit too exciting - get ready for lanes that stop without signs, shops built on and taking up a lane after a blind bend, Ford Ranger is entitled to your lane if you are in a small oncoming car (I have an Hyundai Eon) if he needs to overtake something, you know the normal sort of give and take driving). There is a few caveats, traffic will stress, water gets liberally splashed over everything in washrooms after use (floor, seat, the bog roll), hot water systems are generally (even in luxury homes) not installed so embrace the cold and security is a real issue. On security, take note what the Red Cross is doing for your friend, I think that will be a good guide. I lived in a gated estate in Philippines and worked in Burkina Faso so it has been years since I have been where ATMs / malls and nice peoples homes didn't get armed guards. Separatists (MILF, et al) are not really the issue but regular violent crime. I have not heard of kidnap for ransom for a few years now of Westerners but maybe Covid might be contributing to that and I have not actually been here for a few years. When I drove around Malabalay and Valencia looking at rice land, the locals were a little nervous just to be around me if I hung around too long. I feel safe around CDO in general but not sure about Gingoog. Hit me up on PM if you want more info/contacts. Electric Wrigglies fucked around with this message at 07:07 on Apr 21, 2022 |
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Apr 21, 2022 07:02
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Koh Chang is very cool. Nutty roads and the snorkeling was better than Hawaii IMO. I recommend. Did squidshing there too
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Apr 22, 2022 12:37
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I'm wondering about health/travel insurance for Thailand. I'm going to be living in the country for at least one year so I'm wondering if I should just purchase health insurance from Luma instead of travel insurance. Is there any reason to go with travel insurance over regular insurance in my situation? I'm also thinking about purchasing Luma's travel insurance as it seems to be affordable and cover what I need I'm also trying to navigate the whole $20,000 of COVID insurance thing, Thai Pass, etc. It's a bit confusing and complicated for me so far Edit: My current train of thought is that I should buy travelers' insurance to cover basic stuff until I am more settled and then purchase broader medical insurance if I don't get it through my job. Anything I should be looking for? (Based on this article I'm thinking about InsuredNomads or SafetyWing but I'm also not sure since travelfish is sponsored by them https://www.travelfish.org/travel-planning/travel-insurance) Yossarian-22 fucked around with this message at 09:14 on Apr 23, 2022 |
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Apr 23, 2022 08:26
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cheeseboy58 posted:Koh Chang is very cool. Nutty roads and the snorkeling was better than Hawaii IMO. I recommend. Did squidshing there too My buddy's buddy just lost his leg and spleen on Koh Chang over Songkran thanks to a drunk driver. Stay safe out their goons and avoid narrow roads at night.
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Apr 24, 2022 04:05
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nm
Bushmaori fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Apr 24, 2022 |
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Apr 24, 2022 11:44
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Bushmaori posted:About five hours after the test, I wasn't told about any express result availability. Took about 5 hours for me. Phuket is really pretty quiet at the moment. Clubs were only at like 25% and maybe peaked at 50% capacity on Fri/Sat night. Then shutting at 11:30pm is weird, but everyone just goes to the beach and drinks there after. EvilElmo fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Apr 25, 2022 |
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Apr 25, 2022 07:06
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I'm trying to get into Thailand to teach English and I'm afraid I might have gotten the wrong idea about the Special Tourist Visa (STV)? I applied for it electronically and I was told that I still needed to show that I had a place to live during the full three months of my stay and that I had paid for a flight back. I was planning to use the STV to get in per earlier suggestions in this thread and then convert it to a work visa (Non-Immigrant B Visa). Then I see guidelines on the Thai Embassy website, stating that I cannot convert the Visa into any other type of visa and that Airbnbs are not valid for showing a longterm living situation. https://thaiembdc.org/2020/12/28/special-tourist-visa-stv/ Any ideas on what to do? Is it as simple as booking a rental/flight back, submitting them, and then getting them refunded or is it not that simple?
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Apr 29, 2022 00:24
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Going to Thailand and hoping to find a job as an English teacher while my gf works at an NGO. I got my e-visa and Thai Pass approved. Some needlessly anxiety-ridden prep questions: - I'm from the U.S., so do I or don't I need adapters/converters? I just checked my electric razor and it's 220V/50 Hz (the Thai standard to my knowledge), my electric toothbrush (120~240V) and my laptop charger (100~240Hz, 50~60 Hz), so I think I'm good to go? On the other hand, my laptop charger is three-pronged (type B), I hear that not all outlets in Thailand are grounded, that there are sometimes European style outlets (type C/F), and that type O is going to be the standard at some point. And universal adapters seem like they're relatively expensive so I'm wondering if getting one is even necessary. I don't exactly sit inside cafes for COVID reasons - Is it worth updating all my vaccines even if I've gotten some recently, like my flu shot in October? I'm getting neurotic about not getting sick. I also want long clothes for avoiding mosquitos/looking professional while teaching but I also don't want to get loving hot until I sweat bullets - I booked more or less a dummy ticket showing a flight back and a hotel for quarantine back when Thai Pass required it just so I would get approved for the Thai Pass/Visa. I'm good to cancel those now right? - Seeing as I'm bringing my little fido should I be worried at all about snakes in Chiang Mai? Yossarian-22 fucked around with this message at 09:20 on May 7, 2022 |
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May 5, 2022 23:54
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You shouldn't really need to worry about the voltage difference I don't think, iirc there aren't many devices that are 110v only and won't work overseas. I think these might be higher-powered things like hairdryers, irons, and straighteners, but I'm not sure. Universal plug adapters shouldn't be too expensive, you can find them here in Oz for like $20. Or if you want to buy a bunch, get them in Thailand where they'll probably be cheaper. Or just buy one and bring a power board with you (it sounds ridiculous but I often travel with a power board). I don't think you need any specific vaccinations for Thailand, even malaria isn't a problem outside of fairly remote areas though maybe get some doxycycline if you're worried? Make sure your dog is completely up to date with their vaccines though - particularly rabies and ehrlichiosis
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May 6, 2022 05:21
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I think the only time I actually had an issue with an electrical device was my 360. Apparently those don't convert between voltages and I blew up the power brick. Everything else hasn't been an issue. This is the type of outlet I see most places these days.  Obviously you're going to run into some older styles or ones without a place for the third prong, but they're less common than they used to be. Most people just use the three prong to two prong adapter. I have no idea if those are safe but mai bhen lai.
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May 6, 2022 08:39
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Don't you need a return ticket to be able to board your flight from the US? I ran into an issue once where my return flight was more than 30 days away but my visa was only for 30 days, and they wouldn't let me board my departure flight until I booked a return ticket within the 30-day window.
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May 6, 2022 16:15
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Don't you need a return ticket to be able to board your flight from the US? I ran into an issue once where my return flight was more than 30 days away but my visa was only for 30 days, and they wouldn't let me board my departure flight until I booked a return ticket within the 30-day window. My visa is for 60 days and I have a "return trip" booked through a website which I intend to cancel that I bought for a really cheap price. I suppose maybe I'll wait until I've actually arrived to cancel Yossarian-22 fucked around with this message at 09:35 on May 7, 2022 |
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May 6, 2022 21:10
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There was a woman complaining on the new Traveling in Thailand Twitter community about being grilled at immigration and having to provide documentation proving her intent, so just play it safe for now.
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May 7, 2022 05:38
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