First vacation in Thailand
– Reposted message from February 20, 2011 –
It's been a long time since I first went to Thailand traveled. I will never forget that first visit. Almost every day I remember like it was yesterday, I fell in love with this country instantly. That love has always stayed with me, I've been back there many times and now I even live there.
If you have now also chosen a first holiday in this fantastic country and I assure you that it will also be unforgettable for you, whatever type of holiday you have chosen. A beach holiday with lots of water sports? A holiday to “discover” the nature reserves in the North? A holiday to soak up the Buddhist culture or a “do-holiday” with visits to the many tourist attractions in this country. Everything is possible.
A holiday actually consists of three parts: the preparation, the holiday itself and the "after talk". I won't talk about the last two, but the preparation for a successful holiday is so important. If you have already determined and perhaps even booked your destination in Thailand, regularly browse the internet for information. That is not only nice to look forward to the upcoming holiday, but also important to know what you want to do. Dozens of websites are available about every destination in Thailand and you will also find useful information on this blog. It will not happen to you what a tourist, who arrived in a city late at night and took a taxi to hotels wanted and desperately exclaimed: “How does that work here”
Information about how to act after arrival in Thailand can be found more than enough on the internet, also check out this blog under the headings Travel tips en Travel information Thailand. Below some tips and information that may help you during the preparation:
- Check your passport to be sure, it must be valid for at least 6 months upon arrival in Thailand.
- If you intend to rent a car, motorcycle, scooter or moped, you will need an International Driving Permit, which is available from the ANWB.
- Vaccinations for a trip to Thailand are not mandatory. Just have a look at: Travel vaccination
- None Buy Thai money at the bank in the Netherlands. Also no traveler's checks or anything like that. It is very expensive and definitely not necessary. To be on the safe side, take a small amount (500 euros, for example) in cash, but less is also possible. In Thailand (already at the airport) you can withdraw money from the numerous ATMs with any bank card. At the airport there are 6 or 7 ATMs ready and at your holiday destination there is an ATM on practically "every corner of the street". The advantage of debit cards is also that the settlement is often done at a better rate than if you simply exchange cash.
- Close a good one Travel Insurance off.
- If you use medication, be sure to read the posting on this blog “Taking medicines with you on a trip to Thailand".
- For an unexpected medical calamity you have the contact details of an emergency centre needed in the Netherlands. Without a guarantee of payment you will not receive medical treatment in Thailand.
- Of course we no longer travel without a mobile phone, so read the posting on this blog “Accessible as a tourist in Thailand".
- You can use your laptop at almost all holiday destinations in Thailand. Don't feel like taking it? Don't worry, there are several internet cafes everywhere.
- Are you struggling (financially) with dental treatment? Consider having that done in Thailand during your vacation. Read the post on this blogDentist in Thailand".
- As far as holiday clothing is concerned, I advise you not to bring too many clothes, because light summer clothing (T-shirts, shorts, etc.) can be bought here in abundance and cheaply. Depending on the season, it is not wrong to take a sweater, cardigan and/or windbreaker with you when you go to the North of Thailand.
- That sweater and cardigan can also come in handy on the plane, where it can cool down considerably during the long journey to Thailand. So put it in your hand luggage.
- If you buy designer clothes in Thailand, it can be original or counterfeit. To avoid difficulties with customs in the Netherlands, wear the clothing at least once and then put it in your laundry. In any case, take it out of the packaging and remove price tags, etc
- You have booked the flight, but also the seats? This can be arranged in advance by the travel agency. Remember, it's a night flight, so you won't see anything until you're close to Bangkok. I therefore recommend reserving two aisle seats (e.g. C and D). You sit next to each other, but you don't have to bother other passengers if you want to go to the toilet or just want to stretch your legs.
- Depending on the season, it may happen that it rains at your holiday destination and you cannot go out. Pack a few books or magazines in your luggage for those rainy days. Also read the post on this blogReading books in Thailand".
- Go on a trip dressed nicely, I don't mean that the men should travel with a tie, but you know what I mean. Smartly dressed people are treated in a friendlier manner by all the people you will encounter during the trip.
- Do not go to Schiphol with your own car, long-term parking is terribly expensive. Go by train or – as I always did – have someone else take you to Schiphol and pick you up later. You buy a nice gift for the driver or just give some money.
- When boarding, make sure you are at the front. If you board early, you have every opportunity to store your hand luggage. If you come later, there is a chance that others have already packed the courses. Sometimes you don't understand how much hand luggage some people carry with them.
- When boarding, you will receive a small slip from your boarding pass. You must keep it well. Not only to claim your seat, but you will also need it at passport control at the airport in Bangkok.
- In the plane you will receive an arrival card, which you must fill in. The questions speak for themselves, if your English is not too good, ask the flight attendant to help you.
- Passport control in Bangkok is very smooth. You hand over your passport, the completed Arrival Card and the slip of your boarding pass. Keep your ticket at hand, they sometimes ask for it. After approval, you will receive a stamp in your passport, which allows you to stay in Thailand for 30 days.
- Customs in Bangkok is also usually very smooth. Take a luggage cart per person, preferably walk through customs in a column (not at the front). Do not look at the customs people, if you are with superiors, pretend to be talking. There is a new airport in Bangkok, which can be chaotic at times, so it is in everyone's interest that incoming passengers flow through as quickly as possible.
- Then you enter the arrivals hall and your holiday in Thailand has really started.
This was just a list of tips and information, if you have additional tips or questions, comment and you will definitely receive the requested information from experienced bloggers.
Finally: don't forget to turn off the gas when you travel, close windows and doors and think about the plants.
Nice tips Gringo. I just don't understand the tip about the night flight. You say: you see nothing? Why not? The light in the plane is only slightly dimmed. That is why many travelers carry a sleeping mask to make it so dark. Or did you experience it differently?
The dimming of that light really differs per society. At Emirates and at Thai Airway it was really nice and dark and you could go crazy.
But not every flight is a night flight, right? Maybe in part, but not always.
I meant that many people like to have a window seat to look out. On a night flight you can't see anything outside until just before arrival. A window seat is then only inconvenient if you want to go to the toilet or just want to stretch your legs.
That's not how I understood it. But a window seat is not pleasant anyway if you are tall because you are always messing around with your head against the bulge of the fuselage of the aircraft. I never want to sit by the window again. Give that place to fikkie. The only reason I'd want to sit there is when the sun's shining and people keep putting up those blinds to see if they can see anything yet and then leave anyone looking into that bright light for half an hour with spots in their eyes . And they don't understand or don't want to understand that people suffer from that. frustration !
Okay, that's clear then. Now I understand what you mean. Yes, it's annoying when you have to climb over someone. It is therefore useful to go to the toilet again before going to sleep.
My advice: Always take a window seat. Usually you then have an option to put your head against the wall with a pillow. Moreover, nothing is more annoying than being bothered every once in a while by one or two people trying to climb over you, and then of course always when you've just fallen asleep. It is also very nice to look outside, not only during the day, but also at night. Ever seen the Himalayas in the light of the rising sun? An amazing experience. The illuminated border between India and Pakistan or Calcutta at night. The bridge over the Bosphorus in the evening twilight. The Maas-Waal Canal and Maas beyond Venlo in the October sun. I didn't want to miss it all
Let's conclude here that you are always fucked in a middle seat, and that preference for window seat or aisle seat is very personal 😉
Good tips, but as far as money is concerned, more could be done. If you only have one debit card with you, you can get into big trouble if that thing breaks down or is lost. Therefore, always make sure you have a credit card or an extra pass. A few travel vouchers for emergencies wouldn't hurt either. I have sometimes experienced in the interior where the ATM machine did not accept my card. Cash is the cheapest. Most banks do not charge exchange commission and the exchange rate here is better than in the Netherlands. Most banks charge fees for withdrawing money in Thailand and all but one Thai bank charges a 150 Baht transaction fee. Costs for withdrawing money once are Euro 5,60. So it is better to collect as large a quantity as possible at once. Maximum at some banks 20.000 Baht, others 15.000 Baht
Exactly the same story as Hans van den Pitak, never asked about a return ticket. But that may also depend on the type of visa you have. Incidentally, half of all my trips have been asked for the slip of the boarding pass, so I'll add that. But those times when I lost that thing on the plane, it didn't cause a problem later either.
Can you explain that a little better. When entering the ATM slot, my bank card or credit card has no idea whether I have a visa and has never asked the bank itself.
Do you mean a visa? or a VISA credit card? Every card from Ing/Giro, Abnamro and every credit card from Eurocard to American Express works with me all year round.
Read more about vaccinations here. http://www.vaccinatiesopreis.nl/inentingen-thailand/
Incidentally, it is best to call the GGD in your region. I have now had all the vaccinations for the next 10 years against Hepatis-A. According to them, it was indeed desirable (necessary). But mandatory: no.
We are going to Thailand for the first time this year. Two over 40s on an adventure. Yesterday I mapped out the route with the accompanying train, plane and boat trip. Was a puzzle for a while, but I think we've got it complete.
We also prefer a seat on the aisle, so you can stretch your legs undisturbed from time to time, get up whenever you want. Especially if you really need to and the passengers next to you are in a semi-coma. You don't want to wake them up. If you sit at the window then it is quite a climb over the armrests ……
In June the time has come, I am really curious (and especially curious) about Thailand. In any case, I have already picked up quite a few tips from Thailandblog.
Why can't you look at customs people? That escaped me a bit, otherwise nice story.
Of course you can 😉 Only then the chance is greater that you have to put the suitcase on the belt for the x-ray.
On the outward journey there is little in our backpack anyway, so little to scan. We only take clothes with us for the first few days, otherwise we buy what we need there.
But we will pretend to be very busy talking and dress up for the picture.
Psychological. Primal instinct. Man subconsciously automatically assumes that if one does not see others, then others cannot see them either. Fool yourself a bit, because we all know better of course.
By the way, I've never had any problems with Thai customs, and I go through them almost every week. Just throw your luggage through the scanner once in a while.
Last week, when I left BKK, I saw two tourists, a knife and a pair of scissors were confiscated. Probably people without radio, TV and internet I think. Completely alienated from the world around them.
Good tips, only slip of the boarding pass has never been asked for me, never heard of it either.
I didn't know either. I've never seen it asked for either. Maybe that has changed? Can you explain Bert?
If no one can confirm this from a recent trip, it will indeed be outdated. Keep it anyway, I'd say, if only for your scrapbook, lol!
I was once asked. Maybe to check if I came from where I said I came from. Ticket is important to see if you have arranged to leave the country again.
I was asked once too, and that was the only time I didn't have it anymore.
Got scolded and told to show it next time.
Just put the ticket in my passport from now on, don't feel like messing with immigration after standing in line for an hour.
I applied for a six-month visa in October 2010, only had to show the ticket one way at the Thai embassy.
Also heard from a dark person that in Germany there must also be a return ticket
I had a ticket Bangkok Rome—-Rome Bangkok.
Went to check in Rome to go back to Bangkok”china airlines”
Miss didn't want to check me in because I didn't have a return ticket.
I explain that I didn't need that because I live there, the English wasn't really good and she threw my bag off the belt again, first buy a return ticket, otherwise you won't come.
Talking like a bridge man, I wasn't allowed to go.
China airlines office sat nobody, and it looked like nobody would come there for a while.
Had to buy a KLM ticket out of misery.
I have addressed china airlines via email about this, never had an answer.
Later, when checking in at Schiphol, I asked a china airlines employee how that is now, they are also not allowed to take you on a one-way trip.
Except if you have a visa like me, or a seaman's book.
I always buy a BKK-AMS-BKK ticket. So upon arrival I no longer have a return ticket. I was never asked for that and certainly not the boarding pass from the airport of departure. I don't think it's in the rules either. But all civil servants can make their own rules here and then complain about them. Can they show that they are actually important?
hey explain BKK-AMS-BKK don't get it
I think this Hans lives in Thailand, I also buy Bangkok Amsterdam Bangkok.
People who regularly travel back and forth to Thailand, for example every 3 months, can often buy a BKK-Adam-BKK ticket cheaper in Thailand. This of course means that you let your return ticket from Adm BKK Adam expire the first time or bought a (very expensive) one-way ticket to Adam BKK.
You can also order BKK-Adam-BKK tickets by telephone from the Netherlands with a credit card.
maybe it was also helpful to tell that there
a photo will be taken of you upon arrival and departure
through the immigration, and then have to look into the camera
gr Cor
here's another entry, that you're at the airport
can already buy a telephone card, with a number
for your sim lock free phone and that they do it for you too
places, they are happy to help you with that, I always go to this shop and buy
then the card of ,,1 2 coll ,,
gr Cor
I have now flown 3 times with Air Berlin directly from Dusseldorf BKK. usually they are the cheapest, the last time I went with eva air busines (deluxe or something like that) ams bkk
bit more expensive, but what a difference in comfort and legroom, highly recommended
Hello
First of all, many thanks for the great Thailand blog.
I read almost everything with great pleasure and interest.
Especially now because I am here in Thailand in Hua Hin for the first time for 3 months.
Lots of great tips and interesting articles to read.
Now I read about the slip (from the boarding pass.?)
I have a feeling you're talking about the baggage claim slip
In case your luggage is lost, it can save you trouble if you still have that slip.
Good luck with this site.
Another tip. The girls in Thailand don't like it when they are looked at so much, looked in the eye, stared at, or leered at. You can look at them, but do it a bit indirectly. Makes it more exciting for everyone. Thais prefer not to look at people. When they make a mistake in traffic, they turn their heads, turn the wheel and leave. And oh, yes, when you come to ride a moped in Chiangmai. A Thai only decides where he wants to go at the crossroads. So be careful in traffic. Keep your distance and keep calm. Buy a good map and don't leave the hotel with the ticket. Make sure you take the address of the hotel in Thai with you, so that you can have a taxi drive you back if necessary. Oncoming traffic will just as easily pass in front of you when turning, so you will know it. There are no priority rules, no speed or other traffic signs, just peace and quiet. Pre-sorting takes place on the strips. So Thais who want to go straight, stand, because we drive on the left, right, and right-turning traffic is often in the left lane. Always causes fun collisions and heavy honking :-)). One in a hundred Thais provides direction. Always do that yourself, but keep it in mind. There are parking bans, and the police immediately chain all mopeds. So you have to pay attention to that. There are no parking zones, but you will be approached by guards to pay 1,2 or 5 baht. Cars donate more. Just ask if you can stand somewhere. Ask yourself who is in charge of your throttle. Drive slowly downhill in the mountains. There is a ditch next to the road, which is for the rain, not for mopeds. Just so far.
Henk you say that Thais prefer not to look at people, but that certainly does not apply to the Isaan because you are stared from head to toe by both children and adults. In the larger cities, of course, not only when you walk through the poorer neighborhoods of, for example, Bangkok. people stare at you nicely.
Exactly, and that's not the group I was describing. Do it discreetly.
17 years in Thailand. Have not come across a girl / woman in Bangkok or in the middle, North or Northeast who had a problem if you look at them directly. On the contrary, the majority of women also look, sometimes very emphatically.
Staring irritatingly like a half-drooling idiot is of course something else, you don't do that in Europe either.
That Thais in general do not look at others is gradually no longer always the case. My daughter also learns at school and at home that it is more decent and polite to look at the other person during a conversation.
Body language is important for everyone to understand the intentions of the other person. Old customs are slowly dying out with the old guard. Sometimes positive sometimes negative.
We are going to Thailand next week and have a domestic flight to Koh Samui. When you arrive in Bangkok, do you have to go through customs before you can check in for your domestic flight, or do you not have to get out completely for your domestic flight?
You do indeed have to go through international customs first. Then get your bags. Then to the check-in counter for the domestic flight. At the check you have to show your passport, and if I'm right, another photo will be taken of you. So keep a hand comb handy. After that it will run automatically. From some airports, such as Chiangmai, when you go back to the Netherlands, you will already be checked out there and you will stay in Bangkok within the secured area of the airport. You have to go to the transfer desk in Bangkok for your boarding pass.
Maybe when you check in in the Netherlands you can have all your luggage forwarded to Koh Samui, so show your onward flight ticket in Amsterdam so that they can take it into account.
In my experience you can have your luggage sent from AMS to Koh Samui. You then go for a long walk at BKK (just stretch your legs) and show your ticket in the transit area. Then through the check and continue walking to your departure gate. No hassle with your suitcase. On the way back you have to make sure that you get such a CIQ label on your t-shirt. Then all you have to do is confirm your ticket in BKK and you're done.
That depends on whether the airlines cooperate with each other and whether you can have your luggage labeled at Schiphol to the final destination.
At Schiphol you have to check this when checking in.
Night flight? Eva Air, the favorite airline, has been flying in the afternoon for a while now. You still have some time, especially if you fly in the summer. The return flight arrives in Amsterdam later in the morning, so you will still have a few hours of "viewing fun"
And... don't look at the customs man / you mean passport control? It's becoming difficult these days, you have to stand in a fixed spot in front of the man while he takes a photo of you with a web cam. Your fellow passengers have to stand a good distance behind you, behind the line, so there is little conversation.
It is certainly not superfluous to check the stamp that he puts in your passport. I have now experienced several times where an incorrect date or duration has been stamped on your visa and you later have to go to immigration separately at your destination in the North, 1.000 km from Bangkok, to resolve the matter, sometimes with great difficulty (or with the comment: 'go ahead'). back to Bangkok) to have it corrected.
Losing the return part of your arrival card stapled in your passport can also cause problems and delays on your return flight. It's better than 15 years ago, but the porridge control officer is still not your best friend and often not very helpful. In Thailand a uniform and a cap is ……………..
Oops … .. am I mistaken about an afternoon flight from EVA air?
I left bangkok on February 3 at 13:00 I believe and was 19.00:21 in amsterdam, the other way around bkk-ams is 40:14 and 30:XNUMX I think ideal times local times
and with eva air you each have an armrest in the middle row, you can share an armrest with the 2 seats on the side
What I didn't understand with eva air, I only had a choice of 3 seats at seat selection, booked 2 weeks in advance, but on departure there were still a surprising number of seats available, so I looked for a better seat, and as far as the armrest is concerned, that was so the luxury class, I have not looked at the terrorist class. I also forgot to mention that the price became interesting because I booked a return flight with open return and therefore did not end up being much more expensive. With one way it had become relatively expensive.
hi nice pieces all, with good comments.
I myself take a diarrhea tablet before flying so that I don't have to go to the toilet.
and at the window or not?? remains a difficult choice. if there are two of you, you can swap again. The advantage of the corridor side is that you at least have an armrest for yourself.
LOL. Doesn't a diarrhea tablet suggest that you have to go to the toilet all the time? Or am I reading that wrong.
Of course you meant imodium. Which stops the bowel movement.
Now I never suffer from that, but I don't want to think that I almost have to sit on that filthy lid in Bangkok. So definitely recommended for people with a weak intestine.
As for the windowseat. If you are tall, it is not recommended. Because of the bulging of the plane, I can never give myself a good attitude there. Not even with the cushion suggested above somewhere. All the vibrations from that plane go through the fuselage through that pillow to your head. No thank you. Just sitting in the middle part on the aisle side is the solution for me.
A question, I'm going from Phuket to Bangkok, because I fly KLM I'm CIQ and therefore already out of the country in Phuket, where exactly at the airport in Bangkok can I get my boarding pass? because I can't go upstairs to check in there anymore, thanks in advance, couldn't find it the last time either ......
Gonny, follow the signs. Then it should be fine.
Well, I always look at someone, whoever it is, staring is something else. but if you have nothing to hide then what the heck!. I have been in Thailand for 9 years and have never been checked by customs in the Netherlands or in Thailand. And I've never had a problem with my ABN pass.
Exchange money vs. debit card: I got a worse rate here in Bangkok last week when using a debit card than when exchanging cash - on the same day (apart from the 150 baht fee that most Thai banks charge for debit card payments, my NL bank does not charge any fees). I was a bit surprised because I had always assumed that using a debit card would be more favorable.
To solve the problem of a return ticket, you can also book a one-way ticket. Then buy a ticket from Airasia, for example, to Kuala Lumpur or something like that.
This often does not cost very much.
So you then have an exit visa. No society will leave you behind.
You can also purchase a visa there which is valid for 60 days and can be extended for another 30 days.
This way is very attractive if you do not want to record the return date.
Changing a date is very expensive with airlines.
For people traveling through Thailand, pay attention to whether the airport has changed. Many domestic flights depart from Don Muang.
For long-term residents: purchase a Thai account. This can be done very easily.
Withdrawing money is then free of charge in the region of your accountant.
You only need an address and proof of identity.
Everything else over the internet.
This is easy if you stay for a month. You can also pay with this card that you immediately receive in various shops. You walk away with less money in your pocket.
Ing has an upgrade from the basic package. This makes withdrawing money free of charge. You then only pay the 150 bath.
Take your laptop with you in such a way that you can easily remove it from your hand luggage. This must pass through the scanner with an apostrophe
Incidentally, with more and more banks you have to arrange in advance that you can continue to use your debit card when you go to a country outside the EU. Furthermore, over the years with many trips to countries within and outside the EU, it has proved necessary for me to travel with more than 1 debit card and credit card to avoid major problems in case of loss. Not to mention internet banking for both partners.
ATMs in the Netherlands and Thailand in particular have often swallowed my or my wife's PIN card for the wrong reasons. The last time immediately upon arrival at Schiphol when we went on holiday to the Netherlands. I had not responded to a bank letter sent by regular mail from the Netherlands. As it turned out, our address in Bangkok was printed incompletely. Moreover, it was about a subject that was of no importance. Everything in the name of bank security.. They could then only send a new debit card to the account address in Bangkok while we wanted to stay in the Netherlands for quite some time. Changing your account address as a foreign account holder is also not an option, there are completely different hooks and eyes attached to it.
In the time when my wife did not have internet banking yet, she lost 2 debit cards in Thailand from a Dutch bank in a short time. In that situation, she wanted to transfer money to a Thai bank. That was no longer possible then and internet banking was only possible on the basis of a debit card that had to be in your possession.. Then you are really crazy with money in a place where you can no longer reach without going back to the Netherlands .
In principle, you should always have a lost credit card replaced within a few days during a holiday abroad. With a credit card from a Dutch bank on an account address in Bangkok which was lost in the Netherlands through no fault of my own, things turned out to be different again. This situation was out of their scope, the Netherlands could not be my holiday country in their conditions and they could only send a new card to Bangkok within a few days.
It may seem now that I always have problems with my debit and credit cards. However, that is not the case, I have been living outside the Netherlands for more than 25 years. What I am describing here are some of the events that took place during that period. It taught me to need double security with debit and credit cards.
exchanging cash is a lot cheaper than taking money out of the “wall”.
Disadvantage: you have to take a lot of cash with you.
I didn't really like Thailand at first, I was more interested in the surrounding countries in Indochina, but by marrying a Thai and living in Thailand for 4 years I really came to love this country and consider it
As my second homeland, now back in Belgium, I miss it a bit and I suspect that this will only increase, but no worries, the future certainly lies there for me and I can enjoy chilly Belgium now.
Before me from NL. I have appointed a chargé d'affaires in NL.
Never had a problem that he couldn't fix.
As a precaution I have a credit card, a Dutch and Thai debit card.
What I would like to note here is: There are a few banks that have blocked debit card payments outside Europe, I believe Rabobank, and now also ABN Amro, so before you go, make sure that your card is suitable for debit card payments outside Europe, and otherwise leave it make it suitable for this!!
It can save you a big problem
If cash changes, the exchange rate is more favorable than via the pin, and therefore not! more favorable than cash exchange as stated in this article.