Island hopping & visum
Hi,I will travel 71 days in total trough Thailand - Laos - Cambodia.
First of all, what kind of visum do i need for following trip.
28 days Thailand then crossing broder in the north to Laos where i will stay 29 days, travel down south to Cambodia for a stay of 11 days and ending my trip back in Thailand for 3 more days to take my plane home.
I travel from Belgium, do i need any special visum for this trip?
Also, i'm planning to do some island hopping in Thailand. Want to learn how to dive and relax on the beautiful beaches. This will happen in the month of May. Do i still have the possibility to dive and to see the islands? Or are there no ferry's due rain season? What islands do you recommend?
Thx for helping out!
Greetings!
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28 days Thailand
Coming in on Belgium passport by plane, 30 days visa exemption at no costthen crossing broder in the north to Laos where i will stay 29 days,
Tourist visa on arrival, about 30euros (payable in Thai baht/US dollar or Lao Kip) plus 2 photostravel down south to Cambodia for a stay of 11 days
Tourist visa on arrival, about 25US dollar, payable in USD plus 2 photosand ending my trip back in Thailand for 3 more days to take my plane home.
15 days visa exemption as you come back in via land crossing - free of charge
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This will happen in the month of May. Do i still have the possibility to dive and to see the islands? Or are there no ferry's due rain season? What islands do you recommend?
The rainy season starts much later in the Gulf, and it will still be fine in May.
The recommendation I have always heard is, Koh Tao for diving, Koh Pha Ngan for nightlife, and Koh Chang for relaxing.
And the word (in English, French, Thai, Khmer, and Lao, and I'm guessing in Flemish too) is "visa". It's the plural of the Latin word visum ("view"), but that word is not used outside of Latin.
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but that word is not used outside of Latin
Most Germanic-language countries (Germany, Benelux, Skandinavia) regularly use the word "visum" but in English it's considered outdated.
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The only worry is the airline, they might not board you without a visa or return ticket out of Thailand within 30 days. So either ask them or get a single entry Thai tourist visa.7
In Dutch (which is spoken by half of the population of Belgium) the correct word is indeed visum.
Dutch! That was the language I didn't check. And the use the proper Latin plurals too? Interesting.
(Was it Twain who said that a gentleman is someone who can speak German, but doesn't?)
The only worry is the airline, they might not board you without a visa or return ticket out of Thailand within 30 days.
If you have any return ticket at all, they don't care. A subtlety like the specifics of Thai immigration laws is not going to interest them. If the passenger is denied admission to the destination country, the airline will just cash in his return ticket to fly him back.
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@7 nope, especially from Europe, there are several airlines that will deny you boarding if the return ticket is not within 30 days and there is no TV in your passport. Some airlines even put up big disclaimers when you book the ticket, so the stance "they don't care" is not the reality. Having said that, you might indeed have no problem at all, but no guarantees.Incidentially, if someone doesn't gain entry into the country (very unlikey), the airlines do indeed have a financial problem, that would most definitely be larger than the price of the return ticket, that's why they might be reluctant to board people without return or TV.
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there are several airlines that will deny you boarding if the return ticket is not within 30 days and there is no TV in your passport.
I put up a thread looking for just such a problem and got very few actual cases. Yes, many airlines put up disclaimers, but when it comes to agents enforcing it, that seems much rarer.
And don't forget, getting denied boarding isn't disastrous. You have to buy and then cancel a ticket. At worse, it's an inconvenience.
if someone doesn't gain entry into the country (very unlikey), the airlines do indeed have a financial problem, that would most definitely be larger than the price of the return ticket
Hypothetically, the government could fine the airline. I have never heard of this happening.
I just don't get it: hundred of tourists get killed in South-east Asia every year, almost all of them in traffic accidents, but all I ever hear are "Will they bar me from Thailand if I don't have a return ticket?" "Am I going to get mugged?" and "Will I catch malaria?"
No, no, and no.
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@9 sure it isn't a disaster, allthough dealing with it beforehand, as opposed to being forced to buy a ticket on the spot (which if course will be more expensive, and for people without a credit card might even be impossible) seems a much better approach, after all it remains the responsibility if the traveller to comply with entry requirements,11
Conclusion:If i want to be sure i'll get a single entry visa ( for 60 days) for Thailand for this trip, right?Edited by: lianthon
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Try Koh Kood, very laidback & unspoilt, and great for diving (also in May), 3 dive schools to choose from, you can always take a boat to Koh Chang if you're looking for a bit more activity...
