Why Thailand? Out of every country in the world, why Thailand? I originally wanted to go to Vietnam. The beaches looked so beautiful but they were still in covid freak out mode requiring testing and health visas and do not offer visa exemptions or VOAs (visa on arrival). It just looked like a pain. So I looked into Thailand -- another SE Asia country I wanted to visit. The kingdom was wide open for tourism! No testing, just a vax card and “Thai Pass”. Sharon said, “Fine. This one is on you to book.” Time to prep. This focuses on Thailand but much of it is for our plans to travel the world over the next year.
Cell Service: We went with Google Fi. $110/month for two phones - unlimited text/data, free wifi calling (or use WhatsApp), hot spot and 100 GB cloud storage on Google. That’s $3/mo more than we were already paying with Verizon. Verizon’s international plan is way too expensive. We could get a local SIM card cheaper in Thailand but I didn’t want to deal with another phone number (especially when dealing with 2FA (2 factor authentication). Also didn’t want to deal with ‘top-offs’. Plus we plan on visiting a lot of countries and it’s just easier to pay a monthly fee. Make sure you have an unlocked phone if switching to another carrier. More modern phones allow dual-SIMs and/or eSIM(s). Our 2 year old phones offered neither.
Visas: There are two types of tourist visas in Thailand: VOA (Visa on Arrival) and Visa Exemption. USA falls under Exemption. Arrive. Clear Customs and Immigration and welcome to the Kingdom. Free for 30 days. To encourage tourism, 1 Nov, 2022-31 Mar, 2023 is 45 days! For 1900 Baht, you get another 30 days. They also did away with Thai Pass 1 July. No vax card, no test. Just a passport and a smile. Hands down the quickest and easiest country I have ever traveled to.
One-Way Ticket Warning: If traveling to Thailand on a one-way ticket make sure you have a departure flight 30 days from arrival (45 in our case). They will not accept 30 extensions as your departure date. The airline that you are flying with will most likely ask. Thailand requires it but didn’t ask when we checked in. You can buy ‘temporary’ airline tickets for about $15 to satisfy this requirement. You receive a valid airline PNR that expires in 2-3 days. We didn’t chance it and purchased a departure ticket since we are planning on visiting additional SE Asian countries and can always come back to Thailand for another 45 days (free)!
Electricity: I think the US is one of the only countries using 120 volt electric. The rest of the world is 240. This goes back to the battle of Edison and Tesla and DC vs AC. AC won but the wire insulation could not handle voltage above 120. By the time the rest of the world started using electricity, insulation improved and 240 was adopted. There are also several different outlets throughout the world. We went with the Tessan universal travel adapter. Ours has 3 USB-C, 2 USB and one outlet. Most modern phone/tablet/laptop chargers can handle both 120 and 240.
Water: We try and minimize our plastic footprint as much as possible. After much research, we went with the Grayl Geopress for our drinking water. It filters everything! So far, no “issues”!
Security: I purchased two TSA luggage locks, a Lumintrail 4 ft, 3mm braided steel coated security cable and 100-pack of cable ties. We can lock our carry-on bag zippers together and use the cable to lock our bags to a bed. The zip ties are for temporary security and cut off with nail clippers. Never tempt an honest thief.
We use Express VPN to securely tunnel over the Internet. We can also make it appear that we are in the USA no matter where in the world we are. Some US banks only allow US IP addresses for transactions. I heard Netflix and Hulu are onto VPNs but I haven’t had any problems watching either including Prime (my Prime account expires 17 Nov which I will "pause" for a year).
Packing and Luggage: We are minimalists. We plan to travel for over a year with everything fitting in one carry-on and backpack each. I have maybe 10 shirts, 6 pairs of shorts and flip-flops and Keens for hiking. I have a little room to spare in case we need jackets and a pair of pants.
Airlines: I refuse to fly economy on any flight over three hours. It may cost more but makes the trip so much more pleasant. And we are now spoiled. Sorry not sorry. My experience with non-US airlines has been very positive. I will just leave it there.
What did you do with your 4Runner? I thought about selling it but didn’t. We were fortunate enough that our friends Kelvin and Mary offered to take care of ‘her’ for as long as we’re gone. AND as luck would have it, their neighbor, Jan, is allowing us to keep it in her garage. It is connected to a trickle charger and Kelvin will periodically drive her around Surprise, AZ. So much kindness!
Apps and Web Sites:
• Google Translate app. This is incredible and a ‘must have’ app! Just type, speak or scan your phone over a word or words and presto, it’s translated to your language of choice. You can even download the characters/letters in case you’re offline. The Thai people use it since they are dealing with people from all over the world. I have already used it in a couple of situations and can’t say enough good about it. Five stars!!
• Google Maps. I know it’s pretty ubiquitous but is vital for traveling.
• Google Flight. Great for finding flights and then going to various airlines to book directly.
• Agoda.com has been great for finding and booking hotels
• 12Go Asia app is for finding and booking trains, buses, mini vans, etc. I haven’t had a whole lot of luck with it but will keep trying.
• Grab and Bolt apps are popular for getting taxis. Similar concept to Uber/Lyft but you pay the driver directly.
Exchanging Currency: I withdrew cash before leaving Hawaii and was able to exchange $400 for Thai Baht (in Hawaii) so we would have some money upon arrival. The best exchange rate in Thailand is Super Rich Thailand. You may do a little better in some dark alley. Good luck.
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