General Reports

[Banana Boi]

So be aware that even though they say that you can enter as many times as you want on the 30 day visa exempt entry, Thai Immigration don't appear to like it, and a tourist visa is probably a safer bet. It's just a hassle to pick up so I try and avoid it.

This is no longer the case. Thailand is cracking down on people coming in multiple times on a visa exempt entry. They want to make money on people buying METV (multi entry tourist visa) which is simple to get and costs very little or apply for the Thai Visa Elite card. the main qualification is Thailand wants to see you have money in your bank account. Be happy you got in. Coming back in a couple of months you may not be so lucky.

[Franga]

I struck a bit of grief at Don Mueang Immigration yesterday after my Air Asia flight from Indonesia. I intended to enter Thailand visa free for a 30 day entry like I always do, and hadn't been in Thailand since mid November.

The chick on immigration was not impressed with my five 30 day visa exempt entries for all of 2017. She asked me why I didn't have a tourist visa to enter Thailand, as I was coming and going quite often to Thailand. I explained that I don't need a tourist visa as I am not staying 2 months only 30 days.

Then she asked me what I did for a living, and then asked for a return ticket. Luckily I had prepared a fake Air Asia ticket from Don Mueang to Kuala Lumpur for 3 weeks later so I showed her that. I had originally made this up in case I was asked by Air Asia check-in staff in Indonesia but they never asked.

After scrutinizing the ticket and going through all the pages of my passport for several minutes and looking terribly unimpressed, she then indicated to me to look into the webcam. So I got in. I suppose without my "onward ticket" I may not have been allowed to enter.

So be aware that even though they say that you can enter as many times as you want on the 30 day visa exempt entry, Thai Immigration don't appear to like it, and a tourist visa is probably a safer bet. It's just a hassle to pick up so I try and avoid it.

[Kerrstar]

To clarify and to apologise for making generalisations it is what my Asian wife does in regards to packing. It is what she does and I don't know if her motive is to ensure that I have the correct clothing for my "business trips" or she has a sense of duty to do so. Either way I will take it.

No need to apologise, everybody has things they like and don't like. I'd never let my Asian wife (she's from China) pack for me though. I won't let her shop for me because I don't like what she buys me and end up never wearing what she buys, hence I won't let her pack for me because it won't be right. I'll end up with lots of really nice, thick dress shirts that will be way to thick and hot and very little that is comfortable.

[Rob Jones]

This is not directed at you specifically KStar but as someone who lives in SE Asia and has travelled extensively all over I think that if anyone is stressed by an extra 5 to 15 minutes waiting for baggage / immigration lines / taxis etc then you may not enjoy your times in Asia or the Pacific. What you make up for on the swings you will eventually lose on the roundabout.

I rarely travel light unless the visit is 4 days or less and then the carry-on is sufficient; any more than 4 days and I always take enough clothes / shoes etc with check-in bags to take concern about laundry or whether I have enough clothes out of the equation.

I am bewildered by the earlier comment about one's wife packing for him because she is Asian and that's what they do.

Wrong.

That has never happened in my lifetime after having both a western and Asian wife and I am perfectly OK with that. There's no way they could anticipate my needs whilst travelling, with or without mongering factored in.

To clarify and to apologise for making generalisations it is what my Asian wife does in regards to packing. It is what she does and I don't know if her motive is to ensure that I have the correct clothing for my "business trips" or she has a sense of duty to do so. Either way I will take it.

[Hiete]

I have been trying Durex and Okamoto 003 condoms which both work well for me with perhaps a slight advantage given to Okamoto.

Last time I was in BKK there was a WG that got Double Benefit condoms with her which I tried out. Any of you that tried them out? I thought that they were great but I don't have a clue about quality. Info would be greatly appreciated.

[Breadman]

If a girl made 3000-4000 baht per day, what is a reasonable monthly amount to pay a girl to live with you? Take her on a trip for a month (I assume this will be much lower given that you are paying for her trip)?

What if the girl only made 400-500 baht per day (ie. A girl who works in a retail store)?

If your going to make an honest woman out of her and have her quit the business I was told 25,000 per month to spend on what she wants is a good amount to consider. She wants a tv, has to come out of that allotment. She wants to send money home to the family, has to budget accordingly. This is from a friendly Australian chap who I chatted up. Otherwise the girl has her hand out every day asking for money.

But your talking about taking a hooker for a month on your travel, that's a different story. Is she going out of Thailand with you? If not she's just going to another city where she can make money. Don't be surprised if she ends of making money her own way if you don't give her enough spending money for herself and to send home. My guess would be 2000 baht per day, 30 days would be 60,000 baht. That's for a girl making top dollar. You go cheap she might want to go home and tell all of her friends that your a cheap charlie.

In my situation I've got a girl coming to stay with me for a few weeks who isn't a working girl. I plan on giving her roughly 10000 at the end plus money for shopping, etc. I also plan on handing her a few thousand every so often and having her send it back home.

[Kerrstar]

I rarely travel light unless the visit is 4 days or less and then the carry-on is sufficient; any more than 4 days and I always take enough clothes / shoes etc with check-in bags to take concern about laundry or whether I have enough clothes out of the equation.

I've been pretty much living in SE Asia for almost 20 years, on and off. If I'm going to Bangkok for a 4 to 5 days and don't need to do any work I can easily get away with carry on luggage. I usually find that if I need to attend meetings or to work then I need to check in luggage since my laptop and other wor stuff will take up all my carry on space. I'm not a overhead bin hog, so I don't like taking 2 peices on board. Of course, if I'm only going for a couple of days I can squeeze everything into 1 bag. I sometimes need to go somewhere for a few months and will be on construction sites so I obviously need to pack a fair amount and as I usually go to hard to get to places I can't always get a direct flight. Sometimes flight connections dictate an overnight stop (or I choose to have one).

Completely agree with your comment about packing. I have never let anyone else pack for me.

[Red Kilt]

I wouldn't be too worried about booking in luggage unless you want to take the train into town and then the BTS / Metro, then carry on is the way to go. If you arrive late at night / very early and the trains aren't running you need to take a taxi anyway. Your luggage will probably beat you through, immigration has been slow recently. You might get lucky and immigration is quiet and you get through really quickly, but the baggage handling in Bangkok is pretty efficient so you probably won't need to wait much, if at all.

This is not directed at you specifically KStar but as someone who lives in SE Asia and has travelled extensively all over I think that if anyone is stressed by an extra 5 to 15 minutes waiting for baggage / immigration lines / taxis etc then you may not enjoy your times in Asia or the Pacific. What you make up for on the swings you will eventually lose on the roundabout.

I rarely travel light unless the visit is 4 days or less and then the carry-on is sufficient; any more than 4 days and I always take enough clothes / shoes etc with check-in bags to take concern about laundry or whether I have enough clothes out of the equation.

I am bewildered by the earlier comment about one's wife packing for him because she is Asian and that's what they do.

Wrong.

That has never happened in my lifetime after having both a western and Asian wife and I am perfectly OK with that. There's no way they could anticipate my needs whilst travelling, with or without mongering factored in.

[Kerrstar]

Pack for myself would be great but my wife is Asian so that won't happen LOL and also that way she won't have 10 days to go thru my clothes at home and see what I DIDN'T take LOL. I thought about the self packed carry on but I'm travelling with my brother and he seems bent on booking luggage for what ever reason best known to him but I have 10 days to change his mind.

I wouldn't be too worried about booking in luggage unless you want to take the train into town and then the BTS / Metro, then carry on is the way to go. If you arrive late at night / very early and the trains aren't running you need to take a taxi anyway. Your luggage will probably beat you through, immigration has been slow recently. You might get lucky and immigration is quiet and you get through really quickly, but the baggage handling in Bangkok is pretty efficient so you probably won't need to wait much, if at all.

[Kerrstar]

Take her on a trip for a month (I assume this will be much lower given that you are paying for her trip)?

What if the girl only made 400-500 baht per day (ie. A girl who works in a retail store)?

I think that may depend on whether you want the shop girl to live full time with you or just go on a 1 month trip. She may be reluctant to go away for a month as she may not have a job to come back to.

[Crazy4Thai]

If a girl made 3000-4000 baht per day, what is a reasonable monthly amount to pay a girl to live with you? Take her on a trip for a month (I assume this will be much lower given that you are paying for her trip)?

What if the girl only made 400-500 baht per day (ie. A girl who works in a retail store)?

I had this discussion with a bar girl recently and in her case she expected to make the same as she would if she stayed in the bar, which according to her was more than 30,000. She works a beer bar. Hard to say if that is the norm or not. Perhaps it just meant that she was not that keen on extended time with me. As for the shop lady, she probably actually needs that daily amount. And what a bargain for you.

[Rob Jones]

What? For an 8 day trip all I need is a backpack. Pack 4 pairs of shorts, 8 shirts (t-shirts, polos, whatever you like), 8 pairs of underwear, and wear 1 pair of comfortable walking shoes (bring some socks if you like), and a shaving kit with toothbrush. You're all set. If you want sandals, you can buy a pair when you arrive. I can fit all of that in a backpack along with a laptop, 2 cell phones, and all chargers. I'm certain you can find a way to pack that stuff in a 21 inch carry on (with extra room for condoms and lube).

Edit, just read your last post. Pack for yourself with the carry-on to fake it.

Pack for myself would be great but my wife is Asian so that won't happen LOL and also that way she won't have 10 days to go thru my clothes at home and see what I DIDN'T take LOL. I thought about the self packed carry on but I'm travelling with my brother and he seems bent on booking luggage for what ever reason best known to him but I have 10 days to change his mind.

Rob.

[Banana Boi]

If a girl made 3000-4000 baht per day, what is a reasonable monthly amount to pay a girl to live with you? Take her on a trip for a month (I assume this will be much lower given that you are paying for her trip)?

What if the girl only made 400-500 baht per day (ie. A girl who works in a retail store)?

[Kerrstar]

They let you bring either razors or an electric razor on board the plane?

Electric razor is no problem, I've carried mine on heaps of times.

[Pipe Layer99]

They let you bring either razors or an electric razor on board the plane?

Yes. Shaving razors with plastic handles. NOT straight razors.

If you or the anyone else is worried about that you still have 2 other options. Check the bag or buy shaving razors after arrival. All 7-11 and Family Marts sell razons cheap as f@ck.

Besides the girls don't care if you shave or not. They only care about "how much".