[kushagra452]

Hello all,

I along with my wife are planning a vacation in Thailand in the first week of Dec 2022. I will be spending 3 days in Bangkok and 4 days in Phuket.

I have a query regarding carrying cash/cards on this trip.

1. Is it a good strategy to get INR converted to Thai Baht in India. (25% of funds required)?
2. What about taking a pre paid forex card from my bank (ICICI)?
3. I plan on using my Indian Visa/Mastercard ONLY as an emergency backup.
4. I plan to avoid withdrawing cash from ATMs in Thailand (unless the forex card comes with a free cash withdrawal facility).

Kindly share your experience of using a prepaid forex card in Thailand.

Thanks!

[Nissan1180]

1. Thai immigration requires Indians to carry about 12500 Baht in cash- 2500 is for the express visa and the rest is for the duration of the stay. You can check Thomas Cook or bookmyforex and select the best quote.
2. You can use your Indian credit card. The conversion rate on the card after all the fees would be better than what you get if you use cash.

For reference, a recent visit by an acquaintance showed the following figures: Baht purchased in India @ ₹2.3 per Baht, ICICI credit card charged the equivalent of ₹2.18 per Baht. It makes sense to reserve the cash for situations where cards are not accepted or have a surcharge.

Originally Posted by kushagra452

Hello all,

I along with my wife are planning a vacation in Thailand in the first week of Dec 2022. I will be spending 3 days in Bangkok and 4 days in Phuket.

I have a query regarding carrying cash/cards on this trip.

1. Is it a good strategy to get INR converted to Thai Baht in India. (25% of funds required)?
2. What about taking a pre paid forex card from my bank (ICICI)?
3. I plan on using my Indian Visa/Mastercard ONLY as an emergency backup.
4. I plan to avoid withdrawing cash from ATMs in Thailand (unless the forex card comes with a free cash withdrawal facility).

Kindly share your experience of using a prepaid forex card in Thailand.

Thanks!

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by kushagra452

Hello all,

I along with my wife are planning a vacation in Thailand in the first week of Dec 2022. I will be spending 3 days in Bangkok and 4 days in Phuket.

My recommendation is that you take around 15-20000 baht with you. Keep the remaining currency in USD and convert when required (not at the airport).

Use the credit card/prepaid for hotels etc depending on the conversion rate. Withdrawing Bhat on a prepaid card might have a surcharge so please check.

Thailand is still a cash economy.

[kushagra452]

I have two more queries regarding my upcoming trip to Thailand.

1. I have an Airtel prepaid SIM. Will it work in Thailand? Will it be cheaper to buy a local SIM and use it. Trip duration is 8 days.

2. Do Indian mobile and laptop chargers connect to the sockets in Thailand? OR will I have to carry a travel adaptor?

Thanks!

[kushagra452]

I am trying to apply for a Thailand e-visa, however the following message is displayed -

"You are not eligible to apply for a visa through Thai E-Visa system. Please apply for a visa in person at the nearest Thai Embassy or Consulate.".

Are Indian citizens not allowed to apply for an e-visa?

I created an account on the "Thai E-visa official website". Do Indians have to apply through VFS?

Thanks!

[dvl666]

Originally Posted by kushagra452

I have two more queries regarding my upcoming trip to Thailand.

1. I have an Airtel prepaid SIM. Will it work in Thailand? Will it be cheaper to buy a local SIM and use it. Trip duration is 8 days.

2. Do Indian mobile and laptop chargers connect to the sockets in Thailand? OR will I have to carry a travel adaptor?

Thanks!

Airtel SIM will work if you take an international roaming pack. However you need to check your data based on your expected usage. If you have high data usage its best to get a local tourist SIM from airport or any convenience store.

The voltage is the same for India & Thailand. Its just that the sockets are UK type so you will need a basic adaptor & not voltage convertor.

[karsouvik]

Originally Posted by kushagra452

I created an account on the "Thai E-visa official website". Do Indians have to apply through VFS?

Thanks!

Yeah, as per my knowledge you need to apply through VFS only as they are the official partner for Thai e-visa

[MyLife_MyCar]

Hello,
This is my first post on Team-BHP after getting my approval to this esteemed forum. Thank you to the Admins and the Members for sharing so much useful information and knowledge here.

I visited Thailand in August and found the visa process to be very easy and fast, maybe because I took direct flight to Phuket. If you are arriving in Bangkok, the visa processing might take longer due to crowd.

Originally Posted by kushagra452

Hello all,

I along with my wife are planning a vacation in Thailand in the first week of Dec 2022. I will be spending 3 days in Bangkok and 4 days in Phuket.

I have a query regarding carrying cash/cards on this trip.

1. Is it a good strategy to get INR converted to Thai Baht in India. (25% of funds required)?

Thai Visa on Arrival requires THB 10000 for single person or THB 20000 for a family. You may refer below link for more information:
https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand...isa-on-arrival

Originally Posted by kushagra452

I have two more queries regarding my upcoming trip to Thailand.

1. I have an Airtel prepaid SIM. Will it work in Thailand? Will it be cheaper to buy a local SIM and use it. Trip duration is 8 days.

Checkout Thai sim deals on klook website. I got DTAC sim for 8 days with unlimited data pack and some minutes for India calling. It cos around INR 500/-.

Additional Tip:
If you are planning for Visa on Arrival, carry the visa form with you. Fill it up before your trip or during the flight. It will save few crucial minutes at the airport as you can head directly for the visa window and your wife would be happy

Attaching the visa form for your reference. Address in Thailand could be your hotel address.
Name and address of person for local reference could be some employee of the hotel where you'd be staying. Check with the hotel before you travel.

[Highflyer]

Originally Posted by karsouvik

Hi,

Your post really inspire me to consider Phi Phi island as an option to stay. It seems really good as Ko Phi Phi island, Bamboo island all are not far and can be done in long tail boat I guess and the beaches are comparatively pristine and secluded compare to Phuket. Can you please suggest which resort you booked there and how you arrange/booked the ferry from Phuket to Phi Phi from India?

I stayed at Saii Phi Phi Island Village. Very nice resort with a private beach. Snorkelling site is right in front of the resort and one can spend an entire day there.

Ferry from Phuket to Phi Phi was booked online via Phuket Ferry website. Seamless and very convenient.

From Phi Phi main pier you have to take one more boat to reach the resort. Resort would arrange for that. Just coordinate with them as per your time of arrival.

[MyLife_MyCar]

To everyone planning to visit Thailand in next couple of months. Seems that there is high influx of tourists as Thailand has removed all COVID restrictions, leading to longer wait times at immigration and visa on arrival counters.

Procure your visa in advance.

With the coming new year and the reopening of the tourism sector post covid, Thailand is facing a massive influx of tourists and has advised Indians to obtain visas from the embassy or consulate to avoid long queues.
Thailand's Ambassador to India, Pattarat Hongtong, on Sunday advised Indians to get their visa from the embassy or consulate to save themselves from standing in the long queues at Bangkok airport.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/...555864326.html

[Motorhead23]

Hello everyone,

Is there anyone who can advise on recent travel or upcoming travel to Thailand due to Covid-19 situation. Suddenly, it is all around the news about the alarming cases in China and now government has announced mandatory RTPCR testing for international arrivals from 5 countries, one of which is Thailand.

Our trip plan is from 27th dec~ 31st Dec, and I am travelling with my pregnant wife. Now suddenly I am stressed out whether to even take this trip ?

The bookings are entirely non refundable so it's a total loss and on the same time I am very much worried of the situation on hand.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by Motorhead23

now government has announced mandatory RTPCR testing for international arrivals from 5 countries, one of which is Thailand.

The Government is yet to announce when this mandatory RTPCR testing is going to be effective from! Follow the news & enjoy your trip.

[VTec_KickedInYo]

Post the government announcement of mandatory RT-PCR requirement prior to boarding flights from Thailand, I’ve been looking for options to get the testing done in Phuket (I’m mostly staying at Coconut Island, so need options near the Laem Hin Pier), and have noticed charged upwards of Rs. 8-10K per person.

Any suggestions regarding where I can find cheaper alternatives?

[shikh_oberoi]

Recently did a Phuket-Krabi tour from 19th January to 24th January.

• No one was wearing a mask. There was no need to wear one. Everything is normal.
• They will charge you 2200 Bhat for visa on arrival and you cannot question it. Just fill out the form on your flight and save time on arrival. Thanks to the member who posted this tip above. Carry cash.
• I couldn't find a shared Minivan after arrival so I had to book a private taxi from a kiosk just after the airport exit. Cost me 2500 bhat. They didn't bargain at all.
• 7 Island tour was good and cost us 3000 bhat for 2. Someone paid 2800 and someone paid 3200 in our group.
• If you don't eat seafood, do carry lots of packaged foods from India itself. I couldn't even eat chicken items in all three resorts that I visited.
• tours from Krabi felt a little more expensive than Phuket even though Phi Phi islands are closer to Krabi.
• The Krabi phi-phi tour costs 3000 bhat but we did it in 2400 bhat in phuket for 2.
• Private taxi from Krabi to Patong beach cost us 2700 bhat.
• I was checking hotel reviews and everyone said the staff is rude but I didn't find anyone like that. Everyone made us feel welcome.
• We did hire a 2-wheeler there and the costs were 400 bhat for a small scooty and 600 for the bigger one.
• A small car was 1500 Bhat on rent.
• Good restaurants in Phuket - Amritsr and Sultan Turkish and Indian food.
• RTPCR was charged at 1500 bhat per person from a clinic in Phuket and they only checked it at Phuket Airport at Check-in. In India, there was nothing being checked.

[Happysmiles]

Originally Posted by shikh_oberoi

Recently ...

• No one was wearing a mask. There was no need to wear one. Everything is normal.
• I was checking hotel reviews and everyone said the staff is rude but I didn't find anyone like that. Everyone made us feel welcome.
• We did hire a 2-wheeler there and the costs were 400 bhat for a small scooty and 600 for the bigger one.
• A small car was 1500 Bhat on rent.
• RTPCR....In India, there was nothing being checked.

Did you book direct or via Travel Agent??
Which Hotel in Phuket?
Did you have to show IDP?
Did you have to fill in details on Air Suvidha website on return to India??