Guides
Thailand guides on travel, culture, cuisine, and lifestyle—discover top destinations, hidden gems, visa information, and essential tips. Plan your journey with The Thaiger, your trusted source for expert Thailand guides.
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Sponsored Why long-term expats in Thailand say insurance is worth every baht
Thailand’s warm weather, low cost of living, and good healthcare attract many long-term expats, including retirees and remote workers. Life here feels easy and affordable, but medical costs can be high if something goes wrong. Private hospitals are popular because...
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Thailand is re-opening. When can I travel there? | VIDEO
There are many moving parts in the Thailand travel situation right now – new visa options, changes to the quarantine, ASQs, area quarantines, golf quarantines. The road back to a healthy tourist industry in Thailand, even ANY tourism industry, will be a long slog. But Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com is optimistic that we’ve turned the corner and Thailand is now…
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Thai Visa Centre accuses former employee of stealing from a family seeking to travel to Thailand
Thai Visa Centre sent out a warning about a former employee, saying they discovered that he not only stole money from the company and staff members, but he also stole 130,000 baht from a family overseas who were planning to travel to Thailand. The centre claims the former staff member, Asim Muhammad Mehran, has been stealing money from other employees…
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Bring on the heat… here’s our list of the spiciest Thai food
Thai food is raved about as one the best cuisines in the world… and the spiciest. The small red and green Thai chillies are typically what gives the dishes that extra kick, while dried chilli flakes and chilli paste, known as nam prik pao, are often served on the side to make the dishes even spicier. While some foreigners come…
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Phuket Thai food treats you need to try | VIDEO
Nimz, our new Thaiger Vlogger takes you on a tour of some uniquely Phuket foods, although you may find them in other provinces these days as well. A lot of southern Thai food can be very spicy and features a lot of seafood, but Nimz went for the ‘less’ spicy (mai phet) options. Tell us about your favourite Thai treats…
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Flying high and fine dining in a re-purposed old jet in Bangkok | VIDEO
This could actually be the only time you enjoy dining on a plane. Na-Oh Bangkok re-purposed a decommissioned L-1011 Lockheed aircraft, turning the old jet into a fine dining restaurant located within the ChangChui Project, just a few minutes away from downtown Bangkok. With it’s eclectic interiors and their signature Thai-fusion courses, the restaurant offers quite a memorable experience. Chris,…
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The all new ‘villa quarantine’ in Phuket, Thailand | VIDEO
Now you can do villa quarantine in Phuket. But it’s not you usual ASQ… this one has a view and a price to match. A select few VIP tourists arrived in Phuket to experience the new ‘swanky’ quarantine. It’s still 14 days (or is it 15?) but now with a view and nice linen. Tim Newton introduces us to the…
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DUMBO the rooftop bar in Bangkok, a hidden gem | VIDEO
Located in the heart of Bangkok City, Thailand. Just a few metres away from the Saphan Khwai BTS station, ‘DUMBO BKK’ offers a fine mixture of jazz, great food and original cocktails. Bringing you back to the urban tenors of the late 1940s – early 1950s, New York. Som, one of our new Thaiger Vloggers sneaks in, and brings us…
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Great Thai Food Convenience Store Challenge l Chef Cyril Mougin | VIDEO
Another chef to the challenge. What can a great chef create with ingredients ONLY from a 7/11? The Thaiger caught up with some amazing local chefs to see what they could put together after 5 minutes in a convenient store with 1,000 baht budget. Not only did they come up with some surprising ideas, they tasted DELICIOUS! Join Tim Newton…
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What can you cook up from a 7-11? l Chef Kai Kauder | VIDEO
What can a great chef create with ingredients ONLY from a 7/11? The Thaiger caught up with some amazing local chefs to see what they could put together after 5 minutes in a convenient store with 1,000 baht budget. Not only did they come up with some surprising ideas, they tasted DELICIOUS! Join Tim Newton as he learns more about…
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Government crackdown on foreigners teaching without work permits
Thailand’s Ministry of Labour is cracking down on foreign teachers who may be working in the Kingdom without valid work permits. The ministry has instructed the Department of Employment to apply stricter criteria when issuing work permits to foreign teachers. According to department figures, Thailand currently has 6,129 foreigners teaching in 922 private and public schools. Of those, 2,667 are…
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The Great Convenience Store Gourmet Challenge l Chef Belinda Tuckwell
The Thaiger caught up with some great local chefs to see what they could put together after 5 minutes in a convenient store with 1,000 baht budget. Not only did they come up with some surprising ideas, they tasted DELICIOUS! Join Tim Newton as he learns more about the chefs, their inspirations and how they ended up in Thailand. Our…
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Global medical tourism in 2020 and the impact of Covid-19
2020 was a tough year for business, unless you’re Amazon or Zoom! But certain industries were hit harder by the impact of Covid-19 than others, with the Tourism Industry taking one of the heaviest blows of them all. Hospitality and airlines are the industries we mostly hear about, with the niche tourism sectors not getting much of a mention. One…
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Visa extensions in Thailand for stranded tourists, February 2021 | VIDEO
Stranded foreign tourists, either genuinely stuck in Thailand since April 2020, or stuck here by choice, are able to stay in Thailand until May 30. The order from the immigration department empowers local officers to grant a 60 day visa extensions from January 29 up to May 30. The order coincides with the world’s Covid-19 situation getting worse and more…
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“Yes, we want tourists back… but with quarantine” – Survey
Most Thai residents and tourism operators want Thailand to reopen its borders to international tourists, as long as a 14 day quarantine remains in place, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand survey. The TCT surveyed 785 operators in tourism-related business and 1,444 Thais from November 11 to December 10. 60% of surveyed locals and 50% of tourism operators agree…
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Visa Emergency Extension extended to May 30 this year for stranded tourists
Stranded foreign tourists, either genuinely stuck in Thailand since April 2020, or stuck here by choice, are able to stay in Thailand until May 30, according to an order signed by the Immigration Bureau last week. The order empowers local officers to grant a 60 day visa extensions from January 29 up to May 30. The order coincides with the…
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Koh Pha Ngan partygoers and organiser get a fine and suspended sentences
109 partygoers who attended a party at cliff-top bar on Koh Pha Ngan, including 89 foreigners and 22 Thais, have received suspended jail terms and fines for breaking Thailand’s emergency decree and Covid-19 restrictions. A judge sentenced each of the attendees to 1 month in jail, suspended if they have a good behaviour record for a year. He also fined…
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Thai herb studied for alternative Covid-19 treatment
A study on the efficacy of a Thai herb for treating Covid-19 will move forward after a trial which alternative medicine officials say had promising results. Although, the trial was basic and only involved 6 people. Initial results show that the herb “andrographis paniculata,” or “fah talai jone” in Thai, can improve patients’ conditions and relieve symptoms without major side…
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CCSA mulls the easing of Covid-19 restrictions
Late night diners rejoice. Your option to eat all that great Thai food around the country looks to be back on the table as the government looks to lift some of the current restrictions on dining and business operating hours. Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has announced that they’re likely to lift restrictions on dining, currently set…
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Thailand Retirement and Digital Nomads – Missed visa opportunities | VIDEO
Two visas Thailand should be promoting right now! If there were two more groups, more perfect suited for the Thai lifestyle, I don’t know what they are. Thailand’s immigration laws for long-stays have always been a challenge, retirement is just one of those categories. It would seem like a perfect win win situation to invite people to come and live…
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Make an appointment online for tourist visa extensions – Thai Immigration
For those who need to extend their tourist visa, the Thai Immigration Bureau asks that applicants make an appointment online to reserve their spot in line. The bureau says the online appointments are aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 by reducing overcrowding and making sure people abide by social distancing practices. Applicants who need to extend a tourist visa,…
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Efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines will drop during mass inoculations: Thai virologist
Thai virologist Dr. Yong Poovorawan from Chulalongkorn University, has spoken about claims that the efficacy of every vaccine available today, including Covid-19 vaccines, tend to lower after being used in mass inoculations, compared to the findings from the laboratory during human testing trials. He recommends that people should not rely solely on the vaccines alone because uncertainty will remain during…
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Covid-19 test NOT required for visa extensions (at least not today)
No, you don’t, yes, you do… Expats are scratching their heads over the mixed messages circulating in relation to the latest Thailand immigration requirements, not to mention the announcements (and retractions) published in the nation’s English-language media outlets. It all began over the weekend, when the nation’s favourite part time travel blogger, Bangkok Post fanboy and School staff in Samut…
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UPDATE: Confusion over Covid-19 tests for visa extensions
UPDATE: Khaosod English removed a story on Covid-19 tests for those seeking visa extensions and replaced it with the article “Immigration backtracks on plan to require Covid-19 test for visa extensions.” They say the previous report sparked uproar among expats and immigration police spokesperson has since apologised for the misunderstanding. Original article… Confusion reigns today over whether Covid-19 tests will…
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Man arrested for allegedly overstaying 60 day tourist visa by 7 years
Immigration police arrested a 40 year old Nigerian man for allegedly overstaying his visa by 2,683 days. The man entered Thailand in April 2014 on a 60 day tourist visa. He was arrested in in Ratchathewi district of Bangkok. Illegal immigration is considered as a major factor of the second wave of Covid-19 after the outbreak Samut Sakhon seafood market…
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A guide to becoming an ex-pat nurse in Thailand
No one has a choice as to where they’re born, or even where they grow up, but once the growing up has taken place, there is plenty of choice – the world is much smaller now than ever before, and moving to a new country to start a career, or carry on an old one, has never been easier. Thailand…
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British arrivals ‘on hold’ after family confirmed with B117 Covid strain
In their latest proposal, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health will request the CCSA to defer the entry of British visitors to the country after evidence of the faster-spreading B117 strain (aka. the “G strain”) of Covid-19 was found in 4 British travellers arriving in Thailand on December 21. Over 30 countries have reported cases of the highly-transmissible UK variant of…
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Can I avoid the 14 day quarantine in Thailand if I’ve been vaccinated?
Now that the Covid-19 vaccines are being rolled out in some countries, the next question relevant to Thailand is… if I’ve had a vaccine for Covid-19, can I come back without doing the 14 (or 15 in some cases) days of quarantine? The Public Health Ministry has issued a statement stating that, in the short to medium term, “everyone entering…
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The race for a vaccine: who to look out for
Background COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2 from the coronavirus (CoV) family. CoVs are enveloped, positive-stranded RNA viruses with nucleocapsid, including the SARS-CoV of 2003 and MERS-CoV of 2012. CoVs generally cause respiratory illnesses that could also affect other organs, and those infected have a 2 – 14 day latency period, where patients are asymptomatic. This has made it much harder…
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Thailand extends short-stay visas by 15 days to allow for quarantine period
A proposal to extend short-stay visas by 15 days, to make up for time spent in quarantine, has been approved by the Thai Cabinet. The proposal was originally put forward by the Interior Ministry, who pointed out that foreigners entering the Kingdom on 30-day visas or visa exemptions, would lose 14 days as a result of mandatory quarantine. The 30-day…
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37 year old Egyptian arrested over an alleged protection racket
A 37 year old Egyptian is now in custody following his arrest over alleged “mafia ties” and “running a protection racket” in Bangkok. Police further alleged his dealings in illicit drugs and alleged ties to a foreign mafia gangs. He was also found to have overstayed his visa. Police say that the gang involved collected money from foreigners, mostly Middle…
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