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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    Living on a budget in Thailand? Here’s how to stay healthy without breaking the bank

    Thailand is a popular place for people who want to enjoy a good life at a lower cost or even on a budget. Many expats, retirees, and digital nomads choose to live here because daily expenses are cheaper than in...

  • 2 emergency decrees provide businesses financial help

    2 emergency decrees provide businesses financial help

    Thailand enacted 2 new emergency decrees today aimed at providing assistance to businesses and reducing default interest rates to help people affected by Covid-19. A deputy government spokeswoman confirmed the needed action was critical to protect and aid entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises during the time of pandemic-driven economic crisis. The goal was to combat unfair interest rates on…

  • Proposals to get rid of 90 day reporting and ease investment rules in Thailand

    Proposals to get rid of 90 day reporting and ease investment rules in Thailand

    In amongst a sea of bad new over the past week, a glimmer of hope for expats and long-stay travellers. You better sit down… The Thai government are looking into changing the long standing 90 day reporting for people staying in Thailand longer than 90 days on a long-stay visa. But don’t get out the champagne just yet. For the…

  • Phuket student protests and is flunked as “not loyal to the nation”

    Phuket student protests and is flunked as “not loyal to the nation”

    After participating in protests for student’s rights, a Phuket student was barred from graduating 9th grade, moving from middle school to high school, charged with being “not loyal to the nation, institution of the monarchy”. The student had advocated against mandatory uniforms and for student’s liberties. He told reporters that the school started paying attention to his actions last year…

  • Latest guidelines for all non-tourist visitors to Thailand, through Phuket

    Latest guidelines for all non-tourist visitors to Thailand, through Phuket

    Phuket’s provincial government has issued a 48 page order for non-tourists entering Thailand, via Phuket. The order covers everyone from repatriating Thais, foreigners who are permanent residents or on long-term visas, students, workers passing through and consular visits. In real terms, as it says, anyone who isn’t visiting, or travelling through, Phuket as a tourist. If you were looking for…

  • Thai Airways food landing in 7-Eleven next month

    Thai Airways food landing in 7-Eleven next month

    Warning. Some low-altitude turbulence is coming to a 7-Eleven near you. Thai Airways has cooked up a new money-making scheme during Covid-19 to sell its airline food in 7-Eleven. Set to take off on April 15, the mostly grounded and indebted airline will attempt to offset its losses during the pandemic by selling food in the ubiquitous convenience store and…

  • Thailand visa extension explained, April 2021 | VIDEO

    Thailand visa extension explained, April 2021 | VIDEO

    Some clarification about the 60 day extensions to visas that had been extended in the past as part of the Covid visa amnesty for foreign travellers in Thailand who were ‘stuck’ in the country or wished to stay for whatever reason. Caitlin Ashworth from The Thaiger explains the details. For the latest details on everything about the re-opening of the…

  • 60-day “Covid-19” visa extension deadline to apply now May 29

    60-day “Covid-19” visa extension deadline to apply now May 29

    In a typical last minute decision, Thai immigration announced that foreigners stuck in Thailand due to the Covid-19 situation will be able to extend their visas for another 60 days, with the new deadline to apply for the extension set to May 29, allowing a stay in Thailand up until July 27. The initial deadline for the 60 day “Covid-19…

  • Thailand introduces help for LGBT families

    Thailand introduces help for LGBT families

    Thailand is introducing help for those families with LGBT children who suffer from bullying. The Thai Health Promotion Foundation and the Foundation of Transgender Alliance for Human Rights created a manual titled, “This House Has Gender Diversity.” Phoranee Phuprasert, director of the Office of Vulnerable Group Support, says the manual aims to create a better understanding of LGBT issues, especially…

  • Thailand’s first female Education Minister targets bullying in schools

    Thailand’s first female Education Minister targets bullying in schools

    Thailand’s first female education minister is targetting bullying in schools as part of 3 policies she says she will start implementing today. Trinuch Thienthong, an MP from the coalition – core Palang Pracharath Party, says she will promote safety at schools, access to digital resources and knowledge and campaign for vocational education. Trinuch says Thailand’s schools, must be free of…

  • Russians in Pattaya arrested for allegedly selling fake bank statements for retirement visas

    Russians in Pattaya arrested for allegedly selling fake bank statements for retirement visas

    Police in Pattaya arrested a Russian man and woman for allegedly creating fake bank documents for retirement visas and selling the fraudulent paperwork to other foreigners. The suspects allegedly sold the fake documents to foreigners who did not have enough money in their bank account required under Thai law for a retirement visa, police say, according to Pattaya News. Retirement…

  • The benefits of traditional Thai massage

    The benefits of traditional Thai massage

    One of Thailand’s most famous cultural delights is that of a Thai massage. And, it can be said that once you have one of these, you won’t go back to your previous methods of healing and relaxation. Thai massages have been around for 2,500 years as the method began originally as a type of healing art in India, influenced by…

  • Thai students want university entrance exams postponed citing fears over their futures

    Thai students want university entrance exams postponed citing fears over their futures

    Thousands of Thai students are wanting their university entrance exams postponed over fears of their futures being impacted by Covid-19. #Courtpetitionsforexampostponement is now trending on Twitter after 6 students submitted a plea to the Central Administrative Court. The Mathayom 6 students received help for their plea from Pheu Thai Party spokeswoman Arunee Kasayanond in lieu of exams scheduled to begin…

  • Thailand is re-opening. When can I travel there? | VIDEO

    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…

  • Thai Visa Centre accuses former employee of stealing from a family seeking to travel to Thailand

    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…

  • Bring on the heat… here’s our list of the spiciest Thai food

    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…

  • Phuket Thai food treats you need to try | VIDEO

    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…

  • Flying high and fine dining in a re-purposed old jet in Bangkok | VIDEO

    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,…

  • The all new ‘villa quarantine’ in Phuket, Thailand | VIDEO

    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…

  • DUMBO the rooftop bar in Bangkok, a hidden gem | VIDEO

    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…

  • Great Thai Food Convenience Store Challenge l Chef Cyril Mougin | VIDEO

    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…

  • What can you cook up from a 7-11? l Chef Kai Kauder | VIDEO

    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…

  • Government crackdown on foreigners teaching without work permits

    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…

  • The Great Convenience Store Gourmet Challenge l Chef Belinda Tuckwell

    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…

  • Global medical tourism in 2020 and the impact of Covid-19

    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…

  • Visa extensions in Thailand for stranded tourists, February 2021 | VIDEO

    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…

  • “Yes, we want tourists back… but with quarantine” – Survey

    “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…

  • Visa Emergency Extension extended to May 30 this year for stranded tourists

    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…

  • Koh Pha Ngan partygoers and organiser get a fine and suspended sentences

    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…

  • Thai herb studied for alternative Covid-19 treatment

    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…

  • CCSA mulls the easing of Covid-19 restrictions

    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…