Thai Life
Thailand guides, travel tips, cultural insights, and essential local information—discover everything you need to know about living, visiting, and experiencing the Land of Smiles. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for Thailand guides.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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The 110cc power plant of South East Asia
Please ensure that you are properly licensed and wear a helmet anytime you hire or ride a motorbike in South East Asia. Whenever you visit South East Asia one thing becomes immediately apparent – the economies would never survive without the ubiquitous 110cc step-thru motorbikes. Some may have bigger engines, some might have been ‘modified’ and some might have been…
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Another month, another surge in tourists to Thailand
Thailand’s tourist arrivals clocked up 3.4 million visitors in March 2018, an improvement of over 16 percent year-on-year. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has confirmed March finished with 3,497,260 visitors. Earnings for March were estimated at 189,158 million baht, up 22 percent year-on-year. Pongpanu Svetarundra, permanent secretary for the tourism ministry, noted that East Asia continued to dominate the tourist…
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Boracay – Last one out, turn the lights off
Philippines officials are sending in the troops to keep tourists off the island and deter potential protests as Boracay Island prepares for closure from April 26. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has branded the tourist magnet island and its white-sand beach a “cesspool”. In a move that’s sent tour operators, hotel chains and locals into a panic, the island will be…
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Private investors being wooed over planned marina for Samui
Samui is looking to establish the island’s first marina and is currently looking to investors for the project in the Gulf of Thailand. Asia Pacific Superyachts reports that Koh Samui has succeeded in attracting international five-star brands, a strong luxury villas market as well as quality golf courses. The report says that superyacht sailors are now coming to the region…
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Failure to turn browsers into buyers – online travel booking
A report from Ve Global indicates that there are far more travel browsers than travel buyers. The report shows that the dropout rate is as high as 95.5% when it comes time to paying online for a travel service. The data, advertising and marketing technology company’s report shows that every sector of the travel industry is plagued with massive on-site…
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The Thailand Travel Mart heads to Pattaya this June
Pattaya will host the annual Thailand Travel Mart this June. The show was hosted in Pattaya back in 2001, followed by years in Bangkok before it moved to Chiang Mai in 2016 for a two-year stint. Now the annual B2B event, that showcases travel content from across the country and neighbours in the Mekong Region, moves south to Pattaya’s Ocean…
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Founding partner of Pavilions Himalayas honoured for charitable work in Nepal
One of the founding partners of The Pavilions Himalayas, Douglas Maclagan, is to be honoured for his work helping underprivileged children in Nepal. The award is considered as the Nobel Prize for Children, and endorsed by UNICEF. World of Children, which provides funding and assistance for vulnerable children worldwide, has selected Mr Maclagan as a Humanitarian Alumni Honoree for 2018,…
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Will you be booking a flight with standing plane seats?
PHOTO: Aviointeriors They’ve threatened charging ‘fat’ people more for their aircraft seat, even smaller seats and zero-recline seats. Anything the bean-counters running the world’s airlines can do to increase their bottomline, whilst discomforting ours, it seems, they will try. The idea of a ‘standing seat’ was posited nearly a decade ago but was considered a bridge too far at the…
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World’s best airlines – People’s Choice, Trip Advisor
PHOTO: Singapore Airlines Trip Advisor has compiled the world’s best airlines from the data and votes of their users around the world. No panel of judges here – the people have spoken. Not surprisingly, Singapore Airlines has come out on top, again. The Singaporean national airline is a consistent winner of best airline competitions over a number of decades. Air…
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TOONS TUNES – Kygo & Miquel “Reminding Me To Forget”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon If you are a Toons Tunes regular you will know my favourite artist currently is Norwegian record producer and DJ Kygo, he is joined this time by American singer Miquel for the brand new track called “Remind Me To Forget”. The song features on Kygo’s second studio album…
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TOONS TUNES – Rudimental “Rumour Mill”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon Sometimes I hear a track and think oh I like that, “Shazam” it and then find out it’s not new and actually is a couple of years old. This of course is the case for Rudimental’s 2015 song “Rumour Mill” featuring Anne Marie and Will Heard. The song…
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The spirit of Songkran – Ajarn Pranee
By Pranee Sakulpipatana, AKA Ajarn Pranee Songkran is one of the happiest festivals celebrated by Thais. When I was young and lived in Phuket, I always found the Songkran celebrations in other provinces such as Chiang Mai to be very unique and beautiful. Over the years Phuket has grown into a hub filled with Thais from all corners of the…
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Phuket’s Grand West Sands Resort – massive makeover
by Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com One of Phuket’s largest integrated hospitality resorts, the Grand West Sands Resort and Villas is underway on a massive makeover drive. Aligning with Hong Kong’s Langham Hospitality Group, the hotel offering is being split into separate four and five star offerings. The top end hotel will be renamed to Langham’s Cordis brand with 198 villas and suites,…
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Developers rush to provide better retirement options in Thailand
Retiring in Thailand has always been a double-edged sword – on one hand the lifestyle, inexpensive living and culture. On the other, the prospect of lonely later years without the trampoline safety of adequate healthcare and services. But there are now a growing list of companies looking to address the needs of the growing expat and retiree population attracted to…
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TOONS TUNES – Keala Settle “This Is Me” Alan Walker Remix
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon If you have been living under a shoe box and haven’t managed to watch the award winning movie “The Greatest Showman” then block yourself a couple of hours and get the popcorn ready, as it really is a show. The soundtrack to the story of P.T. Barnum’s Circus…
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MontAzure helps fund the Muslim Foundation’s Tonkla-Kamala Camp
The developers of Phuket’s MontAzure in Kamala, is helping fund the Kamala Muslim Foundation’s Tonkla-Kamala Camp 2018 as part of the company’s ongoing support for the local community in Kamala. The annual educational camp takes place from April 5-20 and is designed to help local children learn important skills that will be useful to them in their personal and professional…
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The world’s busiest airports 2017
So which airport is the busiest in the world? Perhaps surprisingly, the busiest airport is not in Asia, but in the US in Atlanta, Georgia – the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The city is within a two-hour flight of 80% of the United States population of more than 300 million people. But it’s reign at the top of the world chart…
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TOONS TUNES – David Guetta & Sia “Flames”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon Award winning French DJ David Guetta has collaborated with Australian singer Sia, for the new upbeat song released on the 22nd March called “Flames” a worthy track for today’s Toons Tunes. David Guetta gained worldwide success after the release of his 2009 “One Love” which featured mainstream tracks…
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Ranong Visa Runs – a few things you should know
The situation for visa runs changes all the time. Check before embarking on your Ranong journey to see if you are eligible for a visa run at that destination. From time to time we need to do those pesky visa runs. The nearest land border to Phuket is about a five hour drive north to the Thai fishing port of…
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Vendors hit back at criticism of Bangkok’s Mae Klong market
by Kachorn Phonimthai Vendors at Mae Klong, also known as Rom Hup – one of Thailand’s landmark markets – have defended its quirkiness and surroundings after coming under criticism online. They have spoken up to defend the world-famous market after several foreigners made critical comments on a BBC News video clip titled “The train that drives through a market”. Uploaded…
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The economic impact of closing down Maya Bay for four months
So what impact will closing down Maya Bay for four months have? Will it be cataclysmic for Phi Phi and Krabi tourism? Will tourist operators survive? Pullawat Pitigraisorn from SCB’s Economic Intelligence Centre has done the sums and estimates that tourist earnings for Krabi Province will only suffer a 6 percent drop as tourists will continue to come to the…
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Boracay’s closure sparks global travel fallout
By Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com The biggest worldwide tourism story going is that of the trending closure of the iconic resort island of Boracay in the Philippines. In a bold move President Rodrigo Duterte who termed the island a “cesspool” is banning tourist visits from April 26 through October 25. For an island that last year hosted over 2 million…
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Get off our island – The Philippines’ Boracay closes down
PHOTO: Shutterstock The Philippine’s island of Boracay is closing to tourists for six months following concerns of damage to its once pristine shores. This mirrors a closure of popular Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley, made famous in the movie ‘The Beach’ for four months from this June. Asia’s first holiday island to shutdown on government orders will lose…
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Ka Villa, Rawai – Own your dream pool villa in Phuket
The luxury villas in a quiet soi near Laem Ka Beach have been a popular success for investors and those looking for a dream lifestyle in Rawai, Phuket. If you’ve ever wanted to own a dream property in Phuket, Thailand, Ka Villa can help make that dream become a reality. Walking distance to the golden sand swimming beach of Laem…
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VietJet introduces more flights in Thai skies – BKK to Krabi
Thai Vietjet has launched a new service between Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Krabi with 2 flights daily. The fully booked inaugural flight VZ340, operated by new aircraft Airbus A320 wearing “Amazing Thailand” tourism logo landed safely yesterday morning at Krabi international Airport with a full water canon salute. All passengers and flight crew were greeted with flower garlands from Krabi Governor…
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Why selling property too fast is bad business?
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com One of the most common mistakes by property developers in hot markets or with premium properties is the misconception that a fast sell-out is good. It’s often hard for real estate sales people whose mantra follow’s the ABC’s (always be closing) to understand the big picture, or more importantly the bottom line. Property projects remain…
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Dusit rolls out the new ASAI brand
Thailand’s Dusit Hotels and Resorts is rolling our a new ASAI brand which is reportedly aimed at millennial curious-minded travellers promising ‘authentic local experiences in vibrant cities and resort destinations worldwide’. Set to officially launch in the opening quarter of 2019 with its first hotel in Bangkok’s renowned Chatuchak Market, ASAI Hotels embraces a sustainable, community-focused concept, with each property…
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TOONS TUNES – Taylor Swift “Delicate”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon I’d like to say that Taylor Swift is the “Queen of Pop” but in reality she is most likely the “Princess of Pop” as true royalty like Madonna, Beyonce and Celine Dion are still belting out songs and topping the charts. Whether you like her or not, she…
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TOONS TUNES – Paloma Faith & SIA “Warrior”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon Paloma Faith’s new track with Sia called “Warrior” from her album she dropped at Christmas called “The Architect” is not our usual upbeat music we play here at The Thaiger 102.75 FM. For this reason we have not added the track to our rotation, (Tim my boss also…
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Thailand Event Round-Up – April
with The Sponsorship Experts – Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co. Ltd. The month of April is typically dominated by a slew of events related to Songkran, the Thai New Year, and this year is no different. One of our favourites is the Singha Songkran Night Run, which returns to Chiang Mai on 13 April. The run, which takes place…
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