How to get a visa to travel cheaply in Thailand

When we showed you Workplace Andrew ZakordontsaWho lives and works on the island of Koh Samui, it did not expect such interest in the topic of Thailand. We begin a series of articles, after which the questions on relocation in this wonderful country you will not. We hope that you enjoy.

Come to the land of sun, sea and smiles and live there for a few months or even a year, without having to return to his homeland and at the same time continuing to do his favorite thing - Is not this the dream, or at least a strong desire of the majority of us? If your professional activities are related to online or IT-business or you do something else, you can work remotely, then you are lucky. Pack your things, you are going to live and work in Thailand!

Below is the story of what it takes to start the planning and organization of the trip, when a positive decision on it is taken.

1. Visa Requirements.
2. Buying tickets.

Preparing the trip should begin with ticketing and obtaining a visa. The sequence of actions is this: first, buy a ticket, then go for a visa. But as with the tickets, there are many nuances (of which I write below), the story I'll start with how to get a visa.

I. How to get a Thai visa

First of all you should know that if you are a citizen of Russia, then you can stay in Thailand without a visa within 30 calendar days. For citizens of Ukraine, this period is 15 days.

Since travel option for 1 month in this article we do not see, then you need to visit to get a single or double entry tourist visa to Thailand. Get a Thai visa is very easy - you can do it yourself, spending several hours a day to collect documents and a couple of hours on the trek to the embassy.

The most naipolneyshaya information about the procedure of obtaining a visa is online Thai Embassy in Russia (Or your country) in the section "Consular Section". The site is list of documentsRequired to open a tourist visa in Moscow. The process is pretty simple (at times easier to obtain Schengen). Your task - to do everything according to the instructions on the website of the Consulate.

What is the single and double tourist visa?

Single-entry visa ($ 40) is valid for 90 days and gives you the right to stay in Thailand 60 days entry, after which you can get an additional 30 days by visiting the nearest immigration office and paying another $ 60. Double-entry visa ($ 80) for a period of 180 days - 2 entry for 60 days. If you plan to stay in Thailand for six months, then I suggest you 60 days to go to the Immigration Bureau and receive an additional 30 days ($ 60), then they After it is necessary to leave the country, and then repeat the first part (stay of 60 days, which are given at the entrance + 30 days after the hike in immigration office).

Total from the point of visa of 3 months in Tae will cost you $ 100 and 6 months - $ 200.

Is determined by the period for which you are traveling to Tai, and ask for the appropriate visa at the consulate. The presence of paid return ticket required!

Do not worry if you get a single-entry visa, and after 3 months (90 days) decide to stay still. Extend the visa, but rather to get a new you will be able in any country, a neighbor of Thailand, and it is even easier than in Russia. (For details on how to stay longer in Thailand, in one of the following series of articles "How to live and work in Thailand«).

II. Purchase tickets

1. Fly to Bangkok.

It can be reached by flights of most renowned international airlines to date to Thailand from Russia. The most popular (read: most cheap) flights from Moscow to Bangkok implement these carriers: Etihad Airways (UAE), the Emirates (UAE), Aeroflot (Russia), Transaero (Russia), the S7 (Russia), Aerosvit (Ukraine), Turkish Airlines (Turkey). The average cost of 1 ticket with 1 transfer - 21500-35000 rubles, or $ 700-1100. This is a very average figures, because when you purchase your ticket, there are many nuances.

Try searching for interesting flights by searching Aviasales, It is likely that you will immediately find the most attractive offers. The search is performed on all popular reservation systems at the same time!

Here are some of them:

• how long before a trip to buy a ticket (there is often the rule - the sooner buy, the lower the cost may be);
• direct flight or a flight with a transfer (non-stop flights from Moscow to Bangkok is at Aeroflot and Transaero - 9 hours);
• high or low season (if you are going to fly from December 15 until January 15, and during the May holidays, then keep in mind that the ticket will cost more);
• fare type and the ability to change the date of departure. Each airline flight one uses several rates (not to be confused with the class). If you want to fly more economically, choose the simplest tariff Econom, but keep in mind that in this case you should definitely operedlitsya so, for what period the time you plan to stay in Thailand (the ticket can not be subject to change in the date or change the date of departure will be at an additional cost - 50-100 euros). If you are not sure how much time you want to spend in Thailand, you should choose the fare flexible (possible within economy class), which will change the departure date or even return ticket price without any additional fees. In general, once again I recommend to consider this point very carefully.

Where to buy tickets

1. Directly on the website of the selected airline.
2. Via one of the online services to purchase tickets: anywayanyday.com, kayak.com, Momondo.com, skyscanner.ru and etc.

Personally, I when buying tickets always combine these two options, namely:

- first I go to the online service site, select the desired date, ticked "flexible search", and from the results of issue to choose the best I think the rate (focusing not only on the number of transplants, but also on the overall travel time and clearance time between transplants);

- then I go to the website of the company, whose fare I walked over there and check the same dates. Sometimes it happens that the airline the same tickets can be a bit cheaper, and then I buy them there.

2. How to get from Bangkok to the islands

You are in Bangkok, but remain live and work there for a few months in your plans do not include. So let's consider the options for moving from the Thai capital on the island.

So, to get to the coveted paradise (here I mean Samui - the third largest island in Thailand, located in the Gulf of Thailand) in one of 3 ways:

1. Fast, comfortable, expensive.

bangkok Airways - the only airline that flies directly from Bangkok to Koh Samui. Hour flight will cost you from $ 100 (the cheapest promo rate) to $ 200 (with the possibility of changing the date of departure).

2. Not a quick, relatively comfortable, relatively inexpensive.

AirAsia - Asian loukost-carrier will take you from Bangkok to Surat Thani (Surat Thani - the capital of the homonymous province, closest to the ferry to the islands) for 1 hour and $ 50-60, depending on the presence / absence of the registered Luggage.

3. Not quick, comfortable, inexpensive.

Thai railways - 12 hours on the road and only $ 25 one way (travel in the car of the 2nd class air-conditioned). you can see the route, schedule, description of Classes and the cost of tickets on different trains from Bangkok, all in the same Surat Thani (Surat Thani) on railways official website.

Book and buy a train ticket you can only on the agency website, for example: thailandtrainticket.com (Agency commission - $ 7) or directly at the ticket office at the railway / train station in Bangkok. In the second case, it is likely that the next train tickets will be gone.

Important! If you choose travel options 2 or 3 (to Suratthani), then you need to know the following: upon arrival / arrival in airport / railway station Surat Thani you go to the tour desk (at the airport they come looking for you) and ask «transfer to Koh Samui ». Transfer includes transportation by bus to the port and the ferry Donsak of Donsak Samui. All it takes about 3 hours of time and costs no more than $ 11 (350 baht).

Besides the above 3 ways to expose the Koh worth mentioning as further 2 - on the ground (direct bus Bangkok Mai comprising ferry crossing) and water (Mai catamaran Bangkok). But frankly, none of these 2 ways to travel I can not recommend to you as 12-14 hours travel in a sitting position - it's hardly what you want after a 9-12 hour flight to the Land of Smiles.

So, is determined to travel dates, buy tickets, get a visa, and choose the most podhodyayschy you a way of getting to the island - your new residence. IN next article you will learn how to find accommodations on the island, what area to choose and how much will it cost to rent a house.