Travel Essentials

Passport & Visa

A valid passport is required to enter Thailand. Tourists from the list of eligible countries are allowed to stay up to 30 days without a visa.

Tourist visas for up to 60 days are available from Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates.

Geography

Thailand is situated in South East Asia, bordering Myanmar to the West, Laos and Cambodia to the East, and Malaysia to the South.

Bangkok is the capital city with a population near 10 million people.

Health

Don't drink tap water. There are plenty of brands of bottled water on sale.

Mosquito repellant is also a good idea for early morning and evenings.

Money

The Thai currency is the Baht (abbreviation THB) and it has been recently devalued.

It is worth approximately 40 Baht to the US$ (July 2000) and 62 Baht to the UK#.

Bring

Suntan lotion - limited brands and SPF here.

Film - In Phuket you can find almost any type of film although limited and expensive at resorts. Slide film or APS film is rarely found at resorts.

Most items may be bought in Bangkok. Bring these items with you if you do not plan to stop off in Bangkok.

Wear

Light cotton cloths.

Visitors to religious sites are reminded to wear slightly formal clothes. Tank tops, shorts, and slippers are not allowed.

Climate

Thailand has a tropical climate made up of  three seasons:

Summer from Mar to May (24C to 40C)

Monsoon from Jun to Oct (24 C to 32C)

Winter from Nov to Feb (18C to 30C)

Time

Thailand's time zone is GMT + 7.

There is no daylight saving time.

08:00 in London is 15:00 in Bangkok on the same day.

08:00 in Bangkok is 20:00 in New York on the previous day.

Weight & Measurements

The metric system is in use here.

Weights are in kilograms, distances in kilometers. Gasoline is measured in litres.

Electricity

220V / 50Hz.

Sockets have no ground. 
Larger hotels also offer 110V sockets for shavers only.

Business Hours

Companies usually open from 09:00-17:00 and Banks are open from 10:00-15:00 Monday through Friday.

Shops are open from 10:00 onwards, usually seven days a week.

Holidays for 2000

1 Jan - New Year's Day

19 Feb - Makha Bucha Day

6 Apr - Chakri Memorial Day

13 - 15 Apr - Songkhran Festival

1 May - National Labour Day

5 May - Coronation Day

14 May - Royal Ploughing Cermony Day

17 May - Visakha Bucha Day

16 Jul - Asarnha Bucha Day

17 Jul - Buddhist Lent Day

12 Aug - H.M. The Queen's Birthday

23 Oct - Chulalongkorn Day

5 Dec - H.M. The King's Birthday

10 Dec - Constitution Day

31 Dec - New Year's Eve

Religion and Customs

Thailand's majority of population are Buddhists while the south of Thailand see a large population of Muslims.

Newspaper

Several English language newspapers are available in Thailand.

Most popular is the Bangkok Post and The Nation.

Postal Service

The post office operates from 08:00 to 16:00 Monday through Friday (larger branches open till 19:00), and 08:00 to 12:00 on Saturdays.

Telephone

Thailand's IDD (International Direct Dialing) Country code is 66.

International access code is 001.

Bangkok area code is 02 and Phuket is 076.

Mobile phones are 01.

Drop the leading zero in area codes if used with IDD.

GSM mobile phone roaming service is also available and has pretty good coverage.

Couriers

International operators such as FedEx and DHL operate here.

Television

Several cable operators offer CNN, ESPN, and HBO so you're never away from your favourite programs.

Most larger hotels subscribe to these.

Internet

There are over ten ISPs operating in Thailand.

Overseas visitors can access AOL and Compuserve.

Thailand's top level domain is .th