tourist visa Thailand – THE INSIDE LNE

Australian consul general in Phuket confirms letters for stranded Aussie expats

March 24, 2020December 22, 2022 James BaileySo you're in Thailand

The Australian Consulate General in Phuket says it will provide visa support letters to any Australians in Thailand who can prove long-term residency in Thailand. The Australian consul general in Phuket confirms that letters for expats caught by Non-Imm O visa […]

How to get a Non-O Marriage Visa for Thailand

August 28, 2019December 22, 2022 James BaileyPreplanning your escape, So you're in Thailand, Thai Visa

I am married to a Thai national, have been for some time. I am also too young for the Non-O based on Retirement, so being married allows for an extended time in the Kingdom to annoy my loving wife. Applying […]

Applying for a SETV or METV Tourist Visa for Thailand

August 28, 2019December 22, 2022 James BaileyPreplanning your escape, So you're in Thailand, Thai Visa

Obtaining a SETV or Single Entry Tourist Visa for Thailand is a great way to obtain 90 days in the Kingdom. How? When you arrive in Thailand on a SETV, you will be stamped into the Kingdom for 60 days. […]

Thai Tourist Visa’s and Exemptions Explained

August 28, 2019December 22, 2022 James BaileyPreplanning your escape, So you're in Thailand, Thai Visa

This is all based of having lived in Thailand for many years, having personally been on various types of visa’s, as well as feedback from experiences from friends who have visited the Land of Smiles. If you have not leaft […]

Aussie delivers tragic news to his mate Harry Cross after losing leg in horrific Thai motorcycle accident

April 2, 2018August 28, 2019 James BaileyMotorcycling, Odd Tips, Preplanning your escape, So you're in Thailand

Harry Cross Motorcycle Accident Thailand

A Brisbane man has had to make the devastating call to his friend’s parents and tell them their son had lost his leg, moments after delivering the traumatising news to his mate. Australian James Bailey was standing in a Thai […]

Visarun Bangkok to Vientiane Laos with added French Cuisine

September 14, 2016August 28, 2019 James BaileyPlaces to visit, So you're in Thailand

Beef Carpaccio Laos French food Vientanne

So you have been staying in Thailand for some time, and your current Visa is about to expire after you have done a 30 day extension at Thai Immigration. What do you do now? You, like me, obviously want to […]

Why you need the best travel insurance when visiting Asia

June 16, 2016August 28, 2019 James BaileyOdd Tips, Preplanning your escape

So you have saved for your first trip to Thailand. Maybe it’s a short break for 2 weeks, or you don’t have a return ticket and you want to see how things go. What I want to talk about is […]

Visa run to Vientiane Laos for Non-Immigrant ED Visa

March 9, 2016August 28, 2019 James BaileyMotorcycling

The bodybagged temporary tourist in Thailand Part 2 – Scooter Crashes

January 14, 2016August 28, 2019 James BaileyMotorcycling, So you're in Thailand

I wrote my first story on the Bodybagged Temporary Tourist in Thailand after living in Thailand for a couple of months. The story came about from personal experiences, news reports and feeling I had sufficient first hand advice and suggestions to give. Since writing the first story, I have purchased a big bike, a Kawasaki Versys 650, and traveled close to 6000km on Thai roads and seen more than most. What has prompted me to continue writing on Bodybagged Temporary Tourist in Thailand was the recent viral call to action on Facebook and other social media, both here in Thailand and internationally for blood donations for a young the British girl, Lucy Hill in Chiang Mai who was in hospital in intensive care after an accident. Now I won't profess to know the full story, as I was not there, but it seems the 19 year old Miss Hill, a university student was riding pillion on the back of a scooter, when a car driving on the wrong side of the road hit them. Now in a western world, this in itself would seem cut and dry, a car is traveling on the incorrect side of the road, so they must be in the wrong. After spending as much time as I have in Thailand on the roads, seeing vehicles, both cars, trucks and scooters riding down the wrong side of the road is nothing short of normal here. Scooter riders will even ride on footpaths to avoid gridlock in Bangkok. Over the period that this accident happened, labelled the ‘7 deadly days’ of the New Year by Thai officials, hundreds of Thais died on the road. There was even a reported 3'500 motorbike accidents, many being serious and a lot ending in fatalities. Now this young girl coming to Thailand for the first time, deciding to jump on a bike with a group is nothing short of insanity. I have seen these young tourists riding in groups, behaving with reckless disregard for their own safety. Riding without helmets, wearing singlets, thongs, or even bare feet at times. Zooming around with seemingly glee abandon for their own safety, riding with the co-ordination of a drunk monkey, and expecting that they will be safe. It simply makes me sick in the stomach to watch their behavior. All I think when I see this is them riding a coffin! Let's face facts, these young tourists believe they are invincible, we all felt it at their age, turning 40 was so far away, growing old was something everyone else does. They are going to live forever and live life to the fullest no matter what! Legally, most of these young tourists will not have the right to be riding here in the first place, and not having the appropriate license to do so will automatically void any insurance cover they have, weather it be for damage to the bike, or worse yet, hospital care. I am not singling out Miss Hill or suggesting that she brought this on herself, what I am saying is that Thailand roads are a very dangerous place to put yourself, no matter where you are in Thailand. Recently I spent some days visiting a hospital brain injury unit, where I saw first hand the real results of this epidemic in Thailand. 98% of the patients that were in the ward need not have been there. They were all victims of motorcycle road accidents.

Now I wrote my first story on the Bodybagged Temporary Tourist in Thailand after living in Thailand for a couple of months. The story came about from personal experiences, news reports and the feeling I have sufficient first hand advice […]

Visa Run Savannakhet Laos

December 12, 2015August 28, 2019 James BaileyOdd Tips

After extending my double entry tourist Visa issued in Australia, it was time to grab some further time in the Land of Smiles. It’s always a dreaded time having to do a Visa Run to obtain permission to live as […]