you can take advantage of bargain-basement flights – Bangkok is one of the cheapest cities in the world to fly out of. Just bear in mind that flights in and out of Thailand are often overbooked so confirm, confirm and reconfirm.
Thailand shares land borders with Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar. With improved highways, it is also becoming easier to travel from Thailand to China. Plans for land and rail links between China and member countries of ASEAN, including Thailand, have been increasing since the turn of the new millennium.
Thai-Cambodian border crossings are typically straightforward. Most visitors cross at Poipet (Cambodia) to Aranya Prathet. This is the most direct land route between Bangkok and Angkor Wat.
The Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge spans a section of the Mekong River between Nong Khai, Thailand, and Tha Na Leng (near Vientiane, Laos) and is the main transport gateway between the two countries.
Due to the unrest in the southern provinces of Thailand, many border crossers are opting for flights from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Singapore instead of crossing by land.
The land crossings into Myanmar have peculiar restrictions that often don’t allow full land access to the country.
bus
You can enter Thailand by bus through Laos and Malaysia at the moment – your bus will stop at a Thai immigration post at your point of entry so that each foreign passenger can receive an entry stamp in their passport. Thai visas are not normally included in bus fares. For overland routes through Cambodia, you’ll need to hire a shared taxi. You can exit Thailand into portions of Myanmar by bus or shared taxi.
boat
All foreign-registered vessels, skippers and crew must check in with the relevant Thai authorities as soon as possible after entering Thai waters. Although major ports throughout Thailand offer port check-ins, most leisure boating visitors check in at Phuket, Krabi, Samui, Pranburi or Pattaya. Because Phuket’s Tha Ao Chalong brings customs, immigration and harbourmaster services together in one building, Phuket is the most popular check-in point nationwide. Before departing from Thailand by boat, you must also check out with immigration, customs and harbourmaster. Vessels caught without harbour clearance may be fined up to ฿5000.00 .
There are several ways of travelling between Thailand’s southern peninsula and Malaysia by sea. The simplest is to take a boat from Satun to Kuala Perlis or the island of Langkawi.
car
Road passage into Thailand is possible through Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos. Passenger vehicles (eg car, van, truck or motorcycle) can be brought into Thailand for tourist purposes for up to six months. Documents needed for the crossing are a valid International Driving Permit, passport, vehicle registration papers (in the case of a borrowed or hired vehicle, authorisation from the owner) and a cash or bank guarantee equal to the value of the vehicle plus 20%. For entry through Khlong Toey Port or Suvarnabhumi Airport, this means a letter of bank credit; for overland crossings via Malaysia, Cambodia or Laos a ‘self-guarantee’ filled in at the border is sufficient.
ferry
It’s legal for non-Thais to cross the Mekong River by ferry between Thailand and Laos at the following points: Beung Kan (opposite Paksan),