Introduction to self-driving tour in Thailand

Thailand’s vehicle driving habits are different from those in China. Thailand drives on the left and China drives on the right. If you are used to turning right in China, it is easy to meet people face to face in Thailand without realizing it. Therefore, the use of Chinese cars is banned in Thailand. This is a road trip guide.

Nowadays, ordinary free travel can no longer meet people’s needs for in-depth travel. Before last year, self-driving in Thailand was a very popular route for foreign self-driving. However, starting from June 28 last year, the Thai government will implement regulations that prohibit vehicles with Chinese license plates from entering Thailand and driving at government agencies at entry and exit ports. In other words, no matter which place you drive into the country from, you can only drive within the region (province) to which the port belongs and cannot leave the province (government).

What if we still want to take a bus to Thailand? In fact, it is not impossible.

First, there is only one country and one government. We drove all the way to Thailand so we had to go to Chiang Rai.

The second option is to join a group. Now, you can also join a group by car. More than three vehicles can join the group, but they must be accompanied by a local tour guide and a Thai tour guide. Although it is a free trip, the basic route is planned, so you can’t stop if you want.

Type 3, car rental in Thailand. Car rental prices in Thailand are slightly lower than domestic prices, fuel costs are also cheaper, and there are almost no highway fees. Therefore, it is more suitable for a family to rent a car. The only thing that needs to be noted is that Thailand is a right-hand drive vehicle and the road driving direction is opposite to that in China. It takes time to adapt.

No matter what kind of self-driving, it is best to obtain an English or Thai driver's license before going abroad.

The following is a plan to take a family of four to Thailand by car at the end of January. Here’s a guide before you go.

1. Visa application

Taobao started, and now Thailand’s visa application fee is free. Taobao’s visa application also has a symbolic hard fee, about 10 yuan.

2. Internet access problems in Thailand

Rent WIFI or buy a phone card for seven days. The rental price of WIFI is generally between 20-30 per day, which is reasonable. However, it is inconvenient for a family of four not to use the Internet in the same room at night (WIFI in many hotels in Thailand is charged separately), and it is also inconvenient for four people to be separated. Seven-day phone cards cost around 30 each (Taobao price), with 2.5G traffic. One phone card per person is cheaper than renting WIFI. If you stay in Thailand for a long time, it will be more cost-effective to buy more cards than to top up the phone bill.

3. Car rental

Overseas car rental is generally a car rental. You can make multilingual versions of your driver's license for free, which is fair enough. Some car rental companies even offer services in Chinese.

The same model is almost half the price, I chose the 30-day fee. This price includes insurance.

4. Air tickets

Needless to say, there is no need to say much about booking air tickets. It should be noted that there are two airports in Thailand.

5. Route

Bangkok - Piliwu - Hua Hin - Prachuap Khiri Khan - Peng Chun - Surat Thani - Dongli - Krabi - Panya - Phuket - Ranong - North Than - Dacheng - Nakhon Ratchasima - Nong Khai - Loy (Khan Thanh) - Chiang Rai - Bai District - Coconut Wind Song - Chiang Mai

This route takes about 30-35 days, from south to north . Play with caution.

Approximate route

6. Precautions for self-driving

Key points for self-driving in Thailand

Although I am not used to driving in right-hand drive, as long as the driver always feels The fact that he was driving in the middle of a two-way lane proved that he was right.

Thai people drive very politely and can drive safely on all kinds of roads. As long as they pay attention to modesty, they will not encounter pedestrians or vehicles suddenly rushing out at intersections. However, in urban areas such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai, due to the large number of cars and complicated road conditions, it is recommended to use public transportation.

7. Navigation

The most important thing about self-driving is navigation, especially in a strange country. Baidu and Gao Lide, which I usually use, are no longer useful abroad, so I can only use GOOGLE. Now there is an offline navigation called Pathfinder, which is a magical tool in areas with poor signal. Recommended to install.