If it is your first trip to Thailand it is normal to be a little apprehensive about what to expect. Bangkok's international airport, Suvarnabhumi, can be confusing and intimidating when you first arrive, but if you use common sense, there is nothing to be overly concerned about. What follows is a step-by-step guide for inexperienced visitors, especially those travelling alone. Much of the advice has been extracted from the book Money Still Number One by Neil Hutchison, subtitled ‘The Single Man's Survival Guide to Thailand'.

Getting off the Plane

This sounds very simple but you would be surprised at the number of people who have incurred avoidable problems. Before landing in Thailand , the airline crew should have given you a Thai arrival card, commonly called a ‘TM Card', to fill out. If not, ask for one. Immediately complete BOTH the ‘Arrival' and ‘Departure' sections of the card, then turn it over and fill in the questionnaire on the back of the ‘Arrival' section. (For the question about your annual income, pick a box.)

Once you have landed, before leaving the aircraft, make sure you have your Boarding Pass stub with you. Thai Immigration requires you hand over your passport, arrival (TM) card AND your Boarding Pass at Passport Control.

Suvarnabhumi Airport

Once off the plane and onto the concourse, if you are unsure where to go, just follow the crowd to the Passport Control counters. There are hundreds of these, so stand in line at the one or two actually open.

Tourists from most countries do not require a Visa to Thailand and are granted a 30-day Tourist Entry stamp on arrival. If you are unsure whether this applies to your nationality, ask the travel agent BEFORE you leave home. In any case, they probably won't issue you the plane ticket unless you have previously obtained any necessary visas.

At the Immigration desk, hand over your passport, completed TM card and boarding pass. People travelling on Tourist Visas or gaining a 30-day Tourist Entry stamp on arrival are required to have an outbound or return ticket. You may be asked to show this as well. Smile, don't chat and be very polite – “Yes, sir”; “No, sir”; “Thank you, sir.” Many people don't realize that gaining entry to a foreign country is not a right but a privilege. Entry can be refused or revoked at any time for any reason and the Immigration Officer with the stamp wields enormous power. Should he be having a ‘bad hair day', aggravated by your insolence, he could make your initiation to Thailand extremely unpleasant.

Once through Immigration, head down the escalator to the ground floor. For those silly enough to bring a lot of checked-in luggage, look for the monitor displaying the carousel number corresponding to your flight details. When all your possessions are in hand, walk through the ‘Customs' doorway. Now the real fun begins.

Heading To Pattaya
If you do not already have some local currency on you, now is a good time to get some. The Thai currency unit is called the baht and the notes come in denominations of 1,000 (highest); 500; 100; 50  20; and 10. There are plenty of 24-hour ATM's and Currency Exchanges in the airport complex. The exchange rates do not vary between companies so change your money at any window. How much you need depends on whether you have already booked and pre-paid for your transport and/or hotel room. Anyone arriving unannounced and needing transport and a deposit for a hotel room should not require more than 5,000 baht at this time. When changing cash at a Currency Exchange, ask for some smaller denominations – 100's and 20's. ATM's will probably dispense 1,000 baht notes so you may have to buy a drink or some food to get change.

Heading direct from the airport to Pattaya without stopping over in Bangkok , there are several alternatives, with many options depending on your arrival time.

Limousine

If money is no object or you have a few people to share the cost, the most convenient way to travel is by the Thai Airways Limousine service available from Terminal 1. The trip is comfortable and the car will take you all the way to your hotel. The cost is around 4,000 baht which includes the motorway tolls. Check before you book.

Taxi or Private Vehicle

Taxis, with or without meters, and private operators will be only too happy to take you to Pattaya. BE CAREFUL if you travel in an unlicensed taxi or private car. Here is some advice:

As far as practicable, try to avoid travelling alone. Talk to other passengers on the plane or at the airport and see if anyone else is also going to Pattaya. There is bound to be someone to share the car/taxi as well as the fare. Safety in numbers.

Negotiate the fare before getting into a vehicle. The tout will begin by asking for something around 2,000 baht . At the time of writing, a reasonable fare to Pattaya by taxi is 1,500 baht which may or may not include up to three road tolls totalling around 135 baht . Check with the driver beforehand.

If the tout tells you to follow him to the vehicle, which will be parked somewhere in the vast parking lot, don't! Ask him to bring the car to you in the front of the airport. Never leave yourself open to be ambushed in some dark corner of the car park.

When the car arrives, ask the driver if it is the same vehicle that will be taking you all the way to Pattaya. It is common practice for the car waiting at the airport to be only the delivery vehicle to take you to their office in a less than populous area of town where you transfer to another car which then takes you the rest of the way. No real problem, just scary the first time.

If you do not have much luggage, do not put it in the trunk of the car. Keep it on the seat beside you and never leave it unattended.
 
Bus

Please note that all fares quoted below were correct at the time of writing but may have since risen sharply due to the escalating world oil price.

Air-conditioned buses go to Pattaya direct from the airport. The cost is 200 baht but at the time of writing there are only three per day, leaving at 9:00am, 12:00noon and 7:00pm.

If you are staying in Bangkok before travelling on to Pattaya, you can get a bus from From the Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekamai, air-conditioned buses leave for Pattaya every thirty minutes between 5:00am and 10:00pm. The current fare is 90 baht . The taxi fare to Ekamai from Suvarnabhumi airport is approximately 500 baht plus 50 baht airport surcharge (To avoid the surcharge, head up to the ‘Departure' area and catch a taxi that has just dropped someone off).

The bus services mentioned above terminate at the bus station in Pattaya North Road . There is also an air-conditioned bus service to Jomtien (from the airport. To get to your hotel it will be necessary to catch a taxi, commonly called a ‘ Baht Bus'. Many Baht Buses wait at the bus station.

If your hotel is on Beach Road or Second Road , this is a good option. Simply press the buzzer when you want to get out. If you don't have a clue where your hotel is located, ask one of the drivers who will take you directly for a fare starting at 40 baht . Negotiate. It depends how far the hotel is from the bus station, but the maximum fare for one-way group transfer from North Pattaya to anywhere else in the Greater Pattaya area is 120 baht . That is for a maximum of five people, NOT each!