I booked my flight to Laos before I left but I had to change the date of departure when I only got 28 days instead of 30 ... but in hindsight I should have booked a temporary flight booking until I knew exact dates ... otherwise it was just a pain having only 30 days at a time between having to do paperwork days at an immigration office π
i never plan more than a day or two ahead π When you fly in it's best to have at least the first couple of nights booked somewhere near where you are landing. This covers the accommodation question. After that it's up to you, the hotels usually all do the TM30 thing for you. You can extend the 30 days on entry for another 30 days (as I did) and then leave to explore another country for a week, or more if you want, and then fly back in and get another 30 days on entry. I did it three times but I didn't extend the third due to work commitments back in Oz.
yes, there appear to be a lot of different interpretations. I just spent 5 wonderful months in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, Thailand mostly without any visa. It's not for everybody but the 30 days on entry does work π