@Brandon ***********

do you actually have to "go home" to reset the clock on Visa exempt entry? I ask because I'm planning/hoping to travel for a few years without returning home. My intent is to bounce through various countries multiple times in each spending weeks or months in each depending on what is permitted.

@John *********

shhh. Don't distract them. It's hard to find good entertainment these days.

@Stuart ********

I will not be working. Just enjoying life exploring SE Asia. I expect to spend several years trying to find the right place to stay longer term at which time I'd switch to the appropriate retirement visa for that country. That said I already heavily lean towards Thailand based on my research, but need to evaluate more/all options first.

I feel confident I'll be dressed somewhere in between the two examples you gave as I don't own either! 🤣

@Stuart ********

any thoughts on what number of times would trigger an immigration office to question entry? What happens in such a case? I ask because I hope to enter visa exempt, extend 30 days, visit elsewhere in SE Asia for 2-4 weeks and return to Thailand where I'd repeat the process. My desire is to annually spend 8 or 9 months in SE Asia doing this each year for several years. The remainder of each year I would be in North America, but wonder if my plans are flawed.

@Courtney ********

unfortunately not. We decided to travel in and out on visa exemptions as we explore SE Asia for the first couple of years and then look at staying in Thailand longer so we've looked at the details of that process yet. We hear mixed reviews on the agent vs DIY approaches. It obviously is easier to use an agent, but it's it worth the cost? Either way you have to find all the same documentation, but maybe it's nice to have someone walk you through it.

@Courtney ********

I think the spouse must apply at a Thai embassy outside Thailand in order to get a dependant visa based on yours. I'm not sure if they can renew theirs with you without leaving the country or not. I'm not sure how that part of the process works.

@Stuart ********

thanks! We plan to go to SE Asia next year and want to use Thailand as a home base of sorts as we visit other countries in the area, returning to Thailand each time. We'd likely visit a country for a week or as long as a month before returning to different areas of Thailand. The idea being this will help us to decide what areas were like to stay at for longer periods of time. But these border rules are certainly more challenging than travel in other areas of the world for us. So far it's a step learning curve! Your help is greatly appreciated.

@Stuart ********

does the onward travel have to be by airline? Could it be by bus, train, sea, etc? And would you still have to show a ticket for that?