I just took a bus/van from Pattaya to Cambodia, round trip 8 hours. For me to drive to an airport in bkk, wait for the plane, go somewhere, turn around, wait for plane, come back drive home, would take considerable longer.

@Nigel *************

That is your opinion or you have magical statistical analysis?

I am sharing my experiences your are sharing your?? Opinions? Fantasies? Guesses?

Supposedly you can fly in on visa exempt as many times as you like and enter by land visa exempt twice in a calendar year. If you come on a METV and expires you should be eligible to do border bounce via land twice, or by air any number of times.

Many people do this, no issues. On occasion some poor schmuck will have an issue. In those circumstance you simple try again or go to a different border.

To avoid having issues I recommend travel with the 3 proofs and be very polite to the Immigration Officer, it's really their decision regardless of what paperwork you have.

I have been doing tourist visa for years. Once I got a wife and a marriage visa but find it easier to do tourist visas.

If you are travelling regularly every 60 to 90 days and spending a couple of weeks out of the country each time, you will likely be fine with tourist visas.

I got married to a sweet Thai lady. I don't know if it was marriage or just me but as soon as the ink was dry she turned into something quite different. In the end, we went our own ways. We keep in touch and send her an allowance, I guess my regret is what a twat she became, which is probably my fault.

Hide your assets, don't be cheap with her, offer her fair alimony, keep your junk in your pants, treat her family with love generosity response, then the prenup wont much matter.

Good advice I sometimes fail to follow--- ALWAYS RENT!!!

I don't think I would risk it, 1.5 hour isn't very much time and you may have a lot riding on it.

I theory it's possible. In practice I don't recommend it. I find my opinions on such matters often differ from Thai people. My wife (and many other Thai people) have a general attitude - que sara (or it will work itself out... no reason to stress). I however, stress about stuff like this.

I go to great lengths to avoid the immigration office in Pattaya. A lot of condos will do the minor immigration tasks for you (90 day check-in, initial address report), for a small fee.

TSA - flags you through.. Nothing special.

Thai Immigration isn't much of anything either. I always recommend traveling with emergency money ($600+), your visa if you have one, documentation about where you will stay. If you got an evisa you should print it out and bring it with you. If you have return flight in 2 weeks immigration will not likely hassle you.

This is truly one of those deals where it depends on the immigration office. Pattaya is crooked so...

From what I understand you'll need to keep the money in the bank 6 months out of the year.

You can pull your marriage visa from the US and then you don't need to have the cash in the bank (this matter because of the time the money is seeded).

I choose not to get the one year extension for various reasons so I am not 100% sure.. But I think it goes like: you get a marriage visa. 60 days later you apply for the 1-year extension. 1 month later they approve it. but wait there is more.....

You will need to have the money in the bank 3 months before applying for your next extension and you will need to keep it there for 3 months after....

As I said I choose not to get the 1 year extension. I found it easier to get tourist visa and wait until I am 50 to get my retirement visa (6 months from now)..

If you are actually living with your wife (not my case), and you've had regular deposits from a foreign bank (this part is important) than getting a marriage visa is a minor pain in the ass. Most people I have talked to choose to get the retirement visa over the marriage visa. But I have heard others say its a simple process. I have found nothing about immigration simple.

@Ken ******

- I dont think the multiple entry marriage visa is a available any more. But I did get a single entry about 6 months ago.