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Thai Baht: How to Get the Best Exchange Rate

April 17, 2018 by Karsten Aichholz

Thai Baht: How to Get the Best Exchange Rate

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in September of 2017 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Moments after you step off the plane, you’ll notice the first exchange booths in Thailand. Should you go find an ATM? Exchange money at the airport? Or maybe check into your hotel first […]

Filed Under: Money Tagged With: atms, bangkok bank, currency exchange, Digital Nomad, entrepreneur, expat, family, investor, jag exchange, k79 exchange, kasikorn bank, moneytis, mt exchange, retiree, sia exchange, siam commercial bank, student, super rich, thai baht, tourist, traveler checks, twelve victory exchange, vasu exchange

The Ultimate Travel Guide to Chiang Mai

March 6, 2018 by Kelly Dunning

The Ultimate Travel Guide to Chiang Mai

  Known as the spiritual capital, the Northern city of Chiang Mai is one of the most popular destinations for travelers to Thailand. It is the main base for exploring the North of Thailand, It has a laid back vibe, a fantastic cost of living and a huge variety in things to see and do. […]

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: chiang mai, chiang mai holiday, chiang mai travel guide, chiang mai vacation, tourist

The Best Travel Hacks to Find Cheap Flights to Bangkok

February 6, 2018 by Kelly Dunning

The Best Travel Hacks to Find Cheap Flights to Bangkok

Planning to fly to Bangkok? The gateway to traveling Southeast Asia, Bangkok offers mouthwatering street food, rich culture, non-stop nightlife, top-notch spas, world-class fine dining, intriguing local galleries, and much more—all for a very affordable price. So, how can you find the cheapest possible flight to Bangkok so that you have more money left over […]

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: cheap flights to bangkok, flights to bangkok, tourist

Bangkok Muay Thai Gyms: Costs, Reviews, and Locations

January 30, 2018 by Matt Lucas

Bangkok Muay Thai Gyms: Costs, Reviews, and Locations

I first came to Thailand to train Muay Thai in 2007. The landscape of the sport was different. The internet hadn’t yet entrenched itself into the sport. And finding gyms, developing connections, and understanding the who’s, what’s, why’s, and how’s were so much more difficult. I decided to come to the country because I’d never […]

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: bangkok gyms, bangkok muay thai, muay thai, muay thai bangkok, tourist

Thailand Airport Transfers: Costs, Services, Locations, and More!

January 4, 2018 by Richard McCully

Thailand Airport Transfers: Costs, Services, Locations, and More!

When arriving in Thailand, you may find yourself in need of an airport transfer, either to another location in Thailand or to a nearby country. Thailand airports have a myriad of options, such as private cars, taxis, tuk-tuks, and even helicopters. Knowing which choice is right for will help you transfer from your arriving airport […]

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: chiang mai airport, chiang rai airport, hat yai airport, krabi airport, phuket airport, samui airport, surat thani airport, thailand airport transfers, thailand airports, tourist

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What Karsten Uses…

I receive a lot of e-mails asking me to provide helpful recommendations for products, services and companies. I can't answer all of them individually, so I've put together a list of the most important ones below.

Everything You Need to Know: It's really easy to overpay, miss out, and make other mistakes when moving to Thailand. To help you avoid that, I put everything I wish I knew when I first moved here in the Thailand Starter Kit. Unlike the 'public' articles on the site, it's not just facts and how-tos, but also cool hacks that give you an advantage over others trying to do the same thing.

Quotes: In case you're just looking to get a quote for moving your belongings, you can use this form.

Agent: Need someone to help you find a place? I've met a ton of real estate agents in Bangkok over the years, and most haven't really lived up to my expectations. In case you want to avoid that trial-and-error experience yourself, you can use this form to let me help you get in touch with an agent who receives consistently great feedback.

I use the French insurance company ACS. They pay with no deductible for all in-patient and out-patient treatments I receive. With a cover limit of $500,000 USD their 'Silver Plan' is one of the few Asia plans with sufficient coverage in in my opinion. Read about the claims I filed with them in my health insurance article.

Sending Money
I regularly send to Thailand through Xendpay. The fees are among the lowest, saving me about THB 1,500 on a THB 30,000 transfer. My team did a detailed review of their service.

Credit Cards
For local payments I use a Citibank Royal Orchid Plus Credit Card. This Thai credit card makes life a lot easier, saves a lot of fees and earns me 1 mile with Thai Airways for every THB 20 I spend (plus twice a year free lounge access).

Flights
While I use Google Flights for initial research, I usually end up booking flight tickets through Expedia. This ist mostly due to them having lots of special promotions in the Thai market: My last round-trip to Germany was only USD 480 (incl. fees).

Hotels
Obviously I don't need a hotel in Bangkok, but when family or friends are staying in town temporarily, I usually recommend Airbnb.

Accounting: My accountant used to work for the revenue department. She handles all accounting, tax, payroll and social security issues for my companies. You can contact her here.

Legal: Finding an ethical, professional and affordable lawyer is super hard. Here's one I found that meets all three criteria.

A lot of factors helped my companies succeed in Thailand. The two factors I get asked about most often are:

Investment Promotions: I received board of investment (BOI) promotions for a software and an e-commerce company. I didn't find any service providers to handle that, so I just did it myself. Feel free to get in touch with questions.

Digital & Content Marketing: My current and prior companies did exceptionally well thanks to an excellent digital marketing team that I had build up. My former marketing manager now went ahead and started an agency to provide that service to other companies. You can get in touch with her here.

Need help with something else for your business? Feel free to get in touch.

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Disclaimer

This is a for-profit website that includes links to partner companies. I receive a financial compensation from people clicking on them. This happens at no cost to you and helps me cover some of the expenses of running this website.

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