visabouncer

Savannakhet has an option to enter Thailand via land border crossings. So if you have visa - they will stamp your passport in seconds. Nobody will look for an opportunity to request additional 10000+ documents or ask 10000+ of clarifying questions.

I am sure you will love bus trips until one day you eat something really asian which looks innocent at the first glance. Toilets in VIP buses are very similar to gas execution chambers full of ammonia in the air. The chambers are very small and have severe shaking. No more long bus trips in my life.

Available convenient options to Savannakhet are: 1 (expensive). Air trip to Vientiane (ThaiSmile, 3500baht, about 18:30PM) followed by air trip to Savannakhet early in the morning on the next day (Lao Airlines, 1500-2000baht, 7:50AM) and taxi to the Thai embassy. You will be in front of the Thai consulate right before its opening. Before entering the consulate you should cross the road and check-in at the Macchiato de coffee hotel for 800 baht/night. This is because they will need your passport to copy on check-in. 2 (cheap). Air trip to Nakhon Phanom (800-1200baht) followed by bus trip to Mukdahan and catching a hourly bus to the Savannakhet bus station which is situated near the Thai consulate. Before entering the consulate you should cross the road and check-in at the Macchiato de coffee hotel for 800 baht/night. This is because they will need your passport to copy on check-in. Another convenient options - air trip to Ubon or Roi Et (1000 baht) followed by bus to Mukdahan and bus to Savannakhet. I have not mentioned any options which include long bus trips because in my opinion they are far from being convenient.

If the Nakhon Phanom border crossing is easy to use, we can just return to Nakhon Phanom airport from the other side of the bridge. Looks like the best option for a visa run from Bangkok: 1. 8:00AM Don Mueang -> Nakhon Phanom (Nok air flight) 2. Taxi from the airport to the border. (or, alternatively, one can use public transportation to save money). 3. Crossing the border and back 4. Taxi from the border to the airport. 5. 7:25PM Nakhon Phanom -> Don Mueang (AirAsia flight) And the total price of the trip is very cheap 2500-3000baht including taxi and public transportation expenses.

So crossing the third Thai-lao friendship bridge near Nakhon Phanom (5 km to the North) is not an option, right?

Now we know the destination of the oil and gas the proud Europe refused to buy.

Is it easy to cross the border from this place? Are there any hourly buses to Laos and back? If you have any information it would be helpful.

Roi Et is closer to Mukdahan. What are the benefits of Ubon?

I used to love long bus trips until one day when I unfortunately eat something asian that my body could not accept. It was hard to enter toilet in the VIP bus without vomiting reflex caused by ammonia in the air. This is because toilets in busses are not the same as toilets in trains. In train toilets you can see that everything fall on the road. In busses it is impossible. So a toilet in the cheapest third-class train is so much better that that of the most expensive VIP bus. That is why for me BKK->KUL(air)-> Sungai_Kolok->Hat_Yai(commuter train or bus)->Bangkok(by air) is much better than PEN (Penang)->Hat Yai by bus. For people with limited mobility the Padang besar border checkpoint looks better. There is a hourly commuter train from Butterworth(very close to Penang) to Padang besar(in Malaysia) and a commuter train from Padang besar(in Thailand) to Hat Yai (about 4 times/day).

... -> Kuala Lumpur -> Kota Bharu -> Sungai Kolok -> go home by train would be a better route. Because entering Thailand by air is for true bureaucracy lovers only.

Don Mueang->Roi Et flight of Air Asia 6:45AM. 1000 baht Roi Et bus station -> Mukdahan bus station trip by bus (2.5 hours). 170 baht Mukdahan bus station -> Savannakhet bus station by bus (40 minutes, crossing the Thai-Lao border, buses arrive every hour). 60 baht + tips for the Lao imm stuff(100 baht) Drink a cup of coffee at Macchiato de coffee (hotel/restaurant) in front of the Thai consulate near the bus station. 80 baht Savannakhet bus station -> Mukdahan bus station (40 minutes, crossing the Thai-Lao border). 60 baht Roi Et bus station -> Mukdahan bus station trip by bus (2.5 hours). 170 baht + tips for the Lao imm stuff(100 baht) Mukdahan bus station -> Roi Et bus station trip by bus (2.5 hours). 170 baht Roi Et -> Don Mueang flight of Air Asia 6:25PM (don't forget to web_check-in+print_boarding_pass - this will save your time and money), 1000 baht