Hi all.....

We are travelling to Thailand at the end of March and want to visit Laos to go tubing, we dont want to fly but hopefully get an overnight train to Laos... is this possible? Do we need to get a visa in the UK before we travel? What entry point should we take to Laos and where should we leave from in Thailand.... all travel guides are pretty vague... please help!!!

Some information Here

This is actually a pretty simple trip as far as SE Asia goes . .

Take the overnight train from BKK north to Nong Khai, Thailand . . you pass through Thai immigration and then board a short train that takes you across the Mekong and into Laos, about a 20 minute trip and as I recall costs only about 20 Bt . . you then fill out the forms for Laos and pay them $35 USD for your 30 day tourist visa . . no need to do anything prior to going up to Laos in terms of visa . . you will then need to hire transport in Vientiane, Laos but not to worry, you will be approached by folks with vans, trucks, etc . . don't be afraid to negotiate this and should end up costing maybe 300 Bt . . that's total for the vehicle . . buddy up with others and reduce your costs . . takes about 30 minutes to get into Vientiane

Your guest house there will be able to get you forward to wherever you might want to go for tubing via bus or minivan . . I don't recall the costs of that . . Vang Vieng is popular and is about 4 hours away

My guesthouse of choice in Vientiane is Mixay Paradise . . clean, central location, modest price ($10/15 USD)

Correct. Don't forget a passport photo for the visa application to Laos.