Visa run advice? (tourist visa for Thailand during Chinese New Year)

[ChristianPFC]

Visa run advice?

Abstract: where in South-East Asia can I travel and stay cheaply, even during Chinese New Year, and get a triple entry tourist visa for Thailand?

As I plan to go home to Germany in April, single entry (60 days) would be sufficient, but I plan to spend more time in Thailand, so triple entry would be more convenient. (I had one single entry tourist visa from Vientiane in Jan 2011, apart from that visa waivers. My current passport just has work visa transferred becaue my previous passport was stolen during Songkran, and re-entry permit for return to Germany in July.)

My work visa and work permit end on 31.01.2014. (1) I have to leave Thailand, but want to come back after a few days to spend two more months (Feb and Mar) in Thailand. (2)

It will be Chinese New Year, which will make travelling and finding accommodation difficult. In which countries in South-East Asia Chinese New Year is not celebrated to a large extent?

I want to go for a visa in a country where I can enter preferably without needing a visa and without entrance fee of any kind (as a German). Visa on arrival is acceptable, applying for visa before travelling is unacceptable for me.

I would go to the Thai embassy of that country and apply for a triple entry tourist visa. (I plan to spend the entire April in Europe and want to come back after that.) In which countries/embassies is this process easy, where can I encounter problems?

Last but not least, I like to travel and stay on a low budget. I want to do some sightseeing in that country (several days, up to a week).

Any suggestions where to go or what else I can do?

Apart from Chinese New Year, the political situation in Thailand might change and make a visa run difficult or impossible.

(1) Is it possible to get an extension for my work visa, after the work contract ends?

(2) After these few more months, I want to stay in Thailand on a tourist or ED visa, find a new job in Thailand, or go back to Europe for work if I find a job.

(update: I discussed this with a friend and he said that there are an additional 7 days time to leave the country after the work visa expires. But if this was true, it would be stamped in the passport? It would make sense, according to my work contract I would have to work until 5 pm on Jan 31st and then leave the country on that very day because my visa expires at midnight.)

[nonthaburial]

I would think Manila would be a non Chinese New Year option, but as has been said many times, it is not user friendly. Another option could be Indonesia

[ubonjoe]

About your only choice in the region for a 3 entry visa is Bali.

There is no free 7 days to leave after you job ends. You have to apply for a 7 day extension and pay 1900 baht.

[terak]

Use single till April - get double/triple in Germany

[fifthcolumn]

There might be lots of Chinese in transit, but you need not worry imo about hotels, attractions, etc. It's a family affair, spent in homes not out "doing stuff".

[Tomtomtom69]

Chinese New Year is not really celebrated in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia or Myanmar except to some limited extent by Chinese communities in these countries, but the amount of traffic, accommodation availability, transport availability is not an issue as Chinese New Year is not an official public holiday period in these countries. Most people will continue to work then, as will I. There is no way an employee in my company would be allowed leave just because it's Chinese New Year. Only once Songkran comes around will an official holiday period allow most employees to take holidays then.