I'm heading to Chiang Mai next month and I want to know what the best way to get an extended tourist Visa is.

I am an Australian citizen flying out from Australia.

Ideally I want to be able to get a double entry so I have the option to stay for up to 180 days (I want to stay as long as possible).

I tried talking to the people at flight centre who weren't much help, if I were to do it through them and get a single entry, 30 - 60 day tourist Visa I need to provide a cover letter with a reason for my extended stay and an extended holiday was not an appropriate reason.

Where is the best resource for info on this?

And where is the best place to actually get the Visa? Can I do it online?

If I get a single entry Visa for up to 60 days, is it very likely that I will be able to successfully apply for an extension and a double entry to stay for the 180 days while I'm over there?

Thanks for any advice.

You should apply for a 2 or 3 entry tourist visa before leaving Australia. There are several locations where you can get them. See this: http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/consulate.html

Each entry gives you 60 days that can be extended for 30 days at immigration.

You should apply for the visa as close as possible to your departure date because it's validity starts from the date of issue. The visa validity for single entry is 90 days. A 2 or 3 entry visa should have 6 months validity. But there are some locations that only issue 2 entry visas with 90 days validity meaning you would need to do the 2nd entry 90 days from date of issue.

Thank you.

Am I able to get the Visa purely for tourism reasons? Let's say if I say "I'm an Aussie backpacker who wants to travel around for as long as possible", will this be an issue?

Also I need to have the Visa before I book flights right? If that's the case it's going to be hard getting the Visa close to the departure date and having to book flights right after.

It is a tourist visa. You can travel around as much as you want.

You don't need the visa to book your flights.

This is what a Tourist Visa is for. To visit as a Tourist.

A Tourist visa allows "travelling around" as a backpacker for as long as the visa remains valid.

Read post number two again !

Thanks for the info guys, for some reason the girls at the flight place made it seem like I needed a legitimate reason to apply for an extended reason (such as visiting a family member, attending a meditation retreat etc).

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Thanks for the info guys, for some reason the girls at the flight place made it seem like I needed a legitimate reason to apply for an extended reason (such as visiting a family member, attending a meditation retreat etc).

You will be applying for no "extended" reason . You will be applying for a two (if lucky three) entry tourist visa which is for tourism !

See post number 2.

Thanks for the info guys, for some reason the girls at the flight place made it seem like I needed a legitimate reason to apply for an extended reason (such as visiting a family member, attending a meditation retreat etc).

That would be to get a non immigrant visa which you in no way would qualify for.

All you need is a tourist visa, Just contact one of the honorary consulates (not Sydney it is an official consulate) listed on the webpage I posted a link to earlier.