Thailand is a spiritual, colorful and peaceful land. Chiang Mai in particular has a special concentration of positive energy from over 300 modern day and ancient Buddhist temples. The people are relaxed and extremely pleasant.

Travelers from Australia, USA and most European countries do not need a visa if staying in Thailand for less than 30 days. If you are planning a longer stay, you should get a 60-day tourist visa from the Thai embassy in your resident country.

You can also extend your visa while in Thailand. Visa extensions cost 1900 baht for 15 -30 days on either 30-day or 60-day visa. Over staying your visa costs 200 baht per day, with a maximum fine of 20,000 baht. You can extend your visa at the Immigration Office in Chiang Mai, open Monday to Friday 8.30am to noon and 1pm to 4.30pm. Please remember to bring one passport photo with you to speed up the process of extending your visa.

For further visa information, USA residents should visit www.thaiembdc.org/index.htm. Residents from other countries should go to www.thaivisa.com.

If you are leaving Thailand from Bangkok Airport ( Don Muang International Airport ), there is a departure tax of 500 baht. However, if you leave overland, there is no departure tax.

Chiang Mai is about 800km north of Bangkok and a 60-minute journey by air. It is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination and its international airport receives 130 flights a week from Bangkok as well as Singapore, China, Taiwan, Myanmar and Laos.

International travelers will most likely fly into Bangkok International Airport and then catch a flight from the next-door Domestic Terminal to Chiang Mai.

Here are some approximate flight times to Bangkok from international destinations:

From Europe : 12 hours direct, 16 hours with a change
From Eastern Australia : 9 hours direct, 12 hours with a change
From West Coast USA : 16 hours direct, 21 hours with a change
From East Coast USA : 22 hours with one change on West Coast USA, 24 hours with a change in Europe.

Because Thailand is one of the fastest growing travel destinations, your travel agent will be able to provide you with many flight options for Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Alternatively, you may like to make your flight bookings online and here are some of the international airlines offering flights to Bangkok :

Thai Airways (also fly to Chiang Mai): www.thaiairways.com
Delta Airlines: www.delta.com
British Airways: www.britishairways.com
United Airlines: www.united.com
Japanese Airlines (JAL): www.jal.co.jp
Singapore Airlines (SIA): www.singaporeair.com

Airlines that fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai:

Thai Airways: www.thaiairways.com
Bangkok Air: www.bangkokair.com
Nok Air: www.nokair.com
Asia Air: www.asiaair.com

Here's a helpful link for more Chiang Mai travel tips: http://www.chiangmaitravel.com

You can check to see the latest exchange rate at www.xe.com. Traveler's cheques are always a safe option, but you get a better exchange rate through your bank by using the ATM machine. There are many ATMs and currency exchange places in Chiang Mai.

Thailand is a very clean and healthy place to visit and no immunization shots are required. However, we recommend that you take precautions to keep your immune system strong. Drink bottled water, wash your hands regularly, eat clean healthy foods and take vitamin supplements if necessary.

Thailand is blessed to have a rainy season between May and November. This doesn't mean there is rain daily for those six months, but rather the chances for rain is much higher. The hot/dry season is March to May so Thai people look forward to cooling off with the coming rain. In Chiang Mai, the mornings and evenings can be cool during the months of December to February. If you're visiting during these months, we advise bringing a sweater or two.