5-year Thai Visa/budget Airline Luggage Bundles/states With The Most Travelers

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.

The Thailand Remote Work Visa Actually Works

I’ve been hesitant to post anything about the 5-year Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) because I couldn’t find a way to apply on any official site and hadn’t seen anyone talk about actually getting one. I’m happy to say both have changed, with simple application info in English here and a report from an employee of SafetyWing who actually got through the process and is all set. This is a big deal if it holds because it’s a 5-year multi-entry visa that only requires showing income proof of around $15K per year. No fat local bank deposit like the retiree visa requires.

Flying to the USA With a Dog

New rules from the CDC went into effect August 1 for anyone flying to the USA with a dog. It’s all about rabies, meaning you need to fill out a form if coming from a low-risk country, but more than that for the others: “All pets must be at least 6 months old, appear healthy upon arrival to the United States and have a microchip inserted before they are given a rabies vaccine.” See the details here.

Buying the Bundle With Budget Airlines

I got some notes back from readers last week about luggage charges when I wrote about the pros and cons of the Volaris Annual Pass. One trick that I thought was more known and is apparently not is that to get the lowest fees on luggage, you need to commit when you book your ticket. The best deal is going to be when the airline presents a bundle upgrade option, which Volaris, Viva Aerobus, Ryanair, and the budget Thai airlines do routinely. In the case of Volaris, an international ticket only will be one price, adding a carry-on will be $20 more, and a bundle with priority boarding, a checked bag and a carry-on will be $60 more (great if there are two of you and just one can pay for luggage). Last year I took the bundle offer on RyanAir and got a checked bag and a set assignment for around 30 euros each on two different flights.

States With the Most Travelers

The feeling that your friends and neighbors are all traveling overseas this year will be impacted a lot by where you live, according to this study of travel frequency for Americans. “Residents of New York and New Jersey travel overseas at roughly twice the national frequency. In 2023, New Yorkers made a total of 5.9 million trips to overseas destinations (301 per 1,000 residents), while New Jerseyans completed 2.7 million trips (291 per 1,000 residents). Other top states include Florida, Connecticut, and Virginia. The three states with the lowest rates of overseas travel are Mississippi, Arkansas, and Idaho, at about one-third the national average or lower. Which city is tops for traveling residents? Multi-cultural Miami takes the prize.