If you are well prepared and organized,
Thailand’s Test & Go Program is a great way to get traveling again. All of the details, coming up.
And we are back in Singapore’s Changi Airport. If you’d like to see the first part of this trip
report which started in New York, make sure to click the pop out banner above. Also, if you’re
just interested in the Test & Go Procedures, feel free to skip to the time noted below.
Landing from Frankfurt on a non-VTL flight, honestly I did not know what to expect during
my three hours of transit in late November. I was very pleasantly surprised to be let free in the
airport. Compared to my last transit experience being held in a sterile area for six hours, today
was going to be a treat. Not being prepared for this new found freedom, I started checking out my
lounge options. In the craziness that was the last few days I had in New York, I completely missed
the fact that the brand new SilverKris lounge had just opened a few days earlier- so off we went!
I know a lot of people say this about everything these days, but the lounge truly did have a
“new” smell to it. Probably from copious amounts of newly uncovered vinyl surfaces, I suppose. The
lounge is large and spread out into what I’m going to say are five distinct areas.
When you walk in directly to your left are all of the food and drink areas.
Spanning almost the full length of the lounge, you’ll first see the full bar,
followed by a grab and go food station, then the a la carte food station and finally another
small drinks area. Then working from back to front you have working space, dining areas,
the shower suites and then the nicest part in my opinion, the open air lounging area. QR codes are
set up in the dining and working areas to scan and order food- the lounging area is meant to
be more just for snacks, but they’ll also gladly serve food there if you ask. Note, when I passed
through Changi a month later this lounge was absolutely packed. On a temporary basis, this
lounge is working triple duty until the KrisFlyer and First Class lounges are opened in 2022.
Soon enough it was time to make our way to gate A14. Our flight SQ708 had service to
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport on a long haul configured A350 and boarding soon started.
If you’re interested in checking out my opinion about the best seats to select on an A350,
check out my earlier video above.
Taxiing was quick today and soon enough we were lining up for a departure on Runway 02L,
taking off to the north- in anticipation of the A350’s super quiet spool up.
Our route took us up to a cruising altitude of
43,000 feet as we flew over the state of Johor in mainland Malaysia.
This short hour and forty nine minute hop today
included breakfast and I preordered Nasi Lemak from SQ’s Book the Cook service.
The presentation was a bit ragged, but the flavors were good as always.
Our approach into Bangkok would be via what I’ve begun calling the Pattaya shuffle.
Pattaya which you can see in the distance right about here.
Suvarnabhumi
is one of my favorite approaches as you’re almost certain to always pass
over the beautiful rice fields and salt paddies that you see reflecting the sunshine below.
A few moments later we were on final for Runway 01L
which gave us a beautiful but smoggy view of Bangkok way off in the distance.
A short taxi later we were at our gate- and this is where all of the fun begins.
And now, you should be getting ready to run- or at
least walk at a brisk pace to avoid a very very long line.
Everything looks pretty normal until you see the rows of chairs which extend
for literally hundreds of meters.
Once you make it to the front of the line, take a seat. First a CDC staff
will ask you to show your boarding pass, passport and Thailand Pass QR Code. Once you have it ready
you can join the line for the CDC control. There, they’ll scan and validate your QR code
after which you can proceed to immigration as normal when you will then be let free
into the very empty but organized baggage claim area. After collecting your bags,
you’re going to proceed to Exit C and look for your hotel representative.
It was a bit chaotic but overall pretty quick. We
touched down at 10:50 and I was in my prearranged hotel transfer at 11:32.
Now, I’m going to break down this whole Test & Go Process as best as I can. Keep in mind,
absolutely everything is subject to and likely to change. All of the documents I’ll show are samples
of the real thing, with the red colored text covering personal details. First things first, you
need to see if Test & Go is the right program for you. While it’s a great alternative to the Sandbox
program, you need to qualify for it. I’ll show you how to check your eligibility in a moment.
The primary thing you need to do for Test & Go is apply for your Thailand Pass.
The pass will contain a QR code, a Thailand Pass ID and a statement of quarantine
exemption. To check your eligibility and apply, visit tp.consular.go.th.
When applying, you are gonna need a few things.
First off, your passport and visa if that's necessary for your nationality.
Next is a vaccination certificate, preferably with a QR code, Thai travel health insurance
that covers COVID care and finally a comprehensive prepaid one night hotel stay.
Let’s go step by step. Your passport is an easy one and you need to check if you
require a visa to enter the Kingdom. For your Vaccination certificate, I have read
that the approval process will be faster if you have a QR code verifiable certificate-
and make sure it contains the date and Lot details of your doses.
For Americans not vaccinated in California or New York, there are some services which you can
pay an annual fee for to provide a QR code. A quick google search will help you find them.
For your hotel reservation, it must be at an SHA+ approved hotel. Surely their confirmation will
include all of the info you need, but be sure to double check it states that it’s prepaid,
includes at least one night of accommodation, an airport transfer, an RT-PCR test on arrival
and an Antigen test for you to test yourself on day 5 or 6.
Lastly, you need COVID coverage health insurance valid in Thailand. To my knowledge, you can use
any company you’d like, but the government website recommends AXA so that’s where I
went. Make sure the document states that you are covered for COVID and states the policy value.
A few days later you should receive your Thailand Pass. If you want to double check the QR code,
you can scan it and it will show a website that looks like this.
And now the final step, checking in at the airport for your flight that will bring you
to Thailand. When I checked in at JFK Airport in New York, every single one
of these documents was checked meticulously. You’ll need your passport and possibly visa,
your Thailand Pass QR code, your vaccination certificate,
your Thai health insurance, your prepaid hotel booking and finally, your flight that you will
be departing from Thailand on. Once you get to your hotel in Thailand, you’ll have your test
and will be quarantined just until the results come the next morning. After that- you are free
to explore Thailand in anyway you’d like. I truly hope this video was of value and I thank you for
liking and subscribing to the channel and I’ll see you in a few days with another travel review.