If you are an animal lover, and you can’t be separated from your pets – then your ideal vacation would be with your pets. In our previous article, we talked about the process of bringing pets into Thailand. Now, we will be focusing on the process of traveling with pets in Thailand once your pets have arrived there.
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Traveling with pets in Thailand
Domestic travel within Thailand are mostly done via air and land transport.
Are domestic flights pet friendly?
At the time of our research, Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways and Nok Air provide pet flight service. While you would generally hear about “Pet in Cabin” and “Pets as Checked Baggage”, most airlines in Thailand now only offer Pets as Checked Baggage service. This means you have to check-in your pets to a special area right under the passenger cabin,
In general, Airlines recommend that you get in touch with their service center as there are many limitations including pet breed, container condition, maximum number of pet / flight, and aircraft type.
We have consolidated pet policy pages from the 3 airlines here: Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air
Travel by land options
In our opinion, if you are already in Thailand, the most convenient way to travel with a pet is to drive or hire private transportation. However, keep in mind the travel distance. For example, a drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai would take 6-7 hours, Pattaya or Hua Hin would be more suitable for a road-trip from Bangkok.
If you or your local thai friends already own a car then the process is simple, however if you don’t – there are a few options. First, you can get in touch with a pet relocation specialist. Pet town, for example, also provide pet taxi service on top of their pet relocation service. Another option is to rent a car. There are a vast number of car rental / car with a driver service providers in Thailand. Some of them would also allow pets in exchange for higher fees. AVIS is among the most international (but also very expensive) one which we have tried during our business trip. We did not have a pet with us back then but feel free to get in touch with the company for inquiry.
If you want to go for a cheaper/local alternative, make sure to do your research on provider’s credentials, pricing or go with providers that transparently list out pricing on their website. While we have not personally tried this provider, a desktop research shows that Okay Travel lists out pricing by destination, and also mentions pet transportation as their service.
Train is another land travel options, however Thailand train infrastructure is not well developed like in Europe or Japan/Taiwan. Pets are also restricted to lower fare cabin, which you may find it uncomfortable.
Pet-friendly hotels and resorts in Thailand
Being a tourism destination, Thailand has a large number of hotels and resorts. However not all hotels are pet-friendly, and even fewer have clear pet policies that you can easily check online.
Below are some of the hotels and resorts that have transparent pet policies. However, you are encouraged to still get in touch with these hotels ahead of your booking for full details. Lastly, if you are looking for more alternatives, feel free to check websites like Tripadvisor which has a longer list of pet-friendly accommodation.
Image from Novetel Hua Hin which has a dedicated post about their pet friendliness!
Pet-friendly hotels in Thailand: there are a number of hotels in Bangkok that would allow you to stay with your pet
- Le Meridien Bangkok: 1 pet under 7kg per room
- Capella Hotel: Allow one dog under 10kg
- Kimpton Maa-lai: Flexible and not limiting to stay with common pets like dogs or cats (but no poisonous animal)
- Grand Mercure Bangkok Asoke Residence: Allow 1 dog or cat
- Oakwood Residence: 1 dog or cat per room (under 16 kg)
Pet-friendly resorts in Thailand:
- Anatasila Villa Hua Hin: up to 2 dogs per room
- Rosewood Phuket: Allow up to 1 dog under 10kg per Villa/2-Bedroom
- Hyatt Regency Hua Hin: 1 dog or cat under 10kg per room
- Novotel Huahin: Allow cats and dogs under 10 kg
Pet-friendly condos for rent Thailand
If you are looking to have a longer stay in Thailand then purchasing or long-term rental would be your options.
If you are living outside of Bangkok or in other cities, your best bet would be to check out detached landed property or townhouse since they provide more space for your pets. However, if you are looking to stay in Bangkok, it does get more tricky as majority of condominiums would not allow you to keep pets.
Here are some of the condominiums in Bangkok that are pet friendly:
- M Thonglor, M Phayathai and M Jatujak
- Ashton Sukhumvit and Ashton Morph
- Maru Ladprao and Maru Ekkamai
- Metris Ladprao and Metris Pattanakarn
- MAESTRO Siam-Ratchathewi and MAESTRO Ratchada
- The Monument Thonglor
- Waterford Sukhumvit
For shorter term stay like 1-3 month(s), the easiest way to find accommodation would be to check for Airbnb within condominiums that are officially pet-friendly (like those listed above).
There are many beautiful condominiums in Thailand that would satisfy both pets and their owners. Photo from Maru Ladprao.
So, is it easy traveling with pets in Thailand?
Traveling with pets in Thailand requires a lot of preparation, so maybe it’s not worth it for a weekend get-away. Being on the road for a very long time can be stressful for the pets too.
However, if you and your pets are inseparable or you are planning on a long-trip away from home. There are logistics and accommodation options that would allow you to enjoy holiday with your pets.
Learn more about Thailand via our other posts