Thailand

Choose the best Thailand base for travel, remote work, expat life, or business with visa clarity, cost reality, and local operating playbooks.

Setup

If ~/thailand/ does not exist or is empty, read setup.md and begin naturally.

When to Use

User asks about Thailand for travel, relocation, remote work, education, retirement, or business setup. Agent gives practical, current, region-level guidance with legal and cultural context.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/thailand/. See memory-template.md for structure.

~/thailand/
└── memory.md     # Trip or relocation context

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Visitors
Must-see routes and what to skip	visitor-attractions.md
Itineraries (7, 14, 21 days)	visitor-itineraries.md
Where to stay by travel profile	visitor-lodging.md
Practical tips and local friction points	visitor-tips.md
Regions and Bases
Nationwide region comparison	regions-index.md
Bangkok strategy	regions-bangkok.md
Chiang Mai and the north	regions-chiang-mai.md
Phuket and the Andaman coast	regions-phuket.md
Gulf islands and secondary bases	regions-islands.md
Isan and deep north routes	regions-north.md
Decision framework by budget and goals	regions-choosing.md
Food
Thai food landscape	food-overview.md
Street food playbook	food-street.md
Core Thai dishes and regional styles	food-thai.md
International dining and premium options	food-international.md
Best areas by city and style	food-areas.md
Dietary and food safety constraints	food-practical.md
Practical
Moving and settling	resident.md
Flights, rail, ferries, urban transit	transport.md
Cost of living and budgeting	cost.md
Safety and legal risk	safety.md
Seasons, weather, and air quality	climate.md
SIM, banking, apps, admin	local.md
Career and Long Stays
Visa strategy and compliance checkpoints	visas.md
Digital nomad and remote-work reality	nomad.md
Teaching English pathways	teaching.md
Tech ecosystem and hiring market	tech.md
Business setup and tax posture	business.md
Lifestyle
Culture, etiquette, and norms	culture.md
Healthcare and insurance planning	healthcare.md
Nightlife by city and island	nightlife.md
Expat and local lifestyle fit	lifestyle.md
Thai language and communication basics	language.md
System files
Setup flow and activation defaults	setup.md
Memory schema and update rules	memory-template.md
Research source pack	sources.md

Core Rules

1. Identify User Intent Before Giving Places

• Separate user intent into trip, relocation, remote work, retirement, education, or business.
• Match recommendations to timeline and risk tolerance first, then suggest regions.

2. Thailand Is Multiple Distinct Markets

Thailand is not one homogeneous destination:

• Bangkok is high-opportunity, high-friction, and transit-heavy.
• Chiang Mai is lower cost and easier pace, but weaker salary density.
• Phuket and islands are lifestyle-heavy with seasonal pricing spikes.
• Isan and secondary provinces deliver lower costs but fewer English-friendly services. Use region files before answering housing, work, or schooling questions.

3. Visa and Entry Rules Drive Feasibility

• Entry pathways, extensions, and reporting obligations change frequently.
• TDAC, eVisa, and visa class details must be checked before a user books flights or signs long leases.
• Use visas.md first for any plan beyond a short holiday.

4. Current Data Snapshot (March 2026)

Item	Typical Range
1BR Bangkok central	THB 18,000-45,000 per month
1BR Chiang Mai central	THB 10,000-25,000 per month
1BR Phuket main zones	THB 20,000-60,000 per month
Street food meal	THB 50-120
Mid-range dinner for two	THB 700-1,800
Domestic flight sale fare	THB 900-2,500 one-way
Intercity rail 2nd class	THB 300-1,200 route-dependent

5. Seasonality Is Operational, Not Cosmetic

• Hot season and humid heat change daytime productivity.
• Rainy season can disrupt ferries, roads, and island logistics.
• Burning season in the north can make air quality a primary constraint. Use climate.md and safety.md when user plans dates.

6. Cost in Thailand Is Two-Speed

• Local food and simple housing can be low-cost.
• Imported goods, premium areas, and international schools escalate budgets quickly.
• Family budgets are usually dominated by housing, schooling, and healthcare quality tier. Use cost.md and region files before saying "Thailand is cheap."

7. Mobility Strategy Changes Outcomes

• Bangkok rewards BTS/MRT proximity.
• Islands require weather-aware ferry and flight buffers.
• Remote northern routes often need car or motorbike confidence. Use transport.md and avoid one-size-fits-all transport advice.

8. Cultural Respect Is Practical Risk Management

• Temple etiquette, dress, and behavior norms materially affect user experience.
• Monarchy-related speech and online behavior are legal-risk topics.
• Nightlife and cannabis/alcohol assumptions vary by zone and enforcement context. Use culture.md and safety.md for high-risk behavior guidance.

9. Source-Critical Guidance

• Prefer official Thai or embassy sources for entry, visa, and legal constraints.
• Present prices as ranges with date context.
• Tell users what to re-check before spending money on flights, schools, leases, or company setup. Use sources.md for primary references.

Thailand-Specific Traps

• Treating Thailand as one market and choosing the wrong base for the goal.
• Booking tight island transfers in monsoon windows with no buffer day.
• Assuming visa rules are static across years and nationalities.
• Signing annual rentals before testing commute, flood exposure, and neighborhood noise.
• Underestimating burning season exposure in north Thailand.
• Overcommitting to scooters without licensing and insurance readiness.
• Assuming premium private hospitals exist at equal quality in every province.
• Running business activity on tourist status without legal setup.
• Using exact budget claims with no variance for high season.
• Ignoring local holiday and festival effects on transport and prices.

Legal Awareness

• Monarchy-related legal risk is serious; advise strict caution in speech and social posting.
• Drug and controlled-substance law exposure can be severe; rules have changed and must be re-checked.
• Visa overstay, unauthorized work, and incomplete immigration reporting create legal and travel risks.
• Road incidents are a major risk area; licensing and insurance compliance matter.
• Business and employment activities require the correct legal entity and permit posture.

See visas.md, safety.md, and business.md for details.

Security & Privacy

Data that stays local: Preferences and planning context in ~/thailand/.

This skill does NOT: Access files outside ~/thailand/ or make undeclared network requests.

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• travel - General trip planning and itinerary structure
• expat - Relocation planning and adaptation workflows
• food - Deeper dining strategy and cuisine personalization
• startup - Founder operations and execution systems
• dubai - Another international relocation and city strategy benchmark

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star thailand
• Stay updated: clawhub sync