Where to go in 8月

Thai holidays in August and what they do to fares

H.M. Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother's Birthday Anniversary and National Mother's Day falls on Thursday 12 August 2027, per the Bank of Thailand. With Friday 13 August as leave it is a four-day weekend, and Bangkok to Japan, Korea and Taiwan flights fill on the Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

The Mother's Day weekend collides with Japan's Obon, the mid-August period when much of Japan travels home. Obon is not a national holiday, but trains, highways and rooms are busy, so the long weekend is better spent in Taiwan, Korea or a Southeast Asian city than in Japan.

Visa notes for Thai passport holders in August

These are the entry rules for the places this page recommends. Rules change, so confirm on the official page before you pay for flights.

• South Korea: short visits are visa-free, but Thai passport holders must hold an approved K-ETA before boarding unless an exemption is announced. Apply only on the official site: https://www.k-eta.go.kr
• ASEAN neighbours such as Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore admit Thai passport holders visa-free for short tourist stays; the permitted length differs by country, so check before a long trip, for example https://www.ica.gov.sg/enter-transit-depart/entering-singapore/visa_requirements or https://evisa.gov.vn.
• Schengen countries (most of the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Switzerland): Thai passport holders need a Schengen visa, and since the Entry/Exit System started, fingerprints and a face photo are taken at the first border crossing. https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en
• Canada: Thai passport holders need a visitor visa; apply only through the Government of Canada's immigration site (canada.ca) and allow several weeks.
• Anywhere else on this page: check the country's embassy in Bangkok or its official e-visa portal, starting from the Thai Department of Consular Affairs. https://consular.mfa.go.th

Weather and crowds at a glance in August

When to book for August

• Book the Mother's Day weekend two to three months ahead for Asian routes. Avoid planning a tight Japan connection that week; Obon traffic makes trains and roads slow.
• Typhoons can cancel East Asian flights at a day's notice in August. Buy fares that can be changed, add a buffer day before any long-haul connection, and keep the airline app installed so rebooking messages reach you.
• Buy and install the eSIM at home in the days before departure; most plans in our catalogue only start counting days on first connection at the destination, which the plan page states.

Data needs in August

Storm days are when data matters most: the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Korea Meteorological Administration publish typhoon tracks, and airlines push rebooking options to their apps. Keep enough allowance for a stranded day of video calls and rebooking. For a Bali or Jeju beach week, 1 GB a day is usually enough; Kyrgyz and Botswana camps need offline preparation more than a bigger plan.

韓国のeSIMプランを見る

インドネシアのeSIMプランを見る