Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tickets
Buying direct from the airline is usually more expensive, unless the airline has a special promotion or you
are flying with a budget carrier offering online deals. As a rule, it is better to book as early as possible, as
prices only get higher as the seats fill up.
The time of year has a major impact on flight prices. Starting out from Europe, North America or Aus-
tralia, figure on prices rising dramatically over Christmas and during July and August, and dropping signi-
ficantly during lax periods of business like February, June and October.
Cheapflights
(
www.cheapflights.com
) No-frills website with a number of destinations.
Lonely Planet
(
www.lonelyplanet.com
)
Use the Trip Planner service to book multi-stop trips.
Lowest Fare
(
www.lowestfare.com
) They promise…'the lowest fares'.
STA Travel
(
www.statravel.com
) Leading student-travel agency with cheap fares, plus separate websites for
the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Land
Border Crossings
During the bad old days of communism and the Cold War, pretty much none of the land borders were open
to foreigners. Times have changed and there are now more than a dozen border crossings connecting Cam-
bodia with its neighbours.
Cambodia shares one border crossing with Laos, six crossings with Thailand and eight with Vietnam.
Cambodian visas are now available at all the land crossings with Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Neighbouring
visas are available on arrival in Laos and Thailand but are not available on arrival in Vietnam. Most borders
are open during the core hours of 7am to 5pm. However, some of the most popular crossings are open later
in the evening and other more remote crossings close for lunch.
There are few legal money-changing facilities at some of the more remote border crossings, so be sure to
have some small-denomination US dollars handy.
Tourist visas are available at all crossings for US$20, but Cambodian immigration officers at the land bor-
der crossings, especially with Thailand, have a reputation for petty extortion. Travellers are occasionally
asked for a small 'immigration fee' of some kind or some sort of bogus health certificate costing US$1.
More serious scams include overcharging for visas by demanding payment in Thai baht (anywhere between
1000B and 1200B instead of 600B) and forcing tourists to change US dollars into riel at a poor rate. Hold
your breath, stand your ground, and don't let this experience flavour your impression of Cambodians over-
all.
Before making a long-distance trip, be aware of border closing times, visa regulations and any transport
scams. Border details change regularly, so ask around or check the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree
(
www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree
)
. For the latest on Cambodian border crossings, check out the Immigra-
tion Department website at
http://cambodia-immigration.com
.
