- Meagan Drillinger is a travel writer based in New York.
- She spent three months working remotely in Thailand this year as part of their Test & Go program.
- Drillinger says it was an inspiring place with convenient amenities for remote workers.
When I had the opportunity to be one of only 200,000 visitors approved to visit Thailand this past winter with the country's Test & Go program, I didn't know what to expect. What I found was Thailand as it had not been seen in more than 20 years — an experience that as a traveler was rare and romantic, and as a remote worker was inspiring and thought-provoking.
A step back in time
For more than 50 years, travelers — many of them backpackers — have been lured to Thailand for the cheap prices, the seductive food, the bleached, sweeping beaches, and the camaraderie of other travelers thousands of miles from home.
But with time and tourism came investment, development, and progress, and many things changed: Luxury hotels now loom over centuries-old fishing villages and dusty dirt roads have been paved over, with a 7-11 store every 500 meters. Things are certainly much more convenient and lucrative, but it's become a different Thailand.
Except for when we visited.
At first we were based in Koh Lanta, an island in Krabi province, and on the mainland in Krabi in the beach town of Ao Nang. Both are used to high volumes of tourism, especially in high season.
But during our stay, which started on December 29, 2021 and lasted through the end of March 2022, more often than not we were the only ones on the beach or among just a handful of people at the restaurants for sunset or haunting the lonely aisles of the once-chaotic night markets. Boat tours that typically took 35 people had only 11.
A convenient place to work remotely
Because Thailand's cost of living is so affordable, it's typically an attractive place for a lot of digital nomads. And even without throngs of them there, the country was still very convenient to be working from.
As a writer who was planning on working during the trip, I had my pick of coveted coffee shop chairs — a true luxury that any digital nomad will confirm, as it's usually a fight for the ones with cushions near the outlets. WiFi was fast and coffee shops were plentiful with readily available outlets.
In fact, the winter of 2022 ended up being my most lucrative quarter on record since I started freelancing back in 2015. Publications back home were eager to know what travel was like in Thailand during the reopening, so I had a laundry list of assignments that kept me busy the entire time — and the lack of tourists made snapping dreamy beach photos for my articles a breeze.
A hope for a swift recovery
When we tell anyone who's been to Thailand that we had Ao Nang beach all to ourselves, they're shocked and tell us how lucky we were to see Thailand in a way that it hasn't been seen for years. (This, of course, is not the experience on the island of Phuket or Koh Samui, which has been open through a sealed-off Sandbox Program and where tourism has been thriving for many months.)
It's hard to feel lucky, though, when so many people who live here are so damaged by the drop in tourism. Sure, it's been idyllic for me as a traveler from the US who gets to come in with my strong US currency, have my experience, and then go home — but it's far less so for the people who actually have to live, work, and operate here on a daily basis.
Still, I can't lie that a small part of my heart feels grateful for the opportunity to be one of the few to see this country in a way that will probably never happen again.
What to know about the Test & Go Program
As a traveler from the US, I first had to apply for a Thai Travel Pass and show proof of vaccination and a negative PCR test no earlier than 72 hours before my departure. I uploaded all of this for my Travel Pass application, but also brought hard copies which I was asked to show multiple times.
I also had to have a reservation for an approved hotel stay for the first 24 hours. These hotels are called SHA Extra+ hotels: They administered a PCR test upon my arrival, and I had to quarantine for 24 hours while waiting for my negative results. They also provided sealed transportation from the airport to the hotel and all of my meals while I was there.
Thailand also requires proof of travel insurance with emergency medical coverage — I used Allianz.
It may sound complicated, but it was actually really easy, and a small price to pay to keep travelers and locals safe as we're still dealing with the pandemic. It seems like a great solution to keeping everyone safe, and helping to restart an economy that's desperately in need of one of its largest industries to come back.
Editor's note: As of May 1, 2022, Thailand has removed the pre-departure and post-arrival PCR testing requirements for vaccinated travelers. Vaccinated visitors are still required to show proof of vaccination, and unvaccinated visitors must either quarantine or show a negative PCR test prior to departure.