We plan to travel to Thailand 03 Dec 2008 for a week then travel overland to Cambodia/Vietnam/Loas for 6 weeks and return to Thailand in mid Jan for a further 2 weeks.
3 weeks in total split over less than 60 days
What sort of visa we need and if we need to get it the UK or can I get it on arrival at Bangkok and from the Thailand / Laos boarder?
I have asked the Thai Embassy but have recieved mixed/confusing messages.
You will need to have your dates for Vietnam worked out as you will need to apply for a visa prior to arrival (assuming you hold a UK passport). I know that their is some other way about getting one but it is far more complicated and likely to cause you problems in the country you enter prior to heading to Vietnam. The visa is valid for 30 days from the date you say you will be arriving.
The other places you either don't need a visa or get one by paying a fee in $US at the border.
From what I have heard Thailand has got a bit stricter with letting people in so you would want to have some proof that you plan on leaving within the visa period. When I last went I did something similar by spending a bit of time on initial entry and a month or so later spending a bit more and I had no problems on my Australian Passport, but this was before Thailand started getting stricter.