Chris and Shayna Dufresne share their story of moving from Thailand to Cambodia with their beloved dog during the border crisis. They talk about their experience using Tap Taxi to cross the border and move their belongings, as well as the documents needed to bring a pet across countries.
“ We recently traveled across the Cambodia-Thailand border with our dogs, and to be honest, we were a little nervous. There had been some turmoil at the border over the past couple of weeks, with reports of fighting and even early closures around 4:00 PM. Land borders can always be unpredictable, and when something like that is happening, you never really know what to expect. Luckily, our shuttle driver reassured us that everything was fine after all, he wouldn’t have taken us there if there was any real problem. That gave us the confidence to move forward, knowing we’d share our full experience on video for others planning the same trip. Traveling with dogs makes the process more complicated because you need paperwork like the export permit and health certificate. With airlines, the health certificate has to be issued ahead of time by a veterinarian, but when you’re crossing by land, it’s actually done right at the border. As long as you show proof that the dogs have all their vaccinations and a microchip which we had already done back in Costa Rica you can get the health certificate and export permit on the spot. It’s a relief knowing that the process is straightforward if you have your documents in order.
For us, Cambodia wasn’t just another destination. We wanted to explore the country, create content to show what life is like there, and of course, get the proper paperwork for our dogs before heading into Vietnam. Crossing into Vietnam requires a new health certificate issued by a Cambodian vet, which can take up to two weeks because it needs to be approved and stamped by a government office. That meant we needed to stay in Cambodia long enough to sort everything out while also enjoying the journey.
One of the best decisions we made was choosing Tap Taxi for our shuttle service. They operate throughout Southeast Asia Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam and we had read amazing reviews about them online. The communication has been excellent; we’ve been speaking with one person over WhatsApp, and they’ve been quick to answer all our questions, even about bringing pets across the Cambodian-Thailand border. They also went the extra mile by checking with their own contacts to make sure we had the correct information.
What impressed us most was how easy they made everything. Tap Taxi organized all the connections: who would pick us up in Bangkok, who would meet us at the border, and who would continue the journey into Cambodia. They even offer a helping hand service where someone assists you at the border with all the paperwork and logistics, which you simply pay for at the end. It gave us peace of mind knowing every step of the journey was arranged, and that we’d be supported the whole way through. We’ll actually be using Tap Taxi all the way to Vietnam because they’ve made the whole process stress-free and convenient. Plus, they even offer a discount code to save 5% on bookings, which is a nice bonus.
The trip itself has been smooth. We had a quick stop along the way about two hours in for a bathroom break, snacks, and coffee. The drive went by quickly, probably because we were excited to get there. Along the road, we found everything we needed: food, fruit stands, 7-Eleven shops, and even a few quirks like outdoor-style urinals at gas stations.
As for our luggage, it might look like a lot at first, but it’s really just about the same amount we had when we moved to Costa Rica such as suitcases, a duffel bag, skateboards, computers, and of course, the dogs. This is our life in bags at the moment, but with Tap Taxi taking care of the hard parts, it feels much lighter. Overall, we couldn’t be happier with our choice. Tap Taxi has been professional, responsive, and reliable from start to finish. For anyone planning to travel across Southeast Asia especially with pets we highly recommend taptaxi.asia . They’ve made what could have been a stressful journey into an easy and enjoyable experience.”
