Originally Posted by
walterj
4) $40 Thai visa, kind of a hassle, four hour drive to Thai Consulate in Chicago, and then would risk having the passports in the mail, 2 days processing and plus time for mail delivery. I guess this would be a viable option but we don't have a lot of time left.
Normally people mail their visa application in and then have their passport mailed back. It is hardly a "hassle", and your passport was mailed to you originally, via USPS no less, so I'm not sure how much risk there is? Obviously there are expedited and "trackable" mail delivery options.
The visa recommendation is basically a form of 'insurance' - you may not even need it, and it is inexpensive, when compared to the overall cost of your trip.