Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

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Jun

Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Jun »

Gaybutton wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 6:48 pm It seems as if you are trying to convince yourself rather than me.
I don't need to comvince anyone, but let's try this one more time:

The bars are shut in Pattaya, but the bars are shut at home as well.

Here is warm and sunny, the UK is not.
Hiring a cute lad on Grindr here is way easier than at home.
Here the coffee shops, restaurants, beach and other shops are open. The UK has another lockdown, whereas here I'm merely locked into they province. Within the province, I can pretty much do everything I want to. Incidentally, the delightful young Thai graduate who visited this evening is still adamant that I can travel to places like Phuket at present.

Where would you rather be ? Thailand or the UK (in January). If it's the UK, why ?
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Gaybutton »

Jun wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 12:20 am Where would you rather be ? Thailand or the UK (in January).
If you're putting it like that, my answer would be neither one of them. I didn't know Thailand or the UK are the only choices . . .

As for traveling to Phuket, go ahead. Try it. Let us know how great it is there too.

Don't get me wrong. As an expat resident I still absolutely love it here. But looking at it from the standpoint of planning a holiday destination under the present circumstances, I would say no way.
Jun

Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Jun »

Where do you recommend people go to ?

Most alternative countries are either closed or have high rates of covid infection. Cambodia is quite interesting, but It's necessary to get a business visa to go there.
Whilst a couple of people on various forums peddle doom and gloom, in all seasons,, I prefer to take a more positive view and take the best available option. I got the map out, looked at all the options and ended up with a very small short list.
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

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Jun wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:42 am Where do you recommend people go to ?
Why does it have to be Asia at all? You were talking about where to go to get away from UK winter weather. While it is winter in the UK and Europe, below the equator now it is summer. Seems to me there are all kinds of places to go ranging from South America to Australia.

If I were looking for a warm weather holiday, under present circumstances that's where I'd be looking, but not Thailand.

If you still think traveling to Pattaya is a good idea, I suggest seeing the latest video on the "Headline News" topic, but it's a rather moot point now. Nobody will be permitted in or out of Pattaya without that travel pass - and getting it is not easy. A holiday in Pattaya will not be sufficient reason to be granted the pass and now you also need the pass if you need to go from Pattaya to the airport.
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by gerefan »

Gaybutton wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:49 am
Jun wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:42 am Where do you recommend people go to ?
Seems to me there are all kinds of places to go ranging from South America to Australia.

Sorry disagree. South America has one of the worst Covid figures on the planet.no go...for me.

Australia (and New Zealand) borders have been closed for many months. No go areas
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

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gerefan wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:55 pm Australia (and New Zealand) borders have been closed for many months. No go areas
Tahiti? Antarctica (well, that's below the equator isn't it)? Guam? Samoa? Mar a Lago?

Personally, and I know I'll have plenty of disagreement, for the time being I think it is better to save your money, just stay home, and plan traveling once all this is finally over - and with the money you saved then have a real holiday, which is what I suspect most are doing anyway.

In any case, as I said, right now because of the travel pass requirement a trip to Pattaya is out of the question, even if you are already somewhere else in Thailand.
Jun

Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Jun »

gerefan wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:55 pm Sorry disagree. South America has one of the worst Covid figures on the planet.no go...for me.

Australia (and New Zealand) borders have been closed for many months. No go areas
Exactly. Most of the alternative are closed or have worse covid problems. I did look into the alternatives before coming here. The best option were Thailand and Cambodia, with the latter requiring a business visa.
I wouldn't go to Brazil without having a vaccine or antibodies.
Australia is closed.
The Canary islands would have fewer attractions than here and probably more covid. Spanish guys tend to be big and hairy.

So far I'm very happy with the decision to come here. If they drastically increase restrictions next week, in time I might change my mind.
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

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Back to "Announcements" with this one . . .
___________________________________________

UK bans holidays to Thailand – and anywhere else!

By Barry Kenyon

January 28, 2021

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that it is now “illegal” for British citizens to take holidays abroad until further notice. He said that potential travellers would need to fill in a special form and be questioned at exit points by immigration officials. Those without “an essential reason to travel” would be sent home.

Essential travel is believed to be to work abroad by necessity, medical appointments or for reasons of education. A spokesperson for the Association of British Travel Agents said that British nationals booking tickets would be warned about the new regulations. The Thai embassy in London could not offer clarification on the new rules.

But an off-duty officer said that British citizens with families in Thailand, permanent residents holding a police red book, work permit holders and students should continue to apply for non-immigrant visas as they appeared to be exempt. She added that tourist visas were presumably off-limits in view of the new travel ban by the UK government, although the facilities would not be withdrawn by the Thai authorities.

Mr Johnson also announced that British citizens and permanent residents in UK would now face 10 days of compulsory quarantine in secure hotels, under police supervision, if returning from 30 “red list” countries in southern Africa and Latin America – plus Portugal which is a transit point for many such flights. The Department of Health and Social Care said it was working as fast as possible to establish facilities.

Hotel chains in UK are believed to be cooperating with the new regulations and can offer at least 12,000 rooms located near airports “in the near future”. Passengers will be required to pay for their accommodation which will be in the region of US$2,000. Citizens of the 30 “red list” countries are already banned altogether from the UK and will be sent back even if allowed to board a flight in their home country. Possession of a valid visa is not a guarantee of right of entry.

However, the British government has also warned that if the new measures are not sufficient, a broader compulsory quarantine for returning Brits could be introduced. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has already warned that she would prefer a total lockdown in which all arrivals, irrespective of departure origin, would enter compulsory and monitored quarantine. One concern is that some travellers may have visited “red list” countries before boarding their final flight in a non-listed one.

Until now, most arrivals in UK have been subject to voluntary quarantine in their own homes. Many virologists think that this system has already failed. A recent poll found that 30 percent of returning Brits had thought that “voluntary” meant they could still go shopping and visit friends. Thailand’s relative success in combatting Covid-19 is likely explained, in part, by compulsory quarantine for all arrivals without exception.

Meanwhile other European countries are introducing stricter travel measures. France and Norway are reducing drastically flights, whilst Germany is considering an almost total ban on planes both landing and taking off. Israel has totally banned all commercial flights, whilst Australia and New Zealand have in place the strictest quarantine regulations worldwide.

The combined effect of these moves is certain to curtail leisure tourism to Thailand from most countries for the foreseeable future. The World Travel and Tourism Council points out that there is now active discouragement to take vacations abroad, whilst there are growing question marks about being able to get back home. There is also the key issue of the additional expense of self-paid quarantine.

As Thai authorities attempt to devise policies to revive international tourism, with initiatives such as The Special Tourist Visa for long stayers, the reality now is that many countries will simply opt out of the leisure market pending mass vaccination or the advent of herd immunity. The biggest international tourist market for Thailand is China, but authorities there are also wary of the dangers posed by the pandemic and are not permitting group or charter travel which is the basis for the millions of Chinese who have traditionally vacationed in Thailand. Sadly, matters are going to get worse for international tourism before they get better.

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... lse-341635
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

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My unsolicited advice is if you are in Thailand, but not as an expat, go home - while you still can. Even if there are no restrictions about leaving Thailand or reentering your home country, I'm thinking about how much longer airlines are going to continue flights, especially if they are essentially empty.

I don't believe many reading this are currently in Thailand as holiday makers, but if you are, now you have some decisions to make, especially if you are in Pattaya. Even if the restrictions don't bother you, you're still faced with the Chonburi governor wanting to close all the hotels, the paperwork necessary just to leave the province and get to the airport, and the prospect of flight problems. As Barry says in his article, things are going to get worse before they get better. I hope none of you get caught up in difficulties.
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by jimnbkk »

I get a weekly newsletter from Flyertalk which discusses all airlines and news about air travel. It's saying that it does not expect international air travel to resume until 2023 and maybe not until 2025. Hell's bells!!! I'll be too darn old to travel by then. Flyertalk says that at least one of the problems is that the experts aren't sure yet if the vaccine prevents transmission of the disease or just keeps the vaccinated person from getting sick. In any event, I have been hoping to visit Pattaya later this year. Guess maybe not?
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