falangUK

14 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I have two passports.. 

One with my Thai Visa...   Another with some overseas Visas.

 

Invariably I'll use my overseas Passport at the check-in desk and its a different one that I'd registered with the airline....    

 

... This is not something I'd ever considered before, and certainly something which as never raised any issue whatsoever.... 

 

 

 

Airlines are only serious about the accuracy of your names (the order doesn't even matter)...  

I once travelled to the UK as Mr & Mr Smith with the Wife... without any issue !!! 

- The airline somehow screwed up (issuing the awards ticket) but wanted $200 to re-gender my wife correctly !!...   Nope !!! not a chance....

 

Ah ok, got it. Just to check are both your passports from the same country? . Never really thought about using the “wrong” one at the counter lol. Thanks for sharing your experience, that Mr & Mr story is gold 😄

I had a lot of trouble with an AirAsia counter staff at the gate last time, just flying from DMK to KL. She wrongly assumed I needed two completely empty pages in my passport and made a huge fuss about it. Ever since then, I’ve been kind of paranoid about random requirements and what staff might decide on the spot lol.

19 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Answers above are correct.

Even if you enter current pp details you can travel with both pp.

Book em 

Thank you! I think I just assumed it wasn’t possible to book flights without a passport because most of the sites I use have the number saved and it autofills. Appreciate the clarification 🙂
 

Hi,
I’ve applied for a new UK passport and it’ll take about a month to arrive. I want to book flights now to get a good price, but I don’t have the new passport number yet. I still have the old passport, but once the new one is issued, the old one will be cancelled.

So the problem is, if I book using the old passport number, then later show up at the airport with the new passport, the numbers won’t match. I’ve heard some airlines charge a lot just to update the passport number, almost like buying a new ticket.

I’d rather not wait a month and risk ticket prices going up, but I also don’t want to waste money.

Has anyone dealt with this before?

Can you book a ticket without entering the passport number and add it later?
Or book with the old one and update it once the new one arrives?

Would really appreciate any advice.

I can never really make up my mind. I keep going back and forth. I'm usually happy for the first few weeks, then I start getting bored. But overall, I'm mostly happy here, especially with the pups well, at least 12 of them, not counting the big black monster 😅.

Definitely happier here than I was in the UK. That said, when I visit the UK, I'm alright for a couple of months. I can enjoy places like Bali for about two weeks, and other countries just depend on the vibe.

7 hours ago, KhunLA said:

If pizza in oven, and without a steel, it takes for ever and results are very iffy.

 

Now I have a pizza size skillet, and crisp the bottom up on the stovetop, then stick under the top element (broiler), almost touching, on high, for a few minutes, till cheese starts to 'char'.  Excellent results, but need to pay attention, as will go from perfect to burnt real fast.

 

One reason I like the Electrolux oven, has 5 tray slots, very high & low, if needing, along with 3 mid oven.

 

That's a pretty impressive setup, almost like a pro kitchen. Are you or were you a professional chef? I've read a lot of your posts about food, breakfasts and all that really good stuff. And thanks again for the low-cal cheesecake suggestion earlier! 😊

On 6/1/2025 at 6:56 PM, BritManToo said:

Otto 60l is the one to get, sold under various brands for around 2,000bht.

https://s.lazada.co.th/s.xLWMK

Here's one I made earlier, the tin also helps,around 100bht.

I've been thinking about getting a breadmaker here in Thailand. The one time I tried baking bread in an oven back in the UK, it was a total disaster 😅. I ended up buying a Panasonic breadmaker (I think it was Panasonic anyway), and it was so much easier just threw in the ingredients and it came out better than store-bought bread.

Newbie question: is using a breadmaker generally better, or does baking in the oven have its own advantages? I honestly have no idea.

5 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Yeah, definitely didn't take away from the experience. An amazing vibe, great people, great fun. The money I lost wasn't a big deal but I did lose a pocket camera so the worst thing was losing the photos. Of course these days it wouldn't be an issue as most people save their phone pictures in the cloud. And like I said I was extremely drunk so I kind of made myself an obvious target.

If it does go up your list and you seriously consider it just PM me or start a new thread and I'd be happy to share recommendations on places to go. I only knew Rio like most people but the rest of my itinerary was based on the recommendation of someone who had experience and it made all the difference. No way would I have known to go to Iguasu or the places up in the north east. I mean now there are a million YouTubers but not 18/19 years ago.

Thanks, that’s really kind of you. I’m definitely planning to go, just working out the timing and route. Good to know you had such a great experience. I might reach out later once things firm up a bit.
 

3 minutes ago, hydraides said:

I would recommend travelling to US First and then Down To South America depending on Budget.......

 

Its faster to travel west to east but to be fair it is way worse for jet lag from what ive found ......so positives and negatives

 

-Its about 20k baht to travel single ticket Los Angeles from either phuket or bangkok

 

-Take a connecting flight and spend a few days in miami (Go to disneyworld, the new Epic Universal Park which just opened, watch lionel messi play lol) for 3-5k baht etc

 

-Then many Airlines flight dirt cheap to South American from Miami Airports, you could fly to Cusco, Peru (Macchu picchu etc) for around 8k baht one way If I remember correctly 

 

 

 

Thank you. That was actually my original plan, but then I started worrying about possible issues with US immigration, even with my British passport. So I began leaning towards spending a few days back home in London and flying out from there instead. Might rethink the US option though after what you said.
 

1 hour ago, NZAMBOY said:

Well said and very true...I really need to focus on the last part for sure...thanks

So sorry you're going through this 😞. I've been there myself, and honestly, I still find myself stuck in similar situations. People who haven't experienced it just don’t get the pressure or the emotional toll it takes. I really hope you’ve got some friends or family you can lean on. It’s so hard to see things clearly when you’re right in the middle of it all.
 

2 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

I have done it although I think it was 2006 so not the most up to date advice, but routes are still valid.

I flew to Brasil via London. Bangkok to Heathrow, approx 12 hours on Eva air. Couple of hours change to stretch legs and have a couple of beers, then around 12 hours on Varig to Sao Paolo. A stop in Sao Paolo then a 2-3 hour flight to Iguazu. However the Varig flight was late, it was a horrible old plane, the cargo doors wouldn't open and it took several hours to get our bags so we missed our connection.

The London route is definitely viable as it breaks the journey in to two equal halves. But it was best for me as I could stop off in the UK for a few days on the way back. If I was doing it today I would probably just go with Emirates via Dubai.

I spent about three weeks in Brasil during carnival time, traveling to 5 different cities, and a day hop over the border to Argentina at Iguazu. Best time of my life, highly recommend Brasil as a place to visit. Beautiful country, beautiful people, fun loving people.

 

 

No vaccines. No visa required as a UK citizen. Took some cash and cards, no different than going anywhere else. 

 

 

Winged it. Was easy to get by, and also easy to pick up a few words. And that was before Google translate or anything. 

 

Not really. The culture was just FUN. Be friendly to people and get heaps of friendliness in return. The only thing is we heard so many horror stories (mostly from people who have never been) that when we landed in Rio we thought there was a decent chance of being robbed, so hid cash in one sock, cards in another with just small money in our pockets. Didn't even take a camera out the first couple of days, so I didn't get any photos from up at Christ the Redeemer or anywhere else we went the first couple of days. Then we realised we were being stupid and paranoid so behaved normally after that.

I did get pickpocketed in Salavdor though during the carnival but I was extremely drunk so was an easy target.

In short I would highly recommend it to anyone, I would love to go back one day.

Really appreciate the detailed reply. Sounds like an epic trip, even with the Varig mess. Good to know the London route worked well for you. I'm considering something similar with a stopover in the UK or Europe.
 

Brazil during carnival must have been insane. I keep hearing great things about the vibe there. Also good to hear you managed fine without knowing much Spanish or Portuguese.
 

Can totally relate to the paranoia at first. I’d probably do the same with hiding cash and skipping the camera for a few days. Shame about the pickpocketing, but sounds like it didn’t take away from the experience. Definitely moving Brazil higher up the list after this.
 

In my experience, that 3 million baht is as good as gone. Don’t be shocked if they come back asking for more later, wrapped up in some urgent excuse or new problem.
 

Just to be clear, this isn’t a swipe at Thais, it’s what I’ve seen play out more than once.

Legal documents and so-called security are next to useless when things go south. They won’t help you when it really matters.

Plenty just find ways to duck out of paying, and you’re the one left chasing shadows.

Your best strategy now is to start thinking hard about how to get out of this. Brainstorm, look at every angle. Prevention’s always better than trying to fix a mess later.

 

Also worth saying — it was a mistake to let on that you had money. Always play it down. Be the broke farang, but not a full-on cheap Charlie. Just low-key.

Come up with a reason why you need the money back home. Something believable. Family, medical, anything that sounds reasonable. And I really hope you’re not keeping the funds parked here in LOS — that’s asking for trouble.

 

find out how much is left on the mortgage, get all the numbers straight while you still can. Never hurts to have everything on hand, just in case things turn sideways.

By the way, weather’s pretty decent in the West around this time of year. You could have a cracking holiday with 3 million baht instead of watching it vanish into thin air.

On 6/1/2025 at 10:46 AM, BritManToo said:

If this isn't paradise, I don't know what is?

 

Beautiful! HTT?

On 6/2/2025 at 6:33 AM, K2938 said:

Be prepared for a huge crime rate in most Latin American countries.  Most places are rather dangerous.

Yeah, that’s been a bit of a concern for me too. It’s actually one of the reasons I’ve always avoided most of Africa, apart from a short trip to Morocco.
 

On 5/31/2025 at 10:09 PM, G Rex said:

French Guyana is easily accessible from Paris.

Didn’t know that—cheers for the tip. Will have a look. Could be handy if it’s cheaper to travel on from French Guiana to other parts of Latin America.
 

On 6/1/2025 at 6:26 AM, lamyai3 said:

 

Definitely worthwhile if you plan to be there for a while. Latin American Spanish is easier to pronounce and understand than the way it's used in Spain. A lot of vocab is similar to other southern European languages too, so if you already know some French for example it's quite easy to pick up. I studied a couple of months before a trip to South America in the 1990's and never regretted it. 

Nice—any resources you’d recommend? I’ve been messing around with Duolingo and came across Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish too. Curious what worked for you back then.

On 6/2/2025 at 2:40 AM, freedomnow said:

Don't date hot chix off dating apps in Medellin...I hear that is one tip.

Haha, I guess they’re the travestis of Colombia then? Will keep that in mind!

On 6/1/2025 at 2:24 PM, ronnie50 said:

Probably the two safest countries are Costa Rica (near the above paces) and Uruguay ( a bit far down for you, in southern South America but I hear Montevideo is great). Always wanted to do what you're doing. Argentina would be high on my bucket list. Have relatives in Chile so would go there too from Argentina)

I think once I actually get to Central or South America, it should be fairly straightforward. It’s just that first leg from Thailand that’s a real haul. But yeah—Uruguay and Montevideo sound interesting, and I’ve heard good things about Argentina and Chile too.

3 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Unless you're American, best to avoid going through the States given all the nonsense the US border guards are putting people though (and you probably do need to clear immigration and customs before the next international flight). Why tempt fate and potential hassle or worse.

Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I was leaning towards going via Europe instead. Just seems like less drama and fewer chances of getting caught up in some pointless hassle.

19 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

I know a few colleagues who flew from Bangkok to Rio on ITA airlines (the Italian airline). There was only one stop with a decent 2-3 hour layover at Rome's airport FCO. I'm pretty sure there is a South American airline that crosses the South Pacific but can't recall which carrier and maybe no longer. Qantas might be another option.

Thanks, that’s useful. I’ll check out ITA—hadn’t considered them before. A Rome layover sounds manageable. 

46 minutes ago, Hummin said:

South America is big, where is your destination?

 

From here it looks like a nightmare I checked Brazil since Thai do not need visa for a few years ago

 

 

Yeah, I was first looking at the 7 countries in Central America, then started adding a bunch more in South America—maybe around 12 now, including French Guiana. Probably going to split it into a couple of trips over a few years. Hoping to spend 1–2 months in each place. Might skip countries like Nicaragua though—too many warnings about safety.

I’m planning a trip from Thailand to Latin America (Central and South America). I know it’s a long and expensive journey, and yes—I’ve already checked and compared routes via Europe (London, Barcelona, Lisbon, etc.), which are generally cheaper and quicker.

But I’m specifically looking for advice from people who’ve actually done this route *from Thailand*. Any tips, tricks, or things to watch out for?

– Which airlines or routes worked best for you?
– Did you stop over in the Middle East, US, or Europe?
– How did you prep for the trip? Vaccines, visas, cash/cards?
– Did you learn Spanish or just wing it?
– Any culture shocks or travel hacks you wish you knew before?

Appreciate any insights from people who’ve made this kind of journey.

For 50 Baht? hmmm

Isn't Eng Chee Hon the Chinese then? 😕

17 minutes ago, Tuco Ramirez said:

do male taxi drivers also moonlight as prostitutes then?

Yes! Part time 😂

15 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Only if they're prostitutes

Try hanging out with normal Thai people for a change Bob!

Thought there was no prostitution in Thailand? I am confused AF 😂