richard_smith237

I think you may need to turn on autocorrect !!! ???? Seriously though... I imagine that in most if not all industrial environments which involve the use of fork-lift trucks there is a policy to either have the forks at ground level or above head-height (as you mentioned). But, ignoring the silly political laws (defamation etc), on the ground level Thailand is a country with many reasonable laws and regulations which mirror the same regulations and policies we see in the west. The difference is the apathy shown towards these regulations and policies because they are a) not enforced and b) there is a lack of understanding of why these laws exist in the first place. As such, those workers in the work environment habitually take short-cuts which places themselves and others at risk. Small and medium businesses can’t afford to pay someone dedicated to the oversight of HSE, thus the short cuts become the every day norm and we see horrific accidents such as this.

Next time you see a guy on a Harley feel free to go up to the ‘wanna be tough guy’ and call him a poser !!!!..... ???? ???? And no, I dont own a Harley !!! ????

No-one is saying that. Stop with the strawman. Several here have travelled domestically for many years without their passports so clearly not 100% of the time and not 100% of foreigners. PH ...And several others are reporting their passport has been requested when travelling, or found they needed their passport.... Thus, anyone offering advice to a stranger that they do not need their passport are wrong. The implication that because someone has not needed their passport in the past, any prospective traveller doesn’t need to take their passport with this is also wrong. The implication that because someone has not needed their passport in the past those same people will not need their passport the next time they go travelling is also wrong. There... straw removed from the man for you...

Totally missing the point and not at all what the OP said. Not ALL foreginers will have (for example) a Thai Driving Licence. I do, and have used that innumerable times when asked for "passport". It has NEVER been unnacceptable. Only times I need (and therefore carry my passport are for foreign travel and to renew my extension. Lives in the safe otherwise. Its not missing the point at all... the question I asked is the very essence of the thread... Are those advocating not to travel domestically with their passport 100% sure that 100% of the time 100% of the foreigners will not need their passport at all when in or moving around the country ? No one can answer yes... because there are enough stories of foreigners needing their passports !!!!

So all you are really doing is taking chances that you’ll not need your passport, its worked so far.... You’ve calculated that those chances are within your tolerance for potential hassle, thats fair enough from an individual perspective. ... but to advise others of the same is careless when there plenty of information and stories which contradict your advice.

‘Cos Thai’s are the only ones who would allow this to happen right ??? How does this information (BBC news snippet below) contradict your conformation bias ??? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-64429375

Its amazing how this ‘attitude’ towards riding on the shoulder differs. Firstly - about 20-15 years ago the BiB in Bangkok were a bunch of charlians ticketing motorcyclists for being in anything other than the left lane (i.e. left lane of Sukhumvit road). Other than expressways, I’m not sure where there are any roads in central Bangkok which have a shoulder, on the outskirts maybe. Now... addressing the ‘safety of riding on the shoulder’ issue.... My viewpoint on this is a polar opposite to yours [connda] - I feel riding on the shoulder (when there is one) places me in far greater risk than driving down the main lane. The shoulder has grit and dirt, more obstacles, people pulling out and going the wrong way etc... IMO, its a far more dangerous place to be when riding at ’traffic speed’. IF going far slower than surrounding traffic then the shoulder maybe safer, but I still think that is riskier than travelling at the same speed as the traffic around you on the main road (in lane 1). IF in central Bangkok, I also avoid lane 1, as this is were cars and motorcyclists suddenly pull into and suddenly stop and pull out of (taxi’s are terrible for suddenly stopping in lane 1). I figure it all depends if you are on a machine that can travel at the same speed as the traffic around you.

Most Embassies, Consulates and Passport application (renewal) centres such as VFS do not take your passport when you submit an application for a replacement. The passport stays with you and the corner of your passport is clipped and it becomes invalid upon receipt of your new passport.

No... I never said ‘must’... The advice I offer is that ‘a foreigner may need their passport when travelling, it is therefore a sensible option to have it within reasonable reach’. Do you lose your passport when you travel internationally? Obviously this depends on the individual, in my opinion the risk of a person losing their passport is significantly less than the risk of it being needed when travelling domestically within Thailand. I have been in such a situation. I was on an Island and needed to be medivacced (internationally)... the inconvenience of not having a passport nearby would have been significant to life threatening Yes, a very extreme case, so lets examine something more realistic - Walking down the road in Chaweng, the BiB stop us and ask us for our Passport - Its at the hotel... going back to the hotel with them and proving our Immigration status is inconvenient, but we can carry on with our holiday. Now.. what if your Passport is back at your house / apartment in Bangkok ? ... Doesn’t happen ? read the news of overstayers getting caught recently ???... in some area’s such as Samui the BiB are targeting and cracking down on foreigners looking for overstayers. IMO it would be extremely stupid not to have your passport within reasonable reach when travelling to a different province. And... IF you’re the sort of person that could be so careless with their passport they consider that an excessive risk even if leaving it secure in their bags (hand-carry), then fair enough, leave the passport in the safe at home, but, they should then be made aware they are potentially be opening themselves up to other hassles and inconvenience.

Agree... tourists very unlikely to have any form of Thai issued ID (DL or Pink ID), but they are also unlikely to be travelling without a passport anyway (unless its lost and heading back to Embassy). Thus: The topic seems specifically for someone living here who is thinking of leaving their passport in a safer place at home, rather than take the risk of loss by travelling with it. I leave my passport in the Safe (when in Bangkok) and never go out with it because of the risk of loss. But when travelling its always in my bag which stays locked, there is a very minor risk of loss (theft), but there is also a minor risk of getting caught out without the passport when its needed and your are a few 100 kms away from it, which IMO the probability of which exceeds the risk of loss... Hence, when undertaking interprovincial travelling brining the passport is a no-brainer. Leaving it locked away in the hotel, rather than risking loss when out and about, drinking, or swimming etc is also is a no-brainer. As is leaving it secure at your home in Thailand when staying at home.

Why do you write Period Period Period ???.... Isn’t one, just single fullstop sufficient Question-mark, Exclamation-mark, Exclamation-mark, Fullstop. Only for visa exempt entries... And many cheap tickets are not changeable.

Thank you for providing me with another justification of taking a taxi... While flying, the risk of potentially being sat next to and exposed to someone such as PJ71 is unavoidable. However, once on the ground a traveller has the choice to cut their risk of exposure to halfwits by taking a private taxi.... ????

If you're travelling light, why not? Good way to see parts of the joint you've never seen before. And please don't say that there's nothing worth seeing because it depends on the individual. Trash and treasure and all that. Because its not like KLIA Express or N’EX that offers a good time saving... On the journey the op is taking Airport express will not save any time at all. The rail link only offers a time saving IF someone is heading to the Makhassan area anyway and can walk easily from the station. Otherwise they have to take a taxi from the centre of a congested area. It make make for an interesting journey being different from taking a taxi, it may offer some cost saving. But after a flight, is that worth it ? Maybe some time saving can be had by using the rail link IF someone is travelling light, is staying close to Makhassan or the MRT line etc and the traffic situation is horrific gridlock.... If someone is living on a BTS route, that already involves changing trains twice.

Same... When I’m waiting for a taxi... any time one pulls up and winds the window down I just ignore them or say no and wave my hand... I just can’t be bothered entering what is going to be an utterly predictable conversation where they either say no... or ask for an elevated flat fare. Personally, I don’t mind the guys who roll their windows down - its a very quickly way of filtering the guys who aren’t operating with honest. A few years ago, in a very typically juvinile manner which attempted to address the problem without addressing the problem at all... there were ’some’ taxi’s with a green light... These were supposed to be the ‘honest taxis’... the ones who could not refuse a fair or not use the meter.... but now the ’Thainess’ has surfaced in those guys too... and they’re just as bad (in busy and tourist areas).

Yet you are doing such a great job of contradicting yourself. You have indicated that hitting a child is not beating them and that children of a certain age may require such discipline... Also, that its ok to hit a woman without leaving a mark... At your first ‘if you dont like it go home’ comment in this thread I should have realised I had entered a discussion with someone of a flawed outlook.... but your ramblings read like the musings of nutcase who can’t keep track of his thoughts and wonder off topic... Muscles and automatic rifles ???... you’ve lost the plot.

In 25 years I’ve never needed a seatbelt.... I can only speak from personal experience, and not advocating anything !!!...

Folks are with LV Insurance... (Liverpool Victoria... IF there are any Indians they have an antiquated scally accent !!) That said, we’ve been doing this for years without any issue... So, I wonder IF you asked to be named driver for a specific period (i.e. 2 weeks / month etc) then you’d be accepted. Perhaps the insurance company thought you wanted to be added to the policy as named driver all year round (hence, lost in translation).

Until next year... when the ‘Bribe’ is expected and they get upset when you dont want to pay!!!... HuskerDo2... People like you who bend over and take it are the reason such practices exist. ???? ???? ????

When I have travelled within Thailand I can use my Pink ID most of the time. But, I never travel without my Passport anyway (its usually in my bag and a DL or Pink ID easier to access from the wallet than getting the passport out of the bag). For flights the Pink ID has generally been fine. But for checking into a hotel I am sometimes asked for my Passport because the hotel want to file a TM30. If I didn’t have my passport, I’m sure this wouldn’t be a show-stopper... but, IMO it would be foolish not to travel with your passport unless absolutely necessary. There are reports of police stopping people in Samui / Koh Phangan etc and checking their immigration status for overstay. IF your passport is not within reasonable reach (i.e. back at your hotel etc) then things could get awkward.

Is your advice that 100% of the time 100% of foreigners in Thailand will not need their passport at all when in or moving around the country ???

All of these anecdotal responses mean nothing... some people have had experiences where they did not need their passport, thats all. Yet, there are lots of other experiences where people have needed to show their passport. So... what is the intelligent advice ????... - Don’t take your passport when you travel because a few people said they didn’t need it ? - Take your passport with you even if you may not need it, as you may need to show it ? The stupidity of some of the responses on this forum really highlights the questionable intelligence of some... I’ve never needed the seatbelt or my motorcycle helmet, ergo, they are not needed !!! The ‘implied advice’ from these anecdotal stories is preposterous.. Why imply that something is not necessary when there is no downside not to (or extremely little) ? This is the same as the fools who suggest that a foreigner arriving in Thailand doesn’t need to carry 20,000 baht (currency equivalent in cash) - how hard is it just carry the cash ? Or, a that visitor (visa exempt) can get away without an onward ticket, slightly more inconvenient, but why risk it ? Why risk any of it when there is virtually no downside whatsoever in simply making sure you have your bases adequately covered ????.

This is horrific - a horrible way to go: RIP. As usual... IF just one of those parties were acting with any sense of caution this would not have happened. So many incidents in Thailand involve complete failings of safety by both parties. In this case: 1) A motorcycle taxi gunning it down a narrow soi without any consideration of others or caution. 2) A forklift truck driver moving without looking, without anyone looking out and with the forks at a dangerous (deadly) height. This is also the reason I never take Motorcycle taxi’s... Putting my safety in the hands of someone who is uneducated and has little safety awareness is not my idea of convenience, there is the additional facet of the crappy helmet they give the passenger, if they give a helmet at all. I’m surprised there are no more incidents involving passengers on Motorcycle taxis. AND,.. in the interview with the fork lift truck driver... he comments.. “I didn’t see” !!!!... well of course he didn’t, he has to ‘look’ to be able to see !!! and it clearly didn’t look before he drove out from behind the lorry with the forks raised.

Exactly the same... I think the Bolt vs Grab success rate depends on which city we are in. In Bangkok I have never successfully hailed a Bolt through their App. I usually tried Bolt first as its cheaper, then never get a confirmed ride so I switch over to Grab where 80% of the time I get a confirmed ride. At busy times - Grab can also be little awkward (with all drivers busy) so I have to walk out of my moobaan and flag a taxi down off the street (and then run the gauntlet repeated rejection). IMO - In Bangkok at least, Bolt is not very good. Grab is far more reliable most of the time, but also more expense (now about double the flag-fall rate).

I see. They say they won't put me on her insurance as I am not a UK resident and she doesn't want to take the chance by saying I am. Maybe better just to rent. Thats a little strange... perhaps something is being lost in translation. My Wife and I drive my Fathers car in the UK. As I have a UK driving licence I can be a named driver all year round. As my Wife does not have a UK driving licence, she can only be a name driver for the specific interval of our trip (thus, we pay about £30 each time to get her on the insurance for a few weeks).

It’s be a pretty empty thread if we didn’t make guesses, assumption, interpretations and discuss the events we read of.... In fact it would render the forum pointless completely... We’d just have a news site !