KhaoYai

Not that what we say will make any difference but at the outset they said all the new entry rules were on trial until 1 January. As I arrive on 30 December, of course I have a personal interest but if they cancel Test & Go before then - a lot of genuine tourists will be left with a bitter taste. I hope they consider the future effects of making changes for those already granted Thailand Pass. I hope - but hope when talking about this government, hope doesn't follow logic.

There's an area - somewhere on the outskirts of Bangkok where's there's a lot of wood-yards close to each other. I found someone pretty helpful there a couple of years back and found what I wanted with my broken Thai and their English. All sorts of timber is available, even moulded skirtings and architraves. I can't remember exacty where - seem to think its off the western outer ring road. Maybe somebody here knows it but I have a business card somethere, I'll try to find it.

Looking forward to spending New Years Eve locked in a hotel room..........not!!!

Do you rate people according to their wealth? There are A holes in all income groups. I'm presuming that by 'very successful you mean they've made a fortune? What a sad way to measure people - I tend to take people on face value, not the size of their wallet. Classing someone as one of the 'lower' classes if they have not been 'very successful' in your terms is very narrow minded. That attitude fails to take account of those who are very happy in their job but have not accumulated wealth. They may be far more 'successful' at life than many rich people. I know plenty of people in 'ordinary' jobs with average salaries who I would class as extremely successful - successful at life. Happy with their work, great family and TIME to spend with that family. That's success in my book - nothing to do with how much you have in the bank. How many in your 'very successful' group have neglected their marriages and families on their way to wealth? How many of them are 'nice people'? How many have paid the staff who helped them get to where they are well and not simply used them? How many have got where they are whilst obeying the rules and paying ALL taxes due? I find it very sad in this day and age that people are still classified (by some) according to their wealth.

Don't know about that - you will know when you try to enter the booking reference on the Passenger Locator Form - if its not a valid number you won't be able to complete the form.

The OP has already booked his tests but for anybody else looking for the same - we had a bit of a nightmare with one company and ended up using home test kits from: Nationwide Pathology https://nwp-online.co.uk/ We've now used them twice with no problems at all. £67 for the Day 2 & Day 8 package. We posted the swabs back to them, didn't use the courier option and all were available online the next morning.

I had to read that a few times before I got it ????

Oh jeez!

Woe indeed but seeing as how they were stiched up by the new constitution, how does the nation get rid of them?

I wouldn't worry too much about this latest crazy statement. Personally, I've filed it in the same bin as their plan for trips to the moon. Given Anutin's enthusiasm for legalising cannabis, you sometimes have to wonder what they're smoking in the Thai parliament.

Some are not actually that flexible, they'll let you change the date or even give you a credit note but they won't give you a full refund unless the flight is cancelled or you're banned from entry. Some do, some don't and those that do can take up to 3 months to give you a refund. You should also be aware that flight prices often rise as you get closer to the departure date - especially over the Christmas holidays. . If I was to cancel mine now, I could have to pay around £1500 with a different airline and/or face longer total travel times. Sorry but its a none event.

I booked one of the cheaper hotels as I don't intend staying a minute longer than I have to. I called them and asked about not sharing the taxi with anyone - done at no extra charge.

Yeah right, just throw my ticket away and book with another airline...........right. Derrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

With the exception of mask wearing, I agree.

Yes but so far, it appears that the pre-departure PCR and the testing on arrival is catching the Omicron cases that have arrived. So in that respect, the restrictions they have in place are working - for the moment. Nevertheless, its something I've regarded as a possibility and although I may accept 1 weeks quarantine but I doubt any genuine tourists will. Given the speed that Omicron is spreading, it would not be long before they were banning or restricting travel from many other countries so it would more or less be the end of the re-opening.That would probably mean that thousands of Thai businesses that have been hanging on and clinging to the hope that things will start improving, will now go bust. From the tourist's point of view, I wonder how the imposition of quarantine would affect their ability to obtain a refund? I believe most airlines state that the flight has to be cancelled or travel suspended. I know most have flexible bookings now and would probably allow you to postpone but some tourists might decide to go elsewhere altogether.

I have the same concerns but I really need to get there. My house was broken into and I'm having real problems with the insurance, need to install additional security etc. etc.

If you read the entire post, it seems that this is just part of a massive flight cutting programme by BA that's not limited to flights between the UK and Thailand. A lot of Etihad's flights around Christmas time for example are sold out, I don't think you can base your predictions on one airline.

Nope, only British Airways.

Only 9 seats available from Manchester to Abu Dhabi and NO seats available from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok.

Well you're 'good to go' - tell me, have you been opening Asean Now every morning recently, hoping you wouldn't see the dreaded words 'Thailand closes its borders to the UK' (or any other country with high Omicron infection rates)? I've another week of that to go. Hope you've got a big coat, I'm told its mighty cold on the hold.

My friend is an 'incoming traveller'.

Talk, nothing but talk. Have they got the money to clean up the country in such a way that would be attractive to their Hi-So target market? Its one thing getting the girls off the streets (if that was even possible) but its quite a different matter to get rid of the rats that writhe around in the mountains of black bin bags on those same streets. How many taxis would this new market need? Would they even travel in a beaten up old ex write off? What if those Hi-So tourists wanted to rent a car and see a little more of the country? How would they feel about driving amongst a bunch of lunatics running red lights and undertaking you in the hard shoulder as your exiting the expressway? Water that drains the wrong way out of the shower in a 5000 baht per night room? Can they change all that? How many Hi-So's will put up with having to pay tea money for their visas or being asked for 16 photo copies of their passport? Even if they could do all that, how long would it take to achieve a market value anywhere near the one they think they can replace. Can they accept another 5 , 10,, 15 years like the last 2? These people must get paid on the amount of ridiculous ideas they come up with. 'only modest gains being seen from the November re-opening'? Somebody please tell them that compulsory waiting for a test result, locked in a hotel room is actually called quarantine, not 'Exemption from Quarantine'. There are plenty of destinations open that don't require the uploading of countless forms to ensure the state doesn't have pay a penny if you do fall ill. Granted, now its working better, Thailand Pass is much easier than COE was but most other tourist destinations don't require anything like it. Flash your vaccine passport and you're in. Neither do they cart negative testing tourists off to quarantine (at their own expense) if they've been sitting close to someone who tests positive - what sort of an advert is that? Fair enough, they want to protect the country, so stay closed. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Have they done any market research? Are they aware that there are already plenty of places already serving the market they seek and tourists that really like it there can buy a holiday home. High end toursim? Its a joke right?

I'm not sure if there's been a change in direction on this - maybe I've missed something? There have been several stories regarding those who have been sat near someone on their flight to Thailand who tests positive on arrival being required to quarantine in either a hotel or a hospital. A Thai friend of mine who lives in Norway arrived in Thailand a couple of weeks ago to visit her family who she hasn't seen for over 2 years due to Covid. After just a few days her mother tested positive and was taken in to hospital with very mild symptoms (another story in itself). My friend and her daughter both tested negative and have been told to isolate in her mother's home where she had been staying. Is it a case of one rule for them and a different rules for foreigners or have things changed? I'm due to arrive on 30 December but half expecting a travel ban any day due to the rise in Omicron numbers in the UK. I think its a given that there will be more likelihood of travelling with infected people due to rapid spread of Omicron but let's see. I'll be pushing my hotel for my PCR result as soon as possible and will get the hell out of there as fast as I can. Suppose I get to my house before its discovered that I've been sat close to an infected person - what's the chances of me being allowed to isolate at home? Nil?

I agree with you on many points but not that - the booster programme has been running for some time now, I had mine over a month ago. Given the logistics and the fact that the vaccines themselves have to be acquired, I think they're going as fast as they can. Its possibly going too fast = other illnesses are being put on the back burner. For example, I need to have a blood test every 3 months and missing a 'bad' one could be quite serious. My GP group have 3 surgeries, each with 2 nurses, I couldn't get a blood test on time recently because 5 out of 6 nurses had been seconded to the vaccine programme. There are people reporting far more serious problems than that and sometimes is seems it doesn't matter what you die of, as long as its not Covid.

Yes, I'm thankful for that. I just hope he follows their advice - he didn't last Christmas and look what happend in January.