VBF

Casino, Casablanca, Dirty Harry and sequels, , All the James Bond films except those with Roger Moore or George Lazenby , Dirty Dozen, Zulu, The Italian Job (1969 original only), The Blues Brothers, The Blues Brothers 2000, The Long Good Friday, Most of Laurel & Hardy's movies, all the St Tinian's movies with Alastair Sim and George Cole, Alfie, The Day of the Jackal, Godfather 1 and 2, any of the Monty Python movies especially Life of Brian, most of the Carry Ons (Sorry!) the Kingsman series, most of Jason Statham's moves, any of the Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers, most of the Ealing comedies. All of the above in my collection for when the mood occurs!

Being serious (boring!) for just a moment, I thought I'd look at the App. It's on the Google Play Store (Trusted Source) and Play Protect scans successfully, also my Norton 360 scans it successfully. Naturally, I've turned Permissions to "Only allow when using".

UPDATE Having searched taking meds into or through Dubai, I find dextromethorphan to be mentioned in several lists of controlled substances for which one might need a prescription or certificate. That's enough for me as I don't fancy getting into trouble in the UAE, and as I was only taking it should the need arise it's not going! I also did some research on "Brown Mixture" of which I had never heard - thanks @Lacessit In the process I stumbled upon this page https://mysakonnakhon.com/best-thai-cough-medicine-brown-mixture/ If that doesn't work I'll go to a good pharmacy and get advice enquiring if they have anything containing dextromethorphan. @Sheryl That possibly assists you, also perhaps you'd like to lock this thread - question asked and answered.

Thanks to all for your replies 👍👍 Seems Thailand is not a problem, but also "Brown Mixture" may be an easier alternative - that's always assuming I actually need it. This is just in case I do, unlike my prescription meds which are essential at all times. Regarding Dubai, yes I have bought my ticket - I know my prescription meds are not a problem so I'll do some research and "if in doubt, leave it out" If I find anything useful about the situation in Dubai, I'll add it to this thread. Thanks again - VBF

Appreciate the response, but it's the active ingredient in the Covonia that concerns me - is it on any blocked list anywhere? With respect, the limit for hand carry liquids is 100 mL per bottle Hand luggage restrictions at UK airports: Liquids - GOV.UK as long as all your bottles fit in the plastic bag mentioned, so 2 meds and, say, a bottle of soap or shampoo would comply. However, regarding this "brown mixture, readily available in Thailand" - do you have a name or perhaps a picture of it? I think that description might be inadequate for a pharmacy, although again, I appreciate the information. 👍

I do like the plan of breaking my journey and used to travel Eco on Emirates, then when I reached the age of "Grumpy old git" decided that on any flight longer than about 5 hours, I deserved (🙄) Biz class comfort, food, and chauffer-drive. If the flights are on the A380, Emirates is VERY comfortable. Also, last year, I was recovering from a shoulder injury so requested free "Mobility assistance" which was also excellent. I might try Qatar sometime though

Agree about Emirates, but I do travel Biz class 😋 Etihad p***ed me off several years ago, changing my flight from BKK-AD-LGW to LHR (Heathrow) and refusing any compensation for my inconvenience and expense - I live very near Gatwick and was travelling Economy at the time. . Having worked in Saudi "back then" nothing would persuade me to go near the place ever again!

I travel from London through Dubai to BKK with a load of prescribed heart meds, complete with my NHS prescription and all items have my name on them. All goes in my hand-carry. So far no problem. Next trip I'd like to bring one bottle of Covonia Night time Cough mixture https://www.covonia.co.uk/products/night-time-formula This is available in limited quantities (one bottle per day) OTC in UK pharmacies and is the only thing that fixes the persistent cough I sometimes get in Pattaya, which is the only time I might take it. The active ingredient per 5ml is: dextromethorphan hydrobromide 6.65mg, diphenhydramine hydrochloride 10mg My questions: Is it a problem to carry a 150ml bottle in my checked baggage? Or, should I decant it into a couple of 100ml plastic bottles and put it with my other meds in my hand-carry? Or, is it a no-no? TIA

Didn't know any of that - as i said in my reply to Crossy above 👍

Hadn't seen either of those articles, so as I suggested, I was wrong - thanks. 👍 Still doesn't make any difference to my behaviour of course....

That would be very interesting. Especially as he USED to be a "flat-earther" and has now revised his opinion. Just enter Jeran Campanella into a search engine - here's one result https://www.sciencealert.com/flat-earthers-went-to-antarctica-to-look-at-the-sun-heres-what-happened

Do you really believe that @Crossy? Not arguing for the sake of it but I rather think that would be too time-consuming and labour intensive and that most airports world-wide select either: A random sample of cases to scan and/or Ones where the security / customs forces have prior negative information about the owner. Of course you may have inside knowledge in which case (pun intended 🙄) I would be wrong. Either way, I have no issues if they want to take a look at my T-shirts. I have been selected by Customs once in over 30 years visiting Thailand - they must've approved of the T-shirts! 😎

Like it, or possibly, as my old Dad used to say "Better to remain quiet and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt"

Don't see why - my last 2 tourist visas from UK have been e-Visas. No longer needed now the visa-exempt period is 60 days for UK passport holders, but it worked well and the turnaround was less than a week. As @Caldera noted, this is not new, merely an extension to more countries. UPDATE - Who the **** is immediately confused at this post? It couldn't be clearer! 🤬

And if you're using an Android phone, mark them as Spam and block them for the future. (I'm sure Apple also offers that facility too of course)

The Singapore GP is fantastic! So however are the organisational capabilities of the Singaporeans. (To say nothing of their sense of discipline) I'm just sort of wondering if Thailand is quite ready in those regards........hmmmmm? 🙄

A lot of these problems are caused by money laundering regulations that require the banks to prove that they "know the customer". If the banks cannot show their due diligence then they seem to err on the side of caution. Obviously, they're prepared to make a greater effort for a customer offering to deposit millions rather than "just a few thousand". What might seem like a lot of money to us is just a drop in the ocean to a bank.

So in the game of life in Thailand, 10 "sit-ups" now beats a wai?

You're right about that - far better to spread your hard-earned and sleep nights! You say "Banks and the government seem to be making illogical decisions all the time" but from their PoV it's all about knowing what we're all doing with our money and where it's being stashed. Over the years, billions of £, $ or whatever have been hidden away by people "evading" tax and the various governments want to stop that. NOT a conspiracy theory, but they have the technology and willingness to do so - the various changes in laws show that to be true. Unfortunately thanks to the billionaires evading taxes, these rules catch us little people trying to legally avoid taxes in the same net! Why, I once went into a high street bank in UK and asked them to change a £50 note for me. They refused, citing "money laundering" because I didn't have an account with that bank! Nobody said it was fair! 🤬

I believe that the reason so many UK banks are forcing expats to close their accounts is basically their fear of being caught up in the ever-increasing money laundering regulations. Once you're out of the UK they see it that they may become liable for any rules you may choose to break, plus they may see it as harder to verify what you tell them. I'm not saying this is reasonable but that is how it appears to me. That and, of course they don't see you as a valuable customer if you're miles away - a somewhat parochial view IMO. As regards offshore accounts (IoM / CI) they have traditionally been used by expat workers i.e. guys working in the Middle East or Offshore etc. They pay interest Gross which was an advantage "back in the day", but as the UK banks also do that, that's become irrelevant. When I was overseas, I found that the staff of these institutions were more empathetic with working across time zones, currency conversions etc. That may be where you might gain an advantage. As long as you could show that you were where you say you were, they were a lot more relaxed. There was a time when certain people could hide bank deposits from governments if they chose - Jersey and the IoM offered privacy (aka secrecy). These days, with the various Exchange of Information rules in place, I don't think that applies any more and from what you've said won't bother you anyway. Of course with modern communications (Online banking) things are far easier than when letters and faxes were the norm. Now I have to admit that my information is probably out of date as I closed my last offshore account over 10 years ago, but the general principle of expats using offshore accounts still applies I think. I found that private banks NOT closely tied to UK banks were actually more helpful - I used https://nedbankprivatewealth.com/ but one has to deposit significant amounts to qualify - in their parlance be of "high net worth" Any help?

@Keith5588 has already stated that he has a Thai driving licence and has no further need of a UK one but yes that's a valid point. Also Keith, bear in mind that as you're over 70, you probably know that any UK licence is only valid for 3 years at a time now, so once it expires, you're basically done. I'm coming up against that one next year when I turn 70, however I do live in UK so not a problem for me. Regarding bank accounts, I haven't read this whole thread thoroughly but have you considered banks in the Isle of Man / Channel Islands? They are more geared up for UK expats. Good luck with the move mate 👍

I agree. Ignoring all the mickey-taking comments, this guy made a silly mistake in taking a jet ski out in the dark, BUT showed he has balls when it went wrong - more power to him! 👍 And, it's rather nice (and unusual on AN) to read a report about a Saudi that shows him in a positive light. Respect to Mr Alamri. And before anyone responds, I do understand why there are so many negative comments about Saudis - I did my time "in the desert" 'Nuff said

Oh do naff orf sunshine.... and back at ya! 😂😂

Not as uncommon as you might think........ https://www.greggs.co.uk/menu/product/vegan-sausage-roll-1001657

Just an "FYI" for those interested in this subject. I usually travel from UK via Dubai where the drug laws are VERY strict and I would think detection is VERY efficient. For my last 3 trips to Thailand, I've had to bring 2 months supply of heart and anti-stroke medications. There are 6 different tablets plus a spray - none of the items is on any controlled or banned list but I also have a document listing what they are and what each ones purpose is. As these are prescribed by my NHS doctor, they are in packaging with my name on. I always get and print a current prescription, which I keep with the medication and above document all in a clearly labelled bag. This bag is in my hand-carry (obviously) I'm posting this because this is what I've actually done, and plan to repeat, as opposed to theoretical advice, (no offence @CharlieH ) and I've (so far) never been stopped anywhere on the journey.