I’ve been coming to Asia for many years, always on a shoestring. Not a digital nomad, not chasing luxury, just a little bit of a backpacker. The kind who speaks some Thai, stays in hostels, eats street food, and knows the backstreets better than the malls.
My first thought goes out to Cheap Charlie in Pattaya. I wonder how he’s getting on. He, like many of us, made a life of simplicity here.
I know I inspired friends to follow in my footsteps, some of them spent 30k GBP in a month on holidays, even medical trips. But that was never my style. I stretched every dollar, every baht. And it used to be enough.
Now, I feel like I’m considered a low-quality tourist. Immigration seems colder. More scrutiny. More suspicion. Like I’m not welcome anymore unless I can show a big bank balance and perfect insurance. I probably won’t even get 60 days in the country this year.
It’s like Thailand (and Southeast Asia in general) has shifted. It’s aiming for a new kind of tourist, those who book resorts from Instagram, drop cash on wellness retreats, and never talk to locals unless it’s through Grab or room service.
And that’s fine. Things change.
But it stings. Because I’ve loved this region quietly, humbly—for decades. And now I feel like I’m being pushed out of a home I never really had.
Just wondering if anyone else feels this shift? Or is it just me, feeling a bit left behind?