Jatujan

In my case i had a one-year education visa cancelled last month (with six months left on it) because my school didn't provide the proper documents at the point of my routine 90-day extension. So on the surface this is the news I was hoping for. A well-connected friend, however, counsels caution: he's heard that behind the veil of rose-colored amnesty they may choose to "back-date" certain visas to when they expired and extort overstay payment. Anyone else hearing similar boogeyman narratives? 

can you right-wing gatekeeper types talk to my girlfriend? she needs to know that this is all my fault. 

13 minutes ago, innosiem said:

The US/Mexico border is closed until 21st July,
i think i read somewhere they might announce around the 15th if this is to be extended further

i assume you are from the US ?
not sure what the E-TA application may be like,
as it might just deny citizens of certain countries regardless of origin country for travel

Will have to look more into this, from what I'm hearing Americans are still crossing into Mexico without much trouble—it's possible that crossing back into the States is where the restrictions apply. 

6 minutes ago, samisaurus said:

Absolutely. They're very hospitable too. Prices are fair and quite similar to thailand especially with the Lira being weak lately. Whilst there you can have the city life or head down to Mediterranean for some beach. As well there's always something to do in Istanbul and the city is quite walkable for exploration (unlike BKK). As well, I've always felt very safe. 

Sounds great! I got to see the Mediterranean on a trip to Lebanon, absolute paradise on earth. What is rent usually for a basic condo/apartment in Istanbul? 

14 minutes ago, innosiem said:

You can get the flights out of Thailand, only issues i see is transiting through US or EU,
and whether e-TA to transit in US is declined online
also prices to fly to Mexico are currently 4x of that to fly to Tanzania
$6k difference (biz class, $2k vs $8k)
that 6k would cover living costs in Tanzania for a good while.
 

No doubt. In my case I have some family in California so I'm considering flying into LAX and then crossing the border once jet lag wears off. 

41 minutes ago, innosiem said:

i just had a mare of a trip, too many things went wrong,
mainly due to Turkish air, delaying luggage on flight,
had domino effect on our planned trip
then we had a domestic flight diverted
the attitude of staff was appalling each time i had to deal with them
in the end i booked new flights with different airline and left (same day) a week early,
also losing a week booked at four seasons along with my initial biz class return flight

Sounds crazy & hectic! I'm leaning towards Mexico at the moment, looking at places like Oaxaca and Talum. (That's assuming I can get a flight out of Thailand) 

9 hours ago, samisaurus said:

Istanbul, Back to Turkey. Lived there before, loved the vibe of the place and great food. Need a break from Asia (Especially Thailand) for a while. 

My brother lived there for several years and loved it. I've always been fascinated with its history going back to its former life as Constantinople. Is it relatively easy to get started in Istanbul for someone who's never been there before? 

Of those 26 or so countries, how many are open to receiving Americans, I wonder? A friend of mine in southern California told me it's just as easy as ever to cross into Mexico. I have family in San Diego living right on the border, so I'm considering booking a flight to LA from Bangkok, getting a ride down to San Diego, spending a week or two with family and then taking my talents to Rosarito lol...

Still, I'd rather avoid having to go back to the U.S. at all, if I'm being honest. For places like Ukraine, Turkey, Greece or even Tanzania, I'm curious to see if they still have restrictions on American travel. I'm guessing the answer is "yes". 

18 hours ago, drbeach said:

or any other country. I read that the Maldives may offer an easy entry route come July 1, but that's probably for 2 main reasons: 1) the lifeblood of the Maldivian economy is tourism, making up 75% of GDP 2) social distancing is easy. Practically everyone that goes there is heading to an isolated all-inclusive resort and spends all their time there.

 

Other countries like Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam? Probably similar or more stringent entry requirements to Thailand, in the initial opening phases.

Yeah, to leave Thailand as a U.S. passport-holder right now more or less means going back to the States. I read similar things about the Maldives in addition to St. Lucia and Aruba in the Caribbean—very random. European countries are starting to open up but don't seem eager to accept Americans. 

I had an education visa scheduled to last me to the end of the year that was just canceled by immigration last week. Yeah, ouch. It doesn't look like there are any legitimate travel destinations, especially not for Americans. I'm hoping they extend amnesty to at least buy me some more time. Even so, given that "new normal" article, it doesn't seem like it will be easy to re-enter Thailand. ????