Canadian Snowbird

So what happened to Anutin's proclamation that "they could handle omicron"? I sure am glad I cancelled my plans to come to Thailand again for this winter. They shut down the test and go to any new applications, re-instated the full 7 day quarantine, threatened to go back on their word to allow those already in the system to enter on the test and go, initiated manhunts for foreigners skipping out on their 2nd tests or for moving on before getting the results from the 2nd tests. And now they are talking more lock downs again, even though they previously said they wouldn't. That's two winters of misadventures now with new variants coming along all the time. How many years does this go on and how many times do they shoot themselves in the foot? I have really missed spending winters in Thailand since leaving end of March 2020, but I am going to have to think long and hard about ever coming back now.

That's official then, I am not going to waste my time, effort and money to even try to get to Thailand this winter when you can not trust the Thai gov't for any consistency, and when they can't keep their word.

Thailand needs to understand that "we" are not coming because of all the uncertainty created by the flip flopping of gov't decisions to open vs close for tourists, because of all the added costs and hassles to get there, because of the added risks of being quarantined or hospitalised for false positives or mild symptoms, and because of the uncertainty of the airline industry. As much as I am not enjoying freezing my nards off in Canada right now, I can at least feel better about how much $ and hassle I have saved myself.

It would be interesting to hear his side of the story. Did he do a runner out of fear that the positive result had been fake? He has tested negative 3 times since. If that were case, who would be willing to take a chance to come to Thailand if you could not trust the process? I would love to know the full story on this one, but doubt we will ever hear it.

Looks like I will no longer have to endure the pain of trying to find a decent flight schedule at a decent cost for sometime in January. If they are going back to a minimum 7 day quarantine then I am definitely not going to waste my time and money to get to Thailand for a few months. That's 2 winters now missed out. Makes me wonder what next year will bring. ????

As if there isn't enough frustration .... airlines offering <deleted> schedules with long layovers versus double or triple the normal price for a decent flight schedule; insurance costs that are equal to the flight costs; cost of covid tests prior to departure and on arrival plus the minimum 1 day quarantine, possibly more; uncertainties on the tourist visa's with no guarantee of extension; a requirement to download an app so they can monitor your location; and, uncertainty on getting back to your home country now depending on what happens with the omicron variant. I was originally thinking of coming over for the winter in mid November, then changed my mind and pushed it back to mid December. I recently baulked again and have now pushed my plans back to mid January or later, if at all. It just doesn't seem worth the added costs, hassles, frustrations and risks, and this latest effort to simplify things isn't any better than previous attempts.

I've seen the requirements. The note that there is no guarantee of extension for the single entry tourist visa does not help my comfort level.

I would plan on using the special tourist visa so that I would be allowed at least up to 90 days. Finding a decent flight schedule from Canada is also problematic, however.

I'm 67 and the high cost or inability to get travel insurance is a big reason why I am still in Canada right now. Some insurance firms are not interested in selling to new clients over 65; others are offering insurance at very high cost in the hope you are desperate enough to take them up on it. Add to that the high cost versus poor schedules with long layovers for flights, and it's looking more and more like I won't be getting any golfing in in Thailand this winter.

Again Ubonjoe, thank you for all of your help.

And thank you for that response. That kind of uncertainty though really isn't very comforting and still leaves me feeling pretty hesitant.

Thanks for that. I'll try and ask the question again then if anyone has received approval on a tourist visa with a departure flight more than 90 days from arrival.

Has anyone had any success applying for a tourist visa to stay more than 90 days? I thought I had read on this forum that they had extended the special tourist visa for another year. However, when I check the Thai embassy and consulate websites in Canada there is no mention of it, instead you are directed to the evisa site in Thailand. There is also no mention of or reference to the special tourist visa on the evisa site. There is a note that the multi-entry tourist visa is no longer available, only the single entry tourist visa for 60 days with no guarantee of extension. I am not willing to undergo all the hassle and added expense to come back to Thailand (prior to covid, I was spending 5.5 months there each winter) if the best I can get on a tourist visa is 60 days or less.

More needs to be done before the tourists will come. At present, with fewer flight options some of the flight schedules and layover options are absolutely brutal. Otherwise, the airlines are charging double for flights with a decent schedule and lower layover times. Then there is the insurance requirements, most of them charging rates that equal or exceed the cost of flights to get there and a thai company refusing to sell insurance to any new customers over the age of 65. Then there is the entire AQ uncertainty and risk if you test positive on arrival or sit next to some once who tests positive. And it gets better. I thought I read on this website that the Special Tourist Visa had been extended for another year, but there is no mention of it on the thai embassy or consulate websites in Canada. When you go to the evisa site, there is also no mention of it, only the single entry tourist visa with a proviso that there is no guarantee it would be extended. So lets see now, all these extra costs and hassles to get there for a maximum 60 day stay (less than half a Canadian winter)! Nope, I'm not buying into it yet and may just have to take my golf clubs and snowbird butt somewhere else.

It was a thai company called "aetna" and promoted themselves here as providing insurance to satisfy the thailand pass requirements, meaning a bundled packaged.

I've been coming to Thailand since 2007; the 1st 7 trips as a 30 day tourist, then 6 years in a row for 5.5 to 6 months following retirement at 60 specifically to avoid Canada's brutal winter weather. I didn't make it last winter and really missed the warm weather and the golf. I would normally play golf 3 to 4 days a week when there, and although I don't drink alcohol and avoid the bar scene, I spend my fair share. I never felt the need to comment on this forum before even though I've been monitoring it for over 7 years now. I'm finally annoyed enough it's time to add my comments. I've wanted to return for this winter, but thought I would wait to see if they would work out the glitches and make things less complex. I was planning to leave mid December and stay until late April. Estimates for the insurance from Cdn insurance co's ranged from 25,000 to over 75,000 thai baht. So I decided to try one of the thai insurance companies promoting themselves on this website. I received a response that they would not insure any new customers over the age of 65. Wow ... not only do I feel like they really don't want us anymore, but they don't want our money either. I'm changing my plans and will continue monitoring things for the possibility of coming mid January, but if they don't reduce some of the requirements, I may do a complete change of plans and go somewhere else this winter, and possibly future winters.