Tourists behaving badly – why do some travellers conduct themselves differently on holiday?

[webfact]

Tourists behaving badly – why do some travellers conduct themselves differently on holiday?

Plus, surge in rubella cases in Japan prompts Hong Kong and US to issue a travel warning, especially for pregnant women

BY MERCEDES HUTTON

 

According to currency exchange company Travelex, holidays provide “rare occasions when we break free from our daily routine and give ourselves the freedom to focus on new experiences and, most importantly, ourselves”. Some people, however, take this new-found freedom a little too far; people such as Briton Lee Furlong, 23, and Canadian Brittney Schneider, 22.

 

Canadian broadcaster CTV News reported that after a day spent getting, in the words of Schneider, “ridiculously drunk”, the pair were making their way back to the Mad Monkey Hostel, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, when they happened upon a can of spray paint and made quite possibly the worst decision of their young lives – to make their mark on one of the city’s most famous landmarks, the Tha Pae Gate, the main entrance to the historical old town.

 

Furlong scrawled “Scousse Lee”, an apparent misspelling of Scouse or Scouser, in reference to his hometown of Liverpool, while Schneider succeeded in writing a “B”. In an email interview with news agency The Canadian Press, she recounted remembering their antics the following day: “My heart dropped.” The pair were identified from CCTV footage and arrested soon after. They have been charged with vandalism and face a fine of 1 million baht (US$30,100) or up to 10 years in prison.

 

Full story: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2170895/tourists-behaving-badly-why-do-some-travellers

 

-- South China Morning Post 2018-10-31 

[NCC1701A]

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

why do some travellers conduct themselves differently on holiday?

they are not. this is who they are.

[nev]

They are a acting no differently from when back home, Just low uneducated kids let loose they get away with it at home they think they can when abroad, Some cone unstuck because of their behaviour.

[ezzra]

Just the word Holiday, conjures up letting one inhibitions and guards down and take leave of absence and forgo of what is the norms back home and think that It's ok, I'm a tourist, i pay money to these people so i can do pretty much what i do...

[Snow Leopard]

I blame Low-cost airfares. Fly the scum of the earth cheaply. 

[from the home of CC]

alcohol in most cases.

[chainarong]

Some come to Thailand to do things that in their own country they would face severe penalty's, even the death penalty, their disgusting predatory habit is world renowned.

[overherebc]

10 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Just the word Holiday, conjures up letting one inhibitions and guards down and take leave of absence and forgo of what is the norms back home and think that It's ok, I'm a tourist, i pay money to these people so i can do pretty much what i do...

Yep, these two would do exactly the same thing no matter where they got drunk together.

It's the nature of the beast.

[SammyT]

Piss-weak western justice systems let these idiots think they can get away with it anywhere. You can't tell me this ballbag has never tagged his name on a fence somewhere in wherever he was dragged up. 

[Small Joke]

Well of course a travel industry puff piece is going to say anything except the bleeding obvious. 

Tourism does not make smart people idiots, it just transports idiots to countries where their idiocy is less tolerated, and more open to media coverage that then goes online and is searchable forever. I hope those two enjoyed their night out because whatever happens here in the short term, it will haunt them for quite some time. 

[holy cow cm]

And Thai do not do moronic things too? Let's blame cc tv and social media. Otherwise like in the days before. no one would know. Look at Prawit and his watches, but he is too powerful to touch.. 

[SammyT]

2 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

And Thai do not do moronic things too? Let's blame cc tv and social media. Otherwise like in the days before. no one would know. Look at Prawit and his watches, but he is too powerful to touch.. 

Massive error in reasoning right there.

 

Just because Thais do moronic things in their own country doesn't make it okay for visitors to come and do moronic things in their countries. No doubt you get outraged when immigrants or visitors do illegal things that make the media in your home country? Comparing graffiti on a wall to the deputy PM's wrist watches also deliberately misses the point. There is certainly room for people to be outraged by both...

[scorecard]

54 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

alcohol in most cases.

And I find it sad to read, seemingly more often, of the desire to get shxxfaced* drunk and continue the 'event' for days. (* or whatever the term is.) 

 

Seems to be a badge of honour, sad that these young folks have no knowledge of, or interesting in other interesting aspects of live.

 

Education again...

 

 

Edited October 31, 2018 by scorecard

[roo860]

Some tourist especially the older ones should be arrested for the clothes they wear on holiday

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

 

 

[poanoi]

1 hour ago, chainarong said:

Some come to Thailand to do things that in their own country they would face severe penalty's, even the death penalty, their disgusting predatory habit is world renowned.

lol yeah, canada is infamous for carrying out death penalty for writing on walls,

i think by now they have carried out over 1000 death sentences for spitting chewing gum on the street alone.

most of the offenders that are now thankfully executed were children below the age of 9

Edited October 31, 2018 by poanoi

[Thian]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

they are not. this is who they are.

I agree but when they see the lawless behaviour of the Thai themselves they assume they can also do as they please....

 

When we lived in a hotel permanently i remember being woken up at night by the fire-alarm....big panic in the large hotel because some drunk Brits had pushed the firealarm button....

 

I also saw them walking shirtless on the street downtown.

 

I bet they even didn't get convicted for doing it which they deserved....

 

The Thai should give the good example first....i bet that in Europe nobody dares to push the fire-alarm at night in a hotel cause it will give serious trouble..

 

 

[SammyT]

2 minutes ago, Thian said:

I agree but when they see the lawless behaviour of the Thai themselves they assume they can also do as they please....

Seriously though? Do you think most tourists see Thais behaving lawlessly in tourist areas in town? Do you reckon that's why these guys sprayed the wall?

 

I'd travelled to Thailand heaps before I came to live here and the so-called "lawless" behaviour of the Thais that you describe wasn't really something that ever jumped out at me. Certainly not to the extent that I'd have assumed I could do whatever I wanted without sanction

[Bill Miller]

1 hour ago, chainarong said:

Some come to Thailand to do things that in their own country they would face severe penalty's, even the death penalty, their disgusting predatory habit is world renowned.

Where do they have the death penalty for graffiti? Certainly not Canada! ????
Seriously, what disgusting behavior that they would be executed for at home do people come to Thailand thinking they can get away with?
Thailand is the nation that has trouble extraditing criminals because they still have the death penalty on the books, even if rarely implemented.

Edited October 31, 2018 by Bill Miller

[Thian]

27 minutes ago, SammyT said:

Seriously though? Do you think most tourists see Thais behaving lawlessly in tourist areas in town? Do you reckon that's why these guys sprayed the wall?

 

I'd travelled to Thailand heaps before I came to live here and the so-called "lawless" behaviour of the Thais that you describe wasn't really something that ever jumped out at me. Certainly not to the extent that I'd have assumed I could do whatever I wanted without sanction

Yes of course, do you think the tourists don't see the thai driving against traffic and without helmets? Or parking anywhere they like causing huge congestions..or taxi's not using meters while it's the law to use them.?

 

I even started doing it myself as well when i need to. In the West i wouldn't even think of it.

[Thian]

15 minutes ago, Bill Miller said:

what disgusting behavior that they would be executed for at home do people come to Thailand thinking they can get away with?

On Samui are loads of tourists driving motocy's without a license....or helmet....Even in a nice resort an aussie drove into me while i stepped out of my bungalow, he was drunk, no helmet and of course wasn't allowed to drive there.

 

 

[poanoi]

17 minutes ago, Bill Miller said:

Where do they have the death penalty for graffiti? Certainly not Canada! ????
Seriously, what disgusting behavior that they would be executed for at home do people come to Thailand thinking they can get away with?
Thailand is the nation that has trouble extraditing criminals because they still have the death penalty on the books, even if rarely implemented.

sure they do, its just that its so common to hang children in canada

so it doesnt even make it to the local newspaper

[SammyT]

4 minutes ago, Thian said:

Yes of course, do you think the tourists don't see the thai driving against traffic and without helmets? Or parking anywhere they like causing huge congestions..or taxi's not using meters while it's the law to use them.?

  

I even started doing it myself as well when i need to. In the West i wouldn't even think of it.

One hell of a long bow to draw to say traffic offending is the root cause of other anti-social behaviour...

[CGW]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

Education again

I'm sure these young people had access to the finest education that money can buy 

As no doubt did there parents, if they are lucky enough to have parents that is.

The "education" they had will no doubt have indoctrinated them to think that they too can become wage slaves, just like all the folks they are surrounded by on a daily basis, if they had paid attention during their indoctrination process they could now be part of the majority making the minority very, very rich.

Have you not noticed the working class are no longer needed and haven't been for many years, there all herded together and given a pittance to feed themselves, usually on junk food, thus the life expectancy for people from impoverished areas is dropping alarmingly.

What can be expected of them when they escape the "prison's" they live in, there simply surplus to requirements in this day and age & it goes without saying that the "government" doesn't give a dam about them, far to busy taking care of themselves.

When driver less vehicles eventually take to the roads, & they will "government is determined to have them, no matter what people really think, 25% of the worlds working class that earn their money from driving will be out of work, what will they do then, AI (artificial intelligence) slowly but surely taking over from humans and making them redundant.

They could off course become bankers or the like then they would not have to worry about breaking any laws as they would be above them. ????

But you need a decent education for those jobs & the right connections! 

[Thian]

30 minutes ago, SammyT said:

One hell of a long bow to draw to say traffic offending is the root cause of other anti-social behaviour...

It's all about lawless, first time i saw a policeman without a helmet driving on the trottoir i also was stunned....later when i saw them not reacting when motocy's passed them without helmet i couldn't believe it..

 

And what about all the scams tourists have to endure? Sure the police knows about them but won't react. Many scams have been going on for 20 years now, like the Palace is closed but i have a boattrip for you...

 

Or all the passengers hanging out of bahtbus, have you ever seen that in the West? Same goes for the boats in Thailand which always are overloaded.

 

All these things together make tourists think they can do what they like, and they can.....

[mercman24]

agree on cheap flights we use to fly long haul to lovely places, all inclusive, the last time it was full of chav families getting drunk 24/7. kids running riot, no control over them, it was like the the Spain chavs had discovered, utopia. 

[bkk6060]

The truth comes out when buzzed.

They seem to be low life AHś....

I think at least one year in a Thai prison is good.

[DrTuner]

3 hours ago, Snow Leopard said:

I blame Low-cost airfares. Fly the scum of the earth cheaply. 

Probably not far off. They enabled mass tourism, which is destroying all of the destinations. Must've been much nicer to be a tourist when you needed to take a three month trek through the jungle.

[Snow Leopard]

5 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Probably not far off. They enabled mass tourism, which is destroying all of the destinations. Must've been much nicer to be a tourist when you needed to take a three month trek through the jungle.

Yes. I had some great Scuba Diving adventures 20-30 years ago. 

[natway09]

There are just some people that should NEVER be allowed to travel Internationally & yes

do blame budget airlines for some of it

Have a look at Kuta, Bali for example where 60% of the Aussies should never have been let out of their cage. They become a danger to themselves & me 

[ukrules]

1 hour ago, DrTuner said:

Probably not far off. They enabled mass tourism, which is destroying all of the destinations. Must've been much nicer to be a tourist when you needed to take a three month trek through the jungle.

Not if you don't like trecking through the Jungle!