Are you skipping Thailand for now?

[georgegeorgia]

,This is for tourists and regulars to Thailand.

 

With the strong baht are you giving Thailand a miss this year ?

 

Have you cut your trips down from twice a year or have you just not gone or will not go for awhile due to the strong baht ?

 

At nearly $50 Australian for 1000 baht its more expensive for Australian tourists,im wondering if many Aussies will go to Bali instead , 

 

I have a work mate who went every year in low season, every August for a month, this year with the strong baht,Recession in Australia looming etc, he skipped visiting Thailand ( Phuket) and went to Bali instead , he had been going every year without fail for the last 13 years .

 

Whilst I have never been to Phuket , he did tell me that the ripoff prices of taxi from the airport etc was far more expensive than Australia and he had had enough

 

How many of you are not doing your regular yearly visits , did you just stay at your home or you went somewhere else eg Spain, Bali , Europe,Latin America?

 

 

Edited August 18, 2019 by georgegeorgia

[sirineou]

I am American and as long as I remember the Baht has being bouncing between 33 and 30 to the dollar , a few times it has dropped  below  30 to 29 0r maybe 28 and a few times over 33 but on the average 33 which makes it easy for me to calculate prices.

100 bht about $3   1000 bht about $30 etc, 

Anyway losing 3 baht to the dollar has not made a big difference to me. or affected my plans. But I don't come to Thailand for the cost.

My wife is Thai, we have a home in Thailand., the exchange rate  is what it is. not much I can do about it other than complain.

Edited August 18, 2019 by sirineou

[OneMoreFarang]

48 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

Whilst I have never been to Phuket , he did tell me that the ripoff prices of taxi from the airport etc was far more expensive than Australia and he had had enough

Maybe your mate should visit the rest of Thailand. Or at least any other place than Phuket.

That is the most expensive rip-off in Thailand since forever.

Did he ever visit anywhere else in Thailand since 13 years?

[mstevens]

I used to visit 3 times / year. This year I will visit twice. Next year, I am not even sure if I will visit at all. I think a break from Thailand for 18 months or so would be a good thing.

 

The reasons for visiting less frequently are first and foremost, the high cost of a holiday there, a combination of price increases in Thailand and the strong baht. So, yes, the strong baht is a big part of it.

 

There is another issue for me and that is that recent holidays just have not been that much fun. Part of it is that the warmth I used to feel from the Thai people isn't there any more. It didn't matter whether it was hotel staff, shop assistants or just people in general, there was a real warmth from a lot of Thai people. These days it's not that I feel unwelcome, it's simply that the warm fuzzy feeling I used to get has gone. Combine that with the fact that a trip costs me approx. 30% more this year than it did 3 years ago (price increases and exchange rate differences) and it's just not good value for money any more, in my opinion.

 

[soalbundy]

I live in Thailand with my family and have a British/Thai son here. I have never left Thailand in the 14 years that I have been here. Life has its own dynamics and if you are wise you flow downstream with it, you aren't the doer, the way you have to travel, however painful or joyful, is usually clear and the doors open easily unless you attempt to go against the current, then you will have to break down doors and smash barriers only to turn back in the end.

[mania]

We lived in Thailand for 5 years but left in 2016

 

We go back yearly because we have a home & family there to visit

We usually stay 3 months but this year will stay 2 months

 

Not so much about prices as we break even here or there really because we have no

housing costs in either place

 

We just feel like 2 months is enough now & last year 3 months was a bit more than we needed

 

BUT.... we live in the country now & lived full time in Chiang Mai before.

We definitely will not be returning to Chiang Mai this year even to visit as it was

terrible last year & not at all as we remembered when living there

Edited August 19, 2019 by mania

[Sujo]

I have holidayed in thailand 4 times a year for the last 5 years. Usually phuket, krabi, pattaya, bangkok but occasionally smaller places like hat yai and danok.

 

This year I went once and decided no more. Way too expensive now for what you get. Basically baht is too high, prices have gone up, service has gone down. So just not worth it anymore. Also a general feeling of being tolerated instead of welcomed. Just not a good vibe anymore.

 

I now go to vietnam, cambodia, philippines. Looks like vietnam is a winner for me. 

[UbonThani]

Still cheap. 1000 baht rooms. 200 baht massage. 50 baht curry. Cheap flights.

[dotpoom]

1 hour ago, UbonThani said:

Still cheap. 1000 baht rooms

Rooms next door to me from 180 Bt. Soi Buakow area.

  I must say...many people today having lots on their minds about Thailand and it's tourist trade.

   Lucky really, that they have not more serious personal stuff to be occupied with?

[seancbk]

9 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I have a work mate who went every year in low season, every August for a month, this year with the strong baht,Recession in Australia looming etc, he skipped visiting Thailand ( Phuket) and went to Bali instead , he had been going every year without fail for the last 13 years

 

I cannot for the life of me understand someone going to Phuket every year for 13 years.   What is there to keep someone coming back?   I could understand someone visiting a different part of Thailand each year (perhaps) but what made him choose the same place instead of going to other countries for his different holidays.  

Or was his choice based on getting laid?

[NCC1701A]

7 minutes ago, seancbk said:

Or was his choice based on getting laid?

i'm thinking yes.

[Jip99]

7 minutes ago, seancbk said:

 

I cannot for the life of me understand someone going to Phuket every year for 13 years.   What is there to keep someone coming back?   I could understand someone visiting a different part of Thailand each year (perhaps) but what made him choose the same place instead of going to other countries for his different holidays.  

Or was his choice based on getting laid?

 

 

I've been laid in much better places than Phuket.

[UbonThani]

13 minutes ago, seancbk said:

 

I cannot for the life of me understand someone going to Phuket every year for 13 years.   What is there to keep someone coming back?   I could understand someone visiting a different part of Thailand each year (perhaps) but what made him choose the same place instead of going to other countries for his different holidays.  

Or was his choice based on getting laid?

 Some people do the same holiday for 30 years. Not me. I like to try new towns.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

i'm thinking yes.

Would he not be a lot cheaper in Pattaya?

[Suradit69]

9 hours ago, soalbundy said:

I live in Thailand with my family and have a British/Thai son here. I have never left Thailand in the 14 years that I have been here. Life has its own dynamics and if you are wise you flow downstream with it, you aren't the doer, the way you have to travel, however painful or joyful, is usually clear and the doors open easily unless you attempt to go against the current, then you will have to break down doors and smash barriers only to turn back in the end.

You should submit this post to the Guiness world record people. I'm sure you are eligible for something in the concentrated mixed metaphor category.

 

you flow downstream with it

doors open easily

smash barrers

 attempt to go against the current

break down doors

 

I think I agree with you, but am not sure since some of your metaphors seem to contradict  one other. Anyway I too have stayed here over a decade without ever leaving. 

 

 

10 hours ago, sirineou said:

am American and as long as I remember the Baht has being bouncing between 33 and 30 to the dollar , a few times it has dropped  below  30 to 29 0r maybe 28 and a few times over 33 but on the average 33 which makes it easy for me to calculate prices.

Yes, the exchange rate has been dependably cyclical over the years. If you can, buy more when the baht is cheap and live off the cheap baht when the rate becomes expensive.

 

i love it when people with dubious currencies like the pound would claim they didn't want to use the money in the bank method for extensions because they could do so much better keeping their money back home rather than putting money in a Thai bank when the exchange rate was favorable for them.

Edited August 19, 2019 by Suradit69

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, Suradit69 said:

 edit.

 

 

Yes, the exchange rate has been dependably cyclical over the years. If you can, buy more when the baht is cheap and live off the cheap baht when the rate becomes expensive.

 

i love it when people with dubious currencies like the pound would claim they didn't want to use the money in the bank method for extensions because they could do so much better keeping their money back home rather than putting money in a Thai bank when the exchange rate was favorable for them.

The fear of loss is greater than the desire for gain.

 

 I understand that 10% can be a significant hit when it comes to

investment , but 3 bht to the dollar is  30 bht to $10  (did I do my math right?)  So instead of 10 beers I get 9,

I call it the beer equivalency theory. where everything is calculated by the Buzz to the Dollar ratio. LOL  

I don't like it but would I compromise my vacation or life  over it?

( for others with different currencies it could be a more significant hit)

I understand it has a psychological affect, but if you think about it rationally.

It is almost like my friend in the US going out of his way to save 3 cents a gallon for gas. , his car fills up 14 gallons, so if he put 10 gallons he would save 30 cents.

Big woopty doo

yet he would not think twice throwing away 30 cents .

Edited August 19, 2019 by sirineou

[Jaggg88]

4 hours ago, seancbk said:

 

I cannot for the life of me understand someone going to Phuket every year for 13 years.   What is there to keep someone coming back?   I could understand someone visiting a different part of Thailand each year (perhaps) but what made him choose the same place instead of going to other countries for his different holidays.  

Or was his choice based on getting laid?

He got a Katoey pregnant 13 years ago and keeps coming back to visit their daughter ????

[stevefloyd]

8 hours ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

I've been laid in much better places than Phuket.

Ive been shafted in Phuket...rip off place not for me ever again

[Jip99]

5 minutes ago, stevefloyd said:

Ive been shafted in Phuket...rip off place not for me ever again

 

It is an OK place if you have visiting western family, but I don’t like it. The whole place, starting from the b4stard tuk tuk drivers, smacks of rip off.

[Suradit69]

5 hours ago, sirineou said:

I understand it has a psychological affect, but if you think about it rationally.

It is almost like my friend in the US going out of his way to save 3 cents a gallon for gas. , his car fills up 14 gallons, so if he put 10 gallons he would save 30 cents

I bought my condo about 20 years ago when the USD/THB rate was around $1 = 40 baht.  As I recall the rate given me then was circa Baht 39 ish. 

 

Sold the condo 9 months ago for a bit more than what I paid for it in baht terms, but that means my Baht 800.000 in the bank for retirement extension cost me around $21,500 as opposed to around $26,000 now. 

 

Not a meaningful gain for 20 years, but I lived rent free for 20 years (easily over Baht 4 million in saved rent) and the Baht 800,000 in the bank was only a fraction of the total baht I got from the sale. It was never meant to be a financial investment and my timing was more dumb luck than any clever strategy. 

 

I understand that some people feel the fear of loss and think keeping their money in a western bank is safer, but given the exchange rate differential, the savings on rent over the years and no loss of capital in baht terms, I think the risk (and lack of xenophobic thinking) was something I don't regret.

 

On the other hand, if I just arrived in Thailand now at my current age, I wouldn't follow that path. 

 

 

[adammike]

7 hours ago, sirineou said:

The fear of loss is greater than the desire for gain.

 

 I understand that 10% can be a significant hit when it comes to

investment , but 3 bht to the dollar is  30 bht to $10  (did I do my math right?)  So instead of 10 beers I get 9,

I call it the beer equivalency theory. where everything is calculated by the Buzz to the Dollar ratio. LOL  

I don't like it but would I compromise my vacation or life  over it?

( for others with different currencies it could be a more significant hit)

I understand it has a psychological affect, but if you think about it rationally.

It is almost like my friend in the US going out of his way to save 3 cents a gallon for gas. , his car fills up 14 gallons, so if he put 10 gallons he would save 30 cents.

Big woopty doo

yet he would not think twice throwing away 30 cents .

It's not about where my Euro is now it's about where it's going to be next January and I guess the £ users feel much the same.

[Awinkl]

Yes, the Baht is strong and maybe over-valued, but just to blame everything on the strong Baht? IMHO other Countries are as much to blame for managing their Economy and their currencies just reflect how successful they are.

Many years ago, 1 AUD$ was worth 1.25 US$ ... when Oz was "The Lucky Country" .... and now it is just about HALF at 0.67 ... and looking at the Baht exchange rate ..... not so many years ago 1 AUD was hovering for quite a while around the 30-32 baht ... and now it has tanked to just around 20.7 Baht!!!

Yes, such a loss hurts - not so much when buying a beer, but when exchanging 1K or 2-3 K, then the real loss becomes a lot more visible & painful.

[AlexRRR]

The strong B wont make to much off a difference for me....I dont sit in bars nor pay freelancers, if alone I cook most of the time often I would buy say a pad thai split into two and bulk it up with either tofu or chicken store one in the fridge for the next day.

 

Normally I rent a condo for 1, 2 or 3 months at 9000 month in a decent area wifi thrown in 20 min walk to a MRT station and has a pool which is deserted most of the time...

 

If you worry bout a few B stay home, my view is its a nice change from home and im not far away from being dead so why worry?

[Beggar]

On 8/19/2019 at 3:03 PM, dotpoom said:

Rooms next door to me from 180 Bt. Soi Buakow area.

 

For 1 hour? 

[Ron jeremy]

On August 19, 2019 at 4:03 AM, dotpoom said:

Rooms next door to me from 180 Bt. Soi Buakow area.

  I must say...many people today having lots on their minds about Thailand and it's tourist trade.

   Lucky really, that they have not more serious personal stuff to be occupied with?

180 baht room on soi buckow????? What a dream! I would be questioning my personal stuff staying there.

and getting advice for a labotomy.

[madmen]

The rest of SEA isn't dirt cheap live like a king compared to Thailand

The currency gain is no more than 10% but is that really worth it for a 7 day tourist?

 

nope, wouldn't even register

 

Expats are a different beast and on a poor pension its still a bit of an advantage

[Banana7]

11 hours ago, Beggar said:

For 1 hour? 

30*180 = 5,400.

 

It's probably 5,000b + utilities for the month, not on a day-by-day basis. Lots of place available in central pattaya for 5k-6k (+electricity+water) a month. If no AC, no hot water, no fridge, no stove, electricity could be less than 400b.

 

I do know a place for 180b per day, on a day to day basis, but no fridge, no hot water, no AC, no flush toilet, walk-up 3 stories, but East of 3rd road.

 

Edited August 28, 2019 by Banana7