I cant be only one with this dilemma...

 

so, my story is i spend 6 months of the year here (playing golf is why im here) and i have for the last 7 years.

 

Before Covid 19 really broke out i was seriously considering staying a few months more. But things are now very different. 

 

I just cant decide whether to go back to UK or not? I dont 'want' to as such, no real pressing need for me to be there, no work or family committments, someone can take care of my property. But there's nothing to do here as well as there

 

-The bigger concern is 24/7 curfews in Thailand v UK

-Flying home is a risk in itself.

-fight could be cancelled/overbooked

- flights out could be grounded for months

-Insurance- i can get here in Thai should i stay

- Cases/deaths are way lower in Thai than almost all of Europe

-where is 'safer'?

 

Anyone else had these thoughts and would like to share the Pros & Cons?

 

It's a coin flip. For me, at the moment Thailand is winning out, as I have nothing back home. I just fear it becoming 'unsettled' here. Probably no opportunity to fly anyhow.

Thailand has got to be safer.

 

Plus in the UK police are chasing people going for a walk with drones.

 

Imagine living like that.

 

6 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

It's a coin flip. For me, at the moment Thailand is winning out, as I have nothing back home. I just fear it becoming 'unsettled' here. Probably no opportunity to fly anyhow.

yes feel same way, hence dilemma. The one thing that would make me leave here is if things got dodgy and i dont mean the virus. I mean being a farang and being' mistreated' simply because of it

 

And i do have an opportunity to fly , well i do at the moment anyway, thats another concern ie that option may be taken off the table

 

as an aside i ran my own business from aged 26 and made big decisions quickly every day

since turning 50 Im sh@t at making decisions, because i consider all factors ....old age hahaha

Those that don't have insurance should go home if they can , it's a no brainer , could you imagine the bill after a couple of weeks in ICU?

Lockdowns will continue to get tighter here.. Slowly but surely

1 minute ago, madmen said:

Those that don't have insurance should go home if they can , it's a no brainer , could you imagine the bill after a couple of weeks in ICU?

Lockdowns will continue to get tighter here.. Slowly but surely

Agreed, i wouldnt even contemplate staying *without* insurance that includes covid 19, not a chance

but with it , im really torn as to what to do

ideally stick around and see what happens, hope that UK assist with flights out if things get dodgy

 

Yes, in a similar situation. Nothing to be back home for. I Arrived end of last Oct. to get out of the UK winter. I arrived on a 30 day permission to stay as was not sure where in S.E. Asia i was going to be and spend most time. I wanted to travel around a bit anyway and that's what i've done. Came back to Thailand end of Feb. I booked flights out when the situation started to escalate, all were cancelled on me at the last minute. Can't get refunds and I didn't want to lend the airlines anymore money so i made my mind up then to try and stay and ride it out here. 

• My personal feeling is that 24/7 curfew is not going to happen here...especially if we see numbers of infections start to decline (as they are in parts of Europe/China) 
• It certainly is! Crazy that's it's fine to sit in a tin can like sardines for 12 hours when being asked to practise 'social distancing'
• Yup, the airlines are refusing to refund my money...Etihad want to charge me 192US$ to get a refund!! When things return to some sort of normalcy at least i could change the flight date (thanks Etihad! ????)
• Yes, Insurance and good quality medical service is available here
• Cases are lower here (apparently) how long that will last, who knows! If things spiral out of control (Italy) how would Thailand respond is the big unknown. My gut feeling is, if that was going to happen i would have thought it would already have done so. Thailand reported the first case outside China on Jan. 13...maybe wishful thinking on my part! ????
•  

Many of the reasons i came in the first case are still true; The weather is better, even if i am spending less time outside. Good, value for money food and cold beer. Also, Thailand generally seems more relaxed to me in this crisis than what i'm hearing from in UK, seems a lot of tension over there. 

Risks to staying include visa rule changes and government announcements (curfews etc) Political/social stability, chances of full blown banking crisis (access to funds)

 

Obviously everyone has to make up their own minds but i'm an optimist by nature...????

Edited April 6, 20206 yr by BillStrangeOgre

On another post on here this morning news item reported private hospitals told to treat everyone for free claim if have insurance, but if not, still treated, maybe i miss read it ? seems too good to be true.

57 minutes ago, thecolonel said:

But there's nothing to do here as well as there

same as when there's no virus, unless you like museums and art galleries

My 2 cents, being a frequent traveller, and having had to make decisions (last month though) :

If you don't have real reason to go back, just avoid traveling now. 

Risks in Thailand are possible, but risks in traveling are pretty certains. Flight canceled, hours in airport, promiscuity with so many people, immigration, fatigue, costs, forced quarantines, etc. etc.

Go please GO, all the defeatist should be rounded up and shipped out. Then those of us in for the long run  can get on with the job of living here without all the whining winging miserable folk.

john

22 minutes ago, thecolonel said:

yes feel same way, hence dilemma. The one thing that would make me leave here is if things got dodgy and i dont mean the virus. I mean being a farang and being' mistreated' simply because of it

 

And i do have an opportunity to fly , well i do at the moment anyway, thats another concern ie that option may be taken off the table

 

as an aside i ran my own business from aged 26 and made big decisions quickly every day

since turning 50 Im sh@t at making decisions, because i consider all factors ....old age hahaha

I was here in 'difficult' times (red and yellows) and never felt in anyway threatened...

I remember i was sitting outside a bar on Sukhumvit drinking a beer with friends and 'fully equipped' military vehicles were going  down the road! 

 

19 minutes ago, madmen said:

...Lockdowns will continue to get tighter here.. Slowly but surely

How would they implement that? People have to eat. I could only imagine that in the worst case scenario...

 

Edited April 6, 20206 yr by BillStrangeOgre

10 minutes ago, jonwilly said:

Go please GO, all the defeatist should be rounded up and shipped out. Then those of us in for the long run  can get on with the job of living here without all the whining winging miserable folk.

john

I don't see it like that. Many people have concerns, not everyone is a seasoned traveller/been staying in Thailand long term and know the ropes...time is now for a little compassion ????  

Stay 

 

25 minutes ago, BillStrangeOgre said:

I was here in 'difficult' times (red and yellows) and never felt in anyway threatened...

I remember i was sitting outside a bar on Sukhumvit drinking a beer with friends and 'fully equipped' military vehicles were going  down the road! 

 

Thanks Bill, its reassuring to hear such stories....

Look at it another way.

 

How many in Europe would feel safer in Thailand ……… quite a lot.

Lower infection rates.

Lower death rates.

No panic buying and queuing for essentials at the supermarkets.

You can at least take exercise whilst maintaining social distancing, due to the better climate.

 

Going back to Europe at the moment would be like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

 

You can get very cheap Insurance to cover Covid in Thailand. 850 baht covers 100,000 in medical bills and 1,000,000 in the event of death to a beneficiary.

Edited April 6, 20206 yr by Tanoshi

I was here for the financial collapse of 08...I remember my dad asking me if I was sure I wanted to come home in October, unlike the other 99 times, when he asked when i was coming back and what my plans were.  I went back, and did buy a nice condo in Summerlin, Las Vegas for 35K, but the screaming deals were around for at least two more years.  At the time, I was still a relative newbie, and was kind of still in the outrage stage about the soi dogs and the garbage.  Of course, by now I have given up on any idea of them picking up their litter and dog piles.  I am enjoying the quiet a bit, while acknowledging the devastation to the economy.  The West is a terrible place to hang out and chill without a very solid income.  I am starting to wonder if a trip in September might be too optimistic, and if one of my aged parents passes and I cant get there..that would just suck, big time.  It may be wrong to assume that the border controls will loosen, as they could tighten even more, unless they are just going to open them to expel us.  Looting would be a fairly scary escalation, but you might see that in Europe before the US or even LOS.

Edited April 6, 20206 yr by moontang

1 hour ago, jonwilly said:

Go please GO, all the defeatist should be rounded up and shipped out. Then those of us in for the long run  can get on with the job of living here without all the whining winging miserable folk.

john

Who rattled your cage? Valid, balanced, non-Thai-bashing question posed from someone who is not a long-termer...

 

Op, personally I'd stay. UK is coming to the peak of the curve by the looks and is pretty tightly shutdown. It'll likely be couple months before things would relax. Numbers looked skewed in Thai but it's clearly not going parabolic. Might be some push-back from some of the populace, but Thais on the whole are pretty apathetic and conformist. I'd sit tight and enjoy the sun. 

 

Now (jon), where's that w****r emoji? 

24 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

You can get very cheap Insurance to cover Covid in Thailand. 850 baht covers 100,000 in medical bills and 1,000,000 in the event of death to a beneficiary.

And how young do you have to be to get that covet at that price? They wouldn't cover a seventy year old like me, with lungs damaged by TB and continual blood pressure problems.

 

I'm still going to stay here though. I would have more chance of catching Covid 19 if I went back to the UK.

Edited April 6, 20206 yr by john terry1001

I just saw on CNA that T2 at Changi will be closed for 18 months, starting in May.

Thanks for your post. I’m in exactly the same situation: go or stay.

i usually go back to the UK in April anyway (I like the springtime and welcome the cooler weather when it’s at its hottest in Bkk) and Christmas (to see family and escape the awful jingles and muzak everywhere). I have a flight booked this week but don’t fancy a crowded aircraft. Also Bkk seems calm compared with what’s going on in the UK. Cannot seem to decide. It’s not an easy call.

 

 

1 hour ago, Sambotte said:

Risks in Thailand are possible, but risks in traveling are pretty certains. Flight canceled, hours in airport, promiscuity with so many people, immigration, fatigue, costs, forced quarantines, etc. etc.

 

You must have much more fun than me when travelling, or did you mean proximity?

People could always try living inside their own head. Or would that be too radical a change?

1 hour ago, Tanoshi said:

Look at it another way.

 

How many in Europe would feel safer in Thailand ……… quite a lot.

Lower infection rates.

Lower death rates.

No panic buying and queuing for essentials at the supermarkets.

You can at least take exercise whilst maintaining social distancing, due to the better climate.

 

Going back to Europe at the moment would be like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

 

You can get very cheap Insurance to cover Covid in Thailand. 850 baht covers 100,000 in medical bills and 1,000,000 in the event of death to a beneficiary.

Thanks Tanoshi, good idea to look at it in reverse! Any links to that Insurance you mention, thanks

1 hour ago, Tanoshi said:

 

 

You can get very cheap Insurance to cover Covid in Thailand. 850 baht covers 100,000 in medical bills and 1,000,000 in the event of death to a beneficiary.

Please enlighten me where I can get insurance for 850baht to cover covid?  I am 65 and have prediabetes so I can only get accident insurance and nothing else.

 

In response to the OP I would say stay here.  It is still possible to meet up with friends, food is easily available and although I am very cavalier about my health and don't worry I would be extremely concerned about being on a plane with 350+ other people.

For those who asked about the Covid Insurance plan, I did mine online here:

https://www.roojai.com/en/covid/

 

I saw no age restrictions mentioned.

Email confirmation of acceptance.

Policy forwarded by post.

First 14 days from acceptance invalid for claims.

(Tip: When enter the start date put tomorrows date).

 

Many of the banks are also offering similar policies.

Stay here until the epidemic is over, and comply with the local public health advice. If you go now, you pose risk to yourself and the others in the UK (indeed, anywhere). So stay here, practice social distancing, and if possible enjoy time on the beach, in the nature, parks or some other nice spots accessible to you (while they remain open). 

 

Longer term, well I don't know now... This 6 months here, 6 month there looks attractive. But may be a bit dodgy logistically. Also I would think on the UK ordinary residence requirements if you are abroad for a longer time, as this my impact your pension,NHS treatment, tax, state benefits. etc (this is for those not in retirement yet, and financially somewhat uncertain).

 

We still do not know how exactly the C-19 situation will impact longer term the global, and the UK and Thai economies in particular. But the current prognosis is not that optimistic... What the cost of living and moreover, the quality of life, will be? For Thailand, for example, will the environment become much more polluted? unhealthy/bad quality/bad choice of food? more sub-standard/run-down infrastructure, increased cost of living-particularly for foreigners? more unfair/costly/difficult visa procedures (for longer than a month stay)? radicalisation of politics due to citizens' unrest?.... All this due to a general lack of funds in the post-C19 world. UK might not be much more better off (just think of the Brexit consequences on the top of C19), but it does have a better "baseline" economy to start....Anyway, this is only one possibility, skewed to the "negative", gloomy  outlook. There may be more positive developments just as well. Hardly it will stay "neutral". Time will tell.

 

I suppose my point is that these are very uncertain times (one might argue it has always been like that... but I'd say now is even more so) and I'd keep my options open and regularly review them. I'd say the key now is to ensure you can retain/build flexibility, a capacity for a quick change and adaptability. Today Thailand, tomorrow UK, the day after somewhere else, if needs be. A "partisan fight" in life, rather than some principled and inflexible, once-for-ever decisions. This approach is costly though, but such is the time...and favours building of an inner, psychological, peace/stability... 

 

Anyways, good luck and stay in (or keep building) a positive spirit! Keep calm, chin up and carry on! ????

Edited April 6, 20206 yr by McArie

11 hours ago, treetops said:

13 hours ago, Sambotte said:

Risks in Thailand are possible, but risks in traveling are pretty certains. Flight canceled, hours in airport, promiscuity with so many people, immigration, fatigue, costs, forced quarantines, etc. etc.

You must have much more fun than me when travelling, or did you mean proximity?

I've certainly never had that much fun at an airport or at immigration... 

I'm stuck in the UK and Mrs Chelseafan is stuck in Thailand. Given a choice I would rather be there with her.