If the visa amnesty is not extended, which countries look appealing ?

[innosiem]

16 hours ago, Phillip9 said:

Be aware that no one believes Tanzania’s claim that they are corona virus free.  They likely have a major outbreak and are just ignoring it.  Read some of the foreign government travel warnings before deciding to go there.  Its not a country I would like to get sick in.

Thanks for your input, but nobody here (i dont think) has stated Tanzania is "covid free".
but personally i do not care 1 bit about the wuflu,
it is NOT a concern for myself

what is fact, is that the president of Tanzania
sent off samples taken from goats and a paw paw
which come back from the lab as positive
 

 

1 hour ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

Ukraine is actually an interesting idea, not far from Thailand and not too hot in summer and some real eye candy there. How is Covid there and do Brits need a visa to get in?

Brits can stay 90 days without visa, "covid" numbers are simply not a concern for myself

 

2 hours ago, Deli said:

Southern Europe ( Canary Islands ) until winter comes and than re-evaluate the situation

Canaries would be same conditions for Spain (see above)
 

 

3 hours ago, robertson468 said:

If you'r looking for a place to retire to, have a look at Portugal.  Great weather (much better than gloomy old UK) and of course, at the moment you don't need to worry about a Visa........at the moment!  Algarve is the best holiday place and of course the Port (both red and white) are outstanding!  Good luck.

i am already semi-retired, i can live anywhere, and already have a wife and properties in Thailand, i am not looking for somewhere to settle down, just somewhere to stay for upto a few months until most of the nonsense blows over, then return here (at which point i can get 1 year extensions), and that's really only if i need to leave if amnesty not extended

 

 

3 hours ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

Me being on a 1 yr non 0 based on marriage could be one of them.

If you are on 1 year extension, then you will NOT need to leave if the amnesty is not extended, as you have permission to stay without need of the amnesty.

 

3 hours ago, Jatujan said:

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". 

Sorry, i am not American so have not cared to look, i would not assume as you have done that US citizens are restricted, EU yes, other countries you need to check, of the 20+ i have looked at i cannot recall reading anything about US citizens, as they are labeled as "normal" or "no restrictions" myself i would see that as fine for everyone, other countries labeled as "partially restricted" do have such restrictions, but again you need to check each country, see the links already in the thread for details.

 

 

3 hours ago, sirquest007 said:

If I do temporary need to leave Thailand, my first choice would be the neighbors, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar.

That is for short time.

It seems unlikely land borders will be open to cross this month, so doubtful these are options, most of SA locked down now and also hard to find connecting flights to the few places still open.

 

15 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

He’s from the Uk so he flies first back to the Uk and transfers there to another sunny destination!! Why u put somuch effort into keeping him in Thailand? Doesn’t he have any other possible option

Not that simple, firstly UK has 14 days quarantine, and others places will require quarantine or deny entry if not quarantined in UK, yes there are other possible options, that is what we are discussing.
(nobody is trying to keep anyone in Thailand????‍♂️)

 

[innosiem]

1 hour ago, mvdf said:

 

None. Americans are not welcome globally. EU has banned them.

 

Thankfully.

 

Your xenophobic comment is completely false

[blackcab]

Off topic posts and replies to them have been removed.

[Max69xl]

23 hours ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

But that's not what I'm saying is it, I'm saying would they force farang to leave knowing full well what a ballache or if not an impossibility it would be to get back in?

 

And I highly doubt other countries ask for 100k insurance for starters.

Every normal travel insurance covers $100,000 or even more. It's not a very high sum and those insurances are not expensive. Go to a private hospital in, let's say Phuket and you need that coverage.

[Phillip9]

5 hours ago, innosiem said:

Thanks for your input, but nobody here (i dont think) has stated Tanzania is "covid free".
but personally i do not care 1 bit about the wuflu,
it is NOT a concern for myself

what is fact, is that the president of Tanzania
sent off samples taken from goats and a paw paw
which come back from the lab as positive
 

 

 

He had goat, jackfruit and paw paw tested and then used the fact that those samples tested positive as his “proof” that all corona virus testing is fake and doesn’t work because obviously none of those would actually have the virus.  That was his reasoning for stopping all testing in the country and declaring the virus eradicated.

 

It seems more likely that this was proof his government run lab was incompetent.

 

He never said you should stop eating any of those, and goat is a quite common staple food there.

 

Good luck if you want to go to Tanzania now, but everybody else should know the facts about that place.

[Sujo]

Samoa? The problem is not if they are covid free or safe but if you are.

 

That may be an issue.

Edited July 2, 2020 by Sujo

[Sujo]

I cant even travel from kl to sarawak and back even though its the same country.

 

Must have covid free test 3 days before i leave. Then on return to kl its 14 day quarantine.

 

Yet its not even international.

[innosiem]

3 hours ago, Phillip9 said:

He had goat, jackfruit and paw paw tested and then used the fact that those samples tested positive as his “proof” that all corona virus testing is fake and doesn’t work because obviously none of those would actually have the virus.  That was his reasoning for stopping all testing in the country and declaring the virus eradicated.

 

It seems more likely that this was proof his government run lab was incompetent.

 

He never said you should stop eating any of those, and goat is a quite common staple food there.

 

Good luck if you want to go to Tanzania now, but everybody else should know the facts about that place.

What he done was prove the PCR tests being used are not reliable
as i have stated earlier, "the virus" is simply not a concern for myself
my comment about not eating them was a joke (hence "LOL")

knowing what countries i can enter without being forced into 14 day "quarantine"
the countries i can get flights to
and the duration i would be permitted to stay
are really all that concerns me

Edited July 2, 2020 by innosiem

[innosiem]

3 hours ago, Sujo said:

Samoa? The problem is not if they are covid free or safe but if you are.

 

That may be an issue.

Do you mean American Samoa?
Could be nice if can get flights,
seems its only CH, HK and KR have restrictions
Palau is also an option, i expect flights would be tricky or steep for either
and both can only stay for 30 days
A.S. also need E-authorization
 

American Samoa
"Travelers from affected foreign countries or regions (Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, South Korea)entering American Samoa have to spend 14 days in a country or region not affected by the coronavirus and acquire a 3-day health clearance — day 11 of the 14 days — before entry."

Samoa
"Until at least July 2, 2020, foreign nationals are prohibited from entering Samoa. All international flights are suspended and all maritime vessels are prohibited from docking at Samoan ports. This policy does not apply to shipments of cargo.

Persons seeking to return to Samoa shall be given consideration provided they fall into one of the following categories:

(i) returning residents with return tickets;

(ii) returning resident students;

(iii) persons whose travel permits or visas for New Zealand have expired;

(iv) persons providing essential services in Samoa;

(v) returning resident patients who travelled overseas for medical purposes;

(vi) families with children and persons over the age of 60 years;

(vii) returning resident sports teams and seasonal employees with expired employment contracts;

(viii) general returning residents (“tagata lautele”);

(ix) any other special and relevant ground for travel to Samoa.

Prior to departure for Samoa, all persons must quarantine for 14 days and undergo a test for COVID-19 no more than 72 hours prior to departure. Upon arrival, all persons must undergo a 14-day quarantine in Samoa."

Edited July 2, 2020 by innosiem

[samisaurus]

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. 

[innosiem]

8 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. 

Yes Turkey is also an option, although i was not really fond of the place myself,
it does give easy access to Armenia and Georgia

Another link for info:
https://www.officeholidays.com/coronavirus/

[3421abc]

If you just want to leave and wait it out so you can come back the best bets will probably be China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia. Travelers coming from these countries will most likely be let in first. Tourists coming from the US will probably not be able to come until November.

Vietnam would be nice too as it is near by and cheap to stay for at least 2 months.

Thailand also cannot afford to stay closed for too long.

 

[innosiem]

3 minutes ago, 3421abc said:

If you just want to leave and wait it out so you can come back the best bets will probably be China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia. Travelers coming from these countries will most likely be let in first. Tourists coming from the US will probably not be able to come until November.

Vietnam would be nice too as it is near by and cheap to stay for at least 2 months.

Thailand also cannot afford to stay closed for too long.

 

You first have to get to those countries which is not currently possible
i am not in a rush to get back,
quite happy to sit it out somewhere else for a while
that does not have silly pointless rules in place

many other countries also have restrictions on people entering from the above mentioned countries
so visiting CH or KR if it was possible
could limit options later

Vietnam, although it seems they are reopening this month as it states visa's are being given this month,
they still require 14 day quarantine as designated location etc.
which makes it a "no" for me.

[Jatujan]

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? 

[innosiem]

8 minutes ago, Jatujan said:

 

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? 

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

as for getting started, there really is not that much to do or see in Istanbul really.

Edited July 3, 2020 by innosiem

[Jatujan]

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) 

[innosiem]

18 minutes ago, Jatujan said:

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) 

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.
 

[Jatujan]

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. 

[innosiem]

15 minutes ago, Jatujan said:

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. 

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

Edited July 3, 2020 by innosiem

[samisaurus]

1 hour ago, Jatujan said:

 

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? 

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. 

[Jatujan]

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? 

[drbeach]

2 hours ago, innosiem said:

You first have to get to those countries which is not currently possible
i am not in a rush to get back,
quite happy to sit it out somewhere else for a while
that does not have silly pointless rules in place

many other countries also have restrictions on people entering from the above mentioned countries
so visiting CH or KR if it was possible
could limit options later

Vietnam, although it seems they are reopening this month as it states visa's are being given this month,
they still require 14 day quarantine as designated location etc.
which makes it a "no" for me.

Vietnam has flipped flopped on this. More recently they said: borders closed until September. Consider them out for the time being.

[i84teen]

Block M, jakarta.

[innosiem]

15 minutes ago, i84teen said:

Block M, jakarta.

Has something changed recently ?
 

IndonesiaEntry prohibited

From April 2, 2020, foreign nationals are prohibited from entering Indonesia. 

 

 

[chainarong]

On 7/1/2020 at 3:49 PM, CorpusChristie said:

Nearly every Country in the World has restricted foreigners from entering their Country , no one would be uproaring about it if Thailand kept their incoming restrictions 

Yeah and whats more Thai's are running Thailand not the Farang.

[problemfarang]

i think it wont be any problem to leave thailand at the end of this month.. The question is can we get back in...

[EbhB]

Personally I'd like to visit some of the countries that have NOT gone insane!

 

Its quite some change when what is implemented in Thailand is FAR more rational, effective and also relatively non-intrusive compared to at least areas in the West...

 

Serbia seems interesting, opened up early & certainly knows a lot about western and US-led spin - but have not checked in detail. Also seems that Belarus has managed the whole thing in a more old-style, sensible way - of course both those countries have strong, internal cohesion and security forces which makes it possible to act differently in a crisis.

 

The next couple of weeks will be very interesting & revealing, and the way each country manages the re-opening will be telling. Personally I expect to strike a lot of contries off my list forever, even UK where I lived for 3 years...

 

Done right on a personal level some of the countries that are counted as authoritarian and almost backwards will have a LOT more freedom from day to day compared to what used to count as liberal democracies!

[JackThompson]

5 hours ago, chainarong said:

Yeah and whats more Thai's are running Thailand not the Farang.

I have gotten the impression it was neither of those, but rather a certain growing regional-power.

[drbeach]

5 hours ago, EbhB said:

Personally I'd like to visit some of the countries that have NOT gone insane!

 

Its quite some change when what is implemented in Thailand is FAR more rational, effective and also relatively non-intrusive compared to at least areas in the West...

 

Serbia seems interesting, opened up early & certainly knows a lot about western and US-led spin - but have not checked in detail. Also seems that Belarus has managed the whole thing in a more old-style, sensible way - of course both those countries have strong, internal cohesion and security forces which makes it possible to act differently in a crisis.

 

The next couple of weeks will be very interesting & revealing, and the way each country manages the re-opening will be telling. Personally I expect to strike a lot of contries off my list forever, even UK where I lived for 3 years...

 

Done right on a personal level some of the countries that are counted as authoritarian and almost backwards will have a LOT more freedom from day to day compared to what used to count as liberal democracies!

Yes, you may have a point there. Although I personally wasn't very impressed with the relatively autocratic way in which Thailand handled the crisis, most of that is over now and is not necessarily representative of the way things are done in Thailand, in general. Also, I felt none of that at all, since I never strayed far from my home throughout April and May and by all accounts, aside from some people wearing masks, life as I had known it previously went on as usual.

Moreover, there are many countries which have handled things in a far more draconian way, including in SE Asia. The Philippines and Malaysia come to mind, as well as more recently, even Indonesia to some extent and Singapore too. Some of the worst outside of the west have been Latin American countries. Also China (especially Wuhan and Hubei) but that was mostly confined to the period between late January and early May.

 

But now all eyes are on the west, which have handled matters in a rather draconian fashion themselves (depending on the country). Already it's striking when in China, masks are starting to come off (a local school teacher friend told me when I asked the other day, that last month students and staff alike took off their masks after 2 months of wearing them) whereas in Canada, one province is making them mandatory as of July 7, and likely to remain in force until at least September 30, by which time I expect Thailand and other regional countries like Vietnam to long since have relaxed most of their mask measures (I personally believe this will happen around next month). Also, look at all the recent heavy handed tactics introduced in some US states, which include mask wearing everywhere in public (California and Washington state for instance), also, mandatory contact tracing (also in Washington) and the list goes on. Ditto for Victoria, Australia. The authorities are going door to door in certain identified post codes (zip codes) to forcibly conduct covid testing.

Edited July 3, 2020 by drbeach

[samisaurus]

Once EU opens up to Canadians and the likes and if that is by July 31st , my current plan is 

3 months in Budapest, Followed by 3 months in Istanbul and then we can see how life is at end of the year. 

Other countries I read are currently open are Belarus , Ukraine (Lviv is a good spot) , and Serbia.

Ideally I'd prefer to stay but dont want to have to go on July 31st with the million other people here to extend for another 30 days.