10 hours ago, KhunLA said:

When was it ever a good time to leave or enter Thailand the past shy of 2 yrs.

 

Amazing it's been that long.

Last November, trip to Europe and back, no hassles, even the extra night in Bangkok for test&go was a given anyway since no flights to CM due to bloody flying lanterns. I did have to pay for 3 covid tests (one go, one come back, one test&go) but small change compared to the rest and the joy of seeing family.

As if what 80% of AN members think has any influence on my decisions.

Eighty percent agreed it is not worth traveling outside Thailand now
 

… Because it is SUCH A HASSLE getting back in. There, I completed the Thaier than Thai title for you. 

4 hours ago, micmichd said:

Sorry, for me leaving would be a problem. I have nowhere to go in my former country (GerMoney) anyway, and as an orphan in GerMoney I would face immediate lockup in one of their care homes for the elderly (I'm 73 yo) Here in Pattaya everything is fine. 

I just mean going on holiday..... I can't go nowhere too, but on holiday out the country is easy but how do you get back in

Of course it is worth it! What's not worth it is trying to get back in. 

 

100% of the 80% are 100% correct.  There's no glamour in travel anymore.  There's nothing special about it, nothing inspiring, nothing cool.  You're livestock with a wallet at every juncture.

The bureaucratic  obstacles seem onerous so let's hope they ease up

8 minutes ago, happydreamer said:

100% of the 80% are 100% correct.  There's no glamour in travel anymore.  There's nothing special about it, nothing inspiring, nothing cool.  You're livestock with a wallet at every juncture.

And even worse if you travel  British Airways!

Just now, The Hammer2021 said:

And even worse if you travel  British Airways!

Im sorry to hear that.  I went to Chicago in September so I could catch the end of the baseball season and see my team in the playoffs.  It was worth it in that sense but getting back...omg...nightmare.  Could have been worse but expensive, stressful, and a lot of hurry up and wait.  Stay where you are if you're here and enjoy the many facets of Thailand that we all fell in love with when we started coming here. ????

 

13 hours ago, webfact said:

not worth the hassle to travel outside Thailand.

In my opinion it's not worth to travel to Thailand as well.

I keep travelling from France to greek islands every year.

10 hours ago, PoodThaiMaiDai said:

Most of the so called issues are not that difficult, if you are able to count to 10 and follow instructions.  LOL

Agree

I have left and returned 2 times in the past 6 months and have another trip upcoming.   While the spontaneity of hopping on a plane and traveling anywhere in the world is gone, travel right now is not impossible if you have good insurance, the ability to navigate the moving target of test and go or sandbox, and as long as you are not working against work leave deadlines.  However, if I was closer to 70 I would not have this opinion due to the increased risk of a bad outcome if infected as well as the much higher cost of the insurance required for travel. 

22 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

The bureaucratic  obstacles seem onerous so let's hope they ease up

I wouldn't hold your breath.   The only logical reason for having such a convoluted and expensive system (for the traveller) in place when covid is already spreading as it is in the country is that somebody in power is making a lot more money out of testing and quarantine than they would do if the borders were open as normal.   If my cynical view is correct we are waiting for that person/group to either do the right thing, or they get to a point where they feel they have made enough money, or we get to zero covid, whatever comes first.   

7 minutes ago, James105 said:

I wouldn't hold your breath.   The only logical reason for having such a convoluted and expensive system (for the traveller) in place when covid is already spreading as it is in the country is that somebody in power is making a lot more money out of testing and quarantine than they would do if the borders were open as normal.   If my cynical view is correct we are waiting for that person/group to either do the right thing, or they get to a point where they feel they have made enough money, or we get to zero covid, whatever comes first.   

Plenty of people in power are losing money. Your view is cynical but that does not mean well informed. Hotel chains, airlines, and even whole economies are being devastated by this pandemic. Yes some people are making money  from it but more people make more money and more profits from a non pandemic economy.

13 hours ago, KhunLA said:

When was it ever a good time to leave or enter Thailand the past shy of 2 yrs.

 

I warned everyone 2 years ago to leave. I did as I knew that I would end up trapped there with none of the benefits left that Thailand offered at that time.

 

I am sorry for those that stayed but most of you have made a life there so it's understandable. Thailand as it is now, will be the new normal.  

 

You have to learn how to enjoy life within it, not sit waiting till it changes which it won't.

 

Thailand is nicknamed God's Waiting Room for a reason. Now it is even more appropriate.

 

 

13 minutes ago, Muzzique said:

 

I warned everyone 2 years ago to leave. I did as I knew that I would end up trapped there with none of the benefits left that Thailand offered at that time.

 

I am sorry for those that stayed but most of you have made a life there so it's understandable. Thailand as it is now, will be the new normal.  

 

You have to learn how to enjoy life within it, not sit waiting till it changes which it won't.

 

Thailand is nicknamed God's Waiting Room for a reason. Now it is even more appropriate.

 

 

Different mindset, and was warning folks not to come.  Wasn't thinking about leaving and coming back, but guess falls under the same.   Warning people not to come, as may get stuck, which some, very few did.

 

Aside from that, Thailand has never been better, may people be scared to come here for a long time ... forever hopefully.  All changes I've noticed, are for the better.  I love the new normal, except when in Krung Thep, as take mask wearing way too serious.

 

Aside from the extra possible deaths of course ... that sucks for those affected.

11 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Different mindset, and was warning folks not to come.  Wasn't thinking about leaving and coming back, but guess falls under the same.   Warning people not to come, as may get stuck, which some, very few did.

 

Aside from that, Thailand has never been better, may people be scared to come here for a long time ... forever hopefully.  All changes I've noticed, are for the better.  I love the new normal, except when in Krung Thep, as take mask wearing way too serious.

 

Aside from the extra possible deaths of course ... that sucks for those affected.

If you regard it as your home then it's totally true, for those who don't see it as that then best keep away until you agree that how it is works for you. 

Don't sit there thinking it will go back to the way it was before. It won't.

 

I think that what is has done has destroyed the sex industry which lured many young girls into a fast track to money but ruined their lives going forwards.

I'm working on a way to bring tourists back as a health and wellness location without the sex. I think in the long term it has actually benefited Thailand by removing this darkness that has covered it for the last 50 years or so.

 

So 100% with you on that.

8 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Leaving is no problem...The problem is that you want to come back!!

Quite so. Too many uncertainties regarding the return, especially regarding the insurance requirement. Will my Cigna insurance be accepted, for example. They have changed the rules for Non-OA but what about Non-O, I am still unclear about it.

14 hours ago, KhunLA said:

When was it ever a good time to leave or enter Thailand the past shy of 2 yrs.

 

14 hours ago, KhunLA said:

 

When was it ever a good time to enter Thailand in the past 20 yrs.

 

Fixed that for you

I was lucky.

After waiting and waiting, I managed to pop back to the UK third week of November to sort some urgent business.

It was once Thailand had introduced Test & Go, the UK had dropped quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers, and Omicron was only just appearing. So a brief window of opportunity.

 

I need to go back again so will see what happens on 1st Feb. But I have the feeling it will be even more expensive this time around.

 

 

15 hours ago, kingdw said:

Try 90% ++++ Why would anyone travel to Thailand to risk getting whisked off to hospital the moment you land?! Or to pay x8 the cost for a lateral flow test to travel to some crappy island, again risking be whisked off to some medical facility/prison...? Or going to Phuket where the police are literally chasing down the dirty farang for any minor infringement to line their pockets with tea money. Where bars close early (if open at all) and no night time entertainment..... But Thailand only wants quality tourists anyway, so no worries there 

The UK, not Wales and Scotland,have lifted face mask restrictions ,3 days ago ,listening to BBC radio then most people were glad not to be wearing face masks again ,most did not like them to start with.

So, if they come here ,add compulsory face masks  to your list ,lying on a beech with a mask on ,I do not think so ,social media will have pointed this out by now  ,another nail in the Thai tourism coffin. 

80% of Thaivisa respondents are whiny poor geezers. who'd a thunk it? ????

I will travel outside Thailand when I LEAVE here for Bali, the Philippines or Cambodia. Constantly changing Immigration rules are not a problem in those countries. In the interim, I will stay here and wait for the next initiative aimed at expelling the evil foreigner.

4 hours ago, Muzzique said:

If you regard it as your home then it's totally true, for those who don't see it as that then best keep away until you agree that how it is works for you. 

Don't sit there thinking it will go back to the way it was before. It won't.

 

I think that what is has done has destroyed the sex industry which lured many young girls into a fast track to money but ruined their lives going forwards.

I'm working on a way to bring tourists back as a health and wellness location without the sex. I think in the long term it has actually benefited Thailand by removing this darkness that has covered it for the last 50 years or so.

 

So 100% with you on that.

The most misguided post I have read in the last ten years.  The sex industry in Thailand has not been destroyed, it has merely morphed into a different form.  The only lives that have been "ruined" are those who contracted AIDS or were killed by abusive punters. Most women return to their villages and live well if they have saved their money.  Your take on the sex industry sounds like an evangelical preacher.  If you don't like sex, then stop having it.

34 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

80% of Thaivisa respondents are whiny poor geezers. who'd a thunk it? ????

They may be whiny poor geezers, but they are 100 percent RIGHT!!!!

30 minutes ago, Nickelbeer said:

They may be whiny poor geezers, but they are 100 percent RIGHT!!!!

it's ok bro you can come out from under the bed now ????

We the family are desperate to fire-up our seasonal summer business in Canada after 2yrs in exile.

We are forced to gamble on a brighter future, since detailed plans with many fees payed up front is required by end of March.

Surprisingly airfares remain the same as we paid in 2019...that's about the only good news.

 

???? it is not worth travelling to Thailand at the moment. There are many places (and more everyday) that are welcoming tourists and getting life back to normal. 

22 hours ago, Suetape said:

Not returning either.   Enjoying Royal Caribbean cruses instead. 

Think the problems getting into Thailand are far less of a worry than being stuck on a covid struck cruise ship !

Just out of curiosity . . . how many other countries are requiring health insurance just to travel there?   

Anyone?