Trump’s Vision for a Government Overhaul with RFK Jr. and Elon Musk Gaining Power

[Boomer6969]

2 hours ago, findlay13 said:

That makes them more "quality" tourists according to the Thai standard then.

That makes them quality tourists, period.

[brucegoniners]

But of course we do. Americans do things first class.

[Walker88]

10 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

I know a lot of Americans who think of themselves as well-traveled.

A lot of them stay in American chain motels in the cities they visit and go on guided tours to see the sights.

So they have experienced Hiltons around the world and carefully curated tour experiences; often shopping oriented.

They do kind of isolate themselves from experiencing the places they visit.

Precious little difference among nationalities. Americans are hardly unique. You isolate one particular type of traveler and project that style on to all.

 

What I have seen in Thailand is:

 

Brits hang with Brits and are constantly in search of a 'full English breaky'

Aussies hang---and drink---with Aussies

Swiss hang with Swiss...Solly ! Wie gehts!

Italians hang with Italians...and eat Italian food

Japanese hang with Japanese...and even have their own agogo street in Bangkok

Germans hang with Germans

 

I could continue, but the point is made

 

Just because someone stays in an 800 baht hovel doesn't mean he's 'getting in touch with the real Thailand'. Just because someone only has 50 baht in his pocket and buys some some tam from a street vendor doesn't mean he prefers that to bratwurst or blood pudding or sushi or pizza or a vegemite sandwich, and would choose one of those if he had the money.

[smedly]

and so what ?

 

apart from the fact that it is near impossible to work out what tourists are spending or what is more important - spending on 

 

 

it is understanable why VN gets more than a mention in this pontless piece 

 

Thailand has turned the corner to a police state since covid  - I see this because I was here before covid and can compare, it is not only me obseves this

 

what the cops and government are doing right now is ###### people off - they really are, people come here for a holiday - they do not expect to be arrested or harassed because they had a beer after 2am  - what exactly are they trying to achieve by this ?, countries in SEA have been able to move on without this B# and get back to pre-covid normal - ### is wrong with Thailand

[wwest5829]

3 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

I just couldn't feel I was on vacation in a 1000 Baht hotel room. My guess is that "real" US tourists don't have too many holidays, so they want to get the best out of them.

Agreed. as an expat retiree I try for the 1500-2000 baht range.

[jaywalker]

36 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

I know a lot of Americans who think of themselves as well-traveled.

A lot of them stay in American chain motels in the cities they visit and go on guided tours to see the sights.

So they have experienced Hiltons around the world and carefully curated tour experiences; often shopping oriented.

They do kind of isolate themselves from experiencing the places they visit.

Thise of who do not, get censored and ghosted.

[Smokey and the Bandit]

3 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

I just couldn't feel I was on vacation in a 1000 Baht hotel room. My guess is that "real" US tourists don't have too many holidays, so they want to get the best out of them.

You are absolutely right! Americans, USA, only have around 50% vacation time, compared to Europeans?

Europeans maybe have 4-6 weeks, Americans 2-3 weeks, vacation time?

Scandinavian countries have more?

[dallen52]

Probably spent more than thais too.

Most tourists budget an amount to blow on a holiday. 

Plus many have paid leave.

[PB172111]

Yep, the pome’s are cheapskates and whingers.

but we, big spending Americans always knew this.

 

Pome’s like to:

1. Find a bar stool and whinge about their day.

2. shake their head at other drivers while riding a scooter.

3. shout abuse at other drivers, thinking that they are still on those small narrow roads in the UK.

4. Whinge when traffic won’t stop on a zebra crossing.

 

I am just glad that the hanky on the head has stopped ????????????

 

[KhunLA]

Our hotel room budget used to be ฿1000+/-, though usually don't do weekends.  We don't spend much time at the hotel, except nighttime, so only real requirement is a comfy bed.  Pools a nice plus, IF, we are going to use, but usually don't have or use much.

 

Recent price increases of late, and sure our room budget will be going the ฿1500 +/- range.   Last few ranged from ฿800-2000, and actually were equally comfortable, just the view & market was different.

 

Chumphon ฿800, setting was riverside

https://www.google.com/travel/hotels/entity/CgoIipaB8qu1jMILEAE/photos?g2lb=2502548%2C2503771%2C2503781%2C4258168%2C4270442%2C4284970%2C4291517%2C4306835%2C4429192%2C4515404%2C4597339%2C4723331%2C4731329%2C4757164%2C4778035%2C4814050%2C4821091%2C4861688%2C4864715%2C4874190%2C4886082%2C4886480%2C4893075%2C4902277%2C4905351%2C4906019%2C4918081%2C4926165%2C4926489%2C4928499%2C4930751%2C4930753%2C4931360%2C4936396%2C4937897&hl=en-TH&gl=th&ssta=1&rp=EIqWgfKrtYzCCxCKloHyq7WMwgs4AkAASAHAAQI&ictx=1&sa=X&utm_campaign=sharing&utm_medium=link&utm_source=htls&ved=0CAAQ5JsGahcKEwio-tjp6v_8AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQCw&ts=CAESABogCgIaABIaEhQKBwjnDxACGBQSBwjnDxACGBUYATICEAAqCQoFOgNUSEIaAA

 

Kanchanaburi ฿2000, setting hillside 

https://www.google.com/travel/hotels/entity/CgoI49K_v6K6la5TEAE/photos?g2lb=2502548%2C2503771%2C2503781%2C4258168%2C4270442%2C4284970%2C4291517%2C4306835%2C4429192%2C4515404%2C4597339%2C4723331%2C4731329%2C4757164%2C4778035%2C4814050%2C4821091%2C4861688%2C4864715%2C4874190%2C4886082%2C4886480%2C4893075%2C4902277%2C4905351%2C4906019%2C4918081%2C4926165%2C4926489%2C4928499%2C4930751%2C4930753%2C4931360%2C4936396%2C4937897&hl=en-TH&gl=th&ssta=1&rp=EOPSv7-iupWuUzgCQABIAcABAg&ictx=1&sa=X&utm_campaign=sharing&utm_medium=link&utm_source=htls&ved=0CAAQ5JsGahcKEwjo1byh7f_8AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQDA&ts=CAESABogCgIaABIaEhQKBwjnDxACGBQSBwjnDxACGBUYATICEAAqBAoAGgA

 

 

[khunjeff]

1 hour ago, cdemundo said:

I know a lot of Americans who think of themselves as well-traveled.

A lot of them stay in American chain motels in the cities they visit and go on guided tours to see the sights.

So they have experienced Hiltons around the world and carefully curated tour experiences; often shopping oriented.

They do kind of isolate themselves from experiencing the places they visit.

That's certainly a fair and balanced description of the typical American tourist...in 1966 or so. You forgot to mention that they always fly on Pan Am and receive letters at the American Express office! 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, cdemundo said:

I know a lot of Americans who think of themselves as well-traveled.

A lot of them stay in American chain motels in the cities they visit and go on guided tours to see the sights.

So they have experienced Hiltons around the world and carefully curated tour experiences; often shopping oriented.

They do kind of isolate themselves from experiencing the places they visit.

Why isolated, do you think they never venture outside the resort or few tours they take.

 

That vs the millions who don't leave soi 4/bkk, soi 6/patts, bangla rd/phuket.

 

Generalizations using misrepresent, and simply show prejudice.  As I don't know any Yanks that fit your description.

[sambum]

Maybe because their currency isn't $'s - it's Euros or British Pounds etc (Just joking - I'll get my coat on the way out!)

[neeray]

2 hours ago, BananaStrong said:

I never lacked for anything either, until I got behind the wheel of a nice car, visited a few nice million dollar homes, and ate Kansas City steak.   Watches, phones, computers, etc.........

 

Once you enjoy a nice lifestyle, it's pretty hard to want things that you know are better.

 

Hey, tonight get 20 baht noodle soup?  No, how about we try that new Sushi restaurant? OK!!  Hey, want to live in a room that gets 100 C all day for 3000 baht a month?  NO, how about 30,000 a month with a nice view?  OK!!!

 

Right now I'm lacking for single sourced Guatemalan espresso beans, which I just ordered same day delivery for only 4000 baht delivery charge!!!! lol

Very materialistic. 

[crazykopite]

How do they know are they checking everyone’s passports I’m a Brit but I tend to us $ when abroad 

[sandyf]

4 hours ago, JayLeno said:

I didn't know that Europe was a nationality.... This article lacks of serious analysis. How can you compare different countries with different economy and label them as European without going in details...

Irrelevant,

Texans are citizens of the USA and spend USD

Germans are citizens of the of the European Union and spend Euro.

Canadians and Brits are out of it.

[nigelforbes]

2 hours ago, K2938 said:

 

Distance Chicago - Bangkok according to Google:  8,553 miles, distance Berlin - Bangkok: 8,598 miles.   So there is pretty much no difference!  According to the latest findings, the earth is actually not flat????

Whilst the miles you quote may be correct, I don't  know I haven't checked, flights from those locations are very different. 

 

Flights from Chicago to Bangkok fly the polar route, over the arctic circle, flights from Berlin fly more or less direct over the middle east. The difference in flight time can be substantial, Berlin/Bangkok can be about 12 or 12 hours, Chicago/Bangkok is more like 17 or 18 hours.

 

The difference in flight time is more pronounced from other locations, LA to Bangkok often involves stops in San Fran and Tokyo plus the flight crosses the international date line which makes jet lag substantially worse - this is the rost flights I have ever taken personally, for that reason. New York/Bangkok direct is 16 hours, most flights connect and take 19+ hours. So taking the Chicago/Bangkok flight time over the pole, doesn't give a representative picture of the differences.

 

Lastly, you need to bear in mind that Americans get substantially less holiday each year than Europeans, the difference can be two weeks versus 5 weeks or more.

 

https://www.airportdistancecalculator.com/chicago-united-states-to-bangkok-thailand-flight-time.html

Edited February 6, 2023 by nigelforbes

[Mickmouse1]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

They also have a habit of tipping well and widely.... 

It seems I've got the wrong American friends, 555

[itsari]

1 hour ago, PB172111 said:

Yep, the pome’s are cheapskates and whingers.

but we, big spending Americans always knew this.

 

Pome’s like to:

1. Find a bar stool and whinge about their day.

2. shake their head at other drivers while riding a scooter.

3. shout abuse at other drivers, thinking that they are still on those small narrow roads in the UK.

4. Whinge when traffic won’t stop on a zebra crossing.

 

I am just glad that the hanky on the head has stopped ????????????

 

I think you must be Australian as Americans use a different derogatory term for the English and that is seldom heard from Americans . 

 

[LaosLover]

4 hours ago, kwilco said:

Americans have to travel a lot further than Europeans to get to Thailand and my experience is they tend to spend extra in an effort to "isolate" themselves from the vagaries of travel 

Alternative theory:

 

Hotel prices over here are so ga-ga cheap compared to the States that staying in a Dusit or Shangri La property is not much off staying in Holiday Inn Express Motel in a pricey tourist town in the states. Even a stay in a place like London or Paris is heavily discounted compared to in the states.

 

90% of my 4* hotel memories take place in Thailand. Even poorer nearby countries don't offer up such plush hotels at such super discounts. A 5* Hotel in Angkor Wat costs the same as a 5* hotel in Phuket.

 

I do agree with the poster that N. Americans are more likely to purchase something crafty like a Hmong textile or a celadon vase compared to Europeans, but he seems to think that's a negative thing, and I think it's a great thing that keeps these items alive.

[LaosLover]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

 

 

Chumphon ฿800, setting was riverside

 

 

 

Thanks for this.

 

It's my fave kind of place: the former hippie dump given a bright paint job and remarketed as a boutique hotel. Let poor old Chumphon squeeze out a few more baht.

 

I def think that European people have more familiarity and affinity for lower cost lodgings than Americans do. There's a whole range of things like cheap B+B's, pensions, pub rooms, and tiny Ibis hotel rooms that doesn't really exist in the States.

 

You can still stay in a room with a bed, a sink, and a shared toilet in London. That hasn't been true of New York for 50 years.

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, LaosLover said:

I def think that European people have more familiarity and affinity for lower cost lodgings than Americans do. There's a whole range of things like cheap B+B's, pensions, pub rooms, and tiny Ibis hotel rooms that doesn't really exist in the States.

Definitely agree with that, as my one & only EU holiday was damn expensive, even though a guesthouse, but primo location.   Was totally ignorant of the other options, hostels & such, as again. all I needed was a bed, since out doing the museums all day.

 

Hopefully today, they're not as ignorant as I was back then, about 25 yrs ago, and no real internet to enlighten me.

Edited February 6, 2023 by KhunLA

[JayLeno]

2 hours ago, sandyf said:

Irrelevant,

Texans are citizens of the USA and spend USD

Germans are citizens of the of the European Union and spend Euro.

Canadians and Brits are out of it.

Well, in case you didn't know, each countries have different salaries, labour laws, holiday per year, social welfare, etc ...

 

A Iirish will get 2-3 times higher salary than a Portuguese.

 

A French will get much more holiday than a Belgian.

 

So basically, this 'survey' compares irrelevant economy system.

 

How can you compare someone who gets 950€ per month to someone who gets 2300€ and make an average of it. It's not rocket science. 

 

As for Germany, you can make your own deduction.

 

 

 

 

[LaosLover]

A dying breed of cheap hotels that I enjoy in Thailand is the farang pub with rooms. The Wrong Way Inn in Ubon, there's a good Irishy one in Udon -the kind of place I recco'd to SparkTrader. These places serve the few male travelers like him or me who might have the inclination to spend 2 nights in Buriram, just because.

 

But now a new build-boutique hotel costs about the same, so they're days are numbered.

 

CNN has good article today about how crowded and expensive Europe is going to be this year. A lot of those cheap dumps are currently housing Ukranians.

[Taboo2]

We tip generously and that is why we spend so much.

[Red Phoenix]

4 hours ago, K2938 said:

 

Distance Chicago - Bangkok according to Google:  8,553 miles, distance Berlin - Bangkok: 8,598 miles.   So there is pretty much no difference!  According to the latest findings, the earth is actually not flat????

Except that distance Chicago to Bangkok is in MILES (8.533) and distance Berlin to Bangkok is in KILOMETERS (8.598).  And a mile is approx 1.6 times a kilometer...

[Harveyboy]

7 hours ago, Expat68 said:

That does not take much working out!! Seeing that the pound/euro has been hammered by the Thai bhat in recent years. That alongside the British government is hanging out to dry the expat pensioner 

well said

[Taboo2]

3 hours ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

You are absolutely right! Americans, USA, only have around 50% vacation time, compared to Europeans?

Europeans maybe have 4-6 weeks, Americans 2-3 weeks, vacation time?

Scandinavian countries have more?

Hell, some of us are lucky to get 2 weeks vacation.  You get 3 weeks after 7 to 10 years working at a company.

[Morakot]

7 hours ago, JayLeno said:

This article lacks of serious analysis.

Welcome to the world of infotainment.

[Stocky]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Americans spend an average of 96,269 baht (US$2,887) per person while traveling in Thailand, higher than European visitors, who spend $2,684, a survey shows.

U.S. tourists stay in the country up to 15 days per trip

 

European tourists stay in Thailand for 13 days on average.

American $2,887 ÷ 15 = $192.47

European $2,684 ÷ 13 = $206.46 

 

On a per day basis Europeans actually outspend Americans.