I’ve backpacked through Southpark Asia for years… now i feel quietly pushed out

[madone]

3 hours ago, steven100 said:

 

so your one of those people from Khaosan road who have dreadlocks in your hair, don't bath very often and some have no shoes, you stay in 250 baht hostel rooms when you splurge the spending. 

 

sorry,  your not welcome here,  they want quality tourists that spend money ... not backpackers.

 

maybe south Sudan or Burundi in Africa will be more suited. 

 

Listen to you, you pathetic caricature of a human being. tell us more about booze and hookers

[Caldera]

On 4/14/2025 at 11:57 PM, altayvan said:

Just wondering if anyone else feels this shift? Or is it just me, feeling a bit left behind?

 

I think it's just your perception.

 

Thailand has been chasing a higher tourist spend for years, so there's been no shift.

 

It just doesn't materialize, no matter what they try. The result is always the same: they open the flood gates and make do with whoever they can attract. Only to whinge about low quality tourists later.

[pomchop]

As a long ago round the world backpacker in the days of "europe on $5 a day book" pre lonely planet, no phones no atms no tiny camera,  go to post offices if u needed to call home etc these days when i see the younger backpackers wandering around I actually sort of feel sorry for them.  Many of them seem so busy sending or posting videos and pics that they hardly even seem to notice all that is going on around them.  When everything is in your hands like maps and online info and hotel bookings etc it certainly does make it so easy that you really don't much need to try and interact with people to figure it out.

 

I also get a kick out of the amount of whining about oh my god my bathroom drain was no good or my room had a few skeeters in it , or i had to walk an extra km because google maps was wrong.  Yeah right, i think you should have tried it 50 years ago.  My back pack started big and got very very small as I figured out that I was going to be the one to have to lug it all around the world often walking miles trying to find a cheap hostel etc.  I once spent  days on old beat up buses with wooden seats little to no heat in dead of winter going from Iran to Greece...give that a try sometime.

 

Now i see lot of backpackers who have both a giant backpack on their back and another one on their front...all i can think is "DUH"....especially in Thailand where it is generally hot and shorts and tee shirts work fine where there are laundries everywhere where if u should get into some cold weather up north there are all sorts of second hand coat/sweater places so why haul all that sfuff around for months to use for a few days...buy it use it donate it.

 

Anyway...from what i see Thailand and overall southeast asia are still likely among the easiest places in the world to be a backpacker as you can still find cheap hotels/hostel in most any town or village u can always find some cheap food you can nearly always get internet, there is nearly always some local sort of transport to haul you most anywhere for not much $$ the weather is generally warm and yes overall the people will help you and treat you nicely even if you don't spend a fortune as long as you are not a total dxxkhead.

 

Enjoy it while you can.

[Maxbkkcm]

17 hours ago, Kinok Farang said:

Even the kids refuse to stay in the 200 baht a night places now.Backpackers have been replaced by flashpackers.I went 15 years travelling like that until covid came and i found i could get a 1500 baht room for 500.That spoilt me forever.Shame really.

Why do you think they refuse the 200bath as oppose as before? The world have high prices and inflation. They should seize the cheaper prices. 

[cmsally]

2 hours ago, Maxbkkcm said:

Why do you think they refuse the 200bath as oppose as before? The world have high prices and inflation. They should seize the cheaper prices. 

 

Maybe they are spending their parents' money.

[Nick Carter icp]

18 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Saw a newspaper article on this dude. Worked in 190 countries. Did the entire world over like 40 years.

 

   Are you sure ?

So that works out that he spent about 3 months working in each Country ?

[Kinok Farang]

9 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Are you sure ?

So that works out that he spent about 3 months working in each Country ?

Lazy bastard,couldn't hold a job down.

[Harrisfan]

9 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Are you sure ?

So that works out that he spent about 3 months working in each Country ?

In newspaper some years back. Forget details. But he went everywhere.

[Nick Carter icp]

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

In newspaper some years back. Forget details. But he went everywhere.

 

   I expect that the reality is quite different to how you remember it . 

[Harrisfan]

9 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   I expect that the reality is quite different to how you remember it . 

Not really. He went all over. 

[Nick Carter icp]

Just now, Harrisfan said:

Not really. He went all over. 

 

   I doubt very much that he worked in every Country , although he may have visited every Country as quite a few people have done so 

[Harrisfan]

3 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   I doubt very much that he worked in every Country , although he may have visited every Country as quite a few people have done so 

He worked in many. Pedantic whiner

[Suetape]

I remember when hippies were NOT allowed in...

[Nick Carter icp]

31 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

He worked in many. Pedantic whiner

 

   Well yes, that's what thought .

There's a huge difference between working in every Country and NOT working in every Country .

   I doubted you claim that he worked in every Country in the World  , seems I was correct about that 

[geisha]

On 4/14/2025 at 8:08 PM, Patong2021 said:

Sounds more like life has left you behind. Adapt or perish.

In years past, there was space to tolerate lower socio economic tier visitors (LTV) , but a case cannot be made to to continue with previous policies that resulted in problems for the country. Higher socio economic tier tourists (HTV)  are more valuable overall because;

- They spend more on a greater diversity of goods and services resulting in greater economic benefit to the nation. 

- They are most likely to have  proper  health insurance, and when they do not,  usually can self fund their medical expenses. The lower tier visitors have run up significant unpaid medical expenses and then left Thailand with the cost.

- Higher tier visitors  are less likely to get into legal trouble like bar brawls, fighting with ladyboys, overdosing, stealing vehicles or donation boxes etc. Yes, there will be some, but the sad reality is that it is the indigent type of visitor who gets into trouble.

- The higher tier visitors are more likely to contribute or participate in social service actions, like supporting charities.  Have a look at who visits for charity activities. Only people with financial means can afford both cover their  own expenses, and volunteer for the charity.

 

There are always exceptions. One that stands out is the young person, the people aged 18-25. They are valuable because a visit to Thailand can leave an indelible impression such that they will return one day when they are older and in a better financial position. Also, they tend to be less likely to get into serious trouble. One need only read the news sections of  the forum to see that.

 

You are joking ! A load of codswallop. The quiet traveler is the one we rarely hear about. The ones that make the news are the 2 week millionaires  that are a shame to their country . In my 40 years of Thailand I’ve met loads of people traveling Asia on a shoestring.  And what, may I ask, is wrong in that ? 
They get to see what many on their 200€ a day sightseeing tours never achieve. I love Bangkok, and I can spend days visiting the out of town ancient temples of Thon Buri etc, taking the local transport or the sky train. Same in Chiang Mai. Same in Phnom Penh, Hanoï and Saigon, Tokyo and Singapore. And many more. It does not mean that you are penniless or broke.  
When I see the quality of tourists that fill the roads of Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai ( less) then I much prefer the backpacker that is out to see the country, and not the bottom of a Chang . 

[Patong2021]

9 hours ago, geisha said:

You are joking ! A load of codswallop. The quiet traveler is the one we rarely hear about. The ones that make the news are the 2 week millionaires  that are a shame to their country . In my 40 years of Thailand I’ve met loads of people traveling Asia on a shoestring.  And what, may I ask, is wrong in that ? 
They get to see what many on their 200€ a day sightseeing tours never achieve. I love Bangkok, and I can spend days visiting the out of town ancient temples of Thon Buri etc, taking the local transport or the sky train. Same in Chiang Mai. Same in Phnom Penh, Hanoï and Saigon, Tokyo and Singapore. And many more. It does not mean that you are penniless or broke.  
When I see the quality of tourists that fill the roads of Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai ( less) then I much prefer the backpacker that is out to see the country, and not the bottom of a Chang . 

 

You are projecting.  There is nothing wrong  with a person who wishes to see Asia on a shoestring budget.  If someone has 12 hours to spend riding a stinky inter city bus, and stay in bug infested fan only rooms, that is their choice. However, the Thai tourism market isn't particularly interested in them and no longer caters to them. Yes, there are some low cost dining options and bars where  Leo can be had for 100 baht. It is not much of an enriching experience, unless you consider explosive diarrhea, or sitting on cheap plastic chairs , in a filthy seedy bar surrounded by  extras from a Dawn of the Living Dead film a great experience.  Living hand to mouth isn't fun.

 

The expression 2 week millionaires is over used. Maybe an excited visitor might spend 5,000 - 10,000 baht in a night.  What you think are high paying short time visitors are chump change charlies compared to  Japanese, Singapore and South Korean visitors, who can easily drop 50,000-100,000 a night at some of their clubs.  A cocktail in a  higher end London,Milan, Copenhagen restaurant or bar can easily hit  £15 or  20€. A modest meal for one at the  Cheesecake factory in Miami can easily be $75, so some  lonely ugly guy spending a few thousand baht is nothing special. A good meal with wine at some of the better quality restaurants in Hua Hin easily costs 5,000-10,000 Baht for 2 (if one doesn't want the cheap wine).

 

Thai people don't have much use for the older backpacker  or cheap charlie tourist and they treat them accordingly.  That's the reality. If you don't mind being treated like crap, fine, go for it.

 

[FruitPudding]

What's wrong with keeping your money anyway?

 

I don't get this "Cheap Charlie" thing in Thailand anyway. It's just cos they want to fleece us, right?

[FruitPudding]

On 4/16/2025 at 7:05 PM, steven100 said:

 

so your one of those people from Khaosan road who have dreadlocks in your hair, don't bath very often and some have no shoes, you stay in 250 baht hostel rooms when you splurge the spending. 

 

sorry,  your not welcome here,  they want quality tourists that spend money ... not backpackers.

 

maybe south Sudan or Burundi in Africa will be more suited. 

 

So, a person's "quality" is how much money they spend?

 

Very shallow.

[steven100]

51 minutes ago, FruitPudding said:

 

So, a person's "quality" is how much money they spend?

 

Very shallow.

I didn't make the rules here ....   They want spenders here, not backpackers.  Just stating the facts. 

 

TIT ....  

[FruitPudding]

19 hours ago, steven100 said:

I didn't make the rules here ....   They want spenders here, not backpackers.  Just stating the facts. 

 

TIT ....  

 

Yeah, but the way you said it sounded like you are as shallow as the Thais.

[steven100]

26 minutes ago, FruitPudding said:

 

Yeah, but the way you said it sounded like you are as shallow as the Thais.

and your as naive as them if you think any different.  TIT $$$     what part of that don't you comprehend  !

[FruitPudding]

17 hours ago, steven100 said:

and your as naive as them if you think any different.  TIT $$$     what part of that don't you comprehend  !

 

As naive as the Thais?

 

I can think of a lot of words for Thais,  but naive isn't one of them.

 

In fact, I find them very suspicious and distrusting, also quite clever, cunning, and pragmatic.

 

Rightly so given the milieu they grew up in.

[DonniePeverley]

I honestly think Thailand seriously needs to look at banning hostels. 

 

Last thing this country is need is more tourists who aren't spending into the mix. 

[altayvan]

22 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

I honestly think Thailand seriously needs to look at banning hostels. 

 

Last thing this country is need is more tourists who aren't spending into the mix. 

That’s a pretty strong take. It sure will keep the cheap Charlie’s and alcoholics away.

 

22 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

I honestly think Thailand seriously needs to look at banning hostels. 

 

Last thing this country is need is more tourists who aren't spending into the mix. 

 

[DonniePeverley]

33 minutes ago, altayvan said:

That’s a pretty strong take. It sure will keep the cheap Charlie’s and alcoholics away.

 

 

 

 

There was talks before Covid of 'quality tourism' ..... when everything was just way too crowded. One of the options being looked at was banning hostels and cheap tourists who spend nothing, but contribute to crowds, pressures on public infrustructure, rubbish, enviromental damage etc 

[altayvan]

Yes, I heard about this too. But I find it a bit belittling. Not all budget travellers leave piles of garbage on the road and overcrowd infrastructure. Some of them are very respectful and learn the local language.

[cmsally]

22 minutes ago, altayvan said:

Yes, I heard about this too. But I find it a bit belittling. Not all budget travellers leave piles of garbage on the road and overcrowd infrastructure. Some of them are very respectful and learn the local language.

 

From what I've seen it's mostly not the budget travellers who leave the trash. In my area 10-15 years ago you never used to see trash in the streets and there were only budget type accommodations along with residential houses. Fast forward to 2025 and you have pretty much no true budget accommodation left but you have about 20 mid range to high end hotels just in my neighbourhood. The amount of rubbish is ridiculous.

 

I find it interesting when people say "they want big spenders here". Who exactly are they? From what I can see almost none of the hotels are run by local people. Personally I don't feel good about lining the pockets of out of town (mostly BKK) or overseas investors. I would prefer that my money benefits the local community.

[Chris Daley]

You were always considered to be low quality tourism.  It's not new.

[marin]

8 minutes ago, Chris Daley said:

You were always considered to be low quality tourism.  It's not new.

Take a traveler over a whiner. 

[falangUK]

On 4/15/2025 at 9:04 AM, BritManToo said:

Nope it's just you and Thailand.

Come here for 60 days, then Vietnam for 45 days, off to Malaysia for 90 days then the Philippines for 30 days and there will be no problems.

 

Most countries don't want long term tourists with little money, you just gotta move around a little.

 

Two week tourists have no problem, not because they're rich, but because they only stay two weeks!

What would someone typically do for these durations? Where would they stay? I'm genuinely seeking ideas. Vietnam for 45 days followed by Malaysia for 90 days.
 

For context, I find Malaysia (KL) less interesting and struggle to stay beyond 2 weeks, Penang is manageable for about 2 weeks. In Vietnam, places like Da Nang are good for up to 2 weeks. Similarly, Bali is fine for about 2 weeks before I get itchy feet, although I can handle up to 2 months there if i push it.