On 2/21/2026 at 8:57 AM, BilllyGOAT said:

Chillax there, matey.

Bubble baths?

On 2/21/2026 at 7:39 PM, 0ffshore360 said:

The majority lived under the raised houses and ate food and socialized instead of hiding in a room starstruck by gleaming electronic screens .

The minority lived in spacious dwellings designed with airflow and used evaporation screens in doorways.

I remember an elderly gent who told us how for almost two years during WWII there was no electricity and that a girl would fan him until he fell asleep, he said the trick was to be sure you fell asleep before the girl, but he also described a city without all those concrete heat retaining buildings

On 2/21/2026 at 6:17 AM, georgegeorgia said:

I dislike this word "bro"

It's a new Zealand word

What happened to the word "mate"?

"What happened to the word "mate"?"

It's 6 letters away from hate, so, a little dodgy?

On 2/22/2026 at 6:40 AM, DonniePeverley said:

You are overthinking it.

But if you are trying to save money by not using A/C then Thailand really does not need this type of visitor.

Bbbbuuuut that leaves him with more money to donate at the temples 🛕

On 2/22/2026 at 1:25 AM, FritsSikkink said:

spend a bit more and get a decent room.

But maybe the accommodation budget is very small compared to his dining budget, also sometimes the fun is in the challenge of getting a bargain

You live in the wrong part of the continent. I live in Perth, and today we have 34 degrees, and tommorrs forcast is 36 never had floods or cyclones, nor snow last year. We had 15 days of high temperatures of 38 degrees or more for more than 2 weeks

19 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Backpackers and hostels need to banned in Thailand. They serve no purpose and little benefit to the economy of Thailand. Back in the day when Thailand had 10 million visitors a year you could make the argument they were tolerated. But in the day and age when you are getting 40 million visitors they are a scurge and need banning.

Thailand needs to adopt a policy of checking everyone has savings to come and visit.

I wonder if you did the stats on how many of those earliest wave of backpacking hostel dwellers returned later in life to revisit Thailand, bringing with them their family and friends, but this time around stayed in 5☆ hotels and spent money on everything the TAT have been marketing Thailand as the place to visit.

Companies like Harley Davidson realized long ago that a large section of their future buyers were going to be the guys who could only dream of owning one when they were in their 20's, but now in their late 50's and and 60's can easily realize that dream with spare cash

Oscillating table fan with windows open and very sheer curtains drawn to keep the critters out but let air in works for me in Jomtien. Haven't used the AC in a year.

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

Silly Billy Willy boy

No no ....it's William!

He says with his posh accent .

14 minutes ago, 8OA8 said:

But maybe the accommodation budget is very small compared to his dining budget, also sometimes the fun is in the challenge of getting a bargain

Yes I'm very poor on my next trip

I'm a amateur Academic statistics researcher so there is no pay for my studies into things ,for those that know ,I am the only one to do statistical research into how many dental clinics in Pattaya have the word "Smile " in their name

On 2/21/2026 at 8:30 AM, Aforek said:

It depends where is the room : the room where I have my computer is 41 degrees in the afternoon, full south, second floor, I tried to live only with fan, but the air of the fan is hot, so I bought an AC, and in the afternoon it's now ok

in the other pieces of the house, fan is enough , at night, too

normally, I like fan more than AC, but 41 degrees in a room direct under the sun, it's impossible to stay

I wonder how in old times ( in Thailand and other tropical countries ) they could live without electricity ( fan and AC )

The question is about AC and about adapting to ambient conditions.
Older people, heavier people, people on some medications are less able to cope with heat and humidity than healthier, younger, leaner adults. Short answer: For me, I use fans, and avoid using AC except when temperatures are above 40ºC. It is not a tool for comfort, but for safety. My family avoids AC all together. They avoid working during the worst heat and get bye with shade and fans.
__________________
LONG ANSWER: Humans evolved in tropical climates, and so far, it is mostly possible to adapt to life without AC. Our bodies do have metabolic limits - we use sweating to maintain core body temperature at 37ºC. Ambient temperatures above that, particularly with higher humidity, stress our body's abilities. Prolonged exposure risks core body temps rising, much like a disease that causes fevers. Core temps reaching 40ºC for hours will kill even a young, healthy person.

Thailand's climate (tropical) is not warming as much as near the poles, but it is warming slightly. More apparent is that warmer sea surface temperatures globally evaporate water more easily. The atmosphere holds 7% more moisture aloft for each 1ºC warming. The increase in humidity is very visible in the 2nd graphic below.



For the next image, NOTE THAT the mapping of Misery Index available at
https://earth.nullschool.net/#2024/04/22/0700Z/wind/surface/level/overlay=misery_index/orthographic=-258.04,13.74,5142/loc=99.991,14.939
does not use the same color patterns for extremes as does the warning chart of Heat Index.
During April and May, Thailand's conditions are regularly in the chart as yellow, and daytime conditions peak in the Danger zone. Hilly regions fare better than inland river basins, especially at night.

I tracked the conditions in Thailand during the last El Niño - they were brutal. The map inset shows weeks of daytime highs in th danger zone, with nighttime lows not falling below what NOAA labels as "Extreme Caution"
2026 will not be this bad, but 2027 looks set to be a warmer El Niño.

On 2/21/2026 at 8:45 PM, BilllyGOAT said:

Unhinged

Deranged

Weird

Get help

Seek intervention

Watch out Billy, one word or short answers are going to be banned.

Hopefully we'll see less of Harrisboy

On 2/21/2026 at 6:11 AM, BilllyGOAT said:

42 degrees here next week

What kind of degrees would these be, please??

And where exactly is “here”???

1 hour ago, RPCVguy said:

2026 will not be this bad, but 2027 looks set to be a warmer El Niño.

Who told you this?

1 hour ago, 1duckyboy said:

works for me in Jomtien. Haven't used the AC in a year.

Same for me in similar location: solve your heat problems by seaside living!

Height helps too:I am well over 40 floors up, where the trade winds do the AC work for you!

2 hours ago, Surasak said:

"What happened to the word "mate"?"

It's 6 letters away from hate, so, a little dodgy?

Best just to ignore the GG “INFULENCER”:-)

2 hours ago, still kicking said:

nor snow last year.

snow in Perth: go on mate!

Or explain when this ever happens, please …

Our oceanfront condos were cooler than our houses on the Darkside. Now, when it gets hot inside, we use the aircon, and always have it on at night when we are sleeping. Luckily, our hybrid electric SUV is saving us about 4000 baht a month in gas charges, which almost pays for our electric bill.

18 °c = 65°f is scientifically considered the ideal temperature for a restful night sleep!

I am just building a house in Thailand which will have 9 large AC units. For me it is essential. Currently in the UK I like my room freezing. Yes bit crazy maybe retiring in Thailand but I have been so many times and I love the place. My wife is Thai and we have two young kids, so they are happy to be coming to Thailand.

By the way the house has 16 solar panels 10kh so that will partially offset the cost and impact of the AC units

On 2/21/2026 at 6:01 AM, georgegeorgia said:

It's 32 degrees in Australia today.

I have for weeks tried not to use the air conditioning to acclimatise to my trip going to Thailand where I hate to use the air con

But it seems in this rubbish country of Australia it's a burning dry type of heat rather than the wet moist heat of Thailand.

It's not only financial reasons not to put the air conditioning on but health reasons too

It's plays havoc with my eyes , my conjunctivitis, my skin , everything

.Do you use the air conditioning in Thailand, did you stop?

Can you sleep without it ?

.you see it's like a drug ,the more you use it ,the less your body can cope without it

I have lived in Thailand for thirty-six years and never had air-conditioning except when staying in hotels. I sleep just fine with just fans.

On 2/22/2026 at 3:12 PM, SenorTashi said:

What a load of crap. Backpackers have been going to Thailand for decades.

You look about 18, if that's you in your pfp, so maybe you wouldn't know that.

I'm not yearning to save a few thousand baht btw. As someone else said in the thread,

I come to Thailand because I like the heat.

And as someone else said, I have a very good through draft in my place so by using my brain,

I've created a system which gives me a pretty comfortable temperature for next to no cost.

If you want to waste money on AC which creates pollution and heats up the surrounding atmosphere, knock yourself out.

Going back to my OP, it's not just people on this forum with that attitude. I've seen it all the Thai forums.

Some people think that by spending lots of money, that makes them more important somehow.

I believe people like that are only ever seen as marks. And they've created an illusion in Asian that all white men are rich idiots who are easily manipulated.

Personally, I prefer to build genuine connections with people and I don't need to throw money around to do that. I've been travelling around Asia for longer than you've been alive so please don't think you can educate me on how to interact with people or tell me where I'm welcome or not.

Fan rooms are not much cheaper than aircon and normally older.

7 hours ago, 8OA8 said:

I wonder if you did the stats on how many of those earliest wave of backpacking hostel dwellers returned later in life to revisit Thailand, bringing with them their family and friends, but this time around stayed in 5☆ hotels and spent money on everything the TAT have been marketing Thailand as the place to visit.

Companies like Harley Davidson realized long ago that a large section of their future buyers were going to be the guys who could only dream of owning one when they were in their 20's, but now in their late 50's and and 60's can easily realize that dream with spare cash

So you want to continue to allow backpackers on the off chance they grow up, come back and stay in hotels ?

How about we just skip the backpacking/hostel part and wait till they do the hotel part.

On 2/21/2026 at 1:50 AM, wil iam not said:

Bro was first used by the blacks in USA, short for Brother by the way.

Mate is so annoying, anyone who uses it to me gets told, no mate, William please.

Mate, Bro, Bruh, Fella, Bud, My friend (more commonly used in the Middle East - along with Habibi)....

All simply terms of someone 'trying' to present a friendly approach - the intend counts more than the actually wording IMO.

Thus, when a delivery arrived this morning - my response was simply "thanks mate"....

... IF he'd have turned round and said "no, my name, is William, not mate"... or "call me William, Please" the door would have just been closed in his face without further comment.. and I'd be thinking 'what a to$$er'...

On 2/22/2026 at 4:03 PM, DonniePeverley said:

You plan on staying in a hostel ?

If not, what's the issue? The people that stay in them are a blight.

Meaning all backpackers that do? If I didn't have my last daughter that I need to raise and be there for, I would surely do what millions do and travel the world and stay in hostels. You only need a shower and a bed, and can save money for food and transportation by staying in them. They're kept up as far as I've heard from friends, and are almost everywhere.

On 2/22/2026 at 4:45 AM, DonniePeverley said:

No there has been a wave of trashy tourists that have hit Thailand over the past two years as government have relaxed rules. They are cheap, don't spend any money, often engage in criminal behaviour, violence often follows them. They offer little value to Thailand, and take up the poor infrustructure that exisits in Thailand.

I am not saying you are one, but the fact you are yearning to save a few thousand baht on air conditioning and rather bake in 37 degrees heat, suggests maybe you are not the ideal visitor needed. This is just my opinion, the government welcomes cheapos who spend nothing so enjoy.

Yet here you are passing judgement on those who for whatever reasons prefer not to use AC.... Perhaps Thailand is better of without a bunch of judgmental Karens posting the slightest issue on TikTok for views - and thats not just the young ones - there are plenty of boomer YouTubers / TikTokers around.

Some of the comments in this thread, just like another thread recently - reads like a bunch of boomers complaining about the younger Generation... The reality is, there was no social media around then, but we got up to just as much silly shyat - we'd just forgotten half of it by the time we'd woken up the next afternoon !

And.. the 'They offer little value to Thailand' comment again, is another myoptic and pathetic rant and the younger generations - when the travel here, blow through Thailand, spend money at the 2000 baht buffets such as Copper, socialised out in EmSphere and the cool rooftop bars that you never go to - you'll realise they are better spenders than the boomers in a bedsit - not that any of this matters, everyone has a right to enjoy Thailand, enjoy themselves - it is only those idiots who really are troublesome that need dealing with, and they are from many different countries and varying age demographics - generalising against young people is simply stupid.

On the AC point:

In BKK I use AC all the time, 100% of the time - its never cool enough in BKK not to use AC, except a very rare cools spell for one or two weeks of the year.

In other area's of Thailand, the climate can be less humid and much cooler at times - AC is not needed.

The use of AC clearly depends on where you are, what time of year it is - and of course the air-flow through the house.

Too many factors to generalise.

5 hours ago, Unamerican said:

Who told you this?

Multiple sources point to general warming due to Earth's ongoing energy imbalance.
https://berkeley-earth-wp-offload.storage.googleapis.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/13155806/EarthEnergyImbalance2025-1024x577.png

That still leaves the year-to-year fluctuations affected by the ENSO (El Niño to La Niña and back)
The consensus is: "a transition from La Niña to ENSO-neutral is expected in February-April 2026 (60% chance), with ENSO-neutral likely persisting through the Northern Hemisphere summer (56% chance in June-August 2026;"

https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml

Berkeley Earth has already said in January 2026: "With the ongoing La Niña, it is likely that 2026 will stay cooler than 2023 and 2024. As a result, we expect that 2026 will be roughly the 4^th warmest year in the instrumental record. ... If El Niño develops in early to mid-2026, it could drive up averages during 2026. However, it is more typical for El Niños to begin in the last few months of the year. In that case, a return to El Niño would impact 2027 more than it does 2026."
https://berkeleyearth.org/global-temperature-report-for-2025/

Since Thailand's heat is at its worst in April, 2026 will not be influenced by El Niño heating, but 2027 is likely to be El Niño heated.

Lastly, I'll go to the grandfather of modern climate forecasting, James Hansen. His post in Dec 2025 gave his forecast for 2026 and 2027 - shown here. It summarizes both the warming trend and the timing of El Niño.

On 2/21/2026 at 6:01 AM, georgegeorgia said:

It's 32 degrees in Australia today.

I have for weeks tried not to use the air conditioning to acclimatise to my trip going to Thailand where I hate to use the air con

But it seems in this rubbish country of Australia it's a burning dry type of heat rather than the wet moist heat of Thailand.

It's not only financial reasons not to put the air conditioning on but health reasons too

It's plays havoc with my eyes , my conjunctivitis, my skin , everything

.Do you use the air conditioning in Thailand, did you stop?

Can you sleep without it ?

.you see it's like a drug ,the more you use it ,the less your body can cope without it

Here in Phuket where the very hot season has just started and it is 32C in the shade and will climb to 35C as the weeks go on, I use the air-con in my office all day long.

I set it to 26C, once cooled I set the 'teardrop' function which does not cool anymore but takes out the moisture out of the air thus it feels a lot cooler.

Latest monthly electricity bill was 2600 including two very powerful electric showers with a booster pump to the mains water supply.

32C of dry heat is Australia is nothing compared to the hot humid air in Thailand which feels much warmer as demonstrated in a sauna, the temp may be 32 but pour some water on the coals and see how it fees much hotter.

Night time 26C is set in the bedroom, it feels cold so I can snuggle under the quilt which feels nice and homely.

The house is insulated with 6 inch thick glass insulation with a silver reflective material added, this is doubled to 12 inches in the large office area as it is used the most during the day.

My Thai partner likes to be in the living room with the windows open but she still likes the air con in the bedroom with the 'snuggle under the quilt option.'

They say people get used to the heat, yet they still sweat and need multiple showers a day, not for me, two showers a day is enough and a nice cool temp to go with it.

I didn't work hard all my life to suffer in old age, comfort is the key reward.