17 Year Old Travaling In Thailand

[kevbomac05]

I reckon the lad just wants an adventure. Nothing wrong with that. Very nasty things could happen to any one of us here or anywhere. If things go badly he'll grow and become stronger for it. If things go well, the same.

So I say go for it, but make sure you have adequate funds and an escape plan in place.

ya guys im not running away at all

i want to travel and ive been wanting to go to thailand for the last couple of years.

I reckon that im young but i am very strong minded

I love my life my family but i need to make something of this.

I am a kind person and dont really need much

I look at the people in the states and how ungrateful they are to be alive and the things they complain alot.

I am educated i just dont feel the need to get a degree right now

Thanks for all your support and help

oh and i know that Thailand is int just beaches and drinks and what not

[britmaveric]

Well nought wrong with traveling, but you need to be realistic. You need funds especially. What sort of budget are you going to have for this trip?

Remember you won't be able to work, so replenishing funds is going to be an issue at some time. if by some miracle you do find work - you'll need a work permit.

Also do you have a passport? If you are under 18 before you travel - you will need parental consent.

Hmmmm check out McCandless story...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless

[cdnvic]

Those are just a few sources for you. Want more?

Specific cases where body parts of Americans are being mailed back to Americans demanding random as you said, not just a pile of random search results.

[britmaveric]

^mexico is fine - think most of the trouble is centered around the border towns from what I've read.

[Lancashirelad]

Work for another 2 yrs and bank as much as you can. In that time you can learn a he-ll of a lot off the i/net.

You will get free sex in LOS at 18/19/20.

Watch out for free drinks in cities ... probably spiked & then you'll be robbed.

Check out couchsurfing. c for free accommodation.

NEVER get so drunk that you do not have your wits about you.

Always make sure taxis switch on the meter.

Not likely to be a major target for scamsters at your age as they know young'uns don't have much money.

Send an email to yourself with copies of your tickets, passports, visa, etc.

Use online travel sites to hook up with other young people.

Don't spend your money on hookers or too much beer, eat local street food, ride 2nd class fan on trains, plenty of 200 baht a night fan rooms around......... just may have to share with a few cockroaches.

Consider joining the U S Marines & GET PAID to see the world.

(I travelled the world alone for 6 months at 43)

Edited August 21, 2009 by Lancashirelad

[kevbomac05]

Work for another 2 yrs and bank as much as you can. In that time you can learn a he-ll of a lot off the i/net.

You will get free sex in LOS at 18/19/20.

Watch out for free drinks in cities ... probably spiked & then you'll be robbed.

Check out couchsurfing. c for free accommodation.

NEVER get so drunk that you do not have your wits about you.

Always make sure taxis switch on the meter.

Not likely to be a major target for scamsters at your age as they know young'uns don't have much money.

Send an email to yourself with copies of your tickets, passports, visa, etc.

Use online travel sites to hook up with other young people.

Don't spend your money on hookers or too much beer, eat local street food, ride 2nd class fan on trains, plenty of 200 baht a night fan rooms around......... just may have to share with a few cockroaches.

Consider joining the U S Marines & GET PAID to see the world.

(I travelled the world alone for 6 months at 43)

ya ive been reading this site for a weeks and ive been looking up information

so by posting this thread i just wanted direct information from people in thailand about my case

thanks

[BWPattaya]

Buy a Return Air Ticket in case things dont go to plan, that way you can always get home.

I doubt that he would be allowed to fly without a return ticket, or may be refused a visa on arrival if he can't show a return ticket.

The idea of travelling around Thailand to cheap places is a no-no as well. How will he communicate? He won't find English spoken in many places, little in the way of written English.

Trying to do it on minimmal cash as well. Go somewhere else where the language and money won't be so much of a problem.

[Beardog]

Kev,

I am from the U.S.----If you think the U.S. is the only country that bitches & complaints when you get here If you learn some Thai - even a minor bit(cursing & swearing) you will find Thailand the same same as Indonesia Jamaica Cambodia Laos England (have not been there yet,) Barbados Costa Rica Mexico etc. I have traveled a lot of countries & people are people everywhere & complaining is part of life. Believe me I am not trying to discourage you in the least as travel will broaden your horizons & enrich your soul. Try to save some serious ducks it will be worth the time enduring the mundane bitching at home. Keep as close to your family as you can- Friends are cool but the saying blood is thicker than water is true . Nobody will look out for you like your family! Check out Koh Chang Lonely beach a great place for people on a budget & the crowd is young . Bangin house hip hop rock & reggae. It is my favorite hang spots.You can play the internationals & maybe hook up with a hottie with some more funds than you got(but I would not count on it. And really never accept a free drink , It is not uncommon to be spiked & you are revealed of what possessions you do have. Out of curiosity have you checked out the U.S. cross country excursions can be a lot of fun, especially if your low on funds. That way you can at least get some cash when needed. Not much working under the table here & if it were you would get $10 a day for up to 15 hrs. of work.

Good luck on however you play your hand out!

Barry

Edited August 21, 2009 by Beardog

[PeaceBlondie]

My alcoholic hippie 20-something son was living in a cave in Guanajuato when President Fox's future wife phoned me. We treked jungles, swam across to Guatemala, walked with just-discharged Israelis and a Korean girl in Chiapas. We discussed the revolution with a guerilla veteran who rode with sub-comandante Marcos. My son rode the second-class train and played Dave Brubeck music for donations in Mexican plazas. They hitch-hiked; so did I. No body parts were sent home.

[jen24689]

My advice for the op:

If you are set on coming out to Thailand, you need a much better plan. I moved to Thailand when I was 18 (4 years ago now), when I came I had a 1-way ticket and haven't been back. So living out here from a young age is possible, but it's been VERY hard at times and in retrospect I would have done the following:

- enroll in a thai language school, so you can obtain a 1 year visa (you'll save so much money on visa runs). Learning the language is a must if you intend on being here long term, and it's a valuable skill that will set you apart from the majority of westerners living out here.

- try to get an internship at a dive school, or pay to get your Padi certs. If you have no degree or experience, you will not find a well-paid job here. Diving will be your best bet at making a living, but even if you don't work as a diver it's very useful to have the qualifications to teach it. If you end up in trouble you will always be able to head to the coast to make a bit of cash.

Here are only some of the problems I encountered while being here:

- being robbed (on buses and in guesthouses) 4 times in my first year, losing in total $2000

- my travel insurance running out so you live every day praying you won't get something like dengue fever because there is no way you could afford the hospital bills (which for western-standard hospitals are astronomical)

- being caught working illegally (not in Thailand though, a neighbouring country) and only narrowly escaping arrest and deportation

- struggling to pay for things that insurance won't cover e.g. wisdom teeth out under anaesthetic = $500, general check ups/ std screening = $200 ... it all adds up

If your heart is set on coming out here, then go for it. But just don't be naive thinking you can survive here on pennies and become one of the locals.

Oh, and until you have money keep away from the women, or before you know it your life will revolve around sick buffalo and Western Union.

[astral]

Buy a Return Air Ticket in case things dont go to plan, that way you can always get home.

I doubt that he would be allowed to fly without a return ticket, or may be refused a visa on arrival if he can't show a return ticket.

The idea of travelling around Thailand to cheap places is a no-no as well. How will he communicate? He won't find English spoken in many places, little in the way of written English.

Trying to do it on minimmal cash as well. Go somewhere else where the language and money won't be so much of a problem.

I certainly agree that he should have a return ticket in hand.

However, as long as he gets a visa from the Thai Embassy in advance, it is not a requirement.

If he is planning to use the 30 Visa Exemption then the airline will not accept him without a return ticket.

BTW Visa on Arrival does not apply to American citizens.

I am sure there used to be a book "Thailand on $5 a day".

Does it still exist, has it been updated?

It might be a good starting place for the OP.

[cdnvic]

Here's an idea that will keep you busy for a year or three, give you travel experience and lead you to Thailand with some cash to keep you going for awhile:

Apply for working holiday visas from New Zealand and Australia that will give you an actual work visa that allows you to earn money and travel around interesting countries that are a lot easier to handle for the inexperienced traveller. You'll get used to travelling on your own and taking care of yourself in a slightly more familiar and forgiving environment before making the leap to Southeast Asia. More than likely you will make friends and possible travel companions on the way. There will certainly be lots of advice from those who have done Thailand already as well. You may even want to make the New Zealand/Australia/Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand trek.

Working holiday info for Australia and New Zealand:

http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/str...workingholiday/

[PaulUSA302]

Those are just a few sources for you. Want more?

Specific cases where body parts of Americans are being mailed back to Americans demanding random as you said, not just a pile of random search results.

That is not difficult to do. hel_l. You can type just a few words in a search box and find the results. But here is one for you.

http://www.google.com/search?q=MEXICO+FING...2US333&sa=2

Pick any of the links you like. Some from National news organizations and as well.

But if you want to read a specific story here is one I just clicked on. I also cut a small part out of it. for you to read. Now I will move on.

Meanwhile, Valencia had defied the kidnappers and called police, who

listened to Andrade "scream and howl in pain" over the phone as the

kidnappers tried to cut off his ear and a finger. The torture would

continue until Valencia came up with the ransom, the kidnappers told her.

http://groups.google.com/group/misc.immigr...699d04beb55ad3b

Edited August 21, 2009 by PaulUSA302

[PeaceBlondie]

http://www.google.com/search?q=MEXICO+FING...2US333&sa=2

Pick any of the links you like. Some from National news organizations and as well.

But if you want to read a specific story here is one I just clicked on. I also cut a small part out of it. for you to read. Now I will move on.

http://groups.google.com/group/misc.immigr...699d04beb55ad3b

A human trafficker in Phoneix Arizona...another report was the kidnapping of a counter-kidnapper. I know an empty cave in Guanajuato you can move to.

[longstebe]

Totally agree with PaulUSA.

Mexico is not the place to be travelling around right now.

There is alot of drug wars going on there.

This has been plastered all over the news in the USA.

Alot of the guys (mexicans) I've worked with have backed this up.

[PaulUSA302]

Totally agree with PaulUSA.

Mexico is not the place to be travelling around right now.

There is alot of drug wars going on there.

This has been plastered all over the news in the USA.

Alot of the guys (mexicans) I've worked with have backed this up.

Thanks, it is a common topic here in the USA and on talk radio. Here is another link to a 60 minutes report. (60 Minutes is a popular TV News Magazine here in the USA)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/26/...in4831806.shtml

[scottyd]

Do it mate, get yourself on an adventure, just don't go with fuc_k all money, take enough to keep you sorted, it is not fun living like a bum. Enjoy!

[Ground Engineer]

Respect everyone you meet but dont trust them until youve known them for at least 3 months.

[Ground Engineer]

Dont diss anyone from the Thai Royal family......severe consequences!

[kevbomac05]

hey everybody so i am a 17 year old American

I will be going to travel in Thailand for like 2 or 3 months.

I am working now and saving up money.

I am gonna go out there with very little money and spend not much at all.

I am gonna leave in march, so my question is can you give me some advice and tips about living in thailand.

I got kicked out of high school about 6 months ago so i thought i live for adventure and am against the way america is right now where everybody is caught up in the money game.

thanks alot for any advice or any input

Whats one of the cheapest towns, maybe like chaing mai.

I believe in living simple with just maybe some rice and noodles and just a little bed to sleep.

The only revolution is of the mind.

when do you think i should book my flight leaving in march want to get the cheapest and staying 2 to 3 months