Why Are There Proportionately So Many More Brits Than Americans In Thailand?

[ronz28]

Don't want to hear whining that your governments are paying social security, etc. to the aged as if they didn't fund it. If the government commingles the accumulated balance and earnings from the 7.625%+ it deducted from my pay checks for years and my employers' matching contributions as my earned fringe benefit, don't think it isn't there in the form of U.S. Government bonds that the government uses to pay benefits.

The US Republicans want to wage war around the world, not pay any taxes, leave their IOU's to future generations and cheat the aged out of their social security benefits. Some young folks are brainwashed by the Fox News propaganda and are dropping out and moving to Central America, Thailand etc. but I wonder what they will do in their old age? Central America is closer to the US than Thailand and much cheaper than the US.

Any confusion caused by the Republicans and Fox News who don't want to pay any taxes has nothing to do with my social security income. If they want to work on something they should go after those who pay little into the US system and are granted credit for the time they supposedly worked under their country's system. US citizens are supposed to get similar credit in those countries but the benefits are probably less and most would rather opt for the US. http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10180.html Wealthy could also just pay taxes based on their ability to pay rather than their ability to weasel. Rants over.

[tinfoilhat]

I think the main difference, Britain was always a seafaring nation, people were brought up on stories of Empire, so most people know there are other places outside mud island and guess this drives people want to travel to other places.

The US on the whole is more inward looking and in a lot of cases totally oblivious to anything outside their town/state/country...this observation is based living and working in the US for a while and travelling quite extensively....When I announced I was packing in the job in the US and going to Thailand a lot of people thought it was Taiwan I was going to and asked how I would cope with not speaking Chinese...

how can you avoid being a seafaring nation when you inhabit a wee speck of an island off the coast of Europe?

Only the Irish are worse off.

[Soutpeel]

I think the main difference, Britain was always a seafaring nation, people were brought up on stories of Empire, so most people know there are other places outside mud island and guess this drives people want to travel to other places.

The US on the whole is more inward looking and in a lot of cases totally oblivious to anything outside their town/state/country...this observation is based living and working in the US for a while and travelling quite extensively....When I announced I was packing in the job in the US and going to Thailand a lot of people thought it was Taiwan I was going to and asked how I would cope with not speaking Chinese...

how can you avoid being a seafaring nation when you inhabit a wee speck of an island off the coast of Europe?

Only the Irish are worse off.

What about the Aussie's and the Kiwi's ?.....at least with mud island you only have travel across the channel to get to mainland Europe

[greengrass10]

English breakfasts in Thailand are pretty decent. American breakfasts are another story (those imitation sausage and tang-OJ substitutes here just don't do) lol. Also lots to do in Florida for American retirees, strolling a downtown Disney fantasyland is a lot more fun than sitting in a UK coffeehouse in chilly weather.

[mikekim1219]

As mentioned, Brits are far more likely to travel internationally by % of the population than the Americans.

I know a lot of Americans who are delighted to see as much of that cast country as possible and don't see the need to travel overseas and I understand that. I think it's a badge of honour to be able to say you have visited all 50 states.

One of the primary drivers for Brits is the weather, our winters can be atrocious, and we along with a lot of other Northern Europeans need to know that we are getting good weather when we are on holiday. Hence the reason why so many of us arrive in the Winter........anything to avoid the -15 temps.

That explains why you are guys were always exploring and colonizing other countries~

[IsaanUSA]

Many Americans have never heard of Thailand?

Taiwan?

First time I visited England, I noticed that many things in England are the same as Thailand. Of course I had that backwards after I stopped to think about it. It almost seems like Thailand is geared more towards British people.

Oh God, Latina girls!! I've never been to Mexico (besides Nogales) but I've heard some good stories from my buddies that have made the trip south. One of the things I miss whilst (funny word) vacationing in Thailand is good Meican food! Ahhhhhh, I need my tacos and enchiladas!!

[StreetCowboy]

...One of the primary drivers for Brits is the weather, our winters can be atrocious, and we along with a lot of other Northern Europeans need to know that we are getting good weather when we are on holiday. Hence the reason why so many of us arrive in the Winter........anything to avoid the -15 temps.

I don't know how you can complain about our winters. Dreary? Yes. Dismal? Quite possible. But scarcely atrocious. You only need to read letters from the Eastern Front....

"Dear Mother,

Turned out cold again. We're worried about spring in our tent, when all the farts will thaw.

Caught a prisoner. I got to eat one of his boots.

Please send another letter soon - we are all very hungry..."

At least we're not stuck with bloody sweltering humid sunshine all bloody year long; its enough to make you quite sanguine

SC

[IsaanUSA]

Now that I think about it......

In my 100% opinion based idea, I feel that there are plenty of Americans that know about Thailand. They are married to Thai ladies, but they live in the US. I think British people are more comfortable living abroad, but Americans would rather live in the US as their days get numbered. They may fancy a Thai lady, so they get married and live happily ever after in the States. There are occasional trips to Thailand to visit the family, but not really for shopping and clubbing.

There are plenty of American people married to Thai people in the USA that have never even been to Thailand. I say people because there are Thai men here married to American women.

Also the 24 hour air journey is a big turnoff to a lot of people. no joke.

[osiboy]

I am trying to think of a reason to visit England. To watch a football match? To visit some museums? Dunno, going to England to see some museums sounds like a very boring vacation. Also, doesn't England have a massive welfare system? The women seem rather ugly. When you watch football matches the other team always seems to have hotter women cheering them on. The food? I mean, all I see outside of England is fish and chips (fast food) and meat pies. Terrible weather. Generally it just seems like a miserable place to live. And when the african youth decided to burn down the country what I mostly saw were people being apologetic and saying how terrible it was that the government did this to them and forced them to loot every tv in sight.

Aye..... English cooking and English women ..... a solid argument for a seafaring nation.

(that was tic btw)

Kate Moss ???

like he said, a solid argument to leave !

[Jayman]

One thing I have noticed is that the age of the expat in Thailand keeps getting younger. What I can see happening is that so many young Westerners realize that they are like slaves in their own country. They get taxed to death to pay for the pensions and health benefits of the older generation. The problem is that the growth rate declines as an economy advanced. The USA baby boomers are expected to average benefits in medical care 3x-3.5x more than what they paid into Medicare adjusting for inflation. Of course, many of them paid in almost nothing and will average much more than that. Remember, that means someone else will pay for it... You can't expect to keep passing this on to every generation. It is like the old scheme where we form a line and you give me $2 and the next person gives you $2.5 and the next person gives him $3 and it keeps going so that everyone is profiting except that you need an infinite number of players in this game. Eventually it collapses.

So for my generation. We expect that we get to pay for this generations plush retirement and medical bills yet we expect to get nothing in return. So many of us are revolting from our chains and moving overseas.

All you hear from the baby boomers in the USA is "more", it really is a terrible situation.

We call that a Ponzi scheme.

[tutsiwarrior]

Do you folks from UK get fed up with and leave your country to avoid paying excess rentals etc.like this report regarding the beneficiary of rentals charged to generate your electricity from wind farms in the ocean surrounding your country? http://www.businessw...energy-windfall

It might be an idea if you read that article again. The land belongs to the Crown Estates which owns land on behalf of the UK people - land that was surrendered by the monarch 250 years ago. The income that the government gives to HM the Queen is to finance her position as Head of State in the same way that the US government finances the President as Head of State. The queen actually costs us about 70 pence (about a dollar) a year each which is pretty good value.

I'm sometimes bemused by the way that some Americans regard the UK. They seem to think that we live in the Middle Ages sitting round the village duckpond in our moleskin breeches sining 'Hey Nonny No' and doffing our caps to Liz when she rumbles past in the Carriage of State.

I always think of Morris dancers. I think they are big on Thai Visa. In my small village here we always gather around the communal B&W TV and watch the English men dance and sing "Hey Nonny No.

if I were in England with children from Thailand then I would shield them from the sight of morris men as it would surely disturb them...just like arab women in the face masks and black abaya clothing who want to cuddle little western kids...'get outta here, Fatimah and get yerself some jeans and a t-shirt!'

Edited July 2, 2012 by tutsiwarrior

[mikecwm]

Why are their proportionally more Brits than Americans in Thailand?

After much deep and serious consideration I came up with the following:-

If you look at a map of the US you will quickly notice that it extends a lot further south than the same latitude as Cornwall - in fact so far south that they even get sunshine and warm weather in winter in Florida and Texas. Something we poor miserable sods living in Canada have noticed as well.

So many Americans - at least those with a reasonable pension, just move south and rest their poor chilled bones in Arizona, New Mexico, southern California, etc etc.

As pensioners they are also covered medically. Unlike in Thailand.

And of course, in Florida, there is any number of single females to choose from - just like Thailand.

Oh - I forgot to mention that most of those single females are in their 80s and 90s, but there they are. Ready for the picking.

Simple really.

[Jayman]

There is no legal prohibition on US citizens traveling by any method to Cuba. The 'ban' is actually enforcement of a US Treasury Department regulation that prohibits US citizens from spending US dollars on any aspect of a Cuban trip or, accepting payment by a third party for their trip and travel expenses in US dollars. Since the US has no physical presence to monitor compliance on the island beyond a proxy representation via the Swiss legation, they happily turn a blind eye to the fact that the US dollar is openly available and accepted legal tender on the island and is the 'best' currency for locals and legitimate tourists. Cuban immigration doesn't stamp a US citizens passport either. However, US immigration is very well versed on examining passports and travel itineraries that may indicate an unaccountable period of overseas travel in the region. That is why visiting Cuba while cruising offshore Gulf of Mexico is the preferred method of staying below the radar. If a US citizen is suspected to have been in Cuba, they will get a visit from the Treasury Department as the precursor to further legal action and prosecution by other government entities.

So you can get on a plane to Cuba "legally", but if you spend a dime there it's illegal. Not to mention there are no flights, even though it is "legal". So it is effectively a travel ban, but that is good info. Any way you slice it, it is kind of outrageous, and Americans don't seem to care in the slightest, is the point.

Don't we have a Military base there?

[Jayman]

It is common in the US for people to not even take their small amount of vacation time. Especially in such a bad economy where so many people feel no job security. Yes vacation days are generally paid for people with full time jobs. A huge percentage of Americans who are working do not actually have official full time jobs. Part time jobs and contract jobs are very common.

I'm quite surprised that only full time workers get holiday pay.

When I was in the US service some 20 years ago we all got 1 month paid leave a year.

[simple1]

So you have got all your knowledge of the UK from CNN...BTW meat pies is more of an Aussie thing.

The UK has one thing the US hasnt got....a recorded history which goes over a 1000 years and quite humbling to go to one of those historic places and realise someone may have stood on the same spot as you 900 years previous and seen basically the same thing your looking at...

Further British music is far better.. ....even you yanks have to admit that...

BTW...those youths your talking about for the most part are not "African" per se

Yanks are smart enough to not fly to the UK just to listen to music. We let the music come to the US. And what thrill is it to know you are standing on the same spot as someone 900 years ago? I would be much more thrilled to know I was standing on the spot that some yanks chased the red coats out.

Gotta love these yank bashing threads. Only makes it more clear why the UK is not known for tourism. Your food is crap and your birds are fugly. Could also be why most pommies want to get as far away as possible. Who really wants to live on a small, cold, rainy little island in the North Sea?

London is now known as one of the premier locations for high quality restaurants. Your comment on tourism needs to have a sprinkling of facts applied. Source info for following is:

http://www.visitbrit...acts/index.aspx

Inbound Tourism to the UK

The 30.7 million overseas visitors who came to the UK in 2011 spent £17.9 billion. These figures represent a 3% increase in volume and 6% (nominal) increase in value compared with 2010.

Edited July 2, 2012 by simple1

[tutsiwarrior]

There is no legal prohibition on US citizens traveling by any method to Cuba. The 'ban' is actually enforcement of a US Treasury Department regulation that prohibits US citizens from spending US dollars on any aspect of a Cuban trip or, accepting payment by a third party for their trip and travel expenses in US dollars. Since the US has no physical presence to monitor compliance on the island beyond a proxy representation via the Swiss legation, they happily turn a blind eye to the fact that the US dollar is openly available and accepted legal tender on the island and is the 'best' currency for locals and legitimate tourists. Cuban immigration doesn't stamp a US citizens passport either. However, US immigration is very well versed on examining passports and travel itineraries that may indicate an unaccountable period of overseas travel in the region. That is why visiting Cuba while cruising offshore Gulf of Mexico is the preferred method of staying below the radar. If a US citizen is suspected to have been in Cuba, they will get a visit from the Treasury Department as the precursor to further legal action and prosecution by other government entities.

So you can get on a plane to Cuba "legally", but if you spend a dime there it's illegal. Not to mention there are no flights, even though it is "legal". So it is effectively a travel ban, but that is good info. Any way you slice it, it is kind of outrageous, and Americans don't seem to care in the slightest, is the point.

Don't we have a Military base there?

if the canadians can travel there then US citizens can as well...best to change US dollars to canadian dollars so that US currency is not used there...

I've always wanted to check things out in Cuba to see what Fidel was doing...I saw what the sandinistas were doing in Nicaragua and knew that they were doomed due to an adherence to liberal democracy and they got voted out in 1990...none of that nonsense in Cuba...power taken by force of arms and held by force of arms and if any of the miami gangsters thought that they could mess around then they had to think again...Playa Giron put paid to that BS; the entire country came out to ensure that they were defeated...

I was recently in NYC and the immigration guy at JFK airport had a close look at my passport with the computer but eventually welcomed me back to the US...and I was chuffed; I'm not proud to be an American most times because of ridiculous imperialist government policies but I am an American nonetheless and that will never change...

Edited July 2, 2012 by tutsiwarrior

[nputman]

I am impressed 57 posts and everyone is still playing nicely on this thread....

Nobody wants to speak ill of the dam_n Brits. People beat down the Americans (US) all the time. The "other" North Americans never even get a mention.

Alaskaians?

I spent some time as a tramp logger bum in Ketchikan once and there were some prostitutes but I didn't have no dough so they weren't too interested in me...

beautiful country up that way...

Gildersleeve Logging ring a bell? Marine Bar maybe?

Use to be good fishing and Hunting just about anywhere you went there. Called my home for 15 years.

[GuestHouse]

It might have something to do with the US government witholding passports/passport renewals from people who owe federal taxes and/or have not been paying child maintenance orders they have against them.

The UK has yet to implement these sensible policies, once they do we can lookforward to a few Brits departing just before their passports expire.

[bendejo]

There are a lot of Americans who view travel to other countries (for anything other than work, military action etc) as something leaning toward treason. A few times I've had to deal with "what's wrong with your own country?" confrontations when people heard of my travels. A few guys (all Vietnam War vets) were outright hostile.

Otherwise the Yank equivalents of Costa Brava and Pattaya would be Central/South America.

[kerryk]

There are a lot of Americans who view travel to other countries (for anything other than work, military action etc) as something leaning toward treason. A few times I've had to deal with "what's wrong with your own country?" confrontations when people heard of my travels. A few guys (all Vietnam War vets) were outright hostile.

Otherwise the Yank equivalents of Costa Brava and Pattaya would be Central/South America.

Gee, there are a whole lotta Vietnam Vets living in Thailand, me included. Pattaya and Chiang Mai also have big VFW chapters. I would dispute your claim as I know hundreds of Viet Vets. How many do you know?