Phuket Island, A Paradise For Many, And Hell For Others

[fire and ice]

Schoolies!

Haven't heard that term before.

And probably by pure co-incidence, when I read that post, the Google ad that was below the post talked of "Travel Girls" ... which seems to be a group you register and join that "connects" you with young women who want to "meet' young men to travel with as their "travel companions".

I'm old enough to remember the "ticket home" girls in Bangkok and Singapore in the swinging 1970's who would become your traveling companion for your rambles in S.E. Asia.

Cost was usually (to be direct about it), their Room and Board for a week or two and , most importantly, a airplane ticket home to Australia or somewhere in Europe.

They were mostly young females who were doing the overland tour of Asia and had run short of money to return home and often they were schoolgirls at university that had to get back to school.

I guess, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Schoolies is the term given to those students who have just graduated high school in Australia. These kids are mostly 18yo and travel in groups to get drunk, have sex and celebrate (the celebration itself is also called 'schoolies', and events/concerts etc are set up for them in places like the Gold Coast). It happens in December and many of the schoolies do head to places like Bali and Phuket - for many it is most likely their first trip overseas.

Easiest thing to equate it to would be 'Spring Break'.

Correct, except no one "graduates" form high school, except in the USA (and possibly Canada) where the term is oddly applied (perhaps to give some exaggerated sense of accomplishment to people who don't get into to university-??). In most countries when you "graduate" it means you have completed a bachelors degree.

Edited December 28, 2012 by fire and ice

[Yahooka]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

You are 100% wrong. Phuket is a ridiculously dangerous place in addition to being the great rip-off of Thailand.

" a ridiculously dangerous place"..............what a stupid statement.Sure there is rip-offs and scumbags here and the transportation "system" is a joke worthy of a poor African country,but in my 20 years here I`ve never had any problems(and neither has most people I know) .So to label Phuket as a " a ridiculously dangerous place" is way off target IMO!!!

Edited December 28, 2012 by Yahooka

[Songhua]

Schoolies!

Haven't heard that term before.

And probably by pure co-incidence, when I read that post, the Google ad that was below the post talked of "Travel Girls" ... which seems to be a group you register and join that "connects" you with young women who want to "meet' young men to travel with as their "travel companions".

I'm old enough to remember the "ticket home" girls in Bangkok and Singapore in the swinging 1970's who would become your traveling companion for your rambles in S.E. Asia.

Cost was usually (to be direct about it), their Room and Board for a week or two and , most importantly, a airplane ticket home to Australia or somewhere in Europe.

They were mostly young females who were doing the overland tour of Asia and had run short of money to return home and often they were schoolgirls at university that had to get back to school.

I guess, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Schoolies is the term given to those students who have just graduated high school in Australia. These kids are mostly 18yo and travel in groups to get drunk, have sex and celebrate (the celebration itself is also called 'schoolies', and events/concerts etc are set up for them in places like the Gold Coast). It happens in December and many of the schoolies do head to places like Bali and Phuket - for many it is most likely their first trip overseas.

Easiest thing to equate it to would be 'Spring Break'.

Correct, except no one "graduates" form high school, except in the USA (and possibly Canada) where the term is oddly applied (perhaps to give some exaggerated sense of accomplishment to people who don't get into to university-??). In most countries when you "graduate" it means you have completed a bachelors degree.

Agreed, but the term has been óddly applied' in Australia in recent years also. Just last year we attended our son's Graduation Ceremony at his Queensland high school where he was awarded his Graduation Certificate and the kids attended their Graduation Ball that night.

I didn't allow him to go to Phuket or Bali with those who were - he went to the Gold Coast but even then we had to do quite a bit of research because some accom establishments charge up to $2000 bond for rooms booked by schoolies .... and some of them have a reputation for never refunding it - Australia's own little annual scam

Edited December 28, 2012 by Songhua

[jrincon17]

Only bad news comes out of Phuket these days.

You obviously have your head buried in the sand, hope that was sarcasm.

[Anuman]

Personnaly I never have any problems with Aussies (only good time even not the same in Bali) in Phuket but Russians are not very welcome. I will stay far from Phuket for a while even I have some friends on the island

Edited December 29, 2012 by Anuman

[KarenBravo]

I will stay far from Phuket .....

The major problem with Phuket is that their are just too many people here.

Many thanks to you and others for staying away. We appreciate it.

[LomSak27]

hey the guy says " they think aussie rules apply - and they don't"

Whats is wrong with that - cause that is about 75 % of the problem for tourists and Backpackers, schoolies and gap yearlies.

That said, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide etc. should bloody well highlight that point but they don't, might cut into their profit margins.

[grumpyoldman]

Only bad news comes out of Phuket these days.

You obviously have your head buried in the sand, hope that was sarcasm.

What is "news"?

Is 95% of travelers that come to Phuket enjoyed the beaches and nightlife newsworthy, or is "another scam, another stabbing" that makes "news"?

I'm onboard with Ol Croc's post, typical nonsense hysteria hype for some journalist to say he/she had something published.

As for Larry Cunningham's view, of course skewed, nobody calls him when things are all A-O.K.

Also onboard with Karen Bravo, stay where you are if you swallow this cr*p hook-line-and sinker.

[doublehawk]

It's worth noting that the article's a year old. I think I remember it being discussed here when it was first published.

[sunshine51]

"Seven years after the tsunami, Australians are all too carefree on Phuket, writes south-east Asia correspondent Lindsay Murdoch."

I was gonna rant badly about Lindsey Murdoch's words until I checked the date...yup..it's a year old.

So why put this in TV at this time? Slow news day perhaps?

Edited December 29, 2012 by sunshine51

[marchawkes]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

I am Australian, visited Thailand for 25 yrs before settling down here. Calling a spade a spade is important and that is just what Australian authorities are doing. Thailand - except, for one eyed diehards - has got above average levels of corruption, amongst the highest road accidents in ASEAN and the tourist areas are infested with prostitution & crime ranking Thailand among the Top-10 for 'Tourist crime' globally. People should not expect first-world settings when visiting a third-world country. Getting this point across loud and clear to potential tourists and other visiting is important - even if some delicate feelings are bruised. Australians, Chinese, Russians.......would do well to stay home rather than arrive to a shock discovery.

[mufcsamui]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

Virgin flies to BKK, Phuket & Koh Samui. Flights daily to Phuket and some fully booked in January - so what's your point?

Virgin fly to Koh Samui!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do have a link where a flight can be booked?

[simple1]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

Virgin flies to BKK, Phuket & Koh Samui. Flights daily to Phuket and some fully booked in January - so what's your point?

Virgin fly to Koh Samui!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do have a link where a flight can be booked?

http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/bookings/flights/make-a-booking/