My Thai Girlfriend is Trapped in South America

[ohhhthailand]

About a year ago I had the genius idea to take my Thai girlfriend to South America.

We flew to Japan, and then to Peru via Airmexico. It was one of the few routes I found that her passport allowed for.

Last week she said she was bored and wanted to go home. OK. I booked on Aeromexico, Peru to Japan, and then separate flight to Thailand. I took her to the airport, trying to be a good Dude.

She was denied at the gate, after checking luggage and recieving boarding pass. Turns out Aeromexico added a very small, extra stop to the Mexico part of the trip, which means the temporary transit visas for mexico no longer work.

So how the hell do I get her back to Asia? I'd put her on a 6 month boat if I could...AND it was cheap. I've been told that it is possible to apply for a transit visa through Amsterdam, but that one way trip is over 3k USD.... there's gotta be a better way... Let's just suppose I was willing to pay 2500$ USD for her to get back.. how could I do that?

At the very least let this be a lesson... Taking a Thai abroad can be some very tricky shit.

[Tomtomtom69]

Surely a transit visa for Europe, if staying in the airport transit lounge is not necessary? I know it is for the USA, but for most other countries it shouldn't be (for Thais).

Otherwise, consider flying via Australia or New Zealand. Neither country requires a transit visa for Thais as long as they don't leave the airport transit lounge. Qantas flies from Santiago de Chile to Sydney, from where she could connect to another Qantas flight to Bangkok.

[ohhhthailand]

Thank you. This is exactly the sort of idea I was looking for.

Except when I check fares on Qantas, I see that the one way flight will be minimum of 3k... and coming from Peru it will cost almost 500$ more than that to get her to Santiago by a bus and flight combo... A direct flight would be a couple hundred more on top. So all in all this appears to be about a 4k journey.

Let's just imagine that I'm not willing to pay 4k. 2500 is a higher end goal.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

What's the problem with getting her a regular Mexican tourist visa? I got one for my now wife some years ago when we were in Portland, OR, and heading down to Baja for a few days. Easy and cheap.

Mac

[Cheesekraft]

I don't think a visa is necessary, just make sure before booking any flights

[white snake]

The U.K has a 48 hour transit Visa on arrival, usually very cheap flights running through the U.K too.

[max72]

There are cheap seasonal promotions from Argentina/Brazil to Thailand via South Africa.

I think the route is San Paolo-Johannsburg-Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok. I heard some friends from Argentina having pay for all route 2 ways for just $1500 but It was surely a promotion.

I am not sure about the need of visas for Thais to South America. You should contact some embassies and ask them about this chance and tell them it would just be a transit in the airports. Some countries like China and Russia don t require visas if you stay less than 24/48 hours (and you depart from the same airport),so even if you have a longer connection, you can overnight without the need a visa.

Not sure about every country and every nationality, but check about that route with malaysian airline ,despite being a very long trip, it is not that expensive.

[oneday]

Actually that was my thought also. Whatever she needs to get through Mexico can't she get it at the Mexican embassy/consulate in Peru?

[Millenial]

https://booking.qatarairways.com/qribe-web/public/showBooking.action?widget=BF&selLang=en&tripType=O&fromStation=LIM&toStation=BKK&departing=2015-02-22&returning=null&bookingClass=E&adults=1&children=0&infants=0&searchType=F&addTaxToFare=Y&flexibleDate=off&minPurTime=null&upsellCallId=100&skyscanner_redirectid=XcRtgIQ_EeSWtQBQVrwMkQ&cid=TMALL0204021041000000000000

Lima to BKK via BA, Doha. only 65k baht but she will have to go in feb.

[muratremix]

Turkish Airlines fly to Brazil and several other South American countries (Peru is not one of them).

Since Turkey is visa-free for Thai people, You can try to book a ticket from Peru to Istanbul, and use Turkish Airlines or another cheaper airlines (qatar or aeroflot) to fly her back to Thailand.

Of course, a route via Japan should cost less. I thought Japan was visa free to Thais?

[kbelyeu]

You can book a flight on Emirates from either Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro via Dubai for about 1800.00 USD.

Kurt

[tinhead]

Perhaps the travel hackers at flightFox will take this on.

[SOTIRIOS]

......makes a mind wonder.......

[brancodug]

Check out skyscanner.com

$2000 flight going through turkey

[sead]

Now i feel like a noob. I actually thought that there didn't exist transit visas when flying ?

[frank0424]

Something doesn't ring right about this post and its authenticity...

[losworld]

Mexican govt telling the u.s. they need to be looser on their treatment of illegals and they can't even let a thai fly through... says a lot...

[jpinx]

There's multiple ways -- the OP is just looking for someone to share the responsibility of getting his girlfriend home to Thailand when such a trip should have been well planned in advance. I've done the Mexico -- Peru -- NZ -- Thailand thing several times in differing formats. Nothing special or difficult about finding the flights and visa requirements. There's no international transit area in USA airports, so a visa of some kind is needed by every non-USAsian. Find the cheapest flight combo that doesn't go into USA and then look at the visa requirements - if any - and add that. It's not rocket science. I pity the girl who has probably had a bit of an eye-opening experience with the OP which will give her stories to tell all her family and friends for a long time to come. No wonder Farangs get a bad press -- some deserve it, but we all get tarred with the same brush

[misterphil]

If you had just paid up the extra $500 she would of been home by now. Just goes to show how much you care about here. Poor girl on the other side of the world with no Som Tam. Shame on you.

[crazygreg44]

I just checked Qatar, found one way Lima to Bangkok on 16. January for 7,458 PEN . . . go get it right now

it is 7:25 hour wait at Sao Paulo, and 9:50 hours wait in Doha, making it a 42 hours trip . .but better than anything

it is still avaialable right now

[ozyjon]

At the very least let this be a lesson... Taking a Thai abroad can be some very tricky shit.

I hear you brother, on top of them getting bored very quickly, don't like this or that,

best to leave her at home with mother.

[faranginafrica]

Obviously trying to send her in the run up to Christmas is going to be expensive.

But Ethiopian Airlines (ET) maybe the answer.

ET operate a flight from Sao Paulo (GRU) to Addis Ababa (ADD) via Tome (LFW). At Tome. passengers just sit on the aircraft. From ADD, ET fly direct to BKK.

You should be able to buy a ticket from Lima (LIM) to GRU on TAM and have the whole journey ticketed on one ticket.

I just did this search and it comes in at 8654 Sol on 19th Jan and no transit stop is that long. And that ticket includes J class on the section LIM-GRU due to lack of availability in cheaper classes! From GRU onwards, she is back of plane.

Lima (LIM) to Bangkok (BKK) — Mon, Jan 19

Lima (LIM) to Sao Paulo (GRU) — Mon, Jan 19

TAM Linhas Aereas 8067

Dep: 12:25 pm

Arr: 8:50 pm

5h 25m

Boeing 767

Business ©

Layover in GRU

4h 15m

Sao Paulo (GRU) to Lome (LFW) — Tue, Jan 20

Ethiopian Airlines 507

Dep: 1:05 am

Arr: 10:30 am

7h 25m

Boeing 787

Economy (G)

Stop in LFW

1h 45m

Lome (LFW) to Addis Ababa (ADD) — Tue, Jan 20

Ethiopian Airlines 507

Dep: 12:15 pm

Arr: 8:45 pm

5h 30m

Boeing 787

Economy (G)

Layover in ADD

3h 55m

Addis Ababa (ADD) to Bangkok (BKK) — Wed, Jan 21

Ethiopian Airlines 618

Dep: 12:40 am

Arr: 1:20 pm

8h 40m

Boeing 767

Economy (G)

Mileage

• 12,742 total miles

Airport Information

• Lima J. Chavez (LIM)
• Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International (BKK)
• Sao Paulo Guarulhos International (GRU)
• Lome G. Eyadema International (LFW)
• Addis Ababa Bole International (ADD)

Cost per passenger (including taxes & fees)

S/.8,654.00

Total cost for 1 passenger

S/.8,654.00

If you wait till Feb you can send her for just under 7000 sol via GRU and Doha (DOH) all in economy:

Itinerary

Lima (LIM) to Bangkok (BKK) — Mon, Feb 2

Lima (LIM) to Sao Paulo (GRU) — Mon, Feb 2

TAM Linhas Aereas 8067

Dep: 12:25 pm

Arr: 8:50 pm

5h 25m

Boeing 767

Economy (U)

Layover in GRU

7h 25m

Sao Paulo (GRU) to Doha (DOH) — Tue, Feb 3

Qatar Airways(Q.C.S.C) 772

Dep: 4:15 am

Arr: 10:45 pm

13h 30m

Boeing 777

Economy (H)

Layover in DOH

2h 40m

Doha (DOH) to Bangkok (BKK) — Wed, Feb 4

Qatar Airways(Q.C.S.C) 828

Dep: 1:25 am

Arr: 11:35 am

6h 10m

Boeing 777

Economy (H)

Mileage

• 12,802 total miles

CO2 Emissions

• 1,730 kg (estimated by ITA).

Airport Information

• Lima J. Chavez (LIM)
• Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International (BKK)
• Sao Paulo Guarulhos International (GRU)
• Doha Hamad International (DOH)

Cost per passenger (including taxes & fees)

S/.6,893.70

Total cost for 1 passenger

S/.6,893.70

Meanwhile, if you get her to GRU via bus for 28 Jan, you can fly her on QR via DOH for 3388 real (about $1220).

Itinerary

Sao Paulo (GRU) to Bangkok (BKK) — Wed, Jan 28

Sao Paulo (GRU) to Doha (DOH) — Wed, Jan 28

Qatar Airways(Q.C.S.C) 772

Dep: 4:15 am

Arr: 10:45 pm

13h 30m

Boeing 777

Economy (N)

Layover in DOH

9h 50m

Doha (DOH) to Bangkok (BKK) — Thu, Jan 29

Qatar Airways(Q.C.S.C) 832

Dep: 8:35 am

Arr: 6:45 pm

6h 10m

Boeing 777

Economy (N)

Mileage

• 10,644 total miles

CO2 Emissions

• 1,443 kg (estimated by ITA).

Airport Information

• Sao Paulo Guarulhos International (GRU)
• Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International (BKK)
• Doha Hamad International (DOH)

Cost per passenger (including taxes & fees)

R$3,337.48

Total cost for 1 passenger

R$3,337.48

[welshchris]

We flew Thailand - Amsterdam (transit) - bonnaire (transit) - Peru. Wife didn't have any visas no issues.

[faranginafrica]

In fact on 24 Dec, it is available for just under $3000 from LIM to BKK with a long layover in Lome. Take this itinerary to a travel agent.

Itinerary

Lima (LIM) to Bangkok (BKK) — Wed, Dec 24

Lima (LIM) to Sao Paulo (GRU) — Wed, Dec 24

TAM Linhas Aereas 8067

Dep: 12:25 pm

Arr: 8:50 pm

5h 25m

Boeing 767

Economy (L)

Layover in GRU

4h 15m

Sao Paulo (GRU) to Lome (LFW) — Thu, Dec 25

Ethiopian Airlines 507

Dep: 1:05 am

Arr: 10:30 am

7h 25m

Boeing 787

Economy (K)

Layover in LFW

49h 20m

Lome (LFW) to Addis Ababa (ADD) — Sat, Dec 27

Ethiopian Airlines 906

Dep: 11:50 am

Arr: 8:35 pm

5h 45m

Boeing 737

Economy (K)

Layover in ADD

4h 5m

Addis Ababa (ADD) to Bangkok (BKK) — Sun, Dec 28

Ethiopian Airlines 618

Dep: 12:40 am

Arr: 1:20 pm

8h 40m

Boeing 767

Economy (K)

Mileage

• 12,742 total miles

Airport Information

• Lima J. Chavez (LIM)
• Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International (BKK)
• Sao Paulo Guarulhos International (GRU)
• Lome G. Eyadema International (LFW)
• Addis Ababa Bole International (ADD)

Cost per passenger (including taxes & fees)

S/.8,837.70

Total cost for 1 passenger

S/.8,837.70

How to buy this ticket

Provide this information to a travel agent to help them match the fares found.

Make sure to provide the exact booking and fare codes shown.

Fare for 1 adult

Fare 1: Carrier ET KOWBR1 LIM to LFW (rules)

Passenger type ADT, one-way fare, booking code L, K

Covers LIM-GRU (Economy), GRU-LFW (Economy)

S/.3,901.94

Fare 2: Carrier ET KOWTG1 LFW to BKK (rules)

Passenger type ADT, one-way fare, booking code K

Covers LFW-ADD (Economy), ADD-BKK (Economy)

S/.2,557.04

Peruvian Sales Tax (PE)

S/.1,162.40

ET YR surcharge (YR)

S/.898.60

Togo Embarkation Tax (YH)

S/.27.80

Togo Security Tax (YG)

S/.16.70

Togo Aeronautical Development Charge (ZT)

S/.55.50

Togo Passenger Service Charge (VO)

S/.55.50

Togo Infrastructure Development Charge (SM)

S/.72.20

Peru Airport Departure Tax (HW)

S/.91.20

Subtotal per passenger

S/.8,837.70

Number of passengers

x1

Subtotal For 1 adult

S/.8,837.70

Fare Construction (can be useful to travel agents)

LIM JJ X/SAO ET LFW Q6.00 1310.00KOWBR1 ET X/ADD ET BKK Q2.33 860.07KOWTG1 NUC 2178.40 END ROE 1.00 XT 91.20HW 1162.40PE 72.20SM 55.50VO 16.70YG 27.80YH 55.50ZT 898.60YR

Total Airfare & Taxes

S/.8,837.70

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[faranginafrica]

28 dec LIM to GRU

https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f=LIM;t=GRU;d=2014-12-28;r=2015-01-04;tt=o;sel=LIMIGU0LA2443-IGUGRU1JJ3556;a=ET,JJ

30 dec GRU to BKK

https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f=GRU;t=BKK;d=2014-12-30;r=2015-01-04;tt=o;sel=GRULFW0ET507-LFWADD0ET507-ADDBKK1ET618;a=ET,JJ

Can be done for just over $2000

[DaffyDuck]

Mexican consulate, get her a transit or tourist visa for Mexico, book her back on the same flight. This isn't rocket science.

[malt25]

"I had the genius idea to take my Thai girlfriend to South America." "I took her to the airport, trying to be a good Dude." "Trying to be a good Dude" !!!

So, if you weren't such a "good Dude" you'd just show her the door ? It was your idea to take her from her country halfway around the world.How about trying to be just a normal dude & man up ? Grow some balls, accept it's your problem & put your hand in your pocket & pay whatever is necessary to get her home. There's been plenty of suggestions already.

Now here's a novel idea..... How about being a "really good dude" & escort her back to Thailand ?

Maybe I'm on a different wavelength, but me thinks the operative word here might be "RESPONSIBILITY"

Just my 2 cents worth.

Cheers..... Mal.

[Johnnie99]

Your Thai girlfriend is stuck in South Africa?

And you're not?

Your lucky guy!

[KuhnPaen]

Something doesn't ring right about this post and its authenticity...

Yeah, I was thinking "Smuggler" right away. I mean, who takes their Thai Gf to PERU? HAHA.

Yeah, yeah, Machu Picchu and all that --that's what all the smugglers say.

Maybe she backed out and wanted to go home or maybe her belly is fully of condoms and he's panicking that she's gonna take a dump in the airport terminal.

Sorry OP, that's just how I think

BTW...Is the OP Nigerian? (we've seen this story before)

[CapeThai]

To the looks of things this posting should have been posted in the " Cheap Charlie " category was there one on TV rather than being " Trapped "

You should have done your homework before taking her from her home country so take responsibility and put your hand deep down your pocket mate. Not fair that she should suffer long transit hours in 20 different countries so you can save money.... not even to mention what her friends and family going to think of you if she's a keeper.

Have some respect for your lady and get her a proper ticket home