Thai safety concerns

Old May 21st, 2014, 09:14 AM
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Thai safety concerns

Planning 10 day trip in Nov and wondering whether an alternative might be wise ....
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Old May 21st, 2014, 09:38 AM
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It's your decision. November is light years away.
All you'll get on travel forum is opinions
If you've got doubts then there's plenty of options, and you can always leave Thailand for another time
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Old May 21st, 2014, 11:51 AM
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I'm sticking with my oct trip
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Old May 21st, 2014, 11:56 AM
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I'm sticking with my July and December trips!
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Old May 21st, 2014, 01:25 PM
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I wouldn't hesitate to go to Thailand in November. I would keep abreast of the news, however.
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Old May 21st, 2014, 02:04 PM
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I was in BKK this past January and at the end of Feb. I followed the news and blogs closely before deciding to go ahead with the trip Once there the political activities were minor inconveniences. Overall I felt safe. We stayed on the river far from the rally sites though we did go by them enroute to various places. I think if one goes to BKK frequently one might feel far more comfortable than those of us who are first time or infrequent visitors. BKK is not a city I know well at all and that made me more hesitant to go. However, once there I felt ok and was glad I didn't change my plans. Monitor developments and be sure you can cancel any reservations you might make. Or regroup and go elsewhere. Thailand will be there for a future trip.
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Old May 21st, 2014, 02:43 PM
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Apart from traffic hassles isnt much to worry about.
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Old May 21st, 2014, 03:15 PM
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>>>Planning 10 day trip in Nov and wondering whether an alternative might be wise ....
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Old May 21st, 2014, 03:33 PM
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Between now, and November, anything can happen.

Make your plans and proceed as future events dictate.
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Old May 21st, 2014, 10:54 PM
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andie, if you are worried about thailand, maybe you should consider visiting other cities such as baltimore, east la, detroit, nyc, miami,etc.

yes, indeed, an alternative might be wise. how about new orleans?
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Old May 22nd, 2014, 04:07 AM
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I was also there in January and, like yestravel, had many concerns for safety. We, too, found that we were able to enjoy ourselves and protests impacted us minimally.

HOWEVER, we were also aware of the constantly changing nature of the political situation, and were prepared with the possibility that the situation could escalate at any moment. Given the most recent news of a military coup today, I, too, would be reluctant - at the very least, cautious - to plan a trip to Thailand today. I truly have no idea what that would mean for tourism now, so do monitor the situation carefully, as yestravel recommends, to see how the situation unfolds.
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Old May 22nd, 2014, 04:23 AM
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News this morning is of a coup by the military. A curfew has been instituted, 10 pm to 5 am. Wondering how people who fly into BKK after 10 pm will then get into the city. BTS will close at 9 pm.

I still plan to go to Bangkok in July and December. Tourists have not been targeted. As mentioned above, it pays to keep aware of the changing nature of the situation and to make a secondary plan if necessary.
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Old May 22nd, 2014, 06:46 AM
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Curfew will likely only last a short while.
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Old May 23rd, 2014, 10:33 PM
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The US State Dept: warned against non- essential travel to. Thailand yesterday:

"The U.S. Department of State recommends that U.S. citizens reconsider any non-essential travel to Thailand, particularly Bangkok, due to ongoing political and social unrest and restrictions on internal movements, including an indefinite nighttime curfew throughout Thailand."

The UK FCO currently do not advise against travel but have issued warning to stay away from protest sights and not breech curfew etc.

The Thai army have now placed travel bans on 150 individuals and taken TV stations off air. They have also issued warnings re social media.

How long this situation will continue or when it will be resolved or may escalate is anyone's guess. Always wise to consider alternatives even if you chose not to implement them. If you have travel insurance in place then that will be reassuring, if not, taking out a policy now is unlikely to cover you for the current problems
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Old May 23rd, 2014, 11:07 PM
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Interesting, I just checked the Australian Govt website, which advises "exercise a high degree of caution" which is only number 2 of 4 recommendations (with number 4 being - do not travel). It does mention observing curfew and avoiding crowds of protesters.

Travel insurance in Oz is largely negated by this type of occurrence. Might be okay if your tour was cancelled, but self cancelling would be seen as your choice and not covered.

Jeez, I hope they sort things out soon. The curfew must be killing many of the late night venues.

Still planning to go back in September, of course monitoring the situation as it evolves.

Andie, it wouldn't be a bad idea to work up plan B.
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Old May 24th, 2014, 03:41 AM
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We have plans in February'
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Old May 24th, 2014, 03:58 AM
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We are planning to return to SE Asia in October or November en route to Oz next year. I haven't booked flights yet but am thinking we may consider KL rather than BKK as our hub and use Air Asia. To get around.
If this continues then, on past experience, air fares into BKK may fall substantially which may be tempting but until thing become clearer, it could be a bit of a gamble.

Hopefully the situation will be resolved and democracy restored, sooner rather than later and without bloodshed.
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Old May 24th, 2014, 04:47 AM
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"The US State Dept: warned against non- essential travel to. Thailand yesterday". Pity they didn't warn people on going to Santa Barbara!

I agree crellston that you should go via KL instead.
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Old May 24th, 2014, 06:13 AM
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I generally don't like tweets on twitter because they don't give much information, but I am reading Richard Barrow's tweets every few hours or so. Hopefully social media isn't shut down, as his bits of information are helping me a lot. I still have no plans to cancel or change my July trip plans.
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Old May 24th, 2014, 08:52 AM
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I find the State Dept warnings ultra conservative and not particularly helpful.
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