Opinionated News

Thailand is one of those exotic countries that beckons anyone with a thirst for both stunning sunbathing opportunities on beautiful beaches together with the cultural background of the East.   With the possibility of spending your mornings on a beach, afternoons exploring temples and local history and culture, and the evenings enjoying traditional Thai cuisine, it does sound like a vacation made in paradise.  Unfortunately at the time of right (November 2008) paradise isn’t the Thai reality!

If you were considering a Thailand vacation for Christmas or the New Year, or you already have tickets booked, now would be a good time to review your plans.  Currently Thai politics are murkier than the US Republican Party’s campaign platform, and the situation for tourists isn’t good.  Currently the People’s Alliance for Democracy have control of Bangkok Airport, including the control tower, and are calling for the government to step down. 

While politics and vacations don’t usually go hand-in-hand, when a country is in a political crisis such as this, then tourists inevitably get caught up in the middle.  At the moment there are thousands of people trapped at the airport because they’re already through security and in the departure area, and can’t re-enter the country because of visa regulations - this includes elderly people, and those traveling with young children.

There are always those parts of the world where travel is a gamble as to whether you’ll get to spend your entire vacation without an international, or even internal, issue clouding your holiday, and it’s certainly safe to say that no country is immune from some kind of public demonstration.  However, choosing to go to a country that’s already in political crisis, and where you know that tourists have recently been held in a situation over which they have no control, is something you could avoid. 

Don’t take Thailand off your dream vacation list, just take a rain check this coming holiday season.  After all you want to remember this beautiful country for the good memories you have of the people you meet and the things you see there.  The tourists currently caught there will have memories of sleeping under a check-in desk or baggage conveyor belt as political activists control the airport they’re trying to leave!   The world’s a big place, if you have the wanderlust this holiday season, choose a more laid back destination where you might not be guaranteed a 100% safe, fun holiday, but at least you don’t get arrive in the aftermath of some recent political chaos such as that affecting Thailand.