So, Thailand for Christmas and New Year 2020?

[Maka]

I was planning on going to Thailand for Christmas and New Year this year, but hard to plan due to all of this COVID stuff

What do you guys think?
Will it be possible?
Will all the quarantine stuff be finished by then?
Will it be back to normal in Thailand?

[ray8472]

I certainly hope (and expect) that we will be able to travel before then. I was thinking of August myself, but it is very possible that a quarantine may be in place that early.

[Dippychippy]

Lucky for us the GF in Laos was given a 2 year visit visa valid from this march so we've got time on our side to make use of it.
Called trailfinders to get their thoughts and check availability for a flight in july and his advice was not to bother.
I was tempted to just book the flight with BA and take advantage of their offer to be able to move the dates if a problem arose but I thought I'd wait for the home secretary's statement this week.

[sisaket]

I was planning on going to Thailand for Christmas and New Year this year, but hard to plan due to all of this COVID stuff

What do you guys think?
Will it be possible?
Will all the quarantine stuff be finished by then?
Will it be back to normal in Thailand?

Suggestions that things could be heading in the right direction in the 3rd quarter of 2020, but anything can happen IE a second wave of COVID-19, plus would also depend on the availability of long haul airlines etc (if coming from afar)
However if things start to pick up I would like to have a few adventures by road before the hoards arrive (if they do) taking advantage of some heavily discounted hotel rates.

[walshie]

if things start to pick up I would like to have a few adventures by road before the hoards arrive (if they do) taking advantage of some heavily discounted hotel rates.

One of my friends has been stuck in Thailand during this crisis he said the hotels he has stayed in have actually put their prices up to try compensate for the lack of visitors!!

[Tobias]

This is all crystal ball stuff at the moment. It's impossible to predict where we will be in the next year or two. Much will depend on whether an effective therapeutic or vaccine is found.

Given the prevalence of the coronavirus in the UK, we may find ourselves on an 'unwanted list' meaning certain countries impose specific travel restrictions - those measures could come in all guises: an outright ban, a quarantine or self-isolation requirement on arrival, a 'health passport' showing an individual has antibodies to COVID-19, or trips may be limited to individuals carrying on specific types of business.

I have many flights booked up until March next year, since this pandemic began I've had over 40 flights cancelled up to the end of June because of either foreign or UK imposed travel restrictions. As most of my flights were booked via BA, I have been provided with full refunds without quibble.

My next trip that remains live is to the USA and that is due to depart at the beginning of July, thereafter I have several trips to Singapore (3), Hong Kong, Bangkok (2), USA (2) and mainland Europe (12) through August and early September. Will any of these trips go ahead? I have absolutely no idea - I'm not confident that any of them will. If my flights are flying, and I am allowed entry in to the county, I'll be flying too. But, all that said, it could be next year before we are allowed to fly for leisure purposes, especially to some destinations.

A number of airlines are offering a 'book with confidence' policy allowing for date changes or cancellations without all the usual fees and charges. If anyone is considering travelling then I would strongly advise booking direct with the airline (avoiding travel agents and online booking sites), paying with a credit card (not using services such as PayPal) and choosing an EU airline - this will ensure you have all the statutory protections should something go awry.

[sisaket]

One of my friends has been stuck in Thailand during this crisis he said the hotels he has stayed in have actually put their prices up to try compensate for the lack of visitors!!

I ve been getting Emails about discount hotel rates for later in the year, had to cancel a road trip to the North due to lockdown / curfew, I imagine hotels can charge as they please at the moment, all the hotels I booked including non-refundable all gave a full refund (due to the Virus), so I will look at them first (subject to discounts). Booked with Agoda and Booking (dot) Com.

[Samsung]

Feel for you there MR T a lot of cancelled flights i am looking at x mas again but what a nightmare i think the d day landings operation would have been easier to plan ,
for example
1,wife's holidays to book
2,my own holidays to book
3,will we be quarantined in Thailand
4,will we be quarantined back in the UK

[toddmeister]

One of my friends has been stuck in Thailand during this crisis he said the hotels he has stayed in have actually put their prices up to try compensate for the lack of visitors!!

same happened to me when I was stranded due to the Icelandic ash cloud back in 2010. Thai logic kicking in or just entrepreneurship???

Personally, due to the speed in which things are going, I honestly think things will be back to relative normality well before Xmas. I've seen a dramatic change in attitude since the so called easing of restrictions. I've been back at work for a month and when I'm out and about it almost seems like it's business as usual. Lots of traffic on the roads, people on the streets etc. I was out making some deliveries close to our beach last week and it was honestly like Benidorm in high season (or maybe Patong). Same when im passing parks, big groups sitting huddled on the grass. Not condoning it, but it's just the feeling I get being out and about. As the days and weeks go by people are gradually becoming much more active, venturing out a lot more than they would have a month ago when I was still in lockdown. Every day things are opening up more. A KFC drive through reopened close to us last week with rediculous queues down the road. A national (mainly clothing) retailer just announced they're reopening now due to the fact that they happen to sell a (very small) range of homewares which apparently now qualifies as essential. My retired dad was back on the golf course as soon as the restrictions were lifted. Airlines like EasyJet starting to operate again from next month. Everyday something small opening up or people doing more than they would have. My point is, and just my opinion, but when so much has happened within the last week or so, all still within a couple of weeks of the so called peak of the virus, I find it very hard to believe that things will not be back to something resembling normality by the end of the year which is a good six months away?

The big thing for us travel wise I believe will be schooling. We had no plans to return to Thailand this year but (before Corona) we were talking about going out just after Xmas, maybe Boxing Day for 3 weeks into the new year so that our son would only miss a week of school. I've never had an issue taking him out of school for a few extra days on previous trips. But given how much school he's missed due to the school closures there's no way I'm taking him out for an extra weeks holiday going forward. That means realistically I expect it'll be next years summer hols before we make it back out to Thailand

[nickj1000]

I can vouch for the travel agent problems. Travel trolley were uncontactable regarding a flight i wanted to get some money back on after cancelling but i gave uo in the end. Lost around 300. Even with the airlines you have to pick carefully. Eva air cancelled my last flight but will not give me another flight at the same price despite their terms and conditions statement. They will however return my money which is much better than travel trolley.

... A number of airlines are offering a 'book with confidence' policy allowing for date changes or cancellations without all the usual fees and charges. If anyone is considering travelling then I would strongly advise booking direct with the airline (avoiding travel agents and online booking sites), paying with a credit card (not using services such as PayPal) and choosing an EU airline - this will ensure you have all the statutory protections should something go awry.

[ray8472]

I'm going to travel to Thailand as soon as I possibly can. It depends on a number of things

- Thailand opening its borders to UK visitors
- quarantine on arrival or not ?
- UK foreign office removing their don't travel advice so that travel insurance is valid
- availability of fights

I'm hoping for August and possibly even mid-July say. Time will tell.

[Samsung]

yes agree this is the main one
UK foreign office removing their don't travel advice so that travel insurance is valid

[Greg / Pairin]

Our flight to Bangkok is still live, I have had 2 emails from Emirates informing me that our scheduled departure on the 8th July has been moved forward to the 7th July.

So, unless the FCO still have travel instructions in place, then we will be on that flight if its still flying and we are allowed entry into Thailand.

[James HKT]

I was planning on going to Thailand for Christmas and New Year this year, but hard to plan due to all of this COVID stuff

What do you guys think?
Will it be possible?
Will all the quarantine stuff be finished by then?
Will it be back to normal in Thailand?

Everything will be open by then I am sure if purely from an economic stand point. If it's possible to do a proper DNA test by then a health certificate will almost certainly be mandatory, but that's probably it.

[Maka]

Looking at the prices for Christmas and New year for me and the kids going to give that a miss, but half term in October isn't too bad, still kinda highish but doable..

What I don't want is that 14 day quarantine upon arrival in Thailand, do you guys think that will be gone by October?