Travell Advice

[plasterer]

Ok Peeps ,My Daughter is 18 and leaving colledge .
She has her mind set on Travelling ,And is currently getting involved with these peeps?

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Has anybody had ,or know of anybody who has dealt with them?
Shes thinking of going to New Zealand and Thailand
Apart from the obvious reasons ,ie,getting ripped off by them.
Ime worried sick as she isint street wise,
And bag packers and travellers go missing quicker than channels on a d box.
Any advise greatfully received thanx ......................Paul

[Curious123]

Ok Peeps ,My Daughter is 18 and leaving colledge .
She has her mind set on Travelling ,And is currently getting involved with these peeps?

Round the World Experts | Creating the perfect tailor-made Round the World itinerary for you

Has anybody had ,or know of anybody who has dealt with them?
Shes thinking of going to New Zealand and Thailand
Apart from the obvious reasons ,ie,getting ripped off by them.
Ime worried sick as she isint street wise,
And bag packers and travellers go missing quicker than channels on a d box.
Any advise greatfully received thanx ......................Paul

Your daughter looks as if she has her head screwed on as the company she has picked is part of the 'Flight Centre group' which seems to be fairly large.

http://www3.flightcentre.com.au/corporate/asx/fiscal2009/090825%20FLT%20Final%204E%202009.pdf

I would make sure you take out some decent travel insurance for your daughter.

[chroma]

Thailand:

Makes absoloutly certain she wears NOTHING that looks military, that means fatigues, bergens, jackets and the like. Anything that looks even remotely like its out of a surplus shop should be avoided.

This should cut down on guerilla's mistaking her for some kind of target. (only really a problem if she decides to go rural and see some country (ie north toward the Laos border, west towards the Burma border and east towards Cambodia) The locals dont tend to mess around and generaly only ask questions later.

Make positively certain shes never going to be alone and once she arrives to get into the nearest safe looking ride and away from the airport, under no circumstances should she share a ride with anyone other than her entourage, i wouldnt even advise she talk to anyone unoficial at the ports.

Id also suggest that she get off the plane fully covered up and wearing nothing that emits a sexy vibe and screams tourist sextrade bait.

Id also make damned certain she had a phone on her with the numbers and address of the embassies in it just in case things go wrong (and i dont mean badly wrong, just wrong as in stolen or lost documents) this means the language barrier wont be so much of a problem and help will be on hand.
UK in Thailand - the British Embassy in Thailand

Tell her not to take a draw on any joints at beach parties and the likes (the thai cops are known for entrapment to spice up their day and thai prisons are less than ideal)

Not to scare the shit out of you as trouble is massively unlikely especialy in built up regions but its always good policy to plan for the negatives and hope for the best.

On a more positive and less frightning note:

Mai ow ka (or swap the ka for krup if your male) learn it and LOVE IT.
Its essentialy an informal but polite way to say "No Thanks." As soon as you hit a tourist trap you will use it a whole lot as the deluge of people try to sell you everything including the fillings out of their teeth. Just give them firm polite eyecontact and bodylanguage and say it and they magicaly stop hounding you as much, assuming your not just some dumb green tourist but actualy seem to have a clue. (not that i can actualy speak thai, i know a few phrases to get by without causing offence)
"Kor Toat" is another gem, its an apology and useful for getting people to move out your way, informal much like our "scuse me" ko tang noi is the much more formal, meaning essentialy the same but more akin to our "please make way" and isnt really used as much unless people fail to move after you say kor toat.

Despite all the scary stuff above Thailand is an interesting place to visit, certainly loved it (except the unbearable humidity and heat at times) but like the UK it has its bad bits and share of arseholes that should generaly be avoided.

Cant say much about NZ as ive never been, but what i hear from people who have is that its nice and safe.
Ive also never heard of the travel company, but then again ive never actualy used a travel company myself so its unsurprising.

Just do some good parenting, scare the bejesus out of her, tell her straight up that your worried and make an agreement to have her contact you at set times to put your mind at ease, even if she needs to reverse the charges.
Then dont flake out once she breaks the agreement kids are kids after all.

Heres hoping shes safe and sound.

[plasterer]

Thanks for some top tips
Some ive already coverd ,but others to take on board
Many thanks for Both inputs .................Paul

[xant14]

Fair play to her for spreading her wings, altho as a dad, I too would be worried. I have done Thailand a couple of times in the 90's, pretty safe, altho you gotta be slightly streetwise. A bit of trouble down near the malaysia border at the minute, with Thai locals arming themselves, and Muslim people murdering buddhist locals. Personally I would veer away from there. Rest of the country is tourist orientated, so no real worries.
NZ I wouldn't be worried at all. A long way away, but that's it. Pretty englishish.

Oh, just to put a dampener on things. The one time I was worried, I accepted a lift from the airport, in the foyer, I went downstairs with the guy, into a car park, and into a private car with another geezer in the car. I question myself even now for getting in, but it is so quick, and you worry about offending people. Quite simply dont! walk out the front of the airport and you will get taxi meter cabs. You will pay slightly more than bartering, but only slightly... Taxi Meter... no other!!
Better still, get lonely planet, and it tells you bus numbers.