The worst is over and order has been restored to Bangkok. So is it safe to travel to Thailand again? The answer depends on a few factors. Truth be told, even with all the coverage on the international television about the protests and violence in Bangkok, if you were not in the main areas of the protest you were still safe, and wouldn’t have known what was going on if not for the TV. Areas like Pattaya, Phuket, and Ko Samui, were not effected by the turmoil of Bangkok at all, except for the curfew.
That being said, things could have taken a turn for the worse and gone to all out civil war had the conditions been different. It is always easy to look back and make a judgment call. I feel that our advice earlier to avoid Thailand for the time being was sound. Looking at the destruction and curfew that took over in most of the country, you got a glimpse of the nastiness that could have been much, much, worse.
For the time being it appears to be safe to travel to Thailand once again. The main storm has blown over. However, the underlying problems still remain. I won’t go into explaining the undercurrents of what is happening there, there are many opinions on that matter, and several posts could be written about it. But knowing that the problem in Thailand is still unresolved, it is best to keep updated on the situation there until your trip or vacation has come and gone. The Bangkok Post website is a good way to get up to date news. As well as the local news websites of your favorite destination of Pattaya or Phuket.
Now, bear in mind, just because the turmoil in the streets of Bangkok has been squashed, doesn’t mean that your government has yet to lift it’s travel advisories. Take a look at your State Departments website to see if their travel advisory is still on. Here are the links to the U.S. and U.K. travel advisories.
Why do you care about travel advisories? The most important reason is travel insurance. Most policies won’t make good on any claims where your government has issued a travel warning about going to Thailand. You need to have insurance when traveling abroad and certainly to Thailand. Accidents happen and you need to be covered. Make sure you check with your travel insurance company about whether you are going to be covered by your policy.
The streets are clear, the curfew is gone (well it’s almost gone and maybe by the weekend), and it is safe to travel to Thailand again. There is still rebuilding that needs to be done, not only the brick and mortar kind, but also the fabric of a country slowly being torn apart. Watch your government’s travel advisories, check your insurance policy, and watch the Thai news sites to keep updated. Things change, and they don’t usually make international headlines till they are on the verge of something nasty.
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