The deal is honesty. And the problem most normally whether you can handle prolonged exposure to the girlfriend or wife's family. A friend had a horrible time last year as he allowed himself to be bullied into only a few days to do what he wanted. THAT WAS NOT TO VISIT BAR GIRLS - I GET SO SICK OF THOSE ClICHE JOKES but to visit myself in Bangkok and other old friends in Bangkok and Pattaya - particularly an old female friend who is old enough to be his mother. If girlfriend or her family won't handle that it is time to move on. Remember I said the problem is the family not the locality. Important to remember. The locality will will give great new conversational possibilities - like the effect of rice paddy on toe nails.

@Kerry ******

The helpful suggestion is to bring in only what you can carry in. So you need to choose airline for maximum freebie carry-in and for being able to pre-book extra baggage. The latter will also be the cheapest for that extra baggage. If those conditions mean not choosing the optimal route you live with it.

Simply forget anything that you can't carry in with you on arrival.

@Catherine **********

It goes back one hell of a long way to the advent of the Chinese in Thailand. It's not eat out in any sense other than street food in it's origins. All Chinese coolies got in their communal facilities was a bed and the ability to wash, as in city China. Street food was very quickly made - high speed high temperature frying or grilling. In Thailand country food was and still can be quite different. Long and slow and both China and Thailand have hotpot. You can't fight such ingrained culture. Neither can you fight those who feel an ingrained need to support the poor. They provide work for those street vendors, or moving up to the big houses they provide work for cleaners and housekeepers. It is a moral obligation.

Reason to return seems to be the big one. People talk about back to her high-earning job. I would say that it is important to also talk about caring responsbilities she has to come back to and can only be away from for a few weeks. Caring for her dear old Dad who has all manner of health problems. Cousins can only step in for her doing this work for a few weeks.

@JD ******

Not the information I have had which is lickers preferred.

@Henrik ****

And since one of the best arguments that she will return home is that she is a carer here that caring role here would limit her ability to be away from Thailand to a short time.

A ridiculous question. We all have different levels of risk tolerance. That is the question for you not where shall I put it.? That said if it really is only a couple of K USD does it need fine-tuned calculation? Would it really matter if you lost the lot? Answer that question. Then do a bit of Googling around volatility and markets. High volatility = High returns. But High volatility = High risk. It's that simple for you to locate the choices you should make, now and in the future. Not ask Facebook.

@Chika ******

Note all my comments about lack of free NHS service in all but very few cases where the patient has worked overseas for a British connected business. Otherwise free NHS goes after 2 years. It is resdience not nationality, passport of National Insurance contribution-based. It isn't good advice to go to a country wheer private costs are not at US or Japanese levels, but nonetheless are very high. The same is true for legal fees - wildly high.

@Russell ******

Note my point about no free NHS access if out of UK for 2years or more. Entitlement is based on residencce, not nationality, passport of National Insurance contributions. The one exception is if you have been overseas working for a firm with a British Connection. Why do Brits keep continuing a belief in a fantasy rather than checking reality in healthcare before leaving the country? Residence is now the be all to end all and not just in health care, but, as an example accessing public housing.