Nervous or not???
My V/C/T trip leaves 12/22. Getting a little nervous about the fighting that just broke out on the borders of Thailand and Cambodia. The travel advisory was raised to a 2+. Anyone else have any concerns?? Actually we are going to Hong Kong first and leaving for there on 12/14 so we need to decide what to do by 12/13.
What does everyone think???
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Tauck will not take you to an active battle area. Stay in touch with them and trust their judgement.
Go. I travelled one week after 9/11. We also went on the Budapest/Bucharest river cruise at the beginning of the Ukraine war. All I can say is that life is too short so go. You will not regret the experience.
Tauck constantly monitors strife across the globe and is well equipped to handle tenuous situations. I would be far more concerned about some calamity occurring here than abroad.
https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/
You can check out how much of the world is level 2 and above, including much of Europe, at least from the point of view of the US State Department.
The good thing about Tauck is their really good insurance, so if you decide not to go , their cancel for any reason means you would get all your money back.
Level 2 is a pretty normal level.
We were recently supposed to travel to Madagascar, things got really bad there, in the capital in particular where we were due ot be in the first few days, riots death, the government dissolved and the military taking over. The US changed the country status to a level 3, only necessary travel. We were not traveling with Tauck and our insurance coverage for cancel for any reason was just 70% of the cost. Four days before we left for the tour, the company had not canceled so we cancelled. Having been stuck in Borneo at the start of the Pandemic when our family were extremely worried about us, we just thought we could not put them through this again. The tour went ahead and in that short time everything had settled down.
Tauck does indeed monitor the situations very carefully and even when situations arise whilst a tour is actually in a country, they have a 24/7 rescue ability to evacuation people…the advantage of traveling with a big company.
I thought to begin with you were worrying about all the flooding in the area.
We read foreign news every day and if we want even more wjen we see something worrying, we google local news outlets too. In fact we knew all about the Madagascar trouble a couple of weeks before it hit any US outlet.
We’ve been to Vietnam and Cambodia a couple of times, most recently last year and we love the area, except for the terrible humidity. Hong Kong is wonderful too. I’ve not been to Thailand.
Tauck does have a Global Response Team monitoring world events. Tauck's TD's are well informed and keep their groups safe, that's just one of the many aspects of their job. We travelled to Morocco in October after student protests and never felt unsafe, it was a delightful trip! Go, and have a fabulous time!
This is front The NY Times this morning
‘ Is it safe to travel to Thailand and Cambodia?
On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Thailand and the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia both urged Americans to avoid traveling within 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) of the Thai-Cambodia border. The embassies both said in statements that they were monitoring reports of a “significant escalation” in the fighting and that the situation remains “volatile.”
Here is what it says about Thailand on the US.GOV website just now..
Level 4 - Do Not Travel
Thailand - Cambodia Border:
Do not travel to areas within 50km of the Thai-Cambodian border due to ongoing fighting between Thai and Cambodian military forces.
There are reports of fighting, including rocket and artillery fire, between Cambodian and Thai forces along the border. Armed conflict has led to civilian casualties, and the Thai government has ordered the evacuation of certain areas. There is a collateral risk of violence, and U.S. citizens are advised to avoid all but essential travel to within 50km of these border areas until further notice. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in these provinces due to the ongoing risk of armed conflict.
Read the destination information page for additional information on travel to Thailand.
If you decide to travel to Thailand:
Have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance.
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to get important updates and alerts from the U.S. embassy or consulate. Enrolling helps the U.S. embassy or consulate contact you or your emergency contact in an emergency.
Review the Country Security Report for Thailand.
Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.
We highly recommend that you buy insurance before you travel. Check with your travel insurance provider about evacuation assistance, medical insurance, and trip cancellation coverage..‘
We generally enroll on STEP when we travel.
‘
I haven’t taken this particular tour but I assume you fly from one country to the other, not travel by road
My husband and I were on this tour in October. The tour does not include the border area of Cambodia/Thailand and does not utilize land borders. In the months leading up to our tour, I monitored the ongoing border situation. While the land borders were impacted and closed, flights from Cambodia to Thailand were not interrupted. I felt comfortable embarking on the tour, which was excellent.
The TripAdvisor Cambodia travel forum was very helpful, as locals frequently responded to questions regarding the ongoing conflict.
One can also go directly to the source by looking at Tauck’s “Travel Updates” section on their website for information on tour disruptions/cancelations. Sometimes they even have banners on the specific tour page. I do not know if they have done this for this tour. Regardless, they will keep you apprised. If you haven’t heard from them, the trip will proceed.
Finishing up this tour currently. Heading to Bangkok this am. TD and local guides have not seemed concerned at all. This border war has been going on for 100 years. Although I do see it expanded a bit past few days. I sent a text to our TD to confirm safety etc. fabulous tour.
Great to hear LindaMarie. I'll be headed that way next week. No concerns at all. I was on the Grand Australia/New Zealand tour in 2014 during the Lindt Cafe terroirist attack ...Tauck rearranged a few things but we didn't miss a beat.