It's Monday again and time for FREEDOMtravel News. Today we can tell you that there is a risk of imprisonment for smoking in Thailand and that now, after the holidays, there is a price drop on travel. We can also reveal which family members or respartners really have the power over holiday decisions...
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Imprisonment for smoking in Thailand
"Smoking can lead to imprisonment - things are getting serious in Thailand", writes SOS International in a press release. The ban on smoking on many of Thailand's popular beaches comes into force on 1 February and can lead to imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to SEK 26,000.
Insurance doesn't cover it, so if you can't pay, you'll have to serve your time in jail, which, according to SOS International, is just as unpleasant as rumoured. There will be designated smoking areas on the beaches in question. Please also note that e-cigarettes are banned throughout the country. Thailand.
They have the power over holidays
A new survey by eBeach.co.uk shows that children and boyfriends have the most power over holiday planning. Statistics show that it is mainly women who make travel bookings, but who has the final say on where to go and what to do on holiday? Women have the most influence on holiday planning:
- The children
- Boyfriend
- Mum
- Girlfriend
- Father
The celebrities we want to holiday with
Resia has commissioned a SIFO survey to find out which celebrity Swedes prefer to travel with. Both men and women prefer to travel with Carina Berg. The men's second favourite is King Carl XVI Gustaf, while the women's favourite is Lottie Knutsson. Women prefer strong women, while men want to travel with royalty, comedians and sports stars. Here are the top 5 celebrities Swedes want to travel with:
- Carina Berg
- Lottie Knutsson
- Filip & Fredrik
- David Batra
- Gina Dirawi
25 per cent more tourism to Israel
It wasn't just us who travelled to Israel last year. Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said in a press release that over 3.6 million tourists visited Israel last year. Israel 2017, which is a 25 per cent increase since 2016. Americans are the most frequent tourists in Israel, followed by Russians. However, the biggest increase last year was in tourists from Poland and China. A total of 76 000 Nordic tourists visited Israel in 2017, including 26 000 Swedes.
Norwegian launches Stockholm - Reykjavik
At the end of March, Norwegian will begin direct flights from Stockholm Arlanda to the UK. Reykjavik. The new route will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, starting on 26 March 2018. The route will initially operate between March and October, and tickets are already on sale on the Norwegian website.
Price drop for travelling
As the spring term starts and students are back in school, travel prices are falling. For those who can travel in January or early February, it is a real bargain, with half the price of travel compared to the Christmas and New Year holidays, reports Ticket Resor.
However, please note that prices rise again as the school holidays approach. According to Ticket, it is easiest to find good prices to destinations where the organisers have a large capacity. For example, you can find good prices for travelling to Thailand, the Canary Islands, etc, Egypt, Turkey, Cape Verde, Majorca and Madeira.
Did you miss the last travel news? Read the Blacklisted airlines, Stockholm in song and new baggage rules
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Anette says:
Thailand's ban on smoking on beaches is part of an effort to reduce marine litter. You might think that throwing rubbish in nature should also be fined. The penalties don't really seem fair to the offence. 🙁
22 January 2018 - 7:26
Helena says:
I think smoking bans are good. The penalties seem totally unreasonable, but maybe they want to scare people into following the rules, I don't know.
22 January 2018 - 16:05
Motorhome Helge says:
Let's have more smoke-free beaches!
22 January 2018 - 9:23
Helena says:
I agree that beaches should be smoke-free, and also free of litter.
22 January 2018 - 16:06
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
Smoke-free zones could be introduced here at home too. around shop entrances
You can see a lot of cigarette butts and snuff along the walk.
I have smoked for many, many years and a lot.
22 January 2018 - 9:34
Helena says:
Littering is never nice, whether it's cigarettes or other rubbish. No problem with rules! However, the penalties seem unreasonable ...
22 January 2018 - 16:08
Annette says:
Hm... interesting list of who has the last word when travelling. Boyfriends apparently have more say than girlfriends, but then there seems to be a power shift, when mums have more say than dads. I can't help but quickly interpret this as girls adapting to their boys when they are young, but over the years they take over the power. It sounds awful, but in our case it's actually true... I went along with everything my boyfriend/current husband suggested when we met, and thought everything was exciting and fun. Over time, I realised that we had missed out on a lot of things I wanted to experience, like when we drove from the Grand Canyon down through Arizona without stopping to take a closer look at the red rocks in Sedona, for example. Nowadays, I plan our routes and accommodations (reading like a madman before we travel), but when everything is basically ready, Patrik checks through and adds and possibly subtracts. I book hotels and he books flights and cars, always the same procedure 😉 The children, on the other hand, have nothing to say about 🙂 I have tried to involve them in the planning, but they think it is enough that we plan half days with activities and half days at a pool, beyond that we have free hands. I've asked them if they would like to do what many other families with children do, stay in an all-inclusive hotel and spend their days by the pool and only go on occasional excursions, but although they sometimes complain that there is a lot of driving in our family, they smiled a little when they said that they would actually find it boring, and that they also want to visit castles, caves and other attractions. Now we're planning a trip to the south of France (can't get enough of France!), so I'll have a look around your links. Have a nice day!
22 January 2018 - 10:04
Helena says:
What an interesting analysis! I think more people can recognise you in it actually...! And what fun that your children appreciate travelling around and seeing and experiencing different things! Great also with a trip to France! Good luck with the planning!
22 January 2018 - 16:11
Marina says:
It is always exciting with different kinds of surveys. I can't help but think about which celebrity I would like to take with me on a trip, but right now I can't think of which one...maybe I'll have to think about it for a while, or maybe I'll go myself.
The smoking ban on Thai beaches will be quite exciting to follow, the question is how much space they have in their prisons 😉.
22 January 2018 - 10:15
Helena says:
I don't think I would want to spend a whole holiday with a celebrity... but maybe a lunch or coffee with someone interesting! 😉 I wonder if they will really impose the maximum sentence in Thailand or if they just want to scare people...? Although they might want to set an example, who knows ...
22 January 2018 - 16:13
åsa in åsele says:
Smoking, yes smoking should be prohibited in certain public places even in Sweden, but having to spend a year in prison in Thailand feels incredibly harsh. Sweden has many toothless laws that are not followed and that do not provide any punishment. But moderation is best so maybe Thailand & Sweden should talk to each other to share the amount of punishment 🙂.
22 January 2018 - 13:16
Helena says:
I feel a bit like you. Ok with rules, but unreasonable punishments. Maybe a punishment has to feel a bit threatening, but I myself would be scared just by the threat of a week in a Thai prison ...
22 January 2018 - 16:14
Mr Steve says:
- Interestingly, 'father in the house' is at the bottom of this particular list.
- Smoke-free beaches are desirable, but 1 year imprisonment for an offence?
In a Thai prison, no less.
- Why holiday with a celebrity?
22 January 2018 - 13:39
Helena says:
I don't really understand why you should go on holiday with a celebrity either ...
22 January 2018 - 16:17
BP says:
So neither Peter nor I will end up in Thailand in the future. I have seen the TV series Farang and know what it looks like in Thai prisons. And one year is completely disproportionate considering the "offence".
Here, I'm probably the only one who books trips.
The celebrities I don't even know who they are. Okay, I know Batra and I wouldn't want to travel with him.
Fun with (cheap) direct flights to Reykjavik!
And as an Isarel lover, I'm especially happy that the number of tourists there has increased:-)
22 January 2018 - 15:50
Helena says:
I'm fine with a smoking ban, but the punishment is completely insane. Maybe they just want to scare you? But I would NOT want to tempt fate and test it ...
22 January 2018 - 16:18
Lena - good for the soul says:
What a punishment for smoking! I wonder what the penalty for murder and manslaughter is in that case?! But clearly good with reduced smoking in public places!
Hug Lena
22 January 2018 - 18:59
Across the board says:
There must be something wrong with the list of people you want to travel with - you're not on it!
23 January 2018 - 6:43