Why I’m Leaving Thailand?

Why I’m Leaving Thailand?

For the last 11 years, off and on, I have 
done several long-term backpacking adventures. And for the last 18 months, apart from a small 
break going back to the UK, I have travelled within Southeast Asia — from the Philippines 
all the way through to here, northern Thailand. Now, Southeast Asia — especially Thailand — 
has become like an old, comfortable blanket. You just wrap yourself around it, and 
you feel safe and comfortable and warm. And that’s not what I’m after. I’m after adventure.
I’m after thrill. I’m after new places, new 
countries, new things to see. And the 18 months I’ve… I’ve been 
travelling for have all been to countries I’ve been to before.
So the adventure’s not there. Yesterday, I got the bus 
from the last town I was in. I came back here to Ubon Ratchathani 
— somewhere I felt comfortable, safe, calm — and I sat down and 
tried to work out what I wanted. And it’s a new country.
It’s somewhere I’ve never been to before. For half an hour, I went through various 
countries, towns, cities — and I was looking for something with three criterias:
Number one, never been there before. Number two, somewhere that is 
cheap, just like Southeast Asia. And three, somewhere I can 
afford to fly to with my budget. And if you’re thinking, “But you’re in 
Thailand — there’s so much to see there.” And there is. And I’ve seen it all. Going from southern Thailand through 
the Malaysian border all the way up… I’ve been to Thailand at least 
five times. I’ve seen the islands. This is northern Thailand. And it gets to a point where you get 
to a new city, and you look on Google… You check on TripAdvisor to find out 
what is exciting about the place… And you find out it’s three 
or four temples — where you’ve just seen thirty temples in the last two weeks. So… it is time to move on. Now, I spent half an hour — only half an 
hour — last night working out where to go. And places I looked at were 
South America, Central America… I even looked at Canada — that was 
out of the question, too expensive. I then looked at Myanmar… 
Afghanistan… and then I thought, no. And then I found the place. So… where am I going to?
And am I drawing this out long enough? I’m heading to Georgia.
The country of Georgia, in the old Soviet Union. And when do I go?
Tomorrow. I booked the flight last night. And this morning I went round to find out 
how to get to Bangkok by tomorrow morning. And… train station.
When I got to the train station, it is the busiest I’ve ever seen any 
train station anywhere in Thailand. And I think it might have something to do with the 
ongoing tensions between Thailand and Cambodia. And Ubon Ratchathani is somewhere 
not too far away from the border. And I think a lot of people are getting away. And if you think that’s why 
I’m leaving — no, it’s not. ‘Cause I only booked the flight before 
I found out about what was happening. So, the only train that was available tonight 
actually got in for about… I think it was about half four in the morning.
A little bit too early. So I looked at the bus station, 
and there are several buses going overnight — which sounds perfect.
Plus, the bus is cheaper. So I’ll be leaving this hostel at 7:00.
And I’ve been to this hostel at least twice now. It is — as a quick plug for this place, 
‘cause I really do like it — The Bunk. And last night I was the 
only person in the hostel, and I had the whole pool to 
myself — which was quite handy, ‘cause this morning I actually went for 
the first run I’ve been for in four weeks. And if you notice — if you’re a long-term 
viewer — my bandage on my ear has gone. The stitches have all cleaned up, and 
it looks like a normal ear yet again. So, I am getting the bus. It gets into Bangkok for 
about 7:00 tomorrow morning. My flight to Georgia is at 12:00. 
So that gives me plenty of time. But why Georgia? It excites me.
It’s a new country — never been before. And I did a little bit of research on the city 
that I’ll be going to, which is the third-largest city in Georgia: Kutaisi.
And it’s everything I need. Cheap hostels, cheap food, 
cheap transport — just amazing. And has it affected my budget?
Well, the cost of the plane fare might have got me back into the red, into my overdraft 
— which I’m not happy about, but needs must. And it’s not because I am 
travel fatigued that I’m going. It’s because I’m Southeast Asia fatigued. And I think it’s right that I need to 
go… to get my travel juices going again. And if you’ve been following me all the way 
through my adventures — from the Philippines to here — and you subscribed 
because you like Southeast Asia… Well, keep watching, because 
Georgia might surprise you. It’s cheap.
It’s easy to get to. And more importantly — you might like it. And the next video I do will be in two days’ 
time — after I’ve taken two airlines, been to three airports, and a journey of 28 hours, 
costing £36 to get to Georgia from Bangkok. It’s going to be an exciting time, travelling overnight for that long.
I will have jet lag when I arrive. But Georgia will be the next place. If you want to stay on board, then keep watching. If you’re new to this channel, then 
subscribe — because Georgia could be fun. But until the next time, when I’m on that plane…
Bye-bye for now.

After 18 months of solo backpacking through Southeast Asia — from the Philippines to Thailand, Cambodia to Vietnam — I’ve finally decided it’s time to move on. In this video, I open up about why I’m leaving Thailand (and Southeast Asia as a whole) and what’s been going through my head lately.

This isn’t about burnout. It’s not about frustration. It’s about needing something new. I’ve been to Thailand five times, explored every corner, and hit a point where the adventure just didn’t feel like adventure anymore.

So, what’s next? Well… I’m not revealing that just yet. But if you’ve followed my journey so far, you’ll want to see where I end up. One flight, three airports, and 28 hours later… everything’s about to change.

I am an older backpacker travelling the world proving that backpacking is not just for the younger generation.

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