by After all, 18-year-olds and their parents of the nation can breathe relief. Well, at least until the result day. A-levels are over, the sun is shining and school leavers now have a few months to decide whether to start directly to the university, find a job or plan a gap year.
For many, the final decision is made in mid -August. But for those who lean on a gap year, note: The classic “Banana Pancake” route in Southeast Asia was separated at a crucial intersection.
This week the Thai army closed the border with Cambodia after months of rising tensions between the two countries. Things escalated fire in May after the troops had exchanged fire in a controversial area of the border, which led to the death of a Cambodian soldier. Relationships have been described since then. Cambodia has suspended fruit, vegetable and gas imports and even prevented Thai films from being shown in its cinemas.
After the border closure, the foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its advice for the British to “make additional caution in the region and to remain vigilant”. It lists the temples that are on site, Ta Kwai and Ta Muen Thom – all within the competitive zone – as places to practice special caution. They also warn of non -exploded country mines in this area and demand tourists to stay on marked paths, especially in the vicinity of Ta Krabey.
Despite the opposite reports, it seems that flights between Bangkok and Phnom Penh and Siem Reap operate as usual. But most travelers with a small budget go across land, and a leading operator, GAP 360, tells The Telegraph“Thailand and Cambodia are always two of our most popular destinations in Asia.”
A spokesman for Trailfinder said about the border closures: “We monitor this situation carefully and our sales consultants were informed accordingly about the processing of customer questions.”
Trail finder’s representative said that there were no inquiries on this matter, although local television reports show scenes of confusion and crowds that build up at the border crossings. This will undoubtedly have a major impact on the thousands of tourists who want to make a border crossing in the coming days and weeks.
And hopefully this is the type of time frame that we deal with here. It is neither in Cambodia nor Thailand’s interest in having a long break for the trade and the movement of people, not least because the Thai number of tourists in the post -pandemical era have stagnated. From 40 million in 2019 they dropped to a predicted 37 million in 2025.
On the other hand, the guides on both sides are over the dispute under extraordinary pressure and it is unlikely that they want to be admitted. It is currently the political topic number one in these countries, and there were protests in Bangkok after a controversial call between the political leaders of Thailand and Cambodia was leaked through. Schools and villagers on the border should build bunkers and trenches in anticipation of an escalation of the tensions and a longer -term discussion on the advance.
Even if things are summarized at the border, there are other considerations that should be high of potential gaps and their parents. In November last year, six foreign tourists died tragically from alleged methanol poisoning after drank alcohol in a hostel in Laos. Since then, the foreign office has expanded its advice to warn tourists in order to avoid all homemade alcoholic beverages and only buy alcohol drinks from licensed shops. The drug laws also vary greatly in Southeast Asia, three British citizens are before the death penalty in Indonesia due to drug smuggling before the death penalty.
The border dispute in Thailand/Cambodia should not stop this year’s school leavers from exploring Southeast Asia. However, as a memory of the advantages of booking at an established tour operator, which is able to offer personalized support on site when things go wrong.
Jane McLellan-Green, Operations Director at GAP 360, tells The Telegraph: “Our local teams and partners on site are very reactive and prepared for such situations with emergency plans.
“We also have the ability to think about the tours through Laos or Vietnam if necessary and to change the travel routes in order to adapt to the developing situation.”
And as always, it reminds us of the importance of insurance. If you ever inject a comprehensive guideline (and not the cheapest that appears on a comparison website), this should be if you have an adventure of the gap year for this most beautiful, culturally rich – although occasionally precarious corner of the world.
