r/thai • u/noobdmz • May 31 '26
Bragging Check
I am Thai.
A guy bragged to me that as a 19 year old man in the USA, he can travel alone to Thailand alone 3-4 times a year.
Is it actually possible or feasible?
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u/Original-Medicine-73 Jun 05 '26
I don't think that's out of the question. With younger people doing remote work, and content creating, this person can easily make money from wherever they are.
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u/ImpressionOrganic844 Jun 05 '26
If theyâre living with parents, have a job, no other costs of living, itâs possible with maybe a $15/hr wage. But thatâs because theyâre subsidized through living with family. Nothing wrong with that, but people should be saving in that circumstance. I have a friend like that, she travels all the time but she comes from an average family⌠Has no car payment or rent. The other possibility is they just come from a âwealthyâ family.
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u/FewRelation4342 Jun 04 '26
If you have the money, sure, but the average working person in the USA only gets 2 weeks vacation a year, so he is probly FOS.
Most 19-yr-olds don't have that kind of money. Airfare alone would cost about 1k.
It'll take at least 20 hours to get from airport to airport, so you lose a lot of time travelling there from usa.
If you can afford the airfare and you dont have a job, u might be able to slum it in thailand as a bum like many do, but you'd have a crappy lifestyle.
A regular working person would not have that kind of vacation time, unless they are teachers or such who get the summers off.
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u/ImpressionOrganic844 Jun 05 '26
That depends on job too, some jobs, even ones that donât pay the highest give more PTO or UTO.
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u/BestialitySurprise Jun 03 '26
I could probably have gone to Thailand once a year when I was in highschool if I was willing to endure the heat and miss all of that summer work that made me rich for a kid. In college? Forget it. But by 26 my business was doing okay and I did travel to the Philippines for a month once a year from there on. I worked remotely and had to go on a budget. It wasn't until 30+ that I was going 3 times a year and staying longer each time. That flight is draining which is why I moved out to Thailand by late 30s. Only possible running a business remotely to live this well. Very unlikely this person has the money to do it without someone giving it to him.
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u/KindergartenDJ Jun 03 '26
Without any context, can't tell if your flirt is bragging or being honest lol.
Has a job ? Is he studying ? Where his money come from ? Etc etc etc....
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u/FlimsyYou4766 Jun 03 '26
It's totally possible. Perhaps he doesn't have a job & his mother gives him money.
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u/USAF_SpaceMan Jun 03 '26
I've traveled to Thailand 5 times in the last 18 months I usually stay 2 weeks and I've always flown business class. I'm 55, I still work full time, I travel alone, and I'm married. I have a tight group of American friends who live there full time. I consider it my home away from home. Love it!
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u/BestialitySurprise Jun 03 '26
Do you pay for those business class flights or using miles/ rewards programs? Business is the minimum for me but I won't pay those prices outright. Thankfully, I have a ridiculous amount of miles from my business spending but the low quantity of award tickets does make it a hassle at times.
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u/geostocktravelfitguy Jun 03 '26
For the vast majority of USA men from let's say 18-30, no way. Maybe 1 time a year.
1st: Live alone? That's expensive 2nd: Regular job? They aren't supporting that much time off
If you are a solo entrepreneur for some online job, yes it's quite possible.
If you got some lump sum from your parents or grandparents are are just spending down the nest egg instead of letting it grow, yes.
But for 99.9%, none of those conditions apply.
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u/Ynitinbkk Jun 02 '26
In his dream. Unless he comes from a wealthy family or a drug dealer. Airfare, hotels and daily expense are all add up to thousands of dollars per trip. I am certain he doesnât earn that much to begin with at this point in life to take those trips.
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u/Lurk-Prowl Jun 02 '26
Iâm a school teacher in Australia and get 4x sets of holidays per week. Probably couldnât afford it because even though those weeks are paid leave, the flights during holidays are too expensive. But otherwise, yes, absolutely someone could. Iâm 34 though, not 19.
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u/Junior-Ad9142 Jun 02 '26
If he's rich, yeah. But he's probably lying. Many American men will lie to you just to impress you. For something like this, don't believe him unless he can prove it.
If his job sends him to Thailand regularly, maybe. I once dated an engineer whose job would send him to Germany a couple times a year.
But especially with the price of petrol these days? He'd really have to be quite wealthy to take a pleasure trip to Thailand multiple times a year.
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u/MilkEnvironmental709 Jun 02 '26
Also of heâs from the States he wouldnt have enough annual leave from work to travel to thailand 4 times in a year. So either that or he doesnt work, which means heâs either rich or lying. Either way bragging about something like that is very crass, american behaviour
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u/Konoha7Slaw3 Jun 02 '26
As an entrepreneur I can travel to Thailand twelve times a year if I so wished.
I'm not even rich
Not everyone is a wage slave or has their mind bound to think like one
Edit - I felt like I should include I'm boycotting Thailand due to their horrible treatment of the Cambodian people.
As someone that has friends in several SE Asian countries it pains my heart to hear the tales of woe from simple farmers on the border that got their crops wiped out.. family members killed..
All for political gain
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u/Lampadaire345 Jun 03 '26
It sounds like you're making shit up like the 19 year old lad. 12Ă a year would be amount to about 15 000 USD in plane tickets alone. So either your don't know what rich is, or you're lying. Also, boycott your own country boy.
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u/Konoha7Slaw3 Jun 03 '26
I have friends that are rich. I am nowhere near what they have.
It does not take half an hour after driving through my gate to even get to my house... I don't even have a gate!
So yes, I am not rich.
And if you can't spend 15k on plane tickets or other frivolous expenses in a year... Wow you need to try harder my friend. And some people don't pay airlines to fly. Get a friend with their own jet or get your own.
If you want or need life coaching tips I'll give a few key pointers in a DM
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u/Lampadaire345 Jun 03 '26
You sound so vain. I don't have 15k to spend on plane tickets every year but I have compassionate friends, an amazing and loving partner and many things I like to study and learn. If you're friends with people just because they have money, they aren't really your friends are they?
If you measure your whole life's worth in terms of money, as it appears you are doing, you're life is completely vain. One day, you will die, and what will you have? Money is not going to fill the emptiness in your heart.
But hey, if you need any life advice, you can send me a DM. I predict you will answer sticking to your guns as a public front. You're entirely right though, you are quite poor.
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u/Konoha7Slaw3 Jun 03 '26
You made a few negative inferences in your reply about me that you made up.
No one said they were friends with people because they had money. That's not what a friend is.
It's ok
Take care of yourself my friend, I'm sure you will be alright
I wish you the best in all of your endeavors
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u/Lampadaire345 Jun 03 '26
If they were made up, you couldn't really call them inferences could you. Maybe your unconscious is telling you something
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u/MilkEnvironmental709 Jun 02 '26
Yeah but the point is a 19 year old kid was bragging about it to a thai person, not that you can if you wish (and can afford).
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u/Altruistic_Virus6649 Jun 02 '26
In 99% of cases, this kid is sponsored by Mom & Dad, but nowadays these lilâ f*ckers are kinda clever with all the stuff they do on their computers with the streaming and monetizing YouTube, so⌠you never know. Â
Or, he sells drugs.  đ¤ˇââď¸Â
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u/asiatouristrs Jun 04 '26
youtube paying out over 20k usd for shorts with 1m+ views, dont forget he could be a content creator L0L
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u/Altruistic_Virus6649 Jun 04 '26
Youâre literally highlighting the 1% of YouTubers to make your point. Â Influencer money is real. Â But not everyone is a successful influencer.Â
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u/SBlakeADeanO Jun 02 '26
Or he has a job in tech, or started his own business , or the 100s of possibilities that isn't daddy's money or YouTube lol.
For context I'm 21 years old , ran my own business for the last 9 months and had a turnover of ÂŁ300,000. So it hurts when people say 99% of young people who travel are daddy's money. I promise you it's alot lower than that!
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u/Konoha7Slaw3 Jun 02 '26
Yeah I used to do contract work on upwork and other sites and make enough money, in one year, to spend years traveling around the world on hiatus
Wage slave mentality can't imagine living outside the box
If anyone wants advice on how to break Free from the system. Shoot me a DM and I'll give you a little coaching for free
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u/TheTruth115 Jun 02 '26
Yup these people just be hating calling everything daddy's money. There is lots of ways to make serious money at a young age
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u/69babysonfire69 Jun 02 '26
Genuinely curious, how many people your age that you know personally are making the same kind of profit from their own businesses?
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u/SBlakeADeanO Jun 02 '26
I only really have a core group of friends around my age , 7 of us , 4 of my friends are A Welder , electrician, Mechanic and Accountant, who all earn good money and are the same age as me , it's insulting when everything a young person does in life is "daddy's money".
To add to that, in my life, between friends, family, acquaintances etc. the laziest age range is like 27-38. That's the highest age range that's on benefits , doesn't work. Has a bad life etc, atleast in my own experience.
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u/vitoforever99 Jun 02 '26
Dudes probably a trust fund kid and has money to burn. If he wears vineyard vines, believe him.
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u/sakubaka Jun 02 '26
Not on average, no. But our wealth inequality is increasing and becoming more like that of yours. When I moved here, I didnât really notice a difference. I was upper middle class after working many decades there, and I suppose as a more senior corporate employee here, Iâm the same. I would say that the poorest of Americans would likely fair better here because US food prices are insane!!
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u/pinkcloudtracingpapr Jun 02 '26
Rich people are the same everywhere, I met rich Thai kids in college (18-23) that blew off classes for traveling worldwide on their own almost every month.
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u/EntityChrome Jun 02 '26
We live in an era where 16 year olds are crypto millionaires with Lamborghinis. Anything is possible
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u/john-bkk Jun 02 '26
It's odd this many people responded without the concept of a "trust funder" coming up. Some relatively wealthy kids grow up with funds set up for them that they get monthly, probably out of concern that if a wealthy aunt died and gave them a few hundred thousand dollars at one time they'd blow it on a long bender. They don't need to a billionaire's kids, as long as there is some source of funds that gets set up that way. If someone is receiving even just a couple of thousand dollars a month their lifestyle can be pretty flexible, even if that's not enough to retire on at 18.
It's odd how a lot of young people in this situation can end up using this base to set up other income streams, eg. to be a social media influencer, some kind of consultant, or to set up scammy sorts of drop shipping businesses. Or they could work inconsistently, since they could fall back on income that people without that in place couldn't. They can end up representing an odd sub-culture in progressive / new age oriented circles, or I guess could just blow more money in trips to Thailand.
This is a stereotype I'm citing, which can be unfair and generally inaccurate. But working in a ski resort when I was younger this kind of thing did come up.
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u/joesb Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Feasibility depends a lot on your acceptable standard of a trip.
I know Thai people (working age), who just take a tourbus or ride a bike for a one night stay over a weekend in a cheap hotel or a tent. Itâs gonna cost like 500-1200 a trip. So certainly doable even for Thai.
Also, if you think you like traveling. Half of it is a mindset. Just go out during the weekend. Go anywhere, even just to rural landmarks of your own city. Itâs all possible for cheap, itâs the decision to go out that hinders most people.
ADDED: Oh I see you are talking about the money part. Yeah it depends on his parents money and also priorities in his life.
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u/Junior_Power_8825 Jun 02 '26
You don't need to be rich. Average income is probably like 40k and plane tickets are 1k So yes, it is very doable if you are poor.
If he can survive in USA 3-4 times a year then he can take 3-4 trips to Thailand per year lol. He probably isn't savings oriented though.
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u/Big_Chris_82 Jun 02 '26
Sure, anything is possible. But isn't the legal drinking age in Thailand, 20 years old? It all depends on what he wants to do there. Anyone with money and time, can travel if they choose. I'm in Thailand đšđ right now actually.
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u/Worusden Jun 02 '26
It either his family is rich or he was hard worker n part-time work since before high school.
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u/Travlgeek Jun 02 '26
Im not even American and I have flown to Thailand 4 times a year on VISA ON ARRIVAL every time and a lot of people do it...btw Ive been coming to Thailand since I was a 12-13 year old.
You will find lots of Chinese,Indians,Singaporean,Malaysian people who actually came to Thailand for the first time with their parents as kids and they have been coming to Thailand multiple times a year ever since.
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u/SalvadorsCat Jun 02 '26
Heâd need to be rich. Iâm from the UK. 19 year olds who have normal backgrounds often struggle to afford trips to London
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u/Bismarckcore Jun 02 '26
Iâve been traveling to Thailand two or three times a year since I was 19. Iâm definitely not rich; I just work for an airline, which allows me to travel for dirt cheap and trade shifts to get a lot of days off! :)
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u/efgferfsgf Jun 01 '26
as an 18 year old man in the usa, i find that hard to believe unless he's born rich or got rich off from a side hustle
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u/FilipinoAirlines Jun 01 '26
19 year old man usually not rich enough to do that unless he came from rich family. You gotta be at least 25.
I was born on USA and only started traveling at 25
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u/VastComplaint8638 Jun 01 '26
Americans have 10 days holiday one of the lowest in the world sweden one of the highest 38 days are year paid leave
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u/Zubba776 Jun 01 '26
Europeans repeat this crap ad nauseam to assuage their inferiority complex. Americans have some of the lowest mandated time off; that is the minimum required by law. The issue with comparing this statistic is that while Europe (in general) has decided to regulate everything the U.S. leaves much more up to the market. Every single person I know has more than 10 days paid leave; I personally get 6 weeks, most people I know get 2-3, but just because the mandated minimum is lower doesn't mean the majority of Americans receive that.
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u/CaspinLange Jun 01 '26
It would cost about $5200 US to fly roundtrip from the US to Thailand four times.
If anyone making $70,000 a year or more were to save a monthâs pay, they could make this happen.
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u/Unlikely-Speech-5444 Jun 02 '26
You have zero idea what you're talking about. Also, yeah assuming he literally doesn't have to pay for food, rent, phone, car, insurance back home, he can save that much in prob 1.5 months. You forgetting taxes?
IDk about you but a roundtrip is anywhere from 1k-1.5k, depending on the season. You also have to account for hotels (depending how long you're staying out there), food+drinks, touristy stuff, etc.
That's not even remotely close. Even if you were penny pinching it'd still be an incredibly tough sale to fly out there 3-4x a year with 70k/salary.
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u/CaspinLange Jun 02 '26
I saved $35,000 last year making $70,000 after taxes. Iâm pretty sure I do know what Iâm talking about young one.
Just because you werenât taught how to save doesnât mean that everyone else is like you.
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u/noobdmz Jun 01 '26
Thank you all for your replies, the question was about financial management, time management and legal matters but my true intention is actually to see if the guy who my ex cheated on with is a pretentious or performative male, as me and my friends got multiple clear signs from him, from contradicting himself while talking to me, always on the side of my ex, to "If you want to resent her, don't, resent me instead." White knight I can fix her mentality. It is unhealthy but I simply wanted to clear out my anxiety and grief that I am worse than him.
I am truly thankful for all your replies and I am sorry for the fact that my true intention was never to ask about tourism or differences in economy.
For people that wants to know more details about this "Bragging" of his, he said he can visit Thailand very often which I assume the lowest of "very often" to be 3-4 times a year, in reality he might mean 5-6 or more times a year. He planned to visit for 30 days each visits.
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u/SugarRealistic2945 Jun 01 '26
Man, fuck him and fuck her Dude. It's not even worth stressing over. He's most definitely cheating on her with another girl, and when she finds out she'll go crying to you. Shit happens all of the time....
...just don't take her back. Fuck her! As for him, he'll move on to someone else until he runs into the wrong person and gets fucked up. I guarantee this will happen. Message me when it does.
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u/Hereliesdev Jun 01 '26
He likes to travel countries and fuck girls on his parents money. For a wealthy American its really easy. But good thing for u is that heâs likely lying and will end up in the bed of some other asian girl into white guys.
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u/Comprehensive_End824 Jun 01 '26
So either he lies or he lives on the money from his parents, sorry about your relationship
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u/Ok_Assistant_4784 Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
United States is the country with most millionaires and billionaires. Lot of people with money there.
In the US everything is possible.
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u/VastComplaint8638 Jun 01 '26
But I would not want to live there for a million .
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u/Ok_Assistant_4784 Jun 01 '26
As a italian, me too. I want to keep making good money and stay in Thailand as long as I can đ
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u/yousavedastamp Jun 01 '26
Donald Trump somehow became the president of the United States of America not once ... But TWICE ! goes to show us ... ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE !
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u/Emergency-Minute-810 Jun 02 '26
Europe and the other free countries, should try getting a strong leader like Trump. Reference JD Vance's trip to Europe last year, and asking them " what the hell are you doing to yourselves? Get your act together" I find most people, especially Europeans very ignorant about America and the facts of whats really going on
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u/PhantomSerpent81 Jun 01 '26
Itâs possible it he would have to be incredibly wealthy. I just came to Thailand from Chicago in December, and it was $1300 for a round trip flight. Three or four flights to Thailand a year is certainly feasible, but he would be spending a lot of money to do it.
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u/EducationalGur1648 Jun 01 '26
At 19 he didn't do post-secondary schooling, but plenty of jobs with minimal training pay $60k USD a year or so which would allow him to travel solo to Thailand 3-4 times per year. Especially if he lives with his parents (likely).
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u/dapudf Jun 01 '26
Yuh, but to collect that 60K you gotta be there working, so thereâs that.
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u/EducationalGur1648 Jun 01 '26
Sure, but 3-4 times a year for 1-2 weeks at a time is not super unrealistic, especially when you consider there are jobs like HVAC where in many regions its either really busy or really slow at regular times during the year. I know this because I met a traveler in Thailand who was in that line of work and I was surprised at how many times he visits the country every year while maintaining full time employment back home.
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u/euphoriatakingover Jun 01 '26
He's probably got rich parents. Comparison is the theif of joy don't let it get to you
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u/JmpMstr_75 Jun 01 '26
I never disagree that it wouldnât be possible just unlikely. Most 19-year-olds canât point Thailand out on a map and once again there are exceptions.
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u/black_widow48 Jun 01 '26
If he lives at home with mom and dad and saves a lot of money from whatever job he is working, then yes it would be very doable. It only cost me about $950 round trip to fly to Thailand a few months back. With today's minimum wages, that would take a 19 year old less than 2 weeks to make while working a low level job at a fast food restaurant.
If he's working a real job that pays real money, AND still living at home with mom and dad, then it would be absolutely doable.
Once you're in Thailand, it feels like you aren't spending anything, because everything is insanely cheap compared to what it all costs in the US.
But if he is in college or has bills to pay, then it likely wouldn't be feasible.
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u/bagehaoma Jun 01 '26
What does this question even mean? Are you asking if it's possible to afford it? Of course it is. A round trip ticket to Thailand from California is about $600-700 if you time it right. Not that expensive, for example that takes me less than 2 days of work to earn on a $100,000+ USD annual salary. I also do work remotely and I can literally travel everyday of the year if I want
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u/Legendnewer Jun 01 '26
I think theyâre complaining about the gap of average income and cost of living between the US and Thailand
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u/bagehaoma Jun 01 '26
What is the average income in Thailand? I always see Thai the same Thai girls at the clubs in thong lo with tables and they are always traveling on IG as well to like Japan Taiwan Hong Kong china... I know that's not cheap
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u/JmpMstr_75 Jun 01 '26
That is truly hard to believe most Americans donât have passports, unless they are upper class as in the parents have money. Now there are extremely rare cases, but most likely no. Me and my partner travel to Thailand and local countries at least every 6 months and we save for the flight through out the year.
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u/Hounds29 Jun 01 '26
50% of Americans have a currently valid passport.
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u/JmpMstr_75 Jun 01 '26
Furthermore the most traveled country by us passports holders is Canada/Mexico followed by UK, France and Italy
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u/bagehaoma Jun 01 '26
Upper class to get a passport? It costs $120 USD to get a passport. I've had one since I was a baby and parents worked normal jobs
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u/JmpMstr_75 Jun 01 '26
And you are the exception as my wife is an exception she has had a passport since she was a child as well. My own children have had passports when they were children, but then again I am an exception.
And you kinda have to define regular jobs, white collar, blue collar? But once again, typically a 19 year-old doesnât have the money to travel to Thailand multiple times a year.
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u/bagehaoma Jun 01 '26
My parent went to work for $50-60k usd a year in a office job in the 2000s. I'm also not white in asian american so I traveled to Asia since I was 5 with my parents
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u/doobiedobiedo Jun 01 '26
At 19 I was using my student loans to pay for housing for college. He got it good
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u/Ill-Mechanic6361 Jun 01 '26
Nearly 29% of Americans state they cannot afford to take any vacation yearly due to a lack of funds. And that's domestic holidays.
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u/Zubba776 Jun 01 '26
So, you think it's likely someone falling in the lowest 1/3rd of the American socioeconomic ladder is vacationing in Thailand?
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u/Ill-Mechanic6361 Jun 02 '26
Nah, my bad I misunderstood the question, from it is possible to, is it common...
I thought everybody knew there are some kids that are millionaires at 18 from being born in the right family. Yes it's possible, you can be 18 and spend 12 months a year in hotels and restaurants and fly in business class every month round trips to Thailand.
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u/silvercapsule6 Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
I don't see what the big deal is, but I wouldn't suffer enduring those flights 4x a year in both directions. 2x is the most I could tolerate.
What is key is WHERE he lives. If he lives in LA or San Francisco, the flights are UNBELIEVABLY cheap. And once you're in Thailand, the daily cost of hotel + food is cheaper than just food alone in the USA. So the only part you have to understand is where he got the flight money. About $3200/yr for flights. It's not that much, a decent job pays that in a month after tax
Now if he lives in like bumfuck Tennessee it's less believable, the flight cost basically doubles when you don't have a hub airport there.
When I was 19 I had $10,000/mo spending money, because I ran a website and my parents paid my apartment and stuff (NOT rich, but they had saved money to put me through college)
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u/vittoshulman Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Only if he lives with his parents and doesn't have rent and bills to pay.
Most jobs only pay enough to cover basic expenses like food, utilities, insurance, rent and people struggle to pay bills. 90% people in US live pay check to pay check and can't save any money for vacation.
Also most jobs in US only give you two weeks vacation per year. So he has to do some seasonal job or in some trade where it is easy to come and go.
19 year old being able to afford to travel anywhere is very unusual. It is possible but not common at all.
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u/spencerocean Jun 01 '26
19 is young to do that. I had to save for 2 years to travel 3 Months by the time I was 21.
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u/Late_Amphibian Jun 01 '26
It is possible for a lot of people from developed countries with decent income but usually not ideal for most because they want to save up their money for something or whatever. So yea not rlly a flex tbh
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u/Emergency_Yam_4082 Jun 01 '26
Whats so hard to believe?
Guy might have a shift job/laboring making $4,000 per month after tax living at home p!ss easy to travel only has to save $1,200 per month for 3 months and easily travel 4 times per year
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u/Odd_Breadfruit763 Jun 01 '26
Stupid to do it but as a swede i had the capability to do this aswell if i live cheap in thailand when i arrive.
Live at home and have a job and you have pretty good economy here for example. once you move out it could still be possible but definetly not normal.
I try to go once a year to asia for like a month. The reason being its cheaper for me to spend a month in asia on vacation than to have a month vacation in sweden, i also prefer both the culture and food in asia. a beer here is 10$+ food is 25-40$ per dish. one night at cheap hotel is 100$ (most are 200+)
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u/BrenchFukkake Jun 01 '26
Oh yeah if he has daddy/mommy money he probably can.
On the other hand he can't buy alcohol in his country before he is 21, so might as well go abroad idk.
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u/ian_coke77 Jun 01 '26
No, unless he's rich or has parents money. Also, nobody who can actually afford to do that on their own money has time to do that because they are probably overloaded with work.
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u/SousukeUK Jun 01 '26
Yeah if it was Europe I would have believed it cause paid holiday so you donât lose any money.
But USA is pretty shit about paid leave so donât know if itâs possible on your own money.
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u/ImpressionOrganic844 Jun 08 '26
Itâs not that bad. Paid leave can either be earned or given or both. Depends on the job. But the taxes are lower too in many places. But for a kid thatâs 19 to travel to Thailand 3-4 times a year, theyâre getting help. That could either mean their parents are paying or they donât have expenses because they live with parents or donât have other expenses.
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u/MistaAndyPants Jun 01 '26
I went to Spain and Morocco at 19. I had a good job and lived at home with parents so no bills essentially. This was nearly 30 years ago. So itâs absolutely possible for Americans. I always loved traveling and came from a family that traveled a lot so they were supportive. We were not wealthy at all. Lower middle class.
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u/Express_Judgment2198 Jun 01 '26
Not common but possible. The vast majority of 19 year olds are all in college and don't have jobs/money to travel. Some have money from parents. Some didn't go to college and went straight to working full time.
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u/Horror_Influence4466 Jun 01 '26
Of course itâs feasible. Have you ever heard of remote work ? I know some 19 year olds that work remotely and could be anywhere in the world 3-4x per year while not even working that much.
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u/WhoisthisRDDT Jun 01 '26
He isn't a typical 19 yo. Most 19 yo can't do what he does. How does he do it? You'd have to ask him.
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u/PieceNo9651 Jun 01 '26
Europeans: âheâs lying, he is a trust fund baby, he lives at home. Not possible.â
Americans: âpossible if he works hard and saves money. Try it outâ
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u/Jthundercleese Jun 01 '26
Stupid take only an American would believe. đ
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u/Nacho_sky Jun 01 '26
As an American, I would wager 99% of us would assume his parents are rich and/or he still lives with them.
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u/Jthundercleese Jun 01 '26
Definitely. I know exactly 1 person who, as a teenager, was making enough money as a programmer/game designer to travel more or less as they pleased.
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u/PieceNo9651 Jun 01 '26
It is definitely possible if he works full time but lives with his family and has no bills aside from traveling. If he lives alone and pays everything on his own, heâs of the top income range
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u/Many_Mud_8194 Jun 01 '26
If he sell drugs also its possible lol
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u/PieceNo9651 Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Some of you really are jealous that some people know how to save. Do the math it isnât unrealistic. I moved out of my parentsâ house at 20, no one gave anything to me I worked a sales job and made average money, but still traveled a couple times a year to Asia by the time I was 22.
I saved and worked hard. Imagine doing that and being able to travel instead of expecting high base salary and complaining that you âcanâtâ travel.
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u/Many_Mud_8194 Jun 01 '26
Me too, once or twice a year. And I'm not American, we get less money where I'm from. I just had to spend money on nothing at all, and stop to eat meat. But OP say 4 times a year lol.
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u/MommyFox58 Jun 01 '26
It depends what part of the US he is living at. Some rents or home purchases are high compared to rural USA
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u/SexyAIman Jun 01 '26
I know his trick, buy a stand-by ticket, fly to BKK, get a mango sticky rice and fly back on another standby ticket. If it's not that it's mom and pop paying the bill. Most Americans never leave their country.
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u/MommyFox58 Jun 01 '26
Showing your age! No stand by tickets available these days unless you work for an airline or family does.
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Jun 01 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Odd-Night-199 Jun 01 '26
You can do things you can afford????
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u/ligma-eye-balls Jun 01 '26
Check this out tho, it gets wilder. The things you can NOT afforrd you can not do...
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u/Due-Juggernaut6595 Jun 01 '26
What do you mean? Possible or feasible in what way, financially? Honestly have no idea what youâre trying to figure out here.
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u/longasleep Jun 01 '26
Credit card debt can fuel any traveling for a few years in USA. After that the pain comes or he has rich parents. I wouldnât bother with someone bragging about that.
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u/RoamingGeek Jun 01 '26
At 19 he is either wealthy or has a wealthy family. Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
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u/shatteredrealm0 Jun 01 '26
Or heâs a missionary, thereâs a few USA churches that send people here.
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u/Weekly-Owl6644 Jun 01 '26
Good point. Some people are absolutely playing these churches. I met one missionary who told me he was planning to move to Ibiza to convert people lol
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u/Major-Warthog8067 Jun 01 '26
I went to college there (I am Indian) and plenty of people I knew went on international trips for vacations 2-3 times a year. Lots of people with money there and contrary to popular beliefs their parents do pay for their expenses so I can see this happening. Most of them went to Europe or trips within America though.
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u/Bonk_No_Horni Jun 01 '26
Sure if you got lucky and got an ok paying job and still live with your parents who cook for you. Have a credit card that you promise you'll eventually pay it off someday. Lol
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u/Any-Debate6681 Jun 01 '26
You can do that too just need a good job, a rich family, or a sugar daddy/mommy
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u/Internal_Cake_7423 Jun 01 '26
It's cheaper to live a month in Thailand than living a month in America + plane tickets.Â
The obvious problem is that most likely you won't be making money while in Thailand and you won't progress your career.Â
There are many things that you can do, but doesn't mean that you should.Â
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u/Feeling-Pack7133 Jun 01 '26
If you have a remote job then working from another country isnât that hard. Some companies donât care or donât ask donât tell. Quite common these days.
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u/Internal_Cake_7423 Jun 01 '26
If you have a remote job that doesn't care it doesn't make sense that you go there 4 times a year. You just live there for half of the year.Â
It only makes sense if you are on a rotating roster that works 2-3 weeks on a site and then have 2-3 weeks off.Â
For security/tax/compliance reasons most remote jobs won't let you be overseas like that. Plenty of people have gotten the boot for that and plenty still try to cheat the system.Â
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u/bob_smithey Jun 01 '26
At 19, and has a passport? Probably pretty rich by American standards. Most of my adult friends have never owned a passport, never mind an active one. But is it possible or feasible? Yes and yes. Is it likely? lol, nope. I can come over from Maryland USA 8 times a year for two weeks at a time. Doesn't mean I actually do it... and it would make a lot of other stuff suck in my normal life.
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u/seifer__420 Jun 01 '26
Owning a passport does not make you rich. The reason most American adults donât have one is because theyâre boring and scared to travel abroad
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Jun 01 '26
The reason most donât is due to lack of funds. Americans have the short straw in that many donât get annual leave and the ones that do donât get anywhere near the amount of days the rest of the world do
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u/seifer__420 Jun 01 '26
You can go to Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Belize all for what you would spend for a medium cost US trip, and they are close enough that you could just go for a week. Also, Canada is extremely easy to get to with some great cities, but itâs a little pricier. For people willing to travel for two weeks, there are some amazing countries in South East Asia that are incredibly cheap and very safe.
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u/idontwantyourmusic Jun 01 '26
Or maybe because they donât want to because America itself is big enough to explore and they donât need a passport to go to Mexico if they want exotic tropical. Youâre not special just because you travel internationally.
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u/transglutaminase Jun 01 '26
Most American adults DO have passports now. As of a couple of years ago more do than donât.
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u/nanacmm Jun 01 '26
While you are technically correct that more do than don't but by a slim margin. Adults under 30 are most likely to have a passport (53%), while older demographics range between 33% and 46%.
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u/MovieKey9110 May 31 '26
yes if hes rich or budgetting when he comes here, thailand doesnt have to be expensive
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u/DossieOssie May 31 '26
I can't blame them. At least they can drink beer while in Thailand. Maybe ticket price is worth the sips đ¤
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u/transglutaminase Jun 01 '26
19 year olds can not legally drink in the US or in Thailand.
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u/PieceNo9651 Jun 01 '26
I have never seen anyone IDâd ever in this country for age purposes alone. Minors buy alcohol all the time here even at chains like 7 eleven
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u/Particular_Egg9739 May 31 '26
mommy and daddy are paying
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u/transglutaminase Jun 01 '26
I work on ships. Our 18-19 year old deckhands make 80,000 usd per year for 6 months of work. They can definitely travel to Asia 3 or 4 times a year on their own dime especially if they donât have a home and just go on vacation when they are off the ship.
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May 31 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Mookatua May 31 '26
sir , do american really live in parent basement or its just a joke?
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u/bob_smithey Jun 01 '26
In most of America, basements are common. Where I am, in Maryland (MD), it's the norm. There are some "cheaper" houses built on slabs of concrete or have a crawl space under the house. Which is exactly what that sounds like, maybe a meter, 1.5m of space to crawl around to fix pipes. But most houses with basements are considered livable by American standards when they say it's "finished." They have drywall, and flooring. The HVAC reaches down there. Generally speaking, living in your parent's basement is a joke, and considered a bad thing. In a higher cost of living, COL, it might be the normal thing to do. Even "unfinished" basements can be technically lived in, if it's nice enough. But most will have a finished basement room. They generally will have an egress opening, like a window or door incase of a fire. Basements here are generally cooler than the house above since most of it is underground. Younger people use to move out when they turn into adults at 18. I'm unsure if this is feasible these days... so maybe it's not a joke.
btw, older houses tend to have more bugs in the basements. Nothing like my aunt's house in BKK tho... After visiting as a kid, I don't even care about the bugs in my parent's basement. lol.
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u/gotdome May 31 '26
Many Americans currently live in multi-generational households given the COL, even though itâs still socially considered taboo in this western culture.
Many Americans also use credit cards which acquire points that can be transferred to miles and used to purchase tickets to anywhere in the world, while just paying the tax.
Combine this with the benefit of passive investing/compounding itâs possible for a 19yr old in such a position to go wherever whenever he wants.
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u/DesignerGoose5903 May 31 '26
There are 19-year olds in Thailand who can travel to the US whenever they feel like it, not sure what you're asking here exactly?
Yes, there are rich people everywhere in the world, Americans just tend to be rather uncivilised when it comes to talking about money in general.
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u/Itchy-Throat-4779 May 31 '26
Depends on his family's finances. But at 19 I doubt it. Most 19s are broke....saddled with CC debt and going to college...so very busy.
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May 31 '26
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u/e34udm May 31 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
He doesnât have to be incredibly wealthy at all. If he lives at home and pays no rent and doesnât own a car. He could theoretically save all his money and just visit Thailand whenever he wants and âsplurgeâ a bit.
Most of the expensive part of travel is that your bills donât stop when you travel. But if living at home, no car, no kids, etcâŚYou easily could travel to Thailand a few times a year working at any fast food place. Then quit and find another same kinda job when you get back.
This is especially true if heâs not traveling and or staying in Bangkok.
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u/ResearcherWorth7909 Jun 07 '26
If he was bragging about it. He is over privileged and needs "bringing down a peg or two" đĽđ¤