I'm travelling to Bangkok in little over a week, the 1st of June, to join a badminton school for the summer. I already have a lot of information, but some questions have arosen in my mind lately. 1) Do you have experience travelling with your racket bag? Can you take it as a hand luggage, cabin baggage? I would like to do that, as I don't want my four expensive rackets to get broken, and I also have a laptop and videocamera with me. The problem is, the size of the Yonex bag doesn't fit the standards of safety directives. The IATA guideline states: Cabin baggage should have a maximum length of 56 cm (22 inches), width of 45 cm (18 inches) and depth of 25 cm (10 inches) including all handles, side pockets, wheels etc. I will be travelling with a) big backpack b) Yonex bag and would like to have the latter as a hand luggage, do you think it will be a problem? Any tips? 2) My second question is about the culture / habits in Thailand in general. What should I keep in my mind? What should I know in advance? Do you shake hands when you meet new people? Or do you hug? I was told by my friend that one thing I must remember is to always take my shoes off when visiting someone. Are there some useful phrases that I should know and use, in Thai language, like how to say 'Hello' and 'Thank you'? If anything important comes to your mind that might be good for me to know, feel free to educate me
A) Travel lightweight (2 racquets and light bag) and buy new racquets and bag in Thailand. You might not use the big bag that much in Thailand. It's very impractical to carry in hot, humid weather. B) Don't hug! Do you ever see Ratchanok at the end of a match? She puts her hands together and dips her head. You can do the same and it will be perfectly normal when first meeting and leaving. Shaking hands is ok but not with the girls (unless you are a girl). C) when you visit an establishment, take off your shoes. It's usually quite obvious which places to do so as there is a place for shoes to be put.
String breakage. I found it happens crossing continents more. The good thing is in Asia, cost of restringing is cheaper.
i have checked in my big yonex bag with rackets in it before and it is totally fine. esp if you have 4 rackets in there. just make sure you pad them with clothing.
Thanks! I now have an XL hard shell suitcase for the rackets, training gear, clothes etc. and a small backpack for personal stuff.
btw, i kept this hardshell suitcase from 25 years ago, it is old, heavy, beaten up and ugly. one of the reason i kept it is for carrying badminton rackets. the other reason is sentimental. it has been with me since i first left home to study overseas way back when i was a teenager.
There is a word for when you become wistful about old dusty things from your past. Congratulations, kwun.... you are officially middle-aged!
