The Worst Hotel Walk Ever, Thailand's Relationship "Scams" & the App Selling $20 Food Bags for $5

Shawn Coomer (0:00)

My wife is obsessed with old dudes getting hosed in Thailand, Marriott walked somebody without a C, and no lifetime language platinum. All of that coming up right now on MTM Travel.

Mark Ostermann (0:10)

Yeah, I'm curious to see what this show is.

Shawn Coomer (0:21)

So, happy Monday, everyone. And I guess we'll start off. It's funny because I guess I had the beautiful idea to talk about this the other day, and then forgot about it, that I saw it in the rundown. It's like, I must have mentioned this to Mark, and he put it on there. But yes, my wife is obsessed with these channels or shows. I think there's different podcasts and channels. I don't know the exact names of them, but about white men, Westerners, who moved to Thailand, and then get hosed by the locals. They get scammed, they get all this sorts of stuff to go find a wife, and all these stories of these suffering travelers.

Mark Ostermann (0:56)

Yeah, I mean, it's usually older men, so we should say that and be fair there. They're usually going for much younger women, which you notice when you travel through Thailand, that there's a lot of that going on.

Sometimes it's a pay by the night type of situation. Sometimes they're looking for something a little more long term. I think this is something that even if you are looking for like true love or you just really love the culture, and you love the people in Thai, people are so generous and kind and fun, and they're loving and caring.

So you're like, I want this in my life. I could totally see saying, this is the perfect place to find a wife because of all those things. But it is something that, we know people that live in Thailand, their ex-pats over there, and they say when you date, you have to be on high guard because you don't know what the end history is. Is this all long ploy to scam you out of money, or are they going to divorce you and take it? It's something that you worry about probably more there than you do in maybe other cultures. And that isn't to say that the majority of them are like this. The majority of people in Thailand are like this. It's a small minority, but it is something that people run across. And we had a friend that was dating a girl for a long time, and he ended up figuring out that this was the game plan. And he got out from under that, luckily, before anything serious happened. But it's scary.

Shawn Coomer (2:19)

Yeah, I don't think it's as uncommon. I think it's actually part of the culture there, having been there many times. As you point out, incredible culture, friendly, all of this stuff. But there are some things. So my first time in Thailand was in 2008, and you saw this everywhere. Like you saw the guys who went there to get a girl temporarily, right, to hire somebody to have fun for a week and go back home. But then something with the internet changed, and now it's become more of a thing. And in 2026, there's so many men going there, and they're just getting taken advantage of. And it became cultural to where everybody, you'll meet their families, you'll meet all of this stuff, and the end game really is to get your money. And it doesn't mean that... Some people, I think, trade that off. This is a weird topic, but my wife is obsessed with it, and she loves to tell me the stories of these men, and it's sad. It's sad, but I guess it's just the way of the world. But don't go to Thailand, yeah, to expect to find love in that way.

Mark Ostermann (3:15)

Or money somewhere else.

Build some barriers to entry, some walls. I don't know what it is, but protect yourself. Don't go in, and I'm sure that they enjoy their time there and get to know. But I do think it's like a big part of Thai culture is family, and I think people in Thailand are willing to do anything for their family, like their birth family. I think that that's what this all grows out of. My family can use this money, so I'll do whatever I can to get it, and whatever that happens to be, that's what they're willing to do. I think that's where it comes from almost like a pure place, even though it's not a pure thing, which is crazy to say, but yeah, it's definitely the story. It's like Locked Up Abroad. Remember that show? They should do that, but like Marriott in Thailand.