sornierob

Sorry, but "plenty of people" is just blatant hyperbole.   

I have never seen anyone carrying or displaying a Nazi flag in this country, much less "plenty of people" marching on the streets doing so. Oh sure, cable "news" networks love taking some tiny and extreme example of American life and depicting as typical, but that's because peddling bullshit sensationalism is their business. 
Anybody who does something as dumb as parading around as a Nazi either has his head bashed in by bystanders or ends up publicly identified, and then loses his job, is doxxed etc. It's a very unpleasant existence for Nazi or Confederacy enthusiasts after they out themselves and they deserve it. 
In a country of 320,000,000 people, of course there are some clowns who display offensive symbols or say offensive things. They are allowed to do that because of the first amendment of the US Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech. The first amendment also guarantees the right of other people to loudly oppose them, shout them down and that's exactly what happens in the case of Nazis and the like. That's the beauty of the first amendment. Anybody can say anything but nobody has the last word. 
 

A side note. Many western people wear T shirts with the face of Che Guevara on it. That man was a real monster. I have always found that equally apprehensive.

They're handy even if you take a checked-in  bag.....no need for a carry-on.Everything you'd usually put in a carry-on will fit in the vest.
And convenient going through security.

Exactly.
But as I mentioned in an earlier post, if I take a checked in bag I still use the vest.That way I don't need a carry on.Everything I would usually put in a carry on fits in the vest.A breeze going through security too....No messing around emptying your pockets, etc.
Another thing I bought from Scottevest was a windbreaker. I ride a motorcycle everyday , and because I can get everything I need into it,I don't need to hump around a rucksack or daysack/backpack. Just another option to think about.

I have 3 SotteVests and have been using them for over 10 years--never go without wearing one.   I carry everything in the vest that I do not want to lose and that I want to access during the flights.  I also haven't checked a bag for 25 or more years and my trips are usually 4-6 weeks.  Never had a problem finding a wash and fold shop, and some hotels will do it cheaply.  

I have 3 SotteVests and have been using them for over 10 years--never go without wearing one.   I carry everything in the vest that I do not want to lose and that I want to access during the flights.  I also haven't checked a bag for 25 or more years and my trips are usually 4-6 weeks.  Never had a problem finding a wash and fold shop, and some hotels will do it cheaply.  

I have 3 SotteVests and have been using them for over 10 years--never go without wearing one.   I carry everything in the vest that I do not want to lose and that I want to access during the flights.  I also haven't checked a bag for 25 or more years and my trips are usually 4-6 weeks.  Never had a problem finding a wash and fold shop, and some hotels will do it cheaply.  

I always travel with at least three suits so this carry on nonsense sounds barbaric....

I see no problem with carryon only.  I've been doing 3-4 week trips that way for 25 years.  There is always a local wash and fold for laundry.  And if not, I can freshen my clothes in the bathroom sink with shampoo and they are dry by morning.  I've only checked bags a couple of times and in every case, my luggage arrived a day or two after me.  Also, no waiting at the carousel for a bag.  I was in a taxi 20 minutes after I got off the plane, including going through immigration, change some money, and grabbing something to eat.  And in today's chaotic travel scene, carryon only gives you much more flexibility to change plans due to delays or cancellations.  If you need a big bag for a couple weeks, you need to learn how to travel and pack efficiently.  
The only time I'll ever check a bag is if my clothes-horse wife travels with me.  Fortunately, that is a rare event

Don't use a hard side bag as your carry-on, use a soft side bag. You are less likely to have a stuffed soft side luggage taken from you and checked at the gate for being oversized. 
That said...
Do you really want to spend several weeks in Thailand with nothing more than what you crammed into a carry-on? You may grow to hate that decision very quickly. True lost luggage is a very rare occurrence. Most "lost" luggage is actually just delayed luggage. That's a pain in the ass,  but in most cases the luggage will arrive on a later flight and be delivered to you by the airline the next day. That happened to me once on an AA flight from Narita to LAX.  American delivered the bag the next day to my house.  Besides, if your bag disappears never to be seen again, your travelers insurance will take care of replacing stuff. The airline will also have a compensation policy for vanished bags. 
If you are flying Cathay Pacific, you really shouldn't have any worries. They have had a rough couple of years due to Covid and the Chinese government's crazed handling of the Hong Kong takeover, but stellar service has always been their calling card and they likely still strive for that these days. It's what they're known for. You should be able to trust them. 

When I do a carry- on only trip I always use one of these....
https://www.scottevest.com/products/rfid-travel-vest-for-men
I get in my iPad,phones,chargers,cables,medicines,documents,passport,keys,sunglasses etc . You can really get a lot of stuff in.And it makes going through security easier too.Instead of having to take out your coins,keys,metallic objects...you just slip off the vest and put it in the tray and walk through the check while they do the scan.I put a pair of sneakers in ,one time!
If you've got time before your trip, see if you can pick up a used one on ebay or amazon.
They also do shirts , shorts, windbreakers with loads of pockets. A bit pricey, but well functional.
 

Maybe screenshot your screen then crop out any unnecessary bits.

Longest road in the world, Sukhumvit Road is all you need my friend:-)

Yes if and when we can all travel we need to watch the flight prices.
On the one hand, they could go sky high ( see what I did there) as airlines try and get some money back, or they could do some deals to get people back to travelling.
Same goes for hotel prices and travel insurance.

Below is a pretty good primer about getting cash instead of a voucher. It's from April and is is aimed at US readers, but it's still accurate and if you read through it EU regulations are covered as well. Apparently if you're British, EU consumer protections will still cover UK citizens despite Brexit, at least for a while.  
This article recommends turning to your bank card issuer as a last resort, but I would make that my first option. Several times over the years, I have had "non-refundable" airline and hotel reservations that I no longer wanted and I have gone straight to American Express and they have refunded my money every time with no questions asked. I also did that with a CitiBank card one time. Let your bank card issuer deal with Etihad if you can. 
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/as-airlines-refund-travelers-heres-how-to-get-cash-instead-of-a-voucher

Last time I stayed there was February 2018. There are 2 towers on that property. One is the Radisson Hotel, the other is In Residence. They share the same facilities and are obviously attached at the hip, but I don't know what the exact relationship is. The only problem I ever had there occurred during a previous stay when  a balky key card sometimes didn't function. Needless to say, it was not much fun going down to reception at 4:00 AM while stumbling drunk and having them send up a maintenance guy. I didn't have any problems at all during my most recent stay. Whether the rooms need "renovation" is a personal judgement. The furniture in my rooms was in fine condition, the carpet was not worn, it was well maintained and I have never noticed broken chairs at the pool. 
I always take customer reviews of hotels with a big grain of salt when it comes to critiquing decor. Everybody has their own tastes and I don't care if somebody else hates art deco style furniture or whatever and thinks the hotel needs to get rid of it for the sake of renovation. I take them more seriously when reviews focus on service, property maintenance and cleanliness because to me that's where the rubber really meets the road in assessing hotels. 
You can go to Trip Advisor or other review sites and look up hotels such as the Peninsula in Chicago, the Tokyo Park Hyatt or the Four Seasons in New York -hotels among the finest on the planet - and always come across prissy jackwits stating that the properties "need updating". It proves that some people are so hard to satisfy they will be complaining about the bright lights and noise when they are planted six feet under. The hotel business is a tough racket, for sure. 

What if your basement catches fire and burns the lot? 

Mask use is fucking hilarious, I watched a worker at Foodland take hers off to cough all over the vegetables in the produce section, then replace it, several times. Many people wear masks with their noses out, or just have it wrapped around their neck. Some taxi drivers are using masks that look like old oil rags, I had a driver today who was picking his nose and wiping it on the edge of the mask. Mainly farangs aren't wearing masks, I only do to not rile up the locals as a dirty farang spreading the Corona... 

I would get sicker witnessing that than I would by contracting Covid. 

i like this , now no fat bastard or women with way to much stuff can en- croach my seat lol . 

Before corona virus and after corona virus on Air Asia.

I saw this today concerning Covid testing at Vienna's airport for arriving passengers. It will cost 190 Euros (US $200 or so), results will be available in 3 hours and if you test negative you can avoid a 14 day quarantine in Austria. You can also present a cert from your prior point of departure if it's no older than 4 days. I am guessing something like this will be the standard for immigration at BKK and other airports around the world. I hope so, because I know nobody wants to do a 14 day quarantine on arrival. Sounds great, too bad it will cost $$$. The Wuhan virus is a gift that keeps on taking, taking, taking. 
https://www.viennaairport.com/pcrtest

Brilliant idea!

Brilliant idea!