Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 438th issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine, the one you help write.

I’ve got lots to report this month.

Jet ski rental scams have long been a problem on the beaches of Phuket and Pattaya, Thailand.

The scenario — the jet ski is rented with minor damage that is hard to detect (sometimes it’s under the waterline), and when the vehicle is returned, the renter is charged for the damage plus an amount for “loss of rental”...