28 Ways to Plan a Trip to Thailand on a Tight Vacation Travel Budget
28 Ways to Plan a Trip to Thailand on a Tight Vacation Travel Budget Skip to content
Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendations have an average return of 397%. For $79 (or just $1.52 per week), join more than 1 million members and don't miss their upcoming stock picks. 30 day money-back guarantee. Sign Up Now This post is about saving money in and on the way to and from Thailand. I learned a whole lot about this during the summer of 2017, on a 10-day trip to Thailand with my wife. (Twelve days if you count travel time.) Our purposes require only the barest brush with this Southeast Asian nation’s fact book. Thailand has about 68 million inhabitants. The vast majority, over 93%, are Buddhist. Most others practice Islam. Thailand’s land area is just under 200,000 square miles, or approximately three-quarters the size of Texas. The entire country is in the UTC+7 time zone – 11 to 12 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast. Oh, and a fun fact that we somehow missed before we arrived: Thailand is a left-side driving country, like the U.K. and Japan.
Scott’s Cheap Flights is a travel newsletter whose founder (and, as far as I can tell, the guy who still does most of the work) scours the Internet for below-market airfare and reveals worthy deals to subscribers in impressively detailed newsletters. Scott’s follows the freemium model: Free plan subscribers get a few emails per week, while paying subscribers ($39/year) see double or triple the volume. Scott claims to reserve the best deals for those who pay, but I can’t personally verify this. In any case, Scott’s deals rarely last more than a day or two, so you need to jump on them fast. TravelZoo
TravelZoo takes a more hands-on approach, negotiating favorable pricing on behalf of its members. It specializes in travel packages that can include airfare, lodging, tours, and other on-the-ground activities, so it’s not ideal for DIY travelers who simply want below-market airfare or lodging. But it’s free to join, which is always a good thing.
Your hostel won’t be fancy and your room might not even be private, but you can stay the night for less than the cost of lunch out in a coastal U.S. city. In smaller cities and rural areas, you’ll find even cheaper accommodations, though prices can only go so low. On the islands, you’ll pay more, but only in a relative sense: We found bare-bones places for less than $20 per night on Koh Samui. A comparable outlay guarantees you a private hostel room in Bangkok. Budget Resorts
If you’re looking for something a bit more upscale, look into the budget “resorts” that dot Bangkok. On our last night in Thailand, we spent just over $40 (including taxes) to stay at a three-star resort near Suvarnabhumi International Airport. We had a spacious private room with room service and an awesome Jacuzzi tub, a 20-meter pool just outside, and a pretty good restaurant on-site. Places like this are everywhere in Bangkok and smaller Thai cities, including in centrally located neighborhoods near major tourist attractions. Pro Tip: Thai lodging is affordable all the way up the quality scale. I hesitate to recommend staying at a five-star resort in Thailand, this not being in the spirit of frugal travel and all, but it’s way cheaper to do so here than in the U.S. or Caribbean. In Bangkok, we stayed at a very nice boutique resort with a near 1-to-1 staff-to-guest ratio for the equivalent of roughly $150 per day. A comparable U.S. property would have easily cost double that, probably more.
Bangkok’s MRT (subway), the equivalent of the Underground, is fast and cheap – I don’t think I paid more than $2 for a ride anywhere on the system. The BTS (Sky Train), the equivalent of the Overground, is even faster, if slightly more expensive. Both serve Bangkok’s business district, then run out along upscale residential spines. Chao Phraya Express Boat
Another cheap, quintessentially Bangkok public transit option is the Chao Phraya Express Boat, a public boat line running through central Bangkok along the turbid Phraya River. It serves 34 piers, many within easy walking distance of major tourist landmarks, and costs no more than 32 baht ($1) one way. Taxis are cost-competitive with public transit only over short distances. If you’re trying to get from one side of the city to the other, you’ll pay three or four times more (and take at least twice as long) for a taxi.
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By Brian Martucci Date September 14, 2021FEATURED PROMOTION
Thailand is far away, literally on the other side of the world. Its cities are chaotic, with apocalyptic traffic and outrageously aggressive drivers. Its culture is unfamiliar, sometimes downright mystifying. Its cuisine is challenging, with the default seasoning level somewhere between spicy and eye-watering. Its language is opaque, its script beautiful but thoroughly unintelligible. It’s politically and socially tense, thanks to ongoing military rule and relatively high rates of property crime in touristy areas. And it needs to be on your international travel radar – not least because it’s super-duper cheap. Even world-class honeymoon destination resorts and five-star urban hotels are affordable here.Thailand A Brief Overview
I could write an entire book about why you should visit Thailand, but I’ll leave that to others. Both Lonely Planet and Frommer’s offer comprehensive deep dives into Thailand at a reasonable cost. (Some content is free.) I recommend spending time with both before you make your final decision about whether to travel to Thailand, and I insist that you revisit them as you begin planning your adventure.Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendations have an average return of 397%. For $79 (or just $1.52 per week), join more than 1 million members and don't miss their upcoming stock picks. 30 day money-back guarantee. Sign Up Now This post is about saving money in and on the way to and from Thailand. I learned a whole lot about this during the summer of 2017, on a 10-day trip to Thailand with my wife. (Twelve days if you count travel time.) Our purposes require only the barest brush with this Southeast Asian nation’s fact book. Thailand has about 68 million inhabitants. The vast majority, over 93%, are Buddhist. Most others practice Islam. Thailand’s land area is just under 200,000 square miles, or approximately three-quarters the size of Texas. The entire country is in the UTC+7 time zone – 11 to 12 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast. Oh, and a fun fact that we somehow missed before we arrived: Thailand is a left-side driving country, like the U.K. and Japan.
How Affordable Is Thailand
Most importantly for the topic at hand, Thailand has long been eminently affordable for visitors from the developed world. It’s affectionately (if problematically) known as “Australia’s Mexico” for a reason: Per the World Bank, its GDP per capita by purchasing power parity is about the same as our southern neighbor’s – roughly $17,000 – and has risen at basically the same rate since 1990. By contrast, Thailand’s nominal GDP – in real dollar terms – is just north of $6,000, barely one-third its PPP value. In other words, one U.S. dollar goes three times farther in Thailand than in the United States. (Other leading world currencies do well in Thailand too. We bumped elbows with tourists from China, Japan, South Korea, continental Europe, the U.K., the U.S., and Canada, among many others.)What’ s the U S Dollar to Thai Baht Exchange Rate
According to XE, a global money transfer provider, the Thai baht has ranged from approximately 28.5 to 36.5 on the U.S. dollar. That’s another way of saying that you can expect 1 baht to buy anywhere from $0.027 to $0.035, depending on current exchange rates. Pro Tip: Your trip to Thailand will be a whole lot easier if you check your U.S.-centric pretenses at the border. A relevant example: The word “dollar” is ambiguous here. Are you referring to the Canadian dollar? Hong Kong dollar? Australian? Kiwi? Be precise and say “U.S. dollar” or “USD.”What’ s the Standard of Living in Thailand
On paper, Thailand is moderately developed. Its human development index is approximately 0.75, good for 87th place in the world. (The U.S. and Canada have HDI readings of 0.92, tied for 10th place globally.) Thailand’s relatively high HDI masks vast inequities, however. The standard of living is higher in major cities, especially Bangkok, and on tourist islands. Conditions in rural areas, particularly isolated parts of the northeast and the politically unstable south, are much worse. Even in Bangkok, the dichotomy is palpable: It’s common to see desperate shantytowns festering in the shadows of gleaming luxury high-rises there. Where applicable below, I’ve discussed the ethical implications of frugal Thai travel, and when spending a few more baht on goods and services may be the right thing to do.Tips to Spend Less Traveling to Thailand
Follow these tips, drawn from my own personal experience and research, to reduce your travel expenses and incidental costs en route to and from Thailand. Some are best done well before you leave.1 Set Up a Vacation Fund
This is something you should do before every major vacation. The earlier, the better. Once you’ve pinned down your travel dates and have a rough idea of how much you’ll spend on travel, accommodations, and other significant expenses in country, open a savings account earmarked specifically for your travel fund. Outline a strategy to grow it large enough to cover your vacation budget. (I go into detail on how to do this in my post about saving up for your next vacation. If you’re planning any spendy events or activities while you’re in Thailand, such as a stadium concert or spa day, consider opening separate accounts for those. My wife and I did just that to fund a long-planned meal at one of Bangkok’s best restaurants. When we finally got that bill, our foresight kept our eyes from popping out of our heads.2 Visit a Travel Clinic 6 to 8 Weeks Before You Go
Two words: Get vaccinated! If you have a good insurance plan with coverage for preventive care, travel vaccinations are super affordable. I paid $6 or $7 out of pocket for mine. You can also get a prescription for prophylactic antibiotics, to reduce the duration and severity of foodborne illness, at your travel clinic. My three-pill course cost another $6 or $7 out of pocket. I’d definitely take a $14 preventive spend over a vastly higher hospital bill. The CDC is the most reputable source of information for foreign travel vaccines. For most travelers, including those sticking to Bangkok, it recommends typhoid and hepatitis A vaccines. Both spread through contaminated food and water. For travelers staying in-country for many weeks, exploring rural areas, or engaging in risky behaviors, it recommends protecting against other illnesses as well: cholera, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis B, rabies, and malaria. When in doubt, ask your travel clinic provider.3 Tell Your Bank and Credit Card Issuers You’ re Traveling to Thailand
Take 10 minutes before you leave to tell your bank and credit card issuers that you’re headed to Thailand, and when. Do this for any issuer you’re even considering using. The last thing you want to deal with when you’re already bleary-eyed and disoriented from an interminable transoceanic trip is a locked bank or credit card account.4 Confirm That Your ATM Card Will Work in Thailand
While you have them on the phone, confirm with your financial institution that your debit card will actually work at ATMs in Thailand. Most independent Thai businesses don’t take U.S. credit cards, so you will need cash, and it’s cheaper (see below) to withdraw at ATMs rather than currency exchange windows. This is especially important for travelers who use smaller banks or credit unions. When I called my credit union to let them know I’d be in Thailand, I asked them about foreign ATM transaction fees and whether I needed to do anything differently to withdraw cash. But I neglected to actually ask the question, “Will my card work in Thailand?” Turns out, my Visa debit card didn’t work in Thailand, at least not at the ATMs I tried. To get cash, we had to tap my wife’s credit card’s cash advance line on two separate occasions, costing us roughly $40 extra. (She paid off the balances immediately, but we couldn’t avoid the cash advance fees.)5 Travel During the Low Season
If your work and personal schedules allow, travel during the low season. This sounds easy enough, but it’s complicated by the fact that Thailand doesn’t have a single low season. In Koh Samui, a popular resort island in the Gulf of Thailand, the low season is October through December, the rainiest time of year, with another lull in the spring. In Phuket, an even more popular resort island in the Andaman Sea, late summer is the low season. Research precipitation and pricing patterns in your chosen destination(s). If saving money is more important to you than ideal weather, you know what to do. Pro Tip: Some Thai island communities empty out during the low season. As in seasonal U.S. resort towns, it’s common to see local businesses shuttered during down periods. Consider staying at larger resorts during these periods – nightly rates are a steal, restaurants and spas will be open, and you’ll have other bargain-hunting travelers to rub shoulders with.6 Set Price Alerts
Set airfare price alerts at your favorite travel booking sites for travel to and from your hometown and your Thai destination (probably Bangkok). You’ll get a ton of emails alerting you to falling fares, but the savings – to the tune of a few hundred bucks, if you’re lucky – will be worth the hassle. Remember to turn your alerts off once you book.7 Subscribe to Travel Deal Newsletters & Follow Budget Travel Specialists on Social Media
Travel booking websites don’t have a monopoly on great travel deals. Some independent outfits specialize in uncovering amazing travel deals, usually for an exclusive group of subscribers or members only. Each outfit has a different approach. Two of my favorites, Scott’s Cheap Flights and TravelZoo, illustrate the divergence. Scott’s Cheap FlightsScott’s Cheap Flights is a travel newsletter whose founder (and, as far as I can tell, the guy who still does most of the work) scours the Internet for below-market airfare and reveals worthy deals to subscribers in impressively detailed newsletters. Scott’s follows the freemium model: Free plan subscribers get a few emails per week, while paying subscribers ($39/year) see double or triple the volume. Scott claims to reserve the best deals for those who pay, but I can’t personally verify this. In any case, Scott’s deals rarely last more than a day or two, so you need to jump on them fast. TravelZoo
TravelZoo takes a more hands-on approach, negotiating favorable pricing on behalf of its members. It specializes in travel packages that can include airfare, lodging, tours, and other on-the-ground activities, so it’s not ideal for DIY travelers who simply want below-market airfare or lodging. But it’s free to join, which is always a good thing.
8 Use a Different Airline for Domestic Legs
This handy trick served us well on our way to Thailand. Rather than fly the same airline the whole way from Minneapolis to Bangkok, we used two different airlines: one for the U.S. domestic portion of the journey and one for the international portion. If you’re flying from a second- or third-tier airport without many (or any) direct flights to Asia, I’d recommend trying this out. If you’re flying out of a major West Coast airport like LAX, San Francisco (SFO), or Seattle (SEA), this trick doesn’t make as much sense and might actually be counterproductive. Our domestic airline was Sun Country, a small discount airline hubbed in Minneapolis with which we have extensive experience. Our international airline was China Airlines; I didn’t know much about them previously, but they worked out fine. We flew Sun Country to LAX, then China Airlines to Bangkok via Taipei. Compared with one-stop Delta-codeshare flights through Tokyo, the combo saved more than $1,000 on airfare. Pro Tip: Most major airports have separate international terminals. If you decide to follow my advice here, make sure your U.S. layover is long enough for you to change terminals, check in for your international flight, and get through security. It took us about 90 minutes to do that in L.A., but it was around midnight and the airport wasn’t particularly busy. To be safe, I’d allow at least three hours.9 Plan a Long Layover
Speaking of layovers: Why not plan an extended stop on your way to Thailand? As of mid-2017, there are no direct flights from Bangkok to any U.S. airports, so you’re going to have to stop somewhere: Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong are all likely contenders. Look for the most affordable stopover that works with your itinerary, then plan a layover long enough to get you out of the airport and into the city center. You’ll want at least eight hours on the ground. For a lower-stress approach, plan a 24-hour layover that includes a stay at an affordable hotel or hostel. If you play this right, you’ll cross another major Asian city off your bucket list without planning a long, costly trip there.10 Stay at Hostels & Cheaper Hotels
Speaking of hostels and affordable hotels: Thailand is a haven for budget-friendly accommodations. With minimal effort, you can almost certainly find a room in a conveniently located Bangkok hostel for the equivalent of $10 or less per night. Yes, $10 or less per night. Hostels and Budget HotelsYour hostel won’t be fancy and your room might not even be private, but you can stay the night for less than the cost of lunch out in a coastal U.S. city. In smaller cities and rural areas, you’ll find even cheaper accommodations, though prices can only go so low. On the islands, you’ll pay more, but only in a relative sense: We found bare-bones places for less than $20 per night on Koh Samui. A comparable outlay guarantees you a private hostel room in Bangkok. Budget Resorts
If you’re looking for something a bit more upscale, look into the budget “resorts” that dot Bangkok. On our last night in Thailand, we spent just over $40 (including taxes) to stay at a three-star resort near Suvarnabhumi International Airport. We had a spacious private room with room service and an awesome Jacuzzi tub, a 20-meter pool just outside, and a pretty good restaurant on-site. Places like this are everywhere in Bangkok and smaller Thai cities, including in centrally located neighborhoods near major tourist attractions. Pro Tip: Thai lodging is affordable all the way up the quality scale. I hesitate to recommend staying at a five-star resort in Thailand, this not being in the spirit of frugal travel and all, but it’s way cheaper to do so here than in the U.S. or Caribbean. In Bangkok, we stayed at a very nice boutique resort with a near 1-to-1 staff-to-guest ratio for the equivalent of roughly $150 per day. A comparable U.S. property would have easily cost double that, probably more.
11 Redeem Credit Card Rewards for Part or All of Your Travel
We didn’t feel so bad about staying at a really nice resort in Bangkok in part because we dramatically reduced our trip’s out-of-pocket costs with a massive credit card rewards redemption. I’d been saving the sign-up bonus and months of accumulated spending points on my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for precisely this occasion. The redemption reduced our airfare – the trip’s single biggest expense – by about 60%. This single move impacted nearly every other important decision we made on our trip to Thailand, so it’s no exaggeration to say that our experience wouldn’t have been the same without it. Pro Tip: Start planning your redemption today. Check out our list of the best travel rewards credit cards to determine the best fit for your lifestyle and credit profile.12 Get Travel Insurance
Purchasing a travel insurance policy will raise the total cost of your trip to Thailand – if nothing goes wrong. Travel insurance policy premiums typically run 5% to 10% of covered expenses, meaning a policy covering $2,000 worth of travel purchases should set you back $100 to $200. In the unlikely event that something big does go wrong on your trip, your travel insurance policy could insulate you from much greater losses. For instance, if you need to cancel your trip before your departure date for an eligible event, you’ll be reimbursed for all covered nonrefundable expenses. If you fall ill or sustain serious injury while in Thailand and need medical evacuation, you’ll potentially save even more – long-distance medevac expenses are measured in the tens of thousands of dollars. Take my advice: Get travel insurance. Hopefully you won’t have to use it. If you do, you’ll be glad you played it safe.13 Get a Messaging App
Unless you’re doing business in Thailand and need to be available by phone at all times, leave your phone in airplane mode for the duration of your trip. Most carriers charge at least $10 per day, per phone for international call and text plans in Asia, with exorbitant surcharges for heavy use. That’s at least $140 extra, per week, for you and your traveling companion. You can stay in touch with folks back home well enough with email and social media. For real-time communications with friends, acquaintances, and associates, use a free or cheap messaging app like WhatsApp, Skype, or Facebook Messenger. As long as you’re connected to Wi-Fi, which most Thai hotels, hostels, and cafes offer at no charge, you’ll find it easy to stay in touch.14 Skip the Airport Restaurant
You’re going to get hungry on the long journey to Thailand. The real question is: What will you do about it? Every transpacific flight that I’m aware of serves at least two meals: once a couple hours into the flight, and again a couple hours before landing. With a long nap in between, that’s sufficient for most people. Virtually every internal Asian flight that I’m aware of also has meal service. This is true even on short flights: Our hop from Bangkok to Koh Samui took less than an hour in the air, and yet somehow, we still got a full meal. In other words, there’s no need to eat a full meal in an airport at any point on your journey, unless you have an unusually long layover. Tide yourself over between meals in the air with snacks purchased outside the airport, where they’re bound to cost significantly less.Tips to Spend Less After Arriving in Thailand
If you haven’t already, you’ll hear from fellow Thailand adventurers that Thailand is “really cheap once you get there,” meaning getting there is the most expensive part of your trip. But that’s not necessarily true. Overspending in Thailand is frightfully easy, whether due to inadequate planning, honest misunderstanding, victimization by unscrupulous locals, unnecessary splurges, or all of the above. Follow these tips to control your costs once you’ve landed in Thailand.1 Don’ t Use Airport Currency Exchange Kiosks
Skip the airport currency exchange kiosk. It’s a rip. At best, you’ll leave 5% of your tranche at the counter. Actually, don’t get baht at the airport if you don’t have to, period. ATMs at major banks or public plazas are cheaper – in our experience, 220 baht (roughly $6) is the standard surcharge. That’s a lot by U.S. standards, but it’s a flat rate – just 2% on a $300 withdrawal. (As I noted above, it’s the exception rather than the norm for Thai merchants to accept U.S. credit cards, so you’ll need a lot of cash, especially if you plan to spend at markets, eat well, get multiple massages, or sample Thai nightlife.)2 Take the Train from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Central Bangkok
If your first Thai destination is Bangkok itself, you can probably skip the taxi queue and head straight to the Airport Rail Link station at Suvarnabhumi Airport. (There’s a small chance you’ll fly in through another Bangkok airport, in which case you can ignore this advice, but most U.S. origin flights come through Suvarnabhumi.) The Airport Rail Link is a pretty fast ride with just six stops. A regular ride costs no more than 45 baht (roughly $1.50), but you can pay 150 baht (roughly $5) to go straight to Phaya Thai Station in central Bangkok. Even if your hotel or hostel isn’t anywhere near the line, it’ll still be cheaper to take a taxi from a centrally located stop – a taxi from the airport to downtown Bangkok costs at least 250 baht.3 Use Public Transit Wherever Possible
Bangkok’s rapid rail transit network is clean, modern, and convenient – if you’re staying near it. The city didn’t have any internal rail transit until the 1990s, and there are still just four completed lines, so it’s way behind the times. For reference, comparably sized London has 20 lines and nearly 400 stations between the overlapping Underground and Overground networks. MRT and BTSBangkok’s MRT (subway), the equivalent of the Underground, is fast and cheap – I don’t think I paid more than $2 for a ride anywhere on the system. The BTS (Sky Train), the equivalent of the Overground, is even faster, if slightly more expensive. Both serve Bangkok’s business district, then run out along upscale residential spines. Chao Phraya Express Boat
Another cheap, quintessentially Bangkok public transit option is the Chao Phraya Express Boat, a public boat line running through central Bangkok along the turbid Phraya River. It serves 34 piers, many within easy walking distance of major tourist landmarks, and costs no more than 32 baht ($1) one way. Taxis are cost-competitive with public transit only over short distances. If you’re trying to get from one side of the city to the other, you’ll pay three or four times more (and take at least twice as long) for a taxi.