Just like anywhere, Thailand is becoming an increasingly more expensive country to visit. Even so, many people still manage to take a vacation in Thailand and do it cheaply. Five things you need to consider if you want a cheap vacation in Thailand are how much money you spend on airfare, hotels, food, tourist attractions and entertainment. Follow these five tips and you’ll soon discover how cheaply you can do all of them.
Airfare – Avoid the American airlines where possible when flying from the west to Thailand. They’re just more expensive than Asian airlines overall and the service is often worse too. China Airlines, EVA Air and Etihad Airways are three of the cheaper airlines flying to Bangkok, Thailand, and all three offer good service, especially for the price.
When in Thailand, if you plan on flying in-country, check out Air Asia, Bangkok Air and Nok Air. These airlines offer fast, efficient service at cheap prices. Round-trip flights from Bangkok to Thai cities like Phuket, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai can be found on Air Asia as cheap as $50 and you’ll be there in under an hour.
Hotels – Thailand has one of the best hotel systems in the world, with everything from cheap guest houses to expensive 5-star luxury hotels. One way to get a great deal on hotel rooms in Thailand is book online and avoid the hotel websites. Asia Rooms and Direct Rooms always offer great deals, with savings as much as 50% off the hotel website prices. You may even be surprised how cheaply you can book a 4 star or 5 star Thai hotel.
Food – Another great tip to have a cheap vacation in Thailand is to avoid imported food while on holiday or any restaurant that’s a western chain. Instead, frequent Thai street stalls and Thai restaurants. Not only will you eat delicious Thai food you’ll never find anywhere else, but you’ll also save a few hundred dollars over a couple of weeks holiday in Thailand.
Tourist Attractions – Avoid organized tours when you’re in Thailand if you want to see tourist attractions on the cheap. Most of the time, hiring a taxi and going to a tourist attraction yourself can save you a fair few dollars and be a more authentic experience too.For cheap tourist attractions in Thailand, take local boats up the river, visit Thai temples (most of which are free), spend an afternoon at a Thai museum (much cheaper than the west), walk around a Thai neighborhood and take photos of the buildings and the locals, visit a local park or market, or join one of the mass exercise classes you’ll see outdoors all over Thailand.
Evening Entertainment – Entertainment in Thailand is cheap, if you do it the Thai way. Many inexpensive restaurants have live bands, in the winter months the outdoor beer gardens have cheap beer and food and free live bands on stage, movies in Thailand are only $4 a ticket and much better theaters than in the west, in Bangkok Suan Lum Night Bazaar is a fun and cheap place to eat dinner and spend an evening hanging out, or walk around any street in a Thai city taking photos of the night markets with their strange wares and even stranger food.
Photo – Khon mask dance – inexpensive evening entertainment and so beautiful
