A months budget?

Hey guys,

The names John, just joined the forums looking for some help. My brother and I recently booked a flight to thailand leaving on the 14th of next month. I just wondered what sort of budget I should be looking at and whether you guys had any tips for us?

Were hoping to see alot of the country so a majority of the budget will be on travel. Were not bothered about where we sleep but would like a room with a shower at least a couple of times a week to keep clean. Obviously were going to want to eat, do activities and most importantly, drink! Can anyone give me a rough figure at what I'm looking at?

Cheers,

John.

I would say US$50. a day for Thailand and you should be able to live well on that

John,
If you and your brother share a room, you save some serious money over 2 rooms every night. Figure 700 baht/night, room costs will be appox. $600, or $300 each. Food is cheap if you eat with the locals or the backpack crowd. You can stay under $10/day if you don't splurge often, figure $350 each for the month. Bus travel will not break your budget either. Depends on how much you travel, but figure another $150 each for transport. Your major costs: room, food, transport will be at $800 each. This allows you guys to have a few beers every night and still spend less than $1K each for your month.

I suggest you guys hit the some of the historic parts of Thailand, say Sukothai, then Chiang Mai/Chiang Mai for some trekking.

Then hit the beaches down south. I recommend the Krabi area. Plenty of islands to choose from. Koh Jum and Lanta are cheaper thanPhi Phi and Phuket.

Hope this helps with your planning. Send me a PM if you have questions.

I had a great time on a £1000 a month.I drank , partied ate well , traveled and stayed in clean rooms .
If your young and want a lot of fun take as much as you can .Thailand is cheap but if you want a lot of fun you can spend a lot .

Sorry for the late reply, haven't been able to get online.

Cheers for all the info. I've had my head stuck in the lonely planet for the last couple days and theres a few places I really want to visit. I've also had a good look over my finances and I think the most I'm going to be able to get is about 800 GBP. It was a bit silly for us to book so soon but my brother already had his holiday booked. You think 800 will be enough if we budgeted?

Cheers,

John

John,
That is still $1K/month. Read my blog. You will find several tips on saving money in there. Eat with the locals, buy yogurt or bread or fruit for lunch. Have a bottle of water in your day bag. Don't pay for bottle water when eating. Low end places won't throw you out for drinking your own water. My friend buys his nightly allotment of beer at 7-11s and drinks outside of bars. This could save you guys $100 over a months time. Good luck with your planning.

£800 a month is a good amount to enjoy yourself .That`s about $1300 with the rate at the moment . You will be fine .

I think £850 a month is a comfortable amount to live on. But the more you have teh better

Thanks again you lot. I had a read of your blog vegasmike, some useful info up there so thanks.

I do have a new concern though. Whats the best way to use your money out there? What I mean by that is, I went into town yesterday as people have told me to put it into an account and use a debit card out there but I didn't manage to find any banks that don't charge for overseas withdrawals. Would traveler's cheques be a better option?

Cheers.

John,
I take travel checks plus some USD. Yes, you do pay a fee when cashing TCs, but if stolen you do get your money back. Cash is gone, never to be seen again. Using debit, credit card also has fees when you withdraw money. There have been too many problems with ATMs in Thailand to discount. I would have them with me, but take TCs for my main source of money. Wear an undergarment pouch that has passport, TC, cards, etc. and that is as safe as you can be while on planes, buses, boats, walking around. Good luck with your planning.