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This thread is marked as being about Thailand
1.
Posted by
pearce22
(Budding Member 11 posts)
13y
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hi im a 22yr male and planning on going travelling alone on November the 30th, this is my first time travelling,
and to be fair im shitting it lol but very excited as well. i not 100% sure what to expect and i was
just seeing if anyone could tell me some good places to go and where is good to meet people.
if anyone is going around the same time and would like to meet up please let me know.
thanx for your time ppz
alec
[ Edit: Edited on 05-Oct-2011, at 09:31 by pearce22 ]
2.
Posted by
bex76
(Moderator 5413 posts)
13y
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I'm sure you will have a great time in Thailand and should find it really easy to meet people - there are loads of people travelling alone. The main backpacker area of Bangkok is Khao San Road, and it's full of travellers' accommodation, cafes and bars so that would be a good place to base yourself at first to meet people and find your feet. If you let me know what your interests are I can try and recommend some places to go in Thailand.
3.
Posted by
Cyberia
(Travel Guru 1877 posts)
13y
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I've been to Thailand many times on my own. People on their own go there by the thousand every single day. It's about as safe as anywhere in the world though petty theft can be a problem. Two days there and you'll wonder what you were worried about.
The Thais are generally very friendly people and won't hassle you. Losing your temper, even if deserved, is seen as bad, as "losing face". So is drinking too much. The hot Thai sun can roast you if you sunbathe too much.
Travel is easy, whether by bus, train or plane. AirAsia (think of Ryanair) has an office opposite KSR, along from Burger King. There are lots of travel agents in KSR and elsewhere.
Lots of cheap accommodation about but the later you leave it, the more the price goes up. Weather will be hot, getting hotter through December into April. Air-conditioning is well worth paying extra for.
You don't say how long you are going for. Many stay a long time as the greatest cost of such a holiday is the flights. Up to 30 days you don't need a visa. Longer, you do. You can stay there cheaply and live cheaply and being in the sun on the beach sure beats being back home in the ice and snow. A cheap flight somewhere and when you come back, you have another 30 days visa exemption.
You can meet as many people as you want there, but some of those will be trying to take advantage of you and get money from you. Especially (some of) the women.
Believe me, when you get home you'll be thinking about your next trip out there.
4.
Posted by
pearce22
(Budding Member 11 posts)
13y
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thanx for the reply people very helpful.
im planning on going for 3 months and thinking about getting a double entry visa.
also does anyone know some cheap flight companies.
could you tell me what is the best way to carry money? e.g traveller cheques, credit card etc.
Also could you tell me if its easy to get to islands like ko pha ngan for bangkok and how much am i looking to pay fore this?
thanx for these replies it has helped and reassured me.
5.
Posted by
pearce22
(Budding Member 11 posts)
13y
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oh and bex
my interests in Thailand will be to meet new people,
maybe go diving, activities, partying.
im not to sure to be honest just going to go with the flow.
when i go to pha ngan will i be able to just turn up and get accommodation or will i have to book in advance?
what price am i looking to pay for a standard hut etc.
i have heard that haad yuan beach is nice, has anyone been there?
6.
Posted by
Flounda23
(Budding Member 27 posts)
13y
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Hey Alec,
WOW you are going to have a blast!!!! I went to Thailand on my own for the first time in July this year for 4 weeks and I had the time of my life and met so many amazing people! The whole country is breathtaking with each place offering something new and exciting! I fell in love with the whole country as it's just so amazing! The people are so friendly (but yes some do try to rip you off but you can't blame them, they're just living in poverty) the places are beautiful, food is mouth wateringly tasty, everything is so cheap and their transport systems are some of the best i've used!
Onto your questions:
Carrying money; personally i took a couple of hundred pounds in thai baht and took 2 bank cards with chip and pin (if doing this do not keep them together as if one is lost or stolen you always have the other one in a different place) The charges to my debit card weren't too bad £1.50 per withdrawal with around a 2.5% charge of the amount i withdrew ( pretty much take out enought to last you 5-7 days and it keeps the charges down)
Getting to the islands is easy but it depends which ones you want to go to. You can get a bus and boat to koh phangan / koh samui/ ko tao from bangkok for around 850baht (approx. £17). You could also fly to koh samui but it's generally about £50.
Going to Koh Phi Phi from bangkok, you can again get the bus and a boat for around a similar price or you could take the train to Phuket and then get the boat from there.
Transport in Thailand is amazing and very easy to use. The only thing i would advise is that you're not on a majorly tight schedule as sometimes transport is delayed or takes longer than expected (although i never seemed to encounter much of this).
Cheap flight companies to thailand would have to be kingfisher and jet airways, for internal flights try air asia and bangkok airlines!
Hope that helps and have the most fantastic time!!
Post 7 was removed by a moderator
8.
Posted by
pearce22
(Budding Member 11 posts)
13y
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ive done it! ive booked my ticket! leaving 28/11/11!
if anyone is going around that time please let me know
yeah babyyyy
9.
Posted by
bex76
(Moderator 5413 posts)
13y
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If you are going to be in Koh Phangan for the full moon party it would be a good idea to book your accommodation in advance, othewise you should be ok just to turn up. Throughout Thailand we just turned up without booking ahead and never had any problems with availability. Koh tao is supposed to be the best place for diving; you can easily arrange an overnight bus from Bangkok and get the boat from Surat Thani.
Beware of scams in Bangkok, such as taxi drivers or tuk-tuk drivers telling you somewhere is closed on that day, or isn't there any more. Also if you get a tuk-tuk, be careful of ending up in a gem store for the afternoon- a common ploy so they can get commission from the gem store owners.
10.
Posted by
pearce22
(Budding Member 11 posts)
13y
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thanx bex
could you tell me if its a good idea to take your phone over?
and how easy is it to make contact to uk from thai?