Going to Thailand this summer (June 1st - Sept 1st) -- Queries.

Dave!

Hey folks,

It's getting close to the time that I have to start making steps towards Thailand, rather than just researching, so I think I'd benefit from having a thread I could throw all my questions into, so that you wonderful people can respond and give me all of your knowledge!

I won't ramble too much, but rather just get into the questions.....

1. I'm planning on going on 1st June til the 1st Sept, and I've read that this is in the middle of the monsoon season. In other threads people have mentioned that the rain doesn't affect you much, but that it only rains for a few minutes and that it's a relief sort of. Can anyone confirm this? What's the weather like during the times I mentioned? I'd like a good bit of sun, one of the things that annoys me most about Ireland is how it's always overcast. Will it be like this in Thailand?

2. I'm getting a figure of in and around E700 for flights, Gulf Air seems to be the cheapest online, but I haven't contacted Abbey Travel yet, and I understand that they're the best, so I'll talk to them before I book anything. Any other tips on flights?

3. Visas! I've read that you can just get your visa when you arrive, and cross the border and back again whenever you want to renew it. But the Thai Consulate FAQ says the following:

"Q. I plan to visit other countries around Thailand and I plan to be in Thailand for less than 30 days. However my airline ticket shows more than 30 days in Thailand. Do I need to apply for a visa
....A. Yes. If your airline ticket shows more than 30 days you must apply for a visa before entering Thailand even if you plan to obtain an airline or rail ticket to a third country upon arrival in Thailand."

I would think that this would affect me. Anyone?

4. I'm going to be travelling alone for around half of the trip (my mate will be with me the other half). Now I'm happy enough to be doing this as I've read enough experiences of people doing this and none have had any problems. But the parents aren't too keen on this (or me going at all, mind you). Could ye confirm for their benefit that it's safe as long as I have common sense. They don't really know a thing about the country, so I guess I'll have to educate them. They have the impression that it's all mud huts in the jungle and the natives are savages, despite the fact that my (rather picky and comfort-loving) brother is going to Ko Samui on his honeymoon..... one of many resorts!

5. Budget. From reading other thread I'm thinking that the budget of E1000 a month that I'm aiming for, is fine. I'll break it up into weeks in order to keep better track of my spending, but that should be enough I would think. I won't be staying in hotels, so it'll be hostels and bungalows for me. I'll also have no problem staying in dorms or anything, as I'd say that'd increase the likelihood of meeting people! So accomodation shouldn't be too pricey.
I'm not a picky eater, so I'd say I'd eat the Thai food no problem. I'm not too keen on McDonalds so I'll probably steer clear of that. I'll want a few beers, and some buckets for Ko Phangan . I don't smoke, so I'll save money there.
My only other major expenditure will probably be things like I want to do some climing over there, which seems to be around E30-50 for the day. I'll be doing some treks and quadding too, so they'll be pricey enough.

I won't be making any crazy purchases until the end when I'll be able to see how much money I have left

So that's all I can think of at the moment, but I'll post more in here at a later stage and hopefully ye can give me some more guidance! Pleeeease!

Cheers

breadmonkey

1. Not sure about the weather but I highly doubt it will be an issue.
2. I think my flights were about €700. Into Bangkok and out of HCMC.
3. Don't mind that visa nonsense, you'll get one no hassle on arrival. I had already gotten one and the guy was looking at me like I was an idiot.
4. Thailand is very very safe. I never felt in danger. There were police on the trains etc.
5. Budget is more than enough but the more you have the better. I had €20 a day.

underworld

Hi lads i guess thailand is nice and cheap by sounds of it,in same boat wanna take off somewhere for the summer and thailand could be an option,would be going on my own also would be a bit freaked but i guess there is no point waiting round for others to make it happen,anyway what kind of activities are there to do over??

Eurorunner

Ref.airfare. Try a1fares (they advertise on aertel). If your in a position to be flexible, give them the length of your stay and a general indication of when you want to go - and ask them to come back with the cheapest fare on that basis. I think it was 630 for me back in march/april.

Ref. travelling alone. Its a great opportunity to meet all kinds of people, plenty of others doing the same thing or the locals. If you travel in a group, your more likely to stay within the group. Obviously, you have to use your common sense. Guard the vitals ie. passport/visas/cash/cards. Carry as little cash round with you as poss. Invest in a money belt. Have someone lined up at home to 'Western Union' you some cash in the event of an emergency. Take a copy of your passport with you and maybe write down the address of a couple of EU embassies (you can go to any eu embassy in the event of losing your passport).
Your more likely to be preyed upon in the plasticky tourist areas.

Otherwise, enjoy..:)

empirix

As in regard the weather, June/july is monsoon season down south towardsPhi Phi/Phuket - but i'd hardly call it monsoon, will be rain showers(tropical + damn heavy) + humidity/sun. I found it ok but you will be dodging them now and again, the waves at this end will be quite big so watch yourself swimming

Still down south but over the Koh Samui and Phangnan side(gulf of asia - i think!!), it will be actually fine and very hot(should be) kinda regarded as their summer. Up north its usually always sunny and hot no matter what time of year.

If your male and travelling alone, trust be you won't be for long - cover up!!!

empirix

Eurorunner wrote:

Ref.airfare. Try a1fares (they advertise on aertel). If your in a position to be flexible, give them the length of your stay and a general indication of when you want to go - and ask them to come back with the cheapest fare on that basis. I think it was 630 for me back in march/april.

Ref. travelling alone. Its a great opportunity to meet all kinds of people, plenty of others doing the same thing or the locals. If you travel in a group, your more likely to stay within the group. Obviously, you have to use your common sense. Guard the vitals ie. passport/visas/cash/cards. Carry as little cash round with you as poss. Invest in a money belt. Have someone lined up at home to 'Western Union' you some cash in the event of an emergency. Take a copy of your passport with you and maybe write down the address of a couple of EU embassies (you can go to any eu embassy in the event of losing your passport).
Your more likely to be preyed upon in the plasticky tourist areas.

Otherwise, enjoy..:)

This man is a prepared traveller - very good advice, in all my time in Thailand i don't think i done any of the above, except for the money belt! I personally always had a few hundred euro in Baht in my belt and kept my cirrus card in a seperate place - chances are you won't lose both! None the less excellent advice

Dave!

Cheers lads, any more help?

breadmonkey

DaveMcG wrote:

Cheers lads, any more help?

What else do you want to know? I can't think of anything that hasn't been said in te SE Asia megathread.

sombaht

Dave,
Most of your questions seem to have been answered but just to add my own 2 cents . . .

1.Weather
You will get plenty of sun in Thailand diring the months you mention but it will be the rainy season during that time. Showers are very heavy but quite short.

2.Flights
I always book with WestEast travel (http://www.westeasttravel.com) based in London. They have always provided the best price for me, but as always shop around.

3.Visas
You will receive a 30 day visa upon arrival in Thailand. This can be extended to 90 days if you visit the Immigration Centre (address should be on the Thai Consulate website) in either Bangoko or Pattaya. Alternatively you could leave Thailabnd every 30 days. You will receive a new 30 day visa upon re-entry. Over staying on your visa can result in a fince and prior to the coup these overstays were being enforced. Seems to have relaxed now but its best to keep your visas in order.


4.Travelling alone
Tell your parents to relax. I know there have been a couple of highly publicised murders in Thailand over the past 2 years, but it really and truly is VERY safe to travel alone there. I have been travelling there for over 5 years, lived and worked there for 1 year and I feel a lot safer in the suburbs of Bangkok at 4am than I do in my native Limerick!

5.Budget
1oooEur is approx 48000 baht which is quite a lot by Thai standards. If you choose to eat Thai food at the many food courts or roadside stall like 99% of the population that money will go a long long way. Sorry I can't help on accomodation prices (never stayed in hostels) but hotels can be had from 600baht a night upwards.. Khao Sarn Rd is where a lot of budget travellers go and there certainly is a huge choice of accomodation there.Accomodation is cheaper outside of Bangkok

Only other thing I can think of is to remind you to smile a lot. Smile at everybody (yes you feel like a fool) and you should have a great time. try and learn some of the language, its tough but Thais really do appreciate the effort. Lonely Planet used to do a very good pocket sized phrasebook.

Hope you have a great trip, chok dee khrap!

sombaht

spanner

I found two higs travel very good and they are based in dublin, got a quote of 635 euro for april, I was in Pattaya last year for songkran, which was just one week of wild parties, Pattaya was ok, it is very seedy but thats not all that there is to it. The night life is better than anywhere else I have seen with the bars and clubs staying open to 8 in the morning. that budget should be plenty to live on, I meet a guy who was eating food from the stalls for 40 bat a day (80 cents) and that was plenty of good food for that. here are some lesson I learned lol: Watch the singha beer, it would be like stella here, it can blow the head off you. dont ring the bell in the bar, then you have to buy everybody a drink in the bar I know, I know silly things to do. I would advised you to stay away from the drugs as much as possible, they really go to town on you even for small possesion

Like nearly everywhere in the world, be aware and you should be fine

enjoy!!!

gary the great

1. The monsoon season is September - Late october i thought? well i was when i was there this year, most days it was overcast, but feck it was always still hot and every few days you'd get a lovely day. Dont worry the rain wont bother you, unless your on a ferry somewhere and a storm arrives, you'll kno all about sea sickness then. I was never so scared in my life on the ferry to phi phi, massive waves and were only on a little ferry, thought we were gonna capsise.[/

2
Did you try Ethiad airlines? By far the best airline ive ever gone on, the plane was empty so we all split up and got four big comfy chairs for ourselves which we made a bed out of. If you dont wanna sleep theres a selection of over 100 new films, or you can play computer games on the screens in the back of the chairs. Quality stuff.
Heres a suggestion to save yourself some money if your tight for cash, fly through London. We booked our flights with ethihad from London Heathrow, then flew with BMI to london from Dublin. I think it saved us about 140euro each doing it that way, which will go quite far in thailand.


3. The visa situation changes a lot, but dont worry theres no problem they just do all the visa crap when you arrive in the airport and your going through.


4. TBH i dont think ive been in a safer place than thailand, if your going to cambodia on the other hand be careful, its so poor it is a little dangerous. But as for thialand, most nights we were extremley drunk (watch them buckets your first few nights, espeially if you have nobody to keep on eye on you, they make you extremley drunk and you may get lost/fall asleep, which is never good. this happend a bit to my friends and I on our first few nights, and some nights certain people needed to be pretty much carried home. So your probly best off not lashing them into you like a mad thing


5. Ye that amount of money should be grand, but watch for yourself saying " ah its only a couple of euro", which adds up. One of my friends was on the dole while over there, was getting 160 a week into his bank, he nearly lived on that. Personally i think i spent about 200 a week, and we went out nearly every night and did loads of excursions, tours, quad biking, diving etc. and were known to stay in fully air con bunglows with sateilite TV and mini bar on occasions But we always tried to get 3 to a room, so it worked out cheap enough, cheaper than having one single room


Hope that helps, bring a credit card, you can book flights with air asia then if you dont feel like getting a ferry, trian etc although they can be great fun. Eating wise if you like thai food you will save a fortune by eating it, but you will get sick in your time, so be prepared! Also watch you dont step in any dodgy ground barefoot, especially dog/cat ****, as it will more than likely be full of worm larva, which will then burrow into your foot and live there for a few months were it will be extremley itchy (albeit harmless), happended to a freind over there. Another thing dont give the kids begging any money, especially when your drunk, as they wont live you alone for thhe remedir of your time in that area. If you want to give it to them on the last night, otherwise they will keep annoying you and following you around and attaching to your leg and stuff, and it doesnt really look good!!

thats all i can think of for now. Am thinking of heading over again just for a 2 week holiday next year, so might see you there!

Dave!

Thanks alot lads, plenty of good info there

Just after reading though, that 6 bombs have exploded in Bangkok, killing 2 and injuring 20.

May have to rethink things... We'll see.

(google for 'Thailand' for info)

maccarthy

Sawadee Krap!!

I noticed you mentioned climbing. To be honest its not the best time to be climbing in Krabi if that is where you are thinking of going I was there in mid June this year, and it pretty much rained for the entire week. The weather might be better nearer the end of your trip. Having said that I did get one good day. That time of year everyone there is a hard core climber. Having said that, that week was the only really bad one, and I still had fun. And yes the monsoon doesn't affect you too much otherwise.

[edit - actually what I'm trying to say here is that the monsoon hits different parts of Thailand at different times, plan around it. ]


Also the visa situation HAS changed, in the you only can get 3,1 month visas, in a row. It might be cheaper to get a VISA up front (2 month and get a 1 month ext.)Then you have you be out of Thailand for 3 month before you can do the same again. This might change, but that is the situation now. BTW a visa run can be expensive and a pain in the ass, unless you are nearby or actually going to the country anyway. Laos £35+travel, Burma $5+travel, Malaysia Free, but most people don't stay near the Malay border (see later), Cambodia, $20 + bus ($15 from BKK) . It might be worth get the visa beforehand.

(oh, if do a border run to Malaysia, a good 3/4 day trip would be the perhentian islands, just over the border, and one of the most beautiful waters, beaches in Asia)

If you have time Laos is very nice, you could see the sites in 1 1/2 weeks, and see how Thailand used to be like.

Also learning Thai really make a difference. It's a cool language. Check out the learn thai podcast (google it) which is OK but free. Also do read something about the culture and the people, and your efforts will be rewarded 100 fold.

I wouldn't worry about the Coup and bombs etc.. but do be aware that in the (east) south there are problems. Nearly every week somebody gets killed. Really. But tourists very rarely have an issue. As for the coup. I was in BKK for that and it was no big deal, just read the newspaper from time to time and you'll be set.

If you can get a chance do a homestay in Isan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isan) country. These homestays are everywhere. You can just arrive and say I'm here , (no , they probably won't speak english) pretty much, and get to experience country life. Water buffalo waking you up and that sort of stuff. Might need to motorbike out to a village. TAT offices can give you more info... Isan is great part of Thailand to meet the Thai people and see the real way of life. This is a pretty cool festival in Isan ,http://www.mutmee.com/050045_candle_festival.htm and its right on the Laos border if you want to visit. (Mutmee is cool hostel BTW)

Have fun, it will be a blast, and 3 months should give you a real feel for Thailand as long as you don't spend the entire time drinking with other foreigners!! (which is fun too :-) )