Thailand: a Budget-Friendly Destination

Travel nuts don’t need to be told about all the great reasons to visit Thailand. Thailand is routinely cited as one of the places where you’ll find high numbers of budget travelers and backpackers, for obvious reasons – it’s cheap to visit, and it can be cheap to live there. But aside from the usual stream of backpackers and long-term nomads, another group of travelers you’ll find in large numbers in Thailand are Autralians and Kiwis.

Why? Because it’s so close to home, it’s an easy getaway.

Depending on where you are in the world, it can sometimes be challenging to find cheap flights to Bangkok – despite its status as a major hub in Asia, tickets can still be quite expensive if you’re flying from the other side of the world. From New Zealand, however, the regular prices on flights often include great deals – and if you’re paying attention and know what to look for you can sometimes score rock-bottom fares. Since the cost of airfare is generally the most expensive part of a trip, saving money on your airline ticket is an excellent way to keep your budget intact.

Next-highest on the travel budget list is typically accommodation, and budget-conscious travelers are always looking for ways to get a better deal on their bed. Hostels are often the way to go, since they tend to offer lower prices in many places, but in Thailand – unless you’re really on a shoestring budget – you’ll be able to afford a higher grade of accommodation than you might otherwise be used to. Sure, there are luxury hotels in Thailand that will cost a small fortune, but if you’re accustomed to a bunk in a hostel then getting a room in a 2- or 3-star hotel for not much more than the price of a European hostel bed is going to seem like you’ve got a key to the royal palace.

In the end, although Kiwis might have a different reason for visiting Thailand in droves than the budget travelers do, the country is so budget-friendly that both groups can enjoy a vacation in Thailand without breaking the bank.

photo by Jo@net