Thailand Travel Deals (& Rip Offs to Avoid)

From the moment you arrive in Thailand, there are so many great deals to take advantage of, and Thailand has to be one of the best destinations in the world to get a value for money holiday.  However, there are also rip offs to avoid, and the better informed you are, the more likely you’ll be able to find the best travel deals and avoid the rip offs.

Here is a selection of travel deals you should be aware of when next visiting Thailand:

·      Taxis are terrific value in Thailand; many taxi fares are under 50 baht which is an incredible deal, with the meter starting at 35 baht.  Always ask for your taxi ride to be on the meter, and make sure that you are not tempted to negotiate with the taxi driver without the meter. All taxis are air-conditioned and the taxi trade is quite heavily regulated. Sometimes taxi drivers may take a long route to charge you a little bit more, but generally taking taxis, particularly in Bangkok, is very good value for money

·      Internal flights in Thailand are usually quite cheap and a bargain.  There are a number of airlines that focus on providing internal flights, including Bangkok Air, Nok Air and Air Asia, among others. You can check out their fares online and book directly with them to enjoy great savings and fabulous deals.

·      Hotels are often amazing value for money in Thailand. If you haven’t already obtained a great holiday deal through your package holiday company, you can check out the lowest hotel rates on hotel booking aggregators such as Agoda.com and Asiarooms.com. We personally are great fans of Agoda, please do click to their website from ours and see what great travel deals they can offer you. By clicking from our site, should you make a booking with them, we will receive a small commission, and this then helps to fund and develop our website and provide even more useful information and guidelines for your next holiday to Thailand

·      Places to visit range from free to very cheap, although there are few over-priced tourist type destinations that try to charge close to western rates.  Obviously, if you are going to go to something that has been deliberately spruced up for tourists right in the heart of town, then you are likely to pay a tourist rate for it. But remember, the best things in Thailand to see are usually free and that’s a great deal for the visitors to Thailand, including stunning beaches, incredible historical sights and beautiful temples, none of which will cost you penny or a cent to enjoy.  Even though these are all free destinations, you will no doubt get hawkers trying to sell you their wares, and sometimes they can be a little over-priced and intrusive, but you can choose to ignore them if you wish. It is worth saying that a lot of these hawkers are merely trying to survive and feed their families from what little money they make, and if there is something that catches your eye, why not bargain with them and get yourself a good deal

·      Markets are such an important part of Thailand life, and there are markets in every city and almost every town. In Bangkok alone, there are some incredible markets, including famous ones like Jatujak Market on weekends only, Khaosan Road which is a paradise for backpackers, Bobae Market / Bobae Tower which offers a huge range of wholesale goods, Pratunam Market for clothes, Patpong Night Market,  Suan Lum Night Bazaar and the Floating Markets plus more. We will soon have a whole section on our site featuring markets around Thailand that are worth a visit

·      Food is without doubt one of the best deals in Thailand. It’s a pretty open secret that some of the best food in Thailand can be sampled in a food court or off the street for 30-50 bath per dish.  You can dine in the finest restaurant in Thailand and not notice much of a difference. The Thais love their food, and they have their own distinctive and popular around the world dishes, so even street traders don’t survive long if their food doesn’t taste pretty good. Aside from some concerns in terms of hygience and freshness (which in most cases you don’t have to worry about), it is worth sampling the food in the food halls and even by street vendors, and not just eating in fine dining establishments.  Food in Thailand is one of the best travel deals going

·      Alcohol is quite reasonable in Thailand, but be aware that certain alcohol, particularly wine and western spirits are charged quite a lot of import tax, meaning that the prices are quite high. There are local whiskies on offer, and alternative drinks, but make sure they suit your palate before going overboard with them

·      Hiring an SUV van.  Thailand is quite inexpensive for hiring a top of the range SUV van with driver. A great way to get around Thailand is with your own personal van and driver.  Make sure you get a number of quotes, and usually the best tour guides and drivers are fairly well established and you need to check to make sure you don’t get an over worked driver or a lethargic tour guide. A bit of research and due diligence online and through talking to people will yield good results. We plan to publish more details on this in the coming weeks.

·      Car and bike rentals in Thailand can be very good value, but you need to double check and make sure that the company that you are hiring it from is actually genuinely insured, or they are likely to be coming after you if there is any accidental damage during your hire

·      One of the best value for money deals in Thailand is visiting a local temple and doing merit when you are there. Not only is it free, but also by donating a small sum of money to the temple, and doing merit, you are actually conducting yourself in a manner that will lead to good karma and good fortune to you in future. We always recommend visiting a temple and doing merit when you are in Thailand, it really is a great experience

·      Thai massages and spas are known the world over, and in Thailand a real Thai massage or spa is an amazing and therapeutic experience, one that many Thai people will seek out in their daily lives. There are many Thai massages and spas littered all over Thailand, on side streets, in shopping malls, in fancy hotels, and again they provide incredible value for money. Most Thai massage and spa places clearly advertise the prices for their different services outside like a restaurant proudly displays its menu, and you will find that the prices really don’t vary much in a particular area. We recommend enjoying a genuine Thai massage or spa on your next visit to Thailand, and we believe it’s one of the best deals to be enjoyed in Thailand. Avoid the dodgy massage places that are also available to male tourists, these are usually pushed onto visitors by street hawkers working on commissions, as they are for a different kind of clientele, and due to their very nature can leave you prone to being ripped off.  Of course even in this area Thailand provides really good value for money, but due to the nature of this website being intended for families and couples, we will not publish any information relating to this particular topic

·      Tailors in Thailand are plentiful and highly skilled, and it’s one of the best places in the world to get a suit or dress custom made just for you. Don’t be put off by the sheer number or shops and vendors when you stumble onto them, and forgive the sometimes over enthusiastic nature of the sales staff within these stores, as it’s a highly competitive business and they try very hard to get their next customer and stay in business. Again, prices are usually clearly advertised and you will get some amazing deals, and shop around for the best price. There are some incredible deals to be had for those seeking to have their clothes handmade especially for them to a very high standard

·      Furniture is Thailand is very attractively priced, and buying furniture for export is something that tempts many visitors.  If you do find yourself being tempted to purchase furniture, there are a number of exporters who are set up for tourists and visitors to export items they purchase in Thailand. Again, ask around, and make sure you know exactly what you are paying before committing to anything.

·      It is difficult to talk about great deals in Thailand without alluding to the fact that you can purchase pirate copies of albums, films and software in most places in Thailand. The sale of these items is illegal, and vendors are often raided by the police, but for tourist they represent an incredible temptation, and a terrific shopping deal

·      Electronic items don’t tend to be much cheaper in Thailand, and due to sometimes restrictive warranties to Thailand only, we don’t recommend purchasing your electronic items in Thailand unless you do find something in particular that you must have.  There is a trade agreement with Japan and Thailand, which does mean that you can pick up certain items like top of the range cameras as very good prices.  In Bangkok Pantip Plaza is known for providing some very good electronic deals ranging from cameras to laptops and many things inbetween.  Always check the price and shop around, prices can vary quite a bit even in the same shopping centre. Also, don’t hesitate to make offers, even if the price is clearly advertised.

·      Second hand mobile phones in Thailand can be a bargain.  There are many shopping mall vendors of used mobile phones. Thai people are crazy about mobile phones, and there are some real bargains to be had, but be prepared to check out several sellers and make a number of offers before securing a good deal

·      Precious metals and gems. Thailand is full of gold stores everywhere in almost every shopping centre, and these gold stores sell very high quality gold, which is over 90%/23k pure. The gold they trade in acts as a currency and you can sell you gold at close to the purchase price in most of the same stores. Thailand also exports a great deal of gems all over the world, and there are a number of places you can purchase these items. Although the gold trade is fairly open and transparent, which means it’s harder to get ripped off by the vendors, buying gems is slightly different and therefore make sure you know exactly what you are doing or you’re with someone who does before parting with any of your hard earned money

·      It is difficult to create a list of great deals in Thailand without at least mentioning medical tourism. Thailand is one of the best places in the world to have treatment, and an incredible place to relax and recuperate. Many of the top hospitals are run like four star and five star hotels, and in many cases your insurance company will allow you to make your claim for medical services in Thailand, as it’s a lot cheaper than the west. Thailand’s doctors and nurses are some of the best in the world, and a large number of them speak perfect English, having trained in some of the best medical schools around the world