A Holiday in Thailand

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I’m sure many of us have thought about taking a really exotic holiday or around the world trip, then given up the thought because of the cost. Well here’s Mary Steen to explain that it may not be as expensive as we all thought. Mary. Have you ever really worked out the cost of a holiday? There’s the flight, yes, and the hotel.

If you go to the Mediterranean, that’s maybe £450, maybe a bit more. You’re bound to end up spending quite a bit too. There’s food and drinks, and a few trips, and then the souvenirs for the people in the office and friends. You’ll definitely need at least £800 in all. And what do you get for that?

Packed dirty beaches and the company of the kind of people you came abroad to get away from. Of course you really always wanted to go to Thailand and Singapore, but oh the cost always seemed to prevent you. What if I told you that two weeks in Thailand with its mysterious temples, its palm fringe deserted beaches, and wonderful oriental food can cost you around £700 instead of eight or more. I bet you’re interested. It’s not a packaged tour of course.

You need to be a bit more independent. You need to be willing to take a few risks and rough it occasionally, but you can do it. And I can tell you how. First, you need to arrange a flight. Between January and June a flight to Bangkok costs around £300.

That’s on scheduled airlines such as Singapore Air or Qantas, so you don’t have to put up with old planes which leave in the middle of the night like you would with a charter flight. Next, accommodation. Don’t book it. Don’t worry about accommodation until you get there. If you book from home, they’ll only know the major expensive hotels, and there’ll be a surcharge for the company that arranged it.

But if you wait until you arrive in Thailand, you can find hotels for as little as 50p a night or £4 per night if you want something a bit more upmarket. There’s no problem finding this kind of accommodation. You usually find that hotel owners approach you when you get off the plane. If they don’t, the local taxi driver will know all the cheap places to stay. It won’t be a five-star palace, of course, just a simple room with the necessary facilities.

But since all you’re going to do is sleep there, why spend more? As for the food, every Oriental city is full of roadside cafes and restaurants. You can eat well for about a few pounds a day. The large hotels will be much more expensive, and every city has a McDonald’s, but if you choose those, you will have missed out on the fun and adventure of trying the real local delicacies.