Paying For Your Thailand Vacation

Even though a trip to Thailand is relatively inexpensive, you still need money to have a good time. Food and hotel prices are inexpensive but your airfare costs may have gone up 50% from last year.

So, how can you earn some extra money to pay for your dream vacation?

One way is to cut out the little things. Stop buying that cup of Starbucks coffee every morning and that candy bar every afternoon.

Skip the movie theater and the DVD rentals. We all have about 200 channels on TV and missing an occasional movie won't kill you.

Bring lunch from home. Make a couple of sandwiches, and pack a power bar and some fruit. Lunch will be cheaper and healthier.

Have a yard sale. Clean out your closets and sell your unwanted treasures. If you have a lot of good items, sell them on eBay.

If your job allows it, work some overtime. I look for overtime all the time but I don’t get extra money. But I do get extra time off called compensatory time. Time off is worth more than money to me.

If you have a web site, add some AdSense ads or join an affiliate program to make some money from your web visitors. I have more than one web site, and earn $500 - $1000 per month in advertising and affiliate sales.

Cut out the pizza deliveries, and the after work drinks. Frozen pizza and a few beers at home will save you some bucks.

Share a ride. Catch the bus. Ride your bike. Find some alternative means of transportation and save on your gasoline bill. You don’t have to do it every day but the more you use as alternate method, the more you will save.

You can also save some money by doing some daily hunting for the lowest airfares online and with your local travel agent. It may require an extra stop or two, but you may be able to save some cash.

You can also save some money by planning your trip more economically. There are also ways to save money while you are in Thailand.
Book a cheaper hotel. You don’t need to stay at a 5-star hotel to have a good vacation. By the same token, you don’t need to eat at fancy restaurants every day. Thai restaurants and street vendors have great food for super low prices. There are many low cost, smaller boutique hotels at half the price of the "name" hotels.

Don’t sign up for a package deal (air and hotel) – it will cost you more in the long run. Book your own flight and hotel separately. If you plan to take any day trips, do it when you arrive. The prices are cheap and the street tour vendors are cheaper than the ones you see in your hotel lobby.

Don’t book a hotel just because they give you a free breakfast. You may pay ten or twenty dollars more for this privilege and breakfast in Thailand is only a dollar or two.

Take advantage of the duty free store at the airport. You can get booze and cigarettes tax free going and coming.

There are many ways to add $50 - $100 extra every month to your vacation fund. And there are even more ways to save money once you arrive in Thailand. Combining the two will make it a lot easier to plan your dream vacation in Thailand.

Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com

Larry Westfall has been traveling to Thailand for over 34 years and when he stays in Pattaya he books his hotel through Pattaya-Resort
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By: lar

Dining In Pattaya Thailand

In Pattaya you will be bombarded with smells and tastes from a wide variety of cuisines. Determining where you will dine for the day may be the biggest decision of the day.

I will list approximate prices in Thai Baht and the exchange rate as I write this is about 33 Baht to 1 US dollar.

Breakfast is cheap in Pattaya. You can get basic fare for about 50 to 80 baht which consists of bacon and eggs, toast, juice and coffee. A better deal is the hotel buffet. The Lek Hotel, Apex and Diana Inn on Second Road all have buffets for about 110 Baht. Lots of food but nothing really spectacular.

I prefer to have a big breakfast but one that also tastes good. My favorite is at the Sportsman on Soi 13. They have a full English breakfast for about 240 Baht. This is served on a platter and comes with bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, beans, bubble and squeak, and fried tomatoes. It is all you can do to finish it.

I usually don’t eat lunch after having the big breakfast but for those who get hungry mid-day, there are many, many places to get something to eat. Everything from fast food to street vendor dishes are all over the city. You won't be able to walk ten feet without someone selling something to eat.

If I am hungry at lunchtime, I usually go to the Royal Garden Shopping Center upstairs to the food court. There you buy a card similar to a credit card and put however much Baht on it as you want. I usually add about 200 Baht and if I have money left over, I can get it refunded.

Then you just walk around to the many vendors and see what you like. Most of the food is Thai and there is everything from soup, to rice dishes to noodles. Beverages and dessert are also available. Most of the meals are in the 30 – 40 Baht range.

For dinner, I usually stop at a street vendor and get some meat and rice. There is a group of street vendors, or an outside food court on Soi Buakhao just north of Soi LK Metro. The northernmost vendor is my favorite. He has boiled chicken, fried pork, and cooked red pork. All dishes come with rice and cost 25-30 Baht. A bottle of water is an additional 10 Baht.

If you get hungry while out on the town in Pattaya, you will be able to get food no matter what time it is. Stationary street vendors and vendors with motorized stalls are everywhere serving soup, bar-b-que, and rice and noodle dishes. You can even get a sampling of Northern Thailand snacks – grasshoppers, silkworms, ants, and beetles.

Eating in Thailand is a way of life and you will find yourself eating 4 to 6 times per day. The meals are small in size and huge in taste. Some of the Thai dishes can be very spicy so be careful with the chili peppers.

And if you only eat pizza, burgers and fries, you can get those dishes all over the city too.

You can even find some of the best steaks and European cuisine in this former fishing village. Seafood is also abundant and you can get lobster or crabs for a small fraction of what you pay at home

I can guarantee that you will not go hungry when you are in Pattaya.

Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com

Larry Westfall is a frequent traveler to Bangkok - the City of Angels - and books his Bangkok Hotels at Bangkok Accommodations
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By: lar

A Day At Koh Larn

Visiting Koh Larn, or the coral island is a great change of pace from Pattaya.

My first trip to Koh Larn was a spur of the moment mini-adventure. I was talking with a young lady in a bar and she asked me where I had visited in Thailand. I rattled off a bunch of cities from north to south and then she asked if I had ever been to Koh Larn. I told her no and she said she had never been either.

It was decided then and there that we would take the short trip the next day. We spent the night together and made arrangements for the boat ride and tour at one of the many street vendor tour ladies.

We booked for a 10 AM boat ride and we were told we would be back at about 4 PM. The price was a whopping 10 US dollars each and this included lunch.

We walked down from Second Road to Beach Road and met out small, longboat that would take us out to the bigger boat for the trip to Koh Larn.

But first, we stopped at a square dock and were offered a kite-flying ride for an additional ten dollars. We declined but watched a couple of the others from our boat get the short round the dock ride.

We then boarded a bigger boat and chugged on out to the island. The ride took about 45 minutes and we were met by another small, long boat to get us to shore. This boat had a glass bottom to observe the coral, but the water was too murky to see anything.

We got ashore and since this was a spur of the moment trip, I bought my girl a swimsuit. We staked out a patch of beach and got 2 lounge chairs for about one dollar for the day for both and just kicked back and relaxed.

The water was clean and refreshing and we just splashed about and lay around on the chairs. We were offered a variety of sea activities from underwater walking to banana boat rides. We declined and just took it easy.

We were served lunch with the rest of the group and it was OK but nothing special. Rice, pork, French fries and a cold drink.

There were a handful of vendors trying to sell their wares but they were not pests. They came by once and left with a smile when I declined.

At about 3 PM it was time to head back. We took the small boat to the bigger boat and relaxed and listened to some music on the way back. The boat moved at a snail's pace and there was just enough of a breeze to keep things cool.

We met the small boat and were taken back to Pattaya Beach. I dropped my smart card off at the photo processing place and showered, changed, picked up the photos and went back to her bar.

I gave her a set of the pictures to show her friends and to keep for herself. All in all a very nice day that set me back $20 for the trip and another $10 to get her a bathing suit.

Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com

Larry Westfall is a frequent traveler to Pattaya and saves money booking his hotel through Pattaya-Accommodations
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By: lar

Shopping in Pattaya

Normally, I hate shopping. I don’t even like to shop for a loaf of bread. But, in Pattaya, I find myself shopping almost every day.

When I first arrive in Pattaya, I go shopping to fill up my refrigerator. Even though it is fully stocked, I like to stock it with cheaper items from the local 7-11. I have the hotel remove everything except the two free bottles of water and pick up some beer, Pepsi, red bull, and a couple of extra bottles of water I also get some snacks.

Since I travel light, I usually go out the first or second day and pick up some shorts and T-shirts. I will also get a few DVD movies to watch back in the hotel room. I have some preferred local toiletries and pick these up too. Lux is really great shower soap. I usually pick up these few items at Mike's Shopping Mall or over at the Royal Garden Shopping Plaza. Never accept the first price. Always bargain and don’t be afraid to walk away if they don’t meet your price. Walking away may drop the price drastically. If not, walk 10 feet and you will see the same items.

I make it a point to go to the Big C Shopping Mall and to Tuk Com (Com City) to check out the latest in electronics. I may or may not pick up an unlocked, tri-band cell phone that I can use in Thailand and also back in America. I will also take a look at the latest in pirated software and Thai movies. I enjoy Thai music so I will buy some CD's, MP3's and videos.

My favorite place to shop is at the flea market. In Thai, this is called talat naht. It is open on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Located on Soi Buakhao and South Road, it is open at about eight in the morning and I try to get there by nine. If I am early, I will just grab a bite to eat at one of the many street vendors.

You want to arrive early and complete your shopping by about eleven o'clock. Otherwise it will be way too hot. Shopping under all those canvas tarps in close quarters can be extremely hot. Make sure you bring a bottle of water or buy when at the market.

Most of the items are 99 or 199 Baht. This works out to about three US dollars or six US dollars. This is the place I buy most of the clothes I want for me and for my family and friends. You can also find clothes for less than that. I have gotten many outfits for my 1-year old granddaughter for about $1.25 per set.

I also pick up some additional Thai music and videos. The vendors will have stereos and TV's set up so that you can hear and see what they are selling. You can also the items to make sure they work. Prices for videos and music are about 3 dollars per CD.

It seems like you are always buying something just walking around Pattaya. I can be out going to dinner or to a bar, and I will see something that catches my eye and I buy it. Vendors also sell their wares while you are eating or drinking. They can be pests but every once in a while I will see something that I want to buy.

Pattaya seems like it is one giant flea market. Shops are everywhere, vendors are located every 10 feet, and malls are popping up all over the city. Large outlets are also available in Pattaya, but I prefer the smaller places where I can still use my bargaining skills.

So, even if you are like me and absolutely hate shopping, you will find that you will be shopping daily in Pattaya and actually enjoying yourself. Maybe it is because of how cheap all the goodies are.

Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com

Larry Westfall is a frequent traveler to Bangkok - Pattaya - and Phuket and books his hotels in Thailand through Thailand Accommodations
Submitted by: Free Article Submitter
By: lar