Hey all, this is my first post.

Right, I'm going to Thailand from the 10th February 'til 25th April. This is my first solo travelling experience and I could do with some advice and recomendations.

I'm not entirely unprepared - I have read several travel guides, and done plenty of research on the internet. Although, of course, none of this compares to people's first hand experience of Thailand.

So, there a few things I am wondering about, and haven't been able to find up around the internet or in books:

- What is an average price for a short taxi ride, in relation to how they are measured? As far as I understand tourists will always get charged more than locals, so it'd be good to make sure I'm not getting ripped off too much! I could do with it in Bhat and in pounds sterling in order to get a good idea of charging.

- What areas would people recomend to visit? So far I have Bangkok, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Koh Samui, Koh Phi-Phi and Chang-Mai on my list, but less touristy locations would be cool too :)

- In terms of saftey, what areas are best not to visit within Bangkok? I'm spending a few weeks there, so I'm thinking, as with any other large city, certain safety precautions are worth taking.

Any other general tips for a first time visitor would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)

Hi Darklight, welcome to the forum.

Taxi prices and methods vary greatly in different parts of Thailand. In Bangkok, if you just insist on going on the meter it will never be expensive. The real issue is the traffic. I find it much easier to travel by the Skytain, Subway and Riverboats that connect to most of the places that I want to go and as a solo traveller will cost you less. The taxi trip from the airport to central Bangkok will cost between 300-400 baht including expressway tolls, many drivers will try to convince you to accept a fixed charge of 500-700, but if you are firm and polite, they will usually relent. Around town, most trips should be around the 100-150 baht mark but the skytrain will only cost you 25-50.

In the South it is a bit different. Phuket transport is run by the "Tuk-Tuk Maffia and you can expect to pay 200 baht for a short trip. You can hire a moped for less than this daily so consider getting your own transport if you are a confident rider/driver. I would recommend doing the same on Samui, the taxi's there are a bit more reasonable and some do have meters but will charge an additional 70 baht surcharge so you will still pay 150-200 for most trips. For shorter trips the shared songteuws are a bit more reasonable around Chaweng-Lamai, they spend most of their time doing laps around the main beach road so are happy to accept 50 baht for a couple of km's.

Your list of places is fairly comprehensive for a first time trip but if you get the time, incude a few days in Kachanaburi. Many funky and friendly Guesthouses on the river and some great places to visit nearby.

There are not too many places that I feel unsafe in Bangkok, just avoid being too flashy and keep the bling to a minimum. The only place that we have had any trouble at all was in the Red Light zone of PatPong. If you must go see it, avoid the upstairs bars and clubs and stay on street level. I just take the normal precautions that you would in any big city, look around and keep your money in a secure front pocket. It is a great place to travel solo...have fun.

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I love Thailand this much

Thailand is awesome. I have been numerous times and will be there in 10 days myself. I am only going to Phuket this time for a holiday. I never take Tuk Tuks, as they are not safe and a lot of the drivers simply want to take tourists to places that provide commissions.

Taxis in Thailand are some of the cheapest in the world and you should always insist on the meter being turned on, otherwise don't get in.

Carry a color photocopy of your passport with you and leave your passport in the hotel room safe.

If you are in Bangkok and want a great free experience, check out the Banyan Tree hotel. They have an open air restaurant on the top of the hotel and at night you can get a 360 degree view of the entire city.

I found Bangkok relatively safe and have never had a problem. There are scams, mostly places trying to sell you fake gems or overprices gems.

The food is amazing and I enjoy all of it except of course the fried bugs. Not my cup of tea.

I like especially the Krabi area. It is near to Phuket but it is a lot quieter and much less hustle and bustle. Try to go to Phuket-PhiPhi and Krabi.




If you are in bangkok you may also want to go to Kanchanaburi and stay by the river Kwai. historic but also another nice and peaceful spot




Anyway most of the Thai people are nice and friendly and I am sure you will have a good time. Enjoy.

Hey! Glad u chose Thailand for vacation !
The taxis in Bangkok are pretty much ok and not at all pricey..they are all metered ones. But you go to Chiang Mai,Phuket or Pattaya get a transport arranged first or be prepared to travel locally- no metered taxis there.
Myself living in Bangkok for the past 1yr and had a bit of trouble in Pattaya since I couldnt find transport and taxis are expensive (since no metered ones)
Got a few phone numbers as well from the driver in case I need them.
Bangkok, Krabi,Pattaya (too full always), Samui, Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai , Phuket all lovely places..less touristy can try quite unexplored Pai (interior to Pai also) - around 2hrs from Chiang Mai airport..can take bus also from Chiang Mai apt around 200THB.
Let me know if u need more details. or can email me too.

Thanks for the Replies guys, I've noted your info down in my travelling notebook :)

Another question I forgot to ask was, for the average backbacker, what sort of gear am I going to need? So far I have the following listed out:

- Good quality bucket hat, or an equivilant protector from the sun
- Insect repellent
- A Mosquito net
- A large backback or Burgen
- Bite relief of some description (cream or spray)
- Lightwieght clothing
- Water sterilisation tablets (possibly?)
- High factor sun protection

Any additions would, again, be greatly appreciated :)

Hiya Darklight,
A hat is a good idea. Bring a small backpack! The more **** you bring, the harder it is for you to get about. I would bring a 50 litre backpack max. I see lots of backpackers struggling with 80-100 litre backpacks and think "what on earth have they got in there?"

When I travel to Thailand, I do it with a carry-on sized pack (just under 40 litres capacity). I wear a t-shirt and light fabric trousers and sturdy teva sandals on the plane, and pack in my bag:

- 1 pair swimming shorts
- 4 t-shirts
- 4 pairs of boxers
- a travel towel
- a small washkit with travel-size bottles
- a small first aid kit
- laptop --> but only because I work when I travel!
- point and shoot digital camera
- travel adapters and eleccy leads
- padlock
- sturdier pair of trainers/thick socks (only if trekking in the jungle)
- one of those bite relief piezoelectric things. Basically is meant to give a tiny shock around the area of the bite so that it doesn't itch. No idea if they work - they seem to have done for me, but it might just be the placebo effect!

and that's pretty much it. It all fits nicely into my carry-on pack. When I arrive in BKK, I just breeze through customs and out into the city... no hanging around carousels waiting for baggage!

Bangkok has quite a few branches of Boots the Chemist, so I head there to stock up on:

- mozzie repellent (DEET)
- suntan lotion
- aftersun

PS. Don't bother with the water sterilisation tablets unless you are going way off the beaten track. Bottled water is sold most everywhere.

Thanks for the advice once again, I've popped those items in my notebook too.

One final question.. Roughly speaking, for a 10 week trip, what would be a good budget to set myself to save for? I was originally thinking around £2500, however I have since been told this may be way too much.

Any info on budgets will be great appreciated!

It really depends on how you intend to travel. You can stay in 100 Baht per night fan-room fleapits, lux it up in aircon budget rooms at 300-400 Baht or go upwards of 1000 Baht for "proper" hotels. Multiply that by 70 days and you have your cost for accommodation.

Likewise for meals... you can pay anywhere from 30 Baht for a quick Pad Thai on the Khao San Road up to 300 Baht for a Western-style meal or an upmarket Thai meal. Beer? Singhas vary in price... drinking regularly can really beef your up spending costs. Leave the Chang well alone

Research the costs of your transport based on the journeys you intend to make; should be easy enough to come to a fairly accurate figure. What about souvenirs? Are you going to come home with a load of stuff or are you the type to walk on by? Budget for that too based on how much you intend to shop.

Throw in a little extra for taxis, essentials, the odd coffee, entry fees for tourist sites and you'll have a tailor-made decent estimate of how much you're going to spend.

Now... add on 50% again to that figure! The worst thing in the world is for people to go travelling with insufficient funds. I've met people subsisting on meagre food and loitering around their accommodation all day because they have zero funds to enjoy themselves. What kind of life is that, I ask? Doesn't sound like you will have a problem with that - £2500 sounds more than enough. Have it on tap in an account and keep track of what you spend... and be pleasantly surprised when you come home still in the black.

Do let us know how you're getting on when you're there, and give us a shout when you get back and tell us how you enjoyed Thailand and any suggestions you can feed back to the community for restaurants, places to visit and so on.

Happy travels!

I will give you a tip. Tourists are a target here. Im not going to justify or give you whys and therefores.
This is the truth. Watch yourself.
When you dont know what your doing they will suss that out and you will get taken. I hear some of you say. Tourists get charged more. Be aware.
Don't let your guard down have a nice holiday. Alot of times you will be getting stung without knowing it so it wont be as sore. Ignorance is bliss as they say but im talking about scams. Google it.....then you will be more prepared.
The land of smiles isn't always what it seems.