Hi All!

Is it cheaper to book accomodation from home(Australia) or when I arrive in Thailand, and what am I looking at paying for a 3-4 star room.

and also what bags should I take Backpackers bags or will wheelie bags be suitable... bearing in mind I want to travel to Phi Phi island

Thanx for all your help and advice. :D
skip.

1. Posting in the correct forum would likely provide a more bountiful response.

2. There are some good websites that can offer decent discounts on hotel room rates. See the mega-enourmous advertisement for Agoda at the top of every page on this website? You can get some good, free room upgrades aswell. Recommended. Conversely, accomodation is big buisiness in Thailand and so you should not find it difficult to find something decent when you arrive. That being said, it's always nice to have your first night or 2 sorted if you are not used to backpacking. After a long journey it can be tiresome to hunt for a decent and reasonabley priced room.

3. Which type of bags to bring? What type of nappies are you bringing and is your nanny coming aswell? (sorry, couldn't help myself. About as helpful as the Australian Tourist Board )

Which type of bags would you take for a holiday anywhere else in the world? Why would Thailand be any different?

Thanks for the heads up - post moved to the Thailand forum!

When I backpacked around SE Asia I never booked ahead; I would frequently arrive in a new place and then stroll up to a guesthouse. These days I think there are real benefits to researching and booking accommodation in advance, as the big brokers such as Agoda and Hotels.com can offer some fantastic prices at some high quality places - better than you'd get by being a walk in.

I also like to use cashback sites (such as Quidco in the UK) as they frequently offer you a further 10-12% off the prices at hotels.com. Combine this with the effective 10% you get from being a member of the Rewards program (1 free night for every 10 booked) and their hotel prices start to look very appealing indeed.

Regarding bags, I would suggest a small backpack is more appropriate. Wheelie bags can be difficult to negotiate on uneven Thai pavements (you end up walking in the road!) and muddy tracks. Make it small and light (you should easily be able to pack in a light 50 litre bag - my backpacking bag is 38 litres and about 7kg and that includes a laptop) and you won't have any problems.

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When are you arriving in Thailand?

Bags. Well, when you are waiting at the carousel for your own luggage, bag, backpack or whatever to come out you will notice a little of everything. You even see a lot of old fashioned suitcases coming off the belt too.

If you are a kid - go with a backpack! Because it sounds cooler when you go home. "I was backpacking in Thailand last month" sounds much cooler than "I was duffel bagging or suitcasing in Thailand" last month. If you are an adult it shouldn't matter what you have.

Most of the time you are going from airport to taxi or bus and from there to hotel or hostel. Even if you are going on ferry boats that is not a big problem either. Since you are asking about a 3 star or 4 star hotel you are probably not a common backpacker. Many of the thrift travelers and backpackers choose cheap hostels and cheap guest houses with no stars.

Whatever you bring make sure you can lock it! I never leave any hotel without locking my bags up. I do use safety boxes for valuables but there are small items that are convenient keep in the hotel room that I lock up when I leave. Out of sight - out of mind! Guests you allow in your hotel room will probably rip you off before the hotel staff.

I tried a backpack for a while when I first started paying for my own flights overseas. I didn't like backpacks. The straps would get caught on carousels, my opinion, they were not that convenient for packing.

I used 2 duffel bags with shoulder straps for about 6 years. One smaller one for inside the plane and another slightly larger bag for check in. Then I switched to duffel and big wheelie when I started to bring lots of stuff back to Thailand. Now I have 2 wheelies, one smaller one for inside the plane and one check in bag. Sometimes I check in 2 bags if I have a lot of stuff. The second bag is a duffel bag that folds up for trips back home. I can check in 2 bags for free on my airline. But I stay a long time in Thailand.

If you are arriving around Christmas or New Years holidays, especially for Phuket area I would book ahead! If you really want to save money on hotels get a NO STAR hotel. There are many "no star" hotels that have air, hot water, safety boxes, TV's, maid service and private toilets. Pull up the website for your hotel. Then find the same hotel on a discount booking service like Agoda, Expedia, Sawasdee, Asia Direct and others for better prices. (I never use a booking service. Cheap hotels that know me will hold a room with just an email.)

Are you flying into Bangkok first? If so, why not spend a night or two in that city before leaving for down south? (Providing Bangkok is finished with their flooding problems.) Why fly all the way to Thailand and not see Bangkok? If you have plenty of time Chiang Mai is a nice place to visit too.

When will you be visiting Thailand? Christmas - New Years holidays are the most expensive times of year to travel in Thailand. This is also the time when hotels are more fully booked. Bookings for Phuket may be even higher this year if the flooding problems persist in Bangkok.

Re: Backpacks

If you are "backpacking", all the lashing loops, straps and tabs are handy. If you are "traveling", they get in the way and get snagged. I use a convertible carryon with straps that stow away. Wheels just add weight and take up room.

Re: Booking rooms

If the accommodation has a site, or a booking agent, it's odds on that prebooking will be cheaper. But, if you just want to hit local guest houses, walk-ins are the norm.

In any case, prebook the first couple nights, just to get acclimated.

For this reason, I take off all the stray "lashings" and things off my carry-on backpack (such as the waistband) and ensure others are tidy and/or taped/held down. If I have to check a backpack in (rare, I just go as carry-on) I ensure I can fasten it securely by bringing zip ties or the like.

Backpacks are certainly less convenient for packing if you don't think carefully about it. I put all my clothes in an Eagle creek packing cube and all my loose things in a tupperware box. My laptop goes in its case, I have a washkit, towel, first aid kit and that's pretty much it. I can unpack my whole backpack in only a few seconds.

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Regarding accommodation - it depends how long you are traveling for and how well you know the destinations and how long you want to spend there. If you only have limited time and are relatively sure of the amount of time you want to spend in each destination, then why not book your accommodation in advance and get that out of the way? If you think you might get to a certain place and decide that you want to extend/cut short your stay, than of course, booking as you travel makes more sense.

Backpack or a suitcase - I normally travel with a small Swiss Army laptop backpack and a bag/suitcase. That works really well for me.

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