It’s a shame that one of the very first things many people experience when they arrive in Thailand is a deluge of people at the airport trying to get you to use various kinds of transport into the city. A lot of these people will approach you as you walk out of the arrivals hall and ask you where you are going or what hotel you will be staying at. Most of these people work for private “limousine” companies and charge around 900 Baht for a ride into the city in a sedan.
That’s almost 30 USD!
Today we are going to talk about the various ways to get from Suvarnabhumi airport into downtown Bangkok for a lot less.
If you are only in transit in Bangkok and want to stay near the airport, you should check out these hotels near Suvarnabhumi airport. However if you are heading into the city, read on.
The cheapest and most convenient way to get into the city is by a public meter taxi. There are a number of taxi ranks just outside the arrivals hall, but the lines are always very long and you have to pay a 50 baht surcharge at the taxi desk. If you don’t mind waiting in line, one advantage of using the taxi rank is that the clerk at the desk will speak English and will tell the driver where you want to go as well as give you a slip of paper with the taxi’s registration number on it.
But that is what most people who are wise enough not to be fooled by the limousine scouts do. What you really want to do is Continue reading →
Off-season travel: How much can you save?
For many, the best time to travel to Thailand is when the weather is cooler during mid-October to early March. In fact, there are three main seasons. From November to February you’ll find cooler weather with temperatures ranging in the mid 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The hot season, April-May, will bring about temps in the mid 80s and 90s while the rainy season, June-October, brings the temperature down a notch but kicks up the humidity.
When it comes to finding reasonable fares to Thailand from the States, the best fares can be found during the peak season with the most expensive fares occurring during the months of July and August. Rates in November and May range from $1100 to $1400 per person to Bangkok while an August fare will cost almost $1000 more. Last minute trips will provide you excellent package rates with the hotel costing you next to nothing. However, by planning ahead you’ll likely save money on airfare and find appropriately priced tours and car rental rates. Continue reading →
Traveling to Thailand in the off season is a good way to save money on hotels and airfares. Exactly when are the high and low seasons? We have outlined them below.
The cheapest months to travel to Thailand are in April, May,June, September and October. April is the hottest month of the year in Thailand, being in the center of the hot season (March-May) and sees little, if any rain.
May and June are the “shoulder season” , with discount hotel rates throughout Thailand , less tourists and cheaper airfares. This time of year is just before the rainy season so there is still plenty of sunshine, with showers increasing as you get closer to July. Continue reading →
Avoid paying a premium in peak travel season
One of the many ways to get cheap flights to BKK, Thailand that are mentioned on this website is to be a contrarian traveler, that is, do the opposite of what the masses are doing. In other words, fly in the opposite direction as the majority of the holiday makers are. The wisdom in this tip being that while everybody else is flying back home out of Thailand, the outward bound flights would be full, while the inward bound flights would be relatively uncongested, therefore the airlines would be willing to sell the seats for less.
But what if you really wanted to travel at a time that was a peak departure time in your country? Do you have to just bite the bullet and pay the jacked-up fares that the airlines demand because they know that people will pay it? Continue reading →
Low-cost Asian airlines are booming in recent years, bringing airfares down to all time lows. Explosive growth however can make companies reckless. Smart travelers, while knowing how to go about getting the best deals on airfares to Asia, which often involves using low cost carriers, would also be well advised to check out the safety records of some of these new airlines.
With the proliferation of low cost airlines in Asia over recent years, the availability of discounted airfares throughout the region has drastically increased. In a market once dominated by large airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, the list of new low cost carriers in Asia seems to be growing by the week, with little signs of slowing down. In fact, with the region’s growing middle class and their increasing desire to travel, forecasts for demand for discounted airfares from low cost carriers are only increasing. According to the Official Airline Guide’s website , the number of low cost flights operating in the Asia-Pacific region has grown to 60,000 a year, from 3,900 six years ago. Continue reading →
