Thailand Unveiled I: Unraveling the Tapestry of Research and Decision-Making
Introduction
Welcome to the journey of planning my trip to Thailand with my travel partner, Zach. The pivotal decision of landing in Bangkok on New Year's Eve initiated this process. Once flights were booked, the stress of planning transformed into excitement. Late-night discussions and social media research shaped our travel route, from the bustling streets of Bangkok to the tranquil shores of Koh Tao. The HostelWorld app proved invaluable for accommodations and connecting with fellow travellers. With accommodations and domestic travel sorted, we did some budgeting, allowing us to get a rough estimate of expenses in the vibrant landscape of Thailand.
Booking flights
Where to start the trip. I always believe this is such a crucial part of planning your travels. Not only will it be your first impressions of your trip, it also needs to serve as a centre point for where you want to take your journey. This is such an important aspect of trip planning, because it allows you to set the tone for your trip. In the case of Thailand, Zach and I were both on board to land in Bangkok. Our trip was beginning on New Years Eve, December 31, 2023 at 14:45 ICT, mind you is; 02:45 EST. We recognized this was a big feat, to prepare ourselves for a late night after 36 hours of travel, however, we were ready to make the most of our time.
After a quick discussion on where we wanted to spend the beginning of our trip, we both tackled pricing our flights. It was pretty fast we discovered that we were travelling during an expensive time with the average round trip being around $2500 CAD. When you’re planning a trip, I know it seems like flight prices get more expensive everyday, however, it has usually served me right to be patient with this process. I do this to get a quick understanding on what the pricing is like, your flight costs shouldn’t change that dramatically within 2 or 3 days. In this case, being patient landed Zach and I with first class tickets on our way to Thailand, for ticket prices cheaper than the average economy on our departure date.
You may be confused how our first class tickets actually saved us money. I’m not going to bore you with information about credit cards, however, I will let you know that there are plenty of credit cards with rewards programs that are handing out free money. I’ll write a blog post about this in the near future, in the mean time, shoot me an email if you’d like to learn about travelling with free money through rewards programs. I’ll also dive into this a little more in my next Blog, From Takeoff to Touchdown, a Rollercoaster of Emotions, when I’m discussing the travel process and the reality of airports, while touching on the necessities of lounge access. Zach and I both transferred our American Express Membership Rewards into Aeroplan Points, and found ourself a round trip flight with a first class ticket for $2100, which was around $800 CAD equivalent in Aeroplan Points paired with $1300 CAD. There was a catch, our flights to Thailand included a 14 hour layover in Frankfurt Germany, and our flights home were economy. These were small problems to have considering we were saving money with first class tickets. Once our flights were set in stone, it became time to start planning our travels between these two dates.
Zach in the Maple Leaf Lounge in the Frankfurt Airport
Locations
Flights are booked, this trip is happening. This is my favourite part of planning, once the stress is out of the way for booking your flights, it’s time for the fun. The excitement starts to kick in when you realize this trip really is happening. This planning phase consisted in a lot of late night FaceTime calls, discussing where we wanted to go and what the most efficient travel paths were.
Zach and I spent some time researching destinations through social media and friends who had recently travelled Thailand. This process led to the rough draft of our travel route. We decided we only wanted to spend two days in Bangkok, we figured we’d get there, enjoy New Years Eve, see as much as possible and fly to the Southern Islands. We gathered pretty quickly that we needed to visit Krabi so we planned for three days there. Zach already had a live aboard planned for scuba diving so we were set on travelling to Khao Lak from Krabi. While Zach set sail for diving, I spent three nights in the quiet city of Khao Lak, diving a little deeper into the Thai culture. From here we made our way to Phuket. One night in Patong Beach quickly reset ourselves to catch the ferry to Koh Phi Phi. This is also where our friend Justin surprised us. On our second morning in Koh Phi Phi, after one hour of sleep, we found ourselves at Maya Beach. Well we were taking in the view, Justin called us asking where we were because he was at the airport in Bangkok. With the change in our group, we made our way to Koh Tao to finish our trip. We left the last 4 days of our trip unplanned to give us flexibility at the end of our travels. The choices on these locations came mostly from the advice of close friends who had recently travelled to Thailand. With these locations solidified, we went on to booking our stays at the local hostels.
Downloading the HostelWorld app was a blessing for this part of our planning. We started reading reviews and comparing prices, which led to us booking all of our hostels. The HostelWorld app really is a great resource for backpackers. You can create a profile like any other social platform, and when you make a booking, you can view who else is staying there during your dates. There are also group-chats that form before your check in, so that you can meet other travellers and make plans. The reviews on this app are very honest and they come almost entirely from other backpackers, this allowed us to decide on our accommodations according to the vibe we were looking for. Once our accommodations were sorted, we planned any necessary domestic travel. The only flight we booked at this time was from Bangkok to Krabi, and we waited to book our ferries and taxies through our hostels when we were there.
Budgeting
Once all necessary travel and stay was planned and paid for, it was time to get an understanding on the local currency. We thought it would be important to know the average costs of things like food, drinks, and taxis. This allowed us to land in Thailand with a general idea of what we were going to be spending, along with how much we should be spending when looking for food or rides. Since Thailand is a generally safe place for tourists, travelling with cash was not a concern. I had a credit card with no foreign exchange fees for our Hostels, and I used the ATM’s that were outside of the Seven Elevens. I didn’t make a strict budget for this trip, after doing some reading I knew approximately what I should be spending in a week and I kept this as a mental note. I definitely spent more money than I thought I would, however, when I’m travelling as long as I’m being reasonable, I try not to stress about money. I like to enjoy myself with experiences that don’t really have a price tag on them.
Conclusion
Beginning with the crucial decision to land in Bangkok on New Year's Eve, our planning process transformed into an exciting adventure of itself. Through late-night discussions and thorough research, we slowly mapped our travel route. Utilizing resources like the HostelWorld app proved invaluable in securing accommodations and connecting with fellow travellers along the way. By carefully budgeting and making strategic decisions, such as leveraging rewards programs for flights, we were able to maximize our experiences while minimizing expenses. As we embark on this journey, I am excited to share the rich cultural experiences and unforgettable memories that await us in the vibrant landscape of Thailand.
Stay tuned for the next blog of this series, ‘Travel Experience: From Takeoff to Touchdown, a Rollercoaster of Emotions’, where I discuss excitement of the travel experience, the lows of sleep deprivation, and the realities of airports.
