*These are indicative prices and are subject to change over times*
WHAT ABOUT THAILAND
Capital: Bangkok
Largest city: Bangkok
Official language: Thai
Population: Over 68 millions as of 2017
Religion: Mainly Buddhism
Political system: Constitutional monarchy
Currency: Thai Bhat
Time zone: UTC+7
WHAT ABOUT TRAVELING THAILAND
Wet season: July to October
Best season to travel: November to early April
Visa: It depends on your nationality. There is a one month visa-exempt for most countries. Make sure to check out the latest info on the Immigration Website.
Hostel: Usually as cheap as 3€ to 5€ (3.5$ to 6$ USD) for a bed in a dorm. It does not make sense to recommend a hostel for each destination. Prices change on a daily basis. Make sure to check out the latest price on Booking, Agoda or Hostelworld.
Food: Usually as cheap as 1€ to 2€ (1.5$ to 2.5$ USD) for a basic streetfood meal (Fried rice, fried noodles and cheap food specials).
Food specials: Som Tum, Tom Kha Kai, Pad Thai, Gaeng Daeng, Khao Soy, Khao Pad and many more!
Motorbike rental: Usually as cheap as 2€ to 3€ for an automatic scooter (2.5$ to 3.5$ USD).
Transportation: Buses are usually as cheap as 3€ to 8€ (3.5$ to 10$ USD). If you need to get a bus, go straight away to the main bus station. These are governmental buses. They are cheap, reliable and safe. Never ever book from a hostel or travel agency. Trains are in the same price range. There are different categories of trains with variable prices (Slow and fast trains).
Bargaining: Medium. You can bargain everything as long as you feel you are not paying the right price. Use your common sense!
Budget: From 600€ to 750€ for a month (730$ to 920$ USD)
THAI BASICS
Hello: Sawadee Krup (Male), Sawadee Ka (Female)
Thank you: Khop Khun Krup (Male), Khop Khun Ka (Female)
Yes: Chai Khrup (Male), Chai Ka (Female)
No: Mai Krup (Male), Mai Ka (Female)
Goodbye: La Gorn Krup (Male), La Gorn Ka (Female)
TRAVEL APPS AND WEBSITES
GPS: An amazing offline GPS application that highlights hostel, food and even the tiniest hiking paths in your area (Maps.me )
Hostels: Use filters to sort out the cheapest price of the day. There is usually no need to book in advance. You might find cheaper accomodations on-site. In some remote areas, these are not advertised online. (Booking, Agoda, Hostelworld)
Currency converter: Highly useful for your first few days stepping in a new country (XE Currency, Easy Currency Converter)
Meeting people: Couchsurfing integrate a new ‘people around me’ feature. You will usually meet plenty of people at your hostel but it does happen sometines that you are the only one there. Tinder is not ‘only’ what you think! More and more people use it to meet locals or travelers to explore a destination (Couchsurfing, Tinder)
Money sharing: If traveling by group, Tricount is an amazing application for organizing group expenses (Tricount)
TRAVEL TIPS
Backpack: Pack as light as you can. Ten kilos should be a maximum. You won’t need these 15 tshirts and 5 pairs of shoes, will you? Remember that you will carry all this weight on your shoulders. There is one more thing. Checking in with a carry-on luggage only is way cheaper!
Cash: Always keep a 50€ or 50$ USD banknote in your wallet. You never now what might happen. It can be really helful in case your credit card get blocked for a few days. Never ever wait to run out of cash before withdrawing in a local currency! Before leaving a country, try to get rid of coins and small banknotes. You won’t be able to exchange them later!
Toilet paper: Yeah, you can laugh at this one. However, be aware that most Asian countries do not use any. You better get one roll in your backpack!
TRAVEL ITINERARY
