While we mainly aim this article at visitors to our part of the world in Phuket, Thailand, you can apply a lot of the advice to holidays anywhere in the world.

One of the great attractions of Thailand is that it is cheap. The Tourism Authority of Thailand can carry on pushing their vision of Thailand as a millionaire’s playground for as long as they want but still the majority of visitors will be people who have a limited budget.

In this article, we will give a few simple tips to help you make your money go further. We are not talking about the sort of penny-pinching measures that backpackers use to make their tiny budget stretch a year. We are not going to suggest you eat noodles every day. After all, you are on holiday and holidays are meant to be enjoyed. However, most people have worked hard for their two-week holiday in the land of smiles and there is no reason why they should not get the best from their money. Here are a few simple tips to make the money go a bit further.

Accommodation

If you want budget accommodation then usually you can find good deals just by walking in off the street. Walk around the side streets of any of Phuket’s beach resorts and you will find guesthouses. During peak high-season (Xmas & January) it is better to book in advance as there may not be any rooms available. Whatever you do, do not ask a tuk-tuk driver for a recommendation. They will just take you somewhere that pays them commission.

If you want mid to high range accommodation then you should book in advance. If you walk in off the street, you will pay more for your room. It may seem strange but it is cheaper to book in advance through a travel agent or internet-booking site. The internet booking sites have the best rates. An excellent tool for finding the best rates is Hotels Combined. This Australian based website does a price comparison across 30 internet-booking sites and finds the cheapest available rates.

If you are on a longer-term holiday of a month or more then it may be worth looking for an apartment. If you go further back from the beach (e.g. Nanai Road in Patong), you can find nice one bedroom apartments from 12,000 baht a month.

Flights

Finding cheap airfares is a little more complicated.

There is a lot to be said for buying a package holiday from a travel agent. They will use their buying power to ensure you get good rates for your hotels and flights. However, many people enjoy the flexibility and independence of booking their own flights.

We would like to give a link to a single site that provides cheap international flights across the globe. Unfortunately, it does not work like that.

The airlines do not give their cheapest tickets to the major international travel sites. They know that companies such as Travelocity & Priceline have the marketing power to sell tickets that are more expensive. Therefore, while these companies sell in more countries and cover more destinations, they do not have cheap airline tickets.

The airlines give their cheapest tickets to small independent travel agents. These smaller agents usually only sell flights that depart from their local country. So for example, if you are in the UK you could check cheapflights.co.uk and they will check for the cheapest flights from a range of small agents. You will probably find return flights to Phuket from ?500 or less. If you try the major international travel agents then return flights start from $2,000. Therefore, whatever country you are in, check the internet or classifieds for your local travel agents and look around.

The best international internet-booking site is ebookers.com. This site covers most major destinations and sells tickets in most countries. While their prices are not the absolute cheapest, they are very competitive.

Travel Insurance

Many visitors seem willing to travel to Thailand without travel insurance. The low medical costs in Thailand mean this is not such a big gamble as at a destination such as the United States where high medical fees and a litigious society make travel insurance an essential.

However, we really would recommend that new visitors to Thailand get some form of travel insurance. Things can and do go wrong and it is best to be protected.

Do not get travel insurance from your travel agent. They may offer good deals on package holidays but they try to make the money back on the extras and their insurance rates are overpriced.

Get your insurance from a local and reputable insurance broker. There are no international insurance brokers providing competitive travel insurance to all nationalities. Instead, you need to go to an insurance broker in your home country.

Price comparison sites are the quickest way to find a good a good deal. You need to find a site that covers your own country. So for example you could try here if you are a US Citizen or try here if you are a UK Citizen.

Rather than just getting an insurance package for your two-week holiday, it may be a good idea to consider an annual multi-trip insurance package. If you have more than one holiday a year or even a few weekends away then these can be very good deals.

Money Exchange

Do not change money in your home country before coming to Thailand. You will get a much better rate of exchange in Thailand. Bring an ATM card or travelers cheques. In fact, it is nice to have two sources of money in case of problems so why not bring both.

Do not exchange your money at hotels. They give bad rates. Exchange booths at airports also give poor rates. The best way to get money when you first arrive is to use an ATM at the airport.

Tours

The tour prices in Phuket are generally very competitive. These organised tours are a convenient and reasonably priced way to see Phuket’s tourist attractions. There are many tour shops and lots of tours so the competition keeps the prices down. Just go to any tour shop and you are likely to find some good deals.

The only problem with booking tours is you do not know the quality of the tour service. The price may be competitive but if the experience is poor then you will still be disappointed. Most of the tour organisers provide a good service but there are also a few stinkers.

If you do not want to take a shot on an unknown tour company, you could book your tours in advance with Viators. Their prices are only a little above what you will find at the local tour shops and you have the benefit of knowing you are dealing with reputable tour operators.

Tipping

Tipping was never really a part of Thai culture. It is a custom that we visiting westerners have introduced and which Thai customers have now taken up. Most western visitors over-tip.

The normal tip in Thailand at restaurants or bars is 20 baht. That may seem like a derisory sum to leave by western standards but in Thailand they do not expect any more. You are not being tightfisted by leaving so little. In fact, some claim that westerners who come here and tip big are actually causing problems for everybody else. They are creating an expectancy of big tips from westerners that never used to exist.

Getting Around
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Located midway along the west coast, Phuket’s number one and most visited beach is Patong; a behemoth in terms of tourist numbers and reputation. The beach is quite nice here, although the whole package of shops, restaurants and bars is what gives this beach its great appeal. Patong Beach travel resource online Just north and south of Patong are Kamala and Karon beaches respectively; both of which are a little less brash and easier on the eye. Karon is the busier of the two and is known for its collection of upmarket hotels and resorts.Not far to the south of Karon is Kata Beach, perhaps Phuket’s all-round best beach. Kata has better sands than that of Patong and Karon, has fewer shops and bars and has a great feel to it, with shaded seating areas and some great shopping. As with the previous beaches, Kata is very appealing to the water sports enthusiast and is the island’s most popular surfing beach. Unlike Patong and Karon, Kata also has some resorts and one or two bars directly on the beach adding to its appeal.

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With much of the island given over to tourism development, there are few places left on Phuket for trekking. The only remaining patch of virgin jungle, Khao Phra Thaeo Wildlife Park, is home to rare wild animals, such as langurs, porcupines, and macaques, which would become extinct in fast-growing Phuket but for this nature conservation area.

The park offers the best trekking in Phuket with a well preserved natural environment. May through October is the best time for jungle trekking, when the forest is full of blossoms. The park has a marked hiking route for visitors to follow.

This tour is best done in the afternoon, so that you can watch the famous sunset at Promthep Cape. Promthep Cape is the most southern tip of Phuket Island and offers beautiful views of the sea and the southern coast of Phuket. On the way you can visit Wat Chalong, one of the most important temples of the island, and Rawai Beach.

Wat Chalong
Your starting point is Wat Chalong. It is located three kilometers before the Chalong junction on the left side of the road (see our small map)Wat Chalong is the most important buddhist temple of the island.

Although from the point of view of architecture it cannot be compared with the beautiful temples of Chiang Mai or Bangkok it is a pretty enough sight with its three connected roofs and the golden chofahs that sparkle in the sun.

The entrance of the Viharn is flanked by two stone elephants and inside are several statues that are covered with so many flecks of gold leaf that their features are almost unrecognizable. The Wat is connected with the memory of two revered monks who lived during the time of the tin miner`s rebellion and were famous for their medical skills. Opposite the temple`s Viharn is a lovely teakwood building that houses statues of the monks and also relics, like their robes.

Promthep Cape
When you have finished your visit to Wat Chalong, just follow the road along the coast to the Chalong junction and on to Rawai Beach. Rawai is very famous for its shells. It has a rocky foreshore and is at low tide a veritable eldorado for shell seekers (for swimming Rawai is less suitable).

A lot of small open air seafood restaurants are located along the beach promenade. Rawai also has a shell museum (located opposite the beach) that is worth a visit.
If you drive on in southern direction you will finally arrive at Promthep Cape.

Enjoy the scenic drive along Phuket`s southern coast! Promthep Cape itself is essentially just a rocky hill (steps have been built that lead to the top) but you have a very beautiful view of the perfect half-moon bay of Nai Harn Beach and of the little islands in front of the cape. There is also a lighthouse with a sightseeing platform; the view from the top is superb. If you have enough time it is a good idea to stay until sunset; Promthep Cape is famous for its spectacular sunsets.