Self Drive Thailand - 2021 Prices & Tips

Tips and useful information for those planning an independent trip to Thailand. When to go, how to find cheap flights and hotels, a visa, an overview of prices in 2021, low-cost airlines and transport rentals, money and ATMs.

All information is relevant for 2021 and is based on personal experience of independent travel to Thailand.

Exchange rate: 1 Thai Baht (THB) ≈ 2.2 RUB.

Flights to Thailand

Air travel from Russia to Thailand eats up a large chunk of an independent traveler's budget. Tickets for a flight with transfers to Bangkok and Phuket - from 25 thousand rubles, tickets for direct flights are more expensive - 30-50 thousand rubles.

Here are some helpful tips for buying tickets:

• How to fly to Phuket cheap
• How to get to Bangkok
• How to get from Bangkok to Pattaya

Where can I find cheap tickets? Use Skyscanner and Airlines to compare prices for all airlines. Find out the secrets of finding cheap flights.

Tours can be used instead of a one-way flight. Consider for yourself: a standard direct ticket from Moscow to Phuket costs about 40 thousand for one person, and a tour - from 60 thousand for two. At the same time, you still get everything that is included in the voucher: hotel, food, transfer, insurance. Isn't that a cool way?

Last Minute Tours search on Travelata and Level.Travel services - they will find the best deals among different tour operators. Want to save money? Check out our 7 rules for buying tours online.

Thai visa

Russians can enter Thailand without a visa - a 30-day stamp is put on arrival.

If you are going on vacation to Thailand for a long time, then:

1. Apply for a visa in advance in Russia (independently or through an agency).
2. Get a Thai Visa in Neighboring Countries... For example, just get a visa in Laos and Malaysia in 1 day. You can get a visa in another Asian country and go to Tai, or you can fly directly to Thailand, get a stamp for a month and only then go abroad to obtain a visa.

About border wounds. Previously, people lived in Thailand for years without obtaining a visa: they went once a month to another country and returned the same day back. However, since the summer of 2014, the authorities have tightened migration policy so that tourists can apply for visas. Now malicious border runners may not be allowed into the country.

On the border. When going through passport control, keep at hand a printout of a return ticket or a ticket to a third country (you can also do it electronically). According to reviews, it is desirable to have a cash amount of at least 20,000 baht per person. Money is rarely checked, mainly from boarders in order to receive a bribe. We have never asked for a ticket and money, but it is better to play it safe at least with a ticket.

Prices in Thailand - 2021

Due to the crisis, Thailand is no longer a cheap country for living and independent travel. Local prices now need to be multiplied by almost two to be converted into rubles. However, you can still live in it quite budget if you try.

Prices vary across resorts. To give you an idea of ​​prices in Thailand, here are the main ones:

We go to Southeast Asia primarily for tropical fruits - they are delicious and cheap there. We have created a guide to exotic fruits with prices, names and photos.

Accommodation in Thailand

If you have planned an independent trip to Thailand, you need to responsibly approach the issue of housing. To live in a good hotel at a low price, and even in high season, you need to book a few months in advance. This is optional during low season. Traveling for a long time? Then book a hotel for the first days, and look for accommodation on the spot.

Look for hotels on Roomguru - the search engine will find accommodation with discounts and promotions. For example, a decent hotel room in Phuket or Pattaya can be rented for $ 12 per day.

Airbnb has a lot of cool apartments, houses, and villas. In resorts, studios and apartments can be rented from about $ 17 per day. It is profitable to book villas and houses if you are traveling with a family or a large company - it will cost less than hotel rooms. Even for long-term bookings, there are discounts.

The best hotels in Phuket with the beach on the first line.

When is the best time to go to Thailand

The question of when is the best time to relax in Thailand worries package tourists more than independent travelers. Usually, people travel to Thailand on their own for a long time (at least for a month), so it is not so important for travelers how often it rains. On the contrary, the rainy season is a wonderful time: an abundance of fruits, prices are low, there are few tourists, the most beautiful sunsets. However, before the trip, read about the peculiarities of the weather in Thailand, so as not to die from the heat and smog in Bangkok or not to celebrate the New Year on Koh Samui in the pouring rain.

Thailand is overcrowded with tourists in winter and spring. This is the high season and the weather is dry and clear. The rainy season begins in May and lasts until November.

Where is the best place to relax in Thailand

In Thailand, we lived in Bangkok, Krabi, Pattaya and Phuket. Of these four places, Phuket is of course the best. Most tourists are limited to Pattaya and Phuket only. We want to gradually travel the whole country.

Bangkok - for fans of cultural and sightseeing leisure. An interesting international city.

Phuket Is a classic beach resort. Great beaches, clear waters, many natural and cultural attractions. Phuket beaches overview →

Pattaya contradictory: Russians go there with their children for a measured beach and sightseeing vacation, and the rest - for night adventures. The beaches and the sea in the resort are bad. Reviews of tourists about Pattaya →

Tourists speak favorably about the islands Samui, Chang and Phangan - there are much fewer tourists than in the promoted resorts, and beautiful nature. However, the infrastructure is not well developed either.

In the provinces Krabi gorgeous rocks and a nice beach. There are no package tourists here. IN Hua hin the beaches are so-so, but the city attracts with its dissimilarity to other cities: it is neat, well-groomed and Europeanized.

On the Phuket we have lived three times and the island has been explored the best. Here are some helpful articles about him:

• Holidays in Phuket: reviews and advice
• Patong Beach. Should I go?
• Holidays with children in Phuket
• We are going to Phuket on our own!

Low-cost airlines in Thailand: low-cost airlines

Thanks to low-cost airlines, it is convenient, simple and budgetary to travel independently within Thailand and other countries of Southeast Asia. Flights are often cheaper than a bus ride - tickets cost $ 10-30.

Transport rental in Thailand

It's hard without renting a bike or car in Thailand: you have to spend a lot of money on taxis or excursions to see all the beauty. And you can rent transport very cheap! The usual price is 200-250 baht per day + deposit and passport.

Personal experience. In Phuket, we rented a bike on the BikesBooking.com website for 250 baht per day, while the owner does not ask for a passport as a deposit. In Pattaya, they rented a cool Kawasaki chopper for only 200 baht per day and also without a passport! True, he is already a little tired and shabby, but after all, he is a chopper. The rental point is called Tom Pattaya bike and car for rent (tel. 081 356 4906).

There are many bike rental points in the resorts, but renting a car is more difficult. You can rent a car on the Rentalcars.com website from $ 15 per day.

What is worth knowing:

• The movement is left-sided and chaotic.
• Driver's license required.
• Do not give your passport as a deposit.
• A photo of all the scratches on the bike is a must.
• Helmet and insurance are required.
• Red and white markings - parking is prohibited.