Spending money for Thailand

Rambosmum

I know this could be a case of how much do you want to spend but I'm looking for rough figures - we haven't got loads but I want to make sure I set aside enough (this is a money saving forum after all!).

We are going at the beginning of April to Phuket for 15 nights but in the middle are flying to Chiang Mia for 3 nights to go to an elephant sanctuary.

We have already paid for: hotel, breakfast, and flights both for Phuket and Chiang Mia, the elephant sanctuary and transfer to from Phuket Airport at the beginning and end of the trip.

We need to budget for lunch and dinner for 14 days, (on elephant sanctuary day food is provided), taxi to and from Phuket airport for the internal flight. Taxi from Chiang Mia airport to our hotel in the city centre. Paragliding, 2 scuba dives with equipment, but not a training course as we are qualified, a few massages and manicures and some drinking money as well as a few day trips - perhaps to the little islands off Phuket.

Any help on how much I should expect to pay for such things would be great.

MasterPoo

How many of you are travelling?

vegasvisitor

It's very hard to say what you will spend, but food is very cheap in Thailand. Drinks are not always cheap, but can be depending on what you have. I was drinking wine coolers called Spy Classic on my last trip and they were between £1.20 and £1.60 depending where you were. Chang or Singha beer is between £1.20 and £2 maybe. A glass of wine can be £2.50 in cheaper bars, but more likely to be about £6 upwards in hotels etc. Cocktails anything from £2.50 upwards (can be £15 in sky bars!). Massages and manicures should be cheap too, but I have no idea what paragliding and scuba costs. Taxis are reasonable too, about half UK cost (or less)

DUKE

We did similar in June & took £1,000 for our meals & trips. We did loads & still came home with about £350. Although we didn't do diving or paragliding.

Rambosmum

Sorry there are 2 of us.

19lottie82

These questions are always on comparison with "how long is a piece of string?".you can scrimp and save or you can not worry about cash and totally splurge. You can bring home presents / souvineirs or not bother.

Personally if I was doing your trip with my DH (and I've been to Thailand a few times) I'd take about £2000 between us. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

MasterPoo

Just the two of you over 2 weeks, personally I would budget £2K and over, as Lottie says better to have more than less.

I once went on a school tour around Europe (I must've been 14 years old), I think I spent my entire 3 week budget in the first week and I was miserable, especially when my mom refused to send me more money!

Rambosmum

Thanks for the help. I think I'll take about £1000 in cash and then I have my clarity for the rest, up to about another £1000.

DUKE

That's exactly what we do & we've never gone without. We did our own thing in Bangkok, & took the sky train, tuk tuk, & boats (one boat only cost about 12p) to the temples, got a taxi to the floating market .... In Chiang Mai we booked the elephants, rafting, tigers, snakes, a show at a park in the evening, a few lunches, & all transport & a guide for just the 2 of us, & it only cost around £130. Again in Cha-Am we bartered with a taxi driver to take us to monkey island, & monkey mountain .... Enjoy!