BACKPACKING IN THAILAND

[rozandwill]

hey were both off into the land of the unknown in june 2010, would like some good info on places to stay/go places not to stay/towns to avoid........also a bit of info on travel insurance,does anyone know of a good company that covers for money theft,alot of the main companys like churchill and direct line only cover upto 500 pounds......ive also heard that HSBC bank dont charge for ATM transactions over there?? anyone know if this is true? how much do yous rekon we'll need for 2 and a half months ...........and finally is it better to take traveller checks money or just the bank card.....................well hope thats enough questions to keep yous busy

seriously though.............any info welcome

[DELBOYJOE]

Hi there,

I only been to thailand once, last Nov for 2 weeks, so can only comment from that small experience.

I found a combination of different types of money is good, so you dont have all your eggs in one basket. Some uk/dollar cash, some thai bhat, travellers cheques, bank card, etc. Personally i found the TC's the best as i got the best exchange rate and didnt get charged for using the atm.

I only seen bangkok, ko phangan, and phuket, and all 3 had their qualities. I think most people will recommend only a few days in bangkok and then move on, depending on your length of holiday of course (i only stayed 1 night).

I got cheap flights through STA and went with their insurance for peace of mind.

Hotels/houses, i just booked when i got there to save money, as prices could then be haggled, and generally being cheaper for longer length of stay.

if you have a look through other forums you will find loads of info from more experinced members, as i did before my journey!

good luck and dont forget to let us know how u get on!!!

p.s i still check flights and exchange rates regularly for any "to good to refuse" deals, but im not liking the trend in exchange rate between uk sterling and thai bhat.....

[rozandwill]

cheers mate, in bangkok 2-3 days to recover from the jet lag, exchange rate gets worse every week STA travel insurance only covers theft of money up 2 200 pounds.......which in my point of veiw is the most likely thing to happen to u............anyone know anything about monsoons between june and september???