To be on a budget - part V

After giving you a general overview over your expenses while you stay in Thailand in the last episode, I want to start getting into details. How to save money every day? I don´t need to tell you that it´s advisable to buy the no name cornflakes instead of the more expensive Kellogg’s if you are on a budget. But I want to try to give Thailand specific tip; things that I had to find out first and things I wasn´t used to from home.

The ultimate advice to save money

This is a point that needs some time to be accomplished. But it´s totally worth it to invest the time and work because it comes with many other benefits AND you save a few bucks: Learn the Thai language! Often you are charged more because you are a tourist – not always but quite often. Make the prices drop just through being able to have short conversations. It works best with Taxi drivers, but also the prices for fruits dropped in my neighbourhood once I spoke a bit Thai.
Furthermore there are often different prices for farang and locals at touristattractions. It is often enough to be able to tell them that you live (and work) here to pay the regular price – which can make you save a few hundred baht easily.

Besides the money aspect don´t forget all the benefits you have when you speak the language: It´s a completely different experience in everyday life!

Taxis

There are different kinds of Taxis. The most Thailand typical ones are Tuk Tuk´s, which are small auto rickshaws. Even if they are not the cheapest way to get somewhere, they are definitely the most fun way. At least once you should have enjoyed the ride in one of these when you visit Thailand. To make it cheaper, you have to bargain with the driver – they are tough negotiating partner but if they don´t want to lower the price to an acceptable level you can still simply leave. Most of the time, they´ll prefer taking you for less rather than receiving nothing. Otherwise you can just try your luck with one of the hundreds of other drivers.

Then there are the "regular" Taxis, comparable to western ones. They have a taximeter and a basic price you pay additionally to the driven distance – in Bangkok the basic price is 35 Baht. You can really go everywhere quite cheap, for a 30 minutes ride you may pay approximately 100 Baht. Be aware! Many taxi drivers try to give you a fixed drive before which is always much higher than the taximeter one would be. Insist on that the driver activates the meter and if he doesn´t want to do that, simply tell him to stop and leave. When I did this, another driver already stopped behind us. They know this "game" too.

In Chiang Mai you have red pickup trucks, which are shared taxis. They are cheaper than anything else most of the time. It may take a bit longer to get to your destination because they pick up and drop off other guests too. You have to agree with them about the price before and if you speak Thai you get the “non-tourist” price most of the time.

These were the first "real life" hints, more will follow soon!