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  1. #1

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
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    Touring Thailand on 250 baht per day.

    ok i admit i stole this and i will pm the guy that originally posted this soon.

    The people you meet

    TT regulars may recall the lively thread some time ago about the best ways to save (scrimp) on expenses while travelling... well last night in Betong, I met the real deal, a live specimen of the "I travel to save money" species.

    250B a day was his average cost in Thailand - over the last THREE MONTHES in the Kingdom, I kid you not. And Laugh Out Loud, this character proved it to me... on his palm pilot!!! Yes the man who scrimped through his entire trip recorded every, single expense on an electronic deice worth a couple of hundred bucks LOL!

    250B a day for three monthes = B22,500B for three months - spectacular action I must say!

    So here is his lowdown on where he went and how he saved...(in case you care...)

    Destinations - he covered much more of Thailand than most, including some fairly obscure places, Uthai Thani (which he waxed lyrical about), Phichit, Uttaradit, Mahasarakham, Nong Bua Lam Phu; on the southern islands (where it is easiest to bust a budget), he only visited Lanta and Ko Pha Ngan, while spent more time in, what sounded to be pretty interesting beach areas of Nakhon Sri Thammarat, and went bushwhacking in Phattalung. All up he said he at least stepped into 32 provinces -- 700B/province ;-)

    He spoke not a word of Thai, and I mean NOT ONE WORD! yet he claimed to have had a great time whooping it up with locals (at their expense no doubt).

    Now at a glance I'd say this is a load of crap, but he showed me his daily expenses in the palm, so I think he was either for real or had some pretty serious issues.

    Again, I'm not making this up, but he had ten rules on how to save money when travelling (which he said I could post on TT and could feel free to make fun of).

    1) Hitch - he reckons he hitched about 75% of his trip and never paid for a single ride -- good luck some would say, poor form I would say, as a bit of cash is always appreciated if not expected.

    2) Stay in wats. I've never tried this, but he maintained that anyone can show up to a wat and sleep, bathe etc there for free. I'm not sure this is the case, surely a donation is at least expected? Can anyone confirm on this?

    3) Don't buy alcohol. He was explicit on the word "buy". i.e., he was happy for me to buy him a more than a couple of beers and a few snacks while he showed be his gadgets (including a Nikon D70 LOL) while he told me his tale. Talk to others, "be sociable and interesting" and they'll buy you booze! Well I got sucked in!

    4) When no wats are available, find the cheapest Chinese style hotel/short time place available. He maintains they always have rooms available for under 100B, but they are "rather basic".

    5) Newspapers. This guy was a mad football fan, but 20B to pick up a Post of Nation was way toooo much apparently. His solution? Go to a flash hotel and sit in the foyer, read their papers and, if questioned, say you are waiting for a friend who is staying in the hotel! Not a bad idea.

    6) Water. No need to buy it. He fills up at bank (and other govt offices, including copshops) water machines. I have to admit thinking of Chanchao when he told me that and I asked if he picked up that tip through Thorntree, but he said no, apparently his sister put him onto it. He did know of chancho's food site though, so internet wasn't out of his budget!

    7) Long distance transport. 3rd class train all the way.

    8) Sort distance transport -- walk. He said he walked from Thongsala to Haad Salad (on Ko Pha Ngan) which is a bloody LONG walk, rather than pay the songtheaw fare. Once there he camped.

    9) Calls to home. He had some phonecard gidget that let him call NZ for next to nothing.

    10) Bangkok. This is the one that had me laugh out loud. He has a mate who lives in Bkk in a condo, so camps on his floor, but when he arrived in Thailand, he made his way to his mates apartment (on Sukhumvit high sois) on the cheapie local buses - 6 buses and about 2.5 hours - cost around 50B all up!

    So there you go, you can do Thailand for around US$5 a day if you really want to...
    the thread

    the original posters site.

  2. #2
    Being chased by sloths DJ Pat's Avatar
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    Cheap [at][at][at][at], he should be awrded the Privelege card

  3. #3
    Being chased by sloths DJ Pat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goddess of Whatever
    Cheap ****, he should be awrded the Privelege card
    Cheap c***, he should be strung up and shot.

  4. #4
    born of a jackal
    colourful-era's Avatar
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    this thread could be turned into: ' How to really save in money in Thailand'

    any recomendations?

  5. #5
    Aspiring Guru
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    Wash your clothes at home by hand.

    Place them on newspaper under the matress to facilitate the dry and press stage of the process.

    Drink water from the tap.

    eat moma noodles three days a week.

    I could go on but no-one believes me.

  6. #6
    There once upon a time...
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    Go to Tourist Police and tell them you have lost your wallet. Asked to be dropped at the nearest hotel to where you actually want to go.

    They'll drive you anywhere for nothing...what else are they going do all day?

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat
    aging one's Avatar
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    Only one problem he didnt have any real fun. Sure he was here. But?

  8. #8
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    I went from bali to phuket in 1978 for three months for about 600 bucks.
    My first week in bangkok,staying at the fortuna hotel I spent 1000 dollars!
    It was worth every cent!

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat
    aging one's Avatar
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    See now right above me is the defintion of a real traveller. Good on ya Mark!!

    here you go

  10. #10
    Newbie
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    Quote Originally Posted by aging one
    Only one problem he didnt have any real fun. Sure he was here. But?
    I tend to agreed. What is the saying, "I rather live a year as a lion than 100 years as a sheep. "

    He could have worked hard for two months in his home land and spend a month in LOS as big spender.

  11. #11
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    I love to save money but this guy is just ridiculous!

    totally over the top if u ask me....how could you hitch a ride & not give some cash to the driver as a means of gratitude?

    tightwad.

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat
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    I got a few more tips ... must have forgotten to mention them to you

    11. Soap - using soap to wash is a waste of time because you'll only get dirty again later - just don't!

    12. deoderant - body odour is just a matter of perspective, we only think it smells bad because our parents taught us that, free your nostrils to the way mother nature wanted us to smell like....

    13. haircuts - same as point 12 above.

    14. shoes (or actually prolly 15 baht flip flops) - all that walking is murder of the life span of your shoes - but dont need to buy any replacements just go to the nearest wat and 'borrow' the nicest looking pair that fit you. - this is not a crime since all property if left anyway.

    15. meals - once a week when you've got tired of eating 20 baht pad thai's and bananna pancakes you have several options ......

    (A) go to a 5 star hotel/restaraunt and order the most expensive things on the menu - gorge yourself, then towards the end of the meal, take a small cockroach from your bag place it into the food and then scream and yell and generally make an enormous fuss, you usually get a free meal and sometimes even vouchers for a seccond go! If your a shy person you can try sneaking out and not paying - if you get caught - a nite in jail saves you a nights accomodation and you still dont have to pay.

    (b) leftovers - everyone else's leftovers in the local food court - everyone leaves their plates half full on the tables - just sit down at a likely looking one and tuck in! or eat the food left at all those funny looking buddha shrines!

  13. #13
    Thailand Expat

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    I blew 15,000 quid savings in a years travel. I was in Oz for 6 months but I worked on and off there as well so I earned an extra 4,000 quid whilst I was there.

    So in total around 20 grand for a year of fucking about.

    I used to laugh at the tight bastards trying to scrape buy on 200B a day

    Fuckers.

    I picked up a scummy traveler who was broke and fucked her for two weeks whilst buying her a bit of food and letting her sleep in my bed - whore.

  14. #14

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
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    I picked up a scummy traveler who was broke and fucked her for two weeks whilst buying her a bit of food and letting her sleep in my bed - whore.
    Thats called marriage I believe

  15. #15
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  16. #16
    Bubbly Sales Girl
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    I don't EVER want to get married then!

  17. #17

    R.I.P.


    dirtydog's Avatar
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    well not to mrs q obviously, perish the thought.

  18. #18
    Bubbly Sales Girl
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    Quote Originally Posted by dirtydog
    well not to mrs q obviously, perish the thought.
    I can see myself becoming a career lady though.

  19. #19
    Thailand Expat
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    on reflection that OP is a troll / wind up ... there is a lot of DBP (dirty backpackers ) out there - but nobody coudl possibly be that cheap,

    adn if they was they wouldn't have all the expensive electrical goods

    and the smell DBP also tend to learn 7 words of thai (or whateva the local lingo is ) to prove they had an experience!

  20. #20
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    btw what do you guys think is the lowest amount of baht you could live on per day reasonably?

    Not like the mad fellow in the originaly anecdote that kicked off this thread.....

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by KoolJohn74
    btw what do you guys think is the lowest amount of baht you could live on per day reasonably?

    Not like the mad fellow in the originaly anecdote that kicked off this thread.....
    I reckon you can get by paying about 500 baht a day for a room (personally I'm happier paying about a thousand as there's a big difference). Food is cheap often free brekkie and 1-200 baht for dindins. The rest is beer 20 quid or 1500 baht a day would be adequate...

  22. #22
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    that would be about 15 bottles of beer a day depending on price?

    i drink about 3 bottles a month

  23. #23
    Aspiring Guru
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    The travel cheap you got to use on of these in the city..


  24. #24
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    What a happy bus that is...

  25. #25
    punk douche bag
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    ^^
    HeHe..just noticed the back to front teak door logo on the back of the bus.

    BTW, Over the past couple of days when I quit drinking, I found myself spending about 150 baht a day, 50 on ciggies and the rest for food.

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