Japanese traveller recounts cheap holiday in Thailand

Japanese travel website Soranews today explains how Japanese tourists can spend a weekend in Bangkok with just $340.

As Thailand targets rich tourists, begpackers are back and a popular new article tells Japanese people how to travel with little money in the land of smiles.

With the easing of Covid restrictions in Japan, international travel is back on the agenda, but with the Japanese yen in a precarious position, travelling abroad is expensive.

The challenge is to spend two nights in Thailand for less than 50,000 yen ($340), including airfare, accommodation, transport and food.

The first thing the Go Hatori travel reporter does is buy a plane ticket.

Right away, Go cheated, having booked in advance with AirAsia.

The round trip flight from Narita to Bangkok cost him only 43,960 yen ($302), but that is certainly not the normal fare.

Although the airfare was cheap, Go had only $40 left for the rest of his trip.

Would he be able to enjoy himself?

Could he even find a hotel?

Youth hostels don't appeal to him, so he looks for a single, private room and finds one for only 370 baht with a toilet, hot shower, free WiFi and a window.

With accommodation booked and boarding pass in hand, Go boarded his flight with just over 1,000 baht in his pocket for the entire trip.

On arrival, Go jumped on the 50-baht S1 bus from the airport to Khao San Road.

After leaving the bus, he walked for 20 minutes to the Bonita Guest House, where his cheap room was much, much better than he expected.

Room at the Bonita Guest House in Bangkok

There was a ceiling fan, desk, chair and private bathroom/shower.

It was excellent value for money.

There was even a small balcony. Amazing! (In pocket: 1,140 baht)

In the mood for a bowl of Tom Yum Goong (spicy shrimp soup), he went in search of the nearest place that sold it, a food stall so well known that it is featured in a Japanese and Thai food blog and ranked as the best in Bangkok.

A bowl cost 150 baht... and 10 baht more for the rice.

It would have been absolutely perfect if he had had a beer... but he had an orange juice for 30 baht, then went to a fruit stand and got a nice mango for 40 baht, real Bangkok prices! (In pocket: 910 baht)

Soon it rains quite heavily, so Go returns to his hotel room early.

After one day in Thailand. What was he going to do tomorrow?

Well, the first thing was to buy a bottle of water at the nearby 7-Eleven for 7 baht.

Then Ba Mee Haeng, a noodle dish without broth at 55 baht. (In pocket: 848 baht)

And as he was walking through the streets, craving something sweet, he came across a lady selling what looked like charcoal toast.

He ordered jam on toast and a sweet iced coffee, both costing 20 baht. (In pocket: 808 baht)

Go then heads to the pier to take the Chao Phraya Express boat to Oriental Station. (Pocket money: 793 baht)

The Chao Phraya Express boat

At Oriental Station, Go went in search of Charoen Saeng Silom, a restaurant famous for its braised pork leg.

It's not even 8:30, but Go is in holiday mode and orders a Khao Kha Moo with rice for 60 baht.

The dish was delicious and melting. (In pocket: 733 baht)

Now a motorbike taxi (34 baht) to Soi Charoen Krung, a cheap massage parlour area.

Most offer one hour of Thai massage for around 100 baht.

He enjoys a one-hour body massage (120 baht) and continues with a one-hour foot massage, also at 120 baht. (In pocket: 459 baht)

Journalist Go gets a massage

At just over 10.33 $, Go wonders if he is in trouble.

He still had to buy souvenirs for friends, so he paid 44 baht to go back to the centre of Bangkok. (In pocket: 405 baht)

Looking for the perfect souvenir, he came across an herbal inhaler (Poy Sian) for only 10 baht!

As he had to buy 11 souvenirs, they cost only 10 baht each. (In pocket: 295 baht)

Hungry again, the last dish of his Thai food tour was Khao Man Gai, chicken with sweet ginger sauce for 50 baht.

But just as he was leaving the restaurant, it started to rain heavily, so Go jumped on a bus, wasting a whopping 8 baht on a bus that all the passengers quickly got off.

Go never found out why, but he got another one for 15 baht and got off near Khao San Road. (In pocket: 222 baht)

For his last Thai meal of the trip, he had Khao Pad (fried rice) for 60 baht.

The bus from the airport the next morning would cost about 60 baht, so he had about 100 baht to play with.

A nearby convenience store offers the one thing Go's trip had been missing until now: a cold beer - Singha at 41 baht. (In pocket: 61 baht)

And with that, Go returned to Suvarnabhumi Airport with enough money for one last beer before boarding with 11 baht in his pocket to increase his budget for his next visit.

Source: The Thaiger, Sora News 24