im going to thailand travelling for six weeks and wanted to know how most people carry funds, where to change?

Question

is it better to take travellers cheques or cash, if cash is it a better rate once there, or is it cheap just to use a cash machine abroad.
thanks for your help

Answer 1

Hi Jaime, I will highly recommend using the ATM card for your funds. There are even machines at the airport when you arrive to draw money in local currency. No need to look for an exchange booth. No commission on trav checks or money changer to pay too.

Plus ATM machines are all over the place now. So it is very convenient and your wallet/purse need not break under strain of too many banknote! And drawing from the ATM gets you inter-bank exchange rate, which is the best rate you can get.

Just check with your own bank on their charges for using overseas ATM. Some banks allow free use overseas, while some may charge a fair bit and you may want to minimise the number of time traveling to the ATM machine.

One note of caution, just look over your shoulder when withdrawing to make sure you are not drawing keen interest from an unwanted character.

Enjoy your stay.

Answer 2

Since you don't mention where you are from, I can only offer a viewpoint from an American. The best thing is cash in 100 dollar bills for the best rate. Traveler's checks will get you the same rate but you are charged 30 baht for each traveler's check cashed. If you get traveler's checks, get them all in 100s...better rate. Debit, ATM, and credit cards are all good ways to carry your cash but keep in mind the following:

1, Nearly all USA banks and credit cards charge you a 1% foreign transaction fee. Plus there's the ATM charge.

2, You are limited to 500USD per day withdrawal at an ATM.

3. Take your passport and ATM/Debit/Credit card and go to a teller inside or at the cash exchange window. You can get up to your daily PURCHASE limit, avoid the ATM fee but still have the 1% transaction fee.

There are exchange booths all over Thailand and you can also exchange money at any Thai bank. Just be sure to have your passport with you at the time. And your ATM card will work in any ATM machine here too. Good luck and have a great trip!

Answer 3

Cash may get you a little better rate, but carries the risk of theft or loss. It is easiest to use an ATM machine; you get local cash at a fair exchange rate. You can also use your charge card, but there is a fee associated with currency conversions. When I go to Thailand (or wherever in Asia), I usually take just enough cash to get to my hotel, then use an ATM. By the way, most hotels in Thailand don't give as good an exchange rate as do banks. It is best not to use "unofficial" money changers.

Answer 4

I think the best way is an internat. debit card - not a visa card. That way you just put the funds in your bank back home and draw on it as you need it. It's inexpensive and saves you having to worry about carting all those trav checks around safely. You can use ATMs all over the place. The Thai baht is appreciating, so your cash is losing value. Moneychangers are ruthless. Why deal with them at all?

Answer 5

Go on Tripadvisor and ask the same question.
Go to the forum section under Thailand, you'll get loads of replies back from people who go there all the time.

Answer 6

We did ATM and that worked great for us. Have a great time!!

Answer 7

Right been to Thailand twice so here are tips to obey...

Before you go…important not so fun stuff.

1) Inoculations…

Sort this months before you go as some you have to leave weeks apart and some cost lots.

Rabies is good to have especially if you like stroking nice cute cats… You don’t just have to be bitten, licking will do it.

2) HOTELS

Do not book many days in hotels unless you will be on a tight schedule... Via the net most places are over 1000Bbhatt. I stayed in Kao San road for 150 Bhatt abet in a much smaller room without air con. But more spending money.

800bhatt will get you what you would deem first class hotel, a big cosy room, with double bead, shower, possible breakfast etc etc...and easy enough to find… hotels end to be near to each other.

The average for guest houses is 3-400 Bhatt. Though the cheaper hotels may not be keen on you bringing back ‘guests’ of the opposite sex. If they ask you not to be nice and don't.

If you are on a tight schedule you won't have time for the 2 night settle in and look round for somewhere cheaper and better routine... it takes a little time and not what you want to do whilst carting a big back pack around.

Note the Asoknana and Sukhumvit, Soi 23 area whilst good in terms of hotel quality, transport as near the monorail, private hospital and I think subway system…Therefore a good place to start

Is also the sort of red light minus the red light district areas in particular the Nana Hotel opposite Nana Plaza where the bar girls who ain’t pulled when the bars close go. Soi cowboy 23 and Nana Plaza being the Go go bar areas. Perfectly safe, people are friendly, the system works like bars you guaranteed to pull if a bloke … But you may want to think about that if going with teenagers, kids or on your honeymoon etc. As often they may not mention that in the brochure.

3) INSURANCE… Note medical treatment in Thailand, Australia and new Zealand seemed to add up to just under £40 = $100 or Bhatt 2800 often.

A weeks hostel in Aus or New Zealand $140, or nearly a week in decent accom in Bangkok… In Chang Mai got the same level of accommodation… bathroom, double bed, space, air con, breakfast etc etc for 150 Bhatt… = NEARLY 3 WEEKS ACCOM…

WHAT A CONINCIDENCE THAT THE ACCESS ON MEDICAL TRAVEL INSURANCE IS £40 EMMMN…..IE

PAY THE EXTRA £10 OR SO TO WEAIVE THE EXCESS OR YOU AINT COVERED FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT AND EACH TIME THAT’S ANOTHER £40 OUT OF YOUR SPENDING MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MAKE SURE IT ALSO COVERS EXPLICITLY ALL THOSE ACTIVITIES YOU WILL BE DOING AND WITH DIVING THAT INC DECOMPRESSION ETC.

2) TRANSPORT ONE
LEARN THIS PHRASE WITH BANGKOK TAXIS.... METER!!!!
AND NOTE DURING THE DAY THERE IS A BUS.

All Thais and those who are not
stupid tourists off the plane
know that any 'agreed price' with taxis that sounds cheap is several times over the 'meter' price on taxis. This is common in hotels where you see prices to go places.

If the taxi driver won't accept it will tough titty on him... 85% of the cars I could saw in Bangkok with Toyota Corrolla Blue and red taxis... just walk down the street, pref. away from tourist sites and hotels and flag down a taxi and give a wai (see below) and politely ask meter? when they agree then get in and say where you want to go. Maps help... Pictures do when you have not the words.

But no meter or conveniently broken (yeah right heard that one before) forget it or you will be paying at least twice.

3) Other transport includes motorcycle taxis which you have to negotiate with. I had to cough up at least 70Bhatt but they were good at zipping through traffic and often Bangkok is grid locked. Taxi meters still go up when stuck but much slower.

Busses are 7 Bhatt (ie 10 pence) compared to say 250 Bhatt by taxi, but busses are not air conned and can’t re route. Ie buss = mega cheap and genuine Thai travel. Just make sure you know the route and have a map. Remember you can point to where you want to go.

The monorail and subway/underground trains in Bangkok are above the standard of the docklands light railway and jubilee extension and spotless and impressive… they make us look bad. Again very cheap… 20-30 B that’s about 30pence.

Outside Bangkok is often Bhatt busses or I think its pronounced sawngthaew (song-tau?), http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/428492.html
decorated pickup trucks with a cover you can sit in the back.

These work by you flagging them down. If you get an empty one and there is nobody in it and you pay extra its like a taxi taking you straight there. If not you pay less and they pick up or drop off people along the way in an indirect route. (try and find out going rates but note … it beats paying extra as a richer tourist who can afford it then walking… So balance up between what Thais consider a you are richer so can afford to subsidise poorer Thais which is fair and someone taking the micky which is not.

3). Transport 2:
DO NOT , NOT, NOT, GO WITH PRIVATE BUS COMPANIES RUNNING OUT OF KAO SAN ROAD OR OTHER TOURIST SPOTS. OFTEN ILLEGAL, RIPPING YOU OFF AS YOU BOOK A NICE VIP BUS. INSTEAD OFTEN PICKED UP BY SMALL CRAPPY BUS THEN TRANSFERRED (IE NO CHOICE) ONTO OLD **** CRAMPED COACH WITH AIR CON THAT RESEMBLES A WATERFALL ON SOAKED SEATS HAVING TO PAY FOR YOUR OWN FOOD, AND MAYBE STUFF NICKED (ORGANISED) WHIST YOU SLEEP. Not getting dropped off at your Agreed destination. But say near by (got dropped off 10 min walk away) where planned taxis charge you a fortune to take a scenic route to a place that’s round the corner… Or worse.

Didn’t get done from Bangkok but by the official pus service from Phi Phi island

It appears cheaper for a reason!!!!!!!!!!

The worst services are between Bangkok Kao San and Chang Mai or Koh Phanyang, Samui on backpacker routes or with Krabi etc.

Instead you are in Thailand… so go do what Thais do. GO TO THE OFFICAIL THAI BUS/COACH terminals… Far better busses, efficient service and the VIP bus/coaches are really that…

Sleeper coaches that recline all the way, only 3 seats across, pillows, blanket, free food, stewardess, videos, headphones, comfy, free meal breaks, nice loos etc etc…

Thais ain’t stupid tourists.

Its also more of an adventure to make own travel plans…

And also go with sleeper trains. Again second class was very comfy, friendly, nice trip, safe etc.

TATs are tourist travel agents… most in Bangkok are dodgy… The Big not little one IN NOT OUTSIDE the main Train station upstairs( near china town towards south) is legit, did me ok with a chang mai jungle trip and accommodation whist the one next door was much more.

And avoid Tuk Tuks. They are for Thais… Tourists get taken not where they want to go but via all the dodgy jewel shops or TATs where they get petrol commission vouchers on route and make their real money.


4. Ok good stuff… FOOD

YUM YUM YUM, STREET FOOD…

In England feeding a street vendor sausage to a dog should rightly get you sent up for cruelty to dogs they’re that bad.

In Thailand however practically all the food you will want to eat comes from street food vendors and that’s what the Thais do and the food is most yummy and healthy and pretty safe. Many don’t bother cooking the food is around 25-40 Bhatt for say noodle soup or curry. That’s less than 50 pence. Healthy and did I mention yummy?

Condiments inc: sugar, fish sauce (nice on most things not just fish, chillis in sauce, peanuts and dried chilli bits.. Everywhere you go you won’t be far from lots of street vendors with lots of choice.

Pad Thai is more common in tourist areas… peanut and egg noodles but not common elsewhere and more oily. Thais tend to go for noodle soup and everyone loves the roti pancakes with bananas and chocolate… very very yummy.

Fruit is common but you need to eat it fast, its very fresh but in the heat going off in a few hours. Likewise make sure meat is cooked in front of you.

And ONLY BOTTLED WATER. The Thais Don’t drink tap water..

Basically if Thais are eating it it should be ok.

5.) Tiger temple… see

http://www.tigertemple.co.uk/photos.htm

http://www.tigertemple.org/Eng/index.php

This is one of the best things I’ve done. Playing with, petting and cuddling adult tigers who were alert, and well cared for, and the cubs.

It’s a tiger orphanage where the tigers have been brought up by monks and yes you can mix with them

In Kanchanaburi.

Get a thai bus/coach to the town then share a sawngthaew or get a bus to the entrance (it’s a walk of a few km and walk or better still wait for a sawngthaew going past..

Go see a transvestite show… these are not kinky more a theatre show with singing etc .. and Bangkok is famous for them…


Chang Mai for the Temples and jungle treks, not a malaria area.

BUT ON TOP OF THE CASH YOU ARE TOLD TO BRING MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOME CASH AND OR GIFTS FOR THE VILLAGE CHILDREN WHO WILL PUT ON A SHOW AND WE WERE NOT TOLD ABOUT IT, AND ONLY TOLD TO BRING A LITTLE CASH FOR SNACKS AND TRINKETS…

Felt real bad about that.

Also thai cooking courses and go see the show and dinner.

There are holiday islands not far from Bangkok where the Thais go so should be good but there is malaria there so make sure you have medicine.

Pattaya is really about gogo bars at night and not much during the day. If not goingt there for that don’t bother.

Koh toh is a chilled out peaceful island mainly for scuba diving, next door to the hippy koh Phanyang and the next stop the island of Koh Samui the opposite of Koh Tah. Very busy and touristy.

Also go to Phi Phi Island next to where they filmed the Beach and the Krabi area with all the rock formations coming out of the water. This area got wacked by the tsunamie and wants tourists back… If you have the time help out with some volunteer work helping them to rebuild.

6) Naughty Thailand

Yes the go go bars where guys go to pull (in Pattaya no being sexist there is an area which caters for gays and women often Japanese women with go go guys).

The gogo bars work with a stage with girls in bikinis, topless or often skirts no underwear and some have a first floor with a class ceiling.

The girls are free to choose, and there willingly if they want to go with you so respect that and treat it as if you were going out on the pull or a date. Ie clean up, shave, be nice. If someone is not comfortable with you let them be (plenty of others)

The deal is you pay the bar a bar fine ie less girls in bar to attract guys in. Ave 500 bhatt then go home to your hotel for short (ie bonk and bye) or long time (the night) 1500-2500 bhatt usually.

Again treat the girls as you would others ie be nice.

You are safe in these areas if you avoid the Pat Pong upstairs (ie golf ball shooting from areas of the body not designed for that at all) Those are ‘clip joints’. Like in other countries traps. You would go in, no prices shown, someone sits down with you then when you want to leave a massive bill is demands or you don’t get out with the way blocked by Thai boxers and the door locked from the outside… Get the idea?

This does not happen in regular go go bars. In Thailand you usually get conned if trying to be cheap it a git thinking you are getting one over on Thais.

Pat Pong has a market there, Nana Plaza is a circula 3 story block with a courtyard in the middle, Soi Cowboi is a mall in Bangkok and other areas have similar beer bar areas… ie no dancer stage. If that’s your thing.

As said you should not get hastle except to by drinks as soon as you enter, or danger unless you ask for it. Ie push or hurt a girl… the thai bouncers will work you over so hard your mum wont recognise you if you can still walk. And the police would probably be on their side as you hurt a girl.