| Fuel prices are up and the economy is down this | | | | Once in Thailand, the good news is you'll be |
| year. That makes getting the most bang out of | | | | getting a lot for your dollar. Yes, even now. You |
| your travel buck important. Thailand represents a | | | | can always go nuts in any location, but I'll assume |
| fascinating and excellent travel destination that is | | | | you are going to be reasonable. A good, fresh |
| also an incredible deal. | | | | meal will set you back $2 to $5 and be a lot less |
| Known as the land of smiles, Thailand is one of | | | | if you avoid the touristy areas. |
| those truly unique Southeast Asian countries that | | | | There is one meal item that is expensive - beer. |
| boogle the mind. From the warm beaches of the | | | | You can expect to pay $2 to $3 per bottle. It |
| southern coast to the mountain palace of the King | | | | isn't outrageous, but it seems like it after you are |
| in Chang Mai in the north, there is a lot to see and | | | | conditioned to the cheap food. |
| do. Best of all, you can do it all for one of the | | | | Getting around is also incredibly cheap. Trains are |
| lowest travel costs in the world. | | | | popular, but also packed. One of the secrets of |
| In the late 1990s, the Asian economies were | | | | Thailand is the domestic airline industry. Simply put, |
| absolutely crushed over a one year period. Part | | | | it is excellent and cheap. I've splurged on flights |
| and parcel to this disaster was the loss of | | | | from Bangkok to Chang Mai in the north of the |
| currency value. Much like the dollar is falling now, | | | | country and spend a whopping $38 for a one |
| the Thai "Baht" suffered. Instead of a down | | | | way ticket. Traveling on trains is great, but you |
| period, however, it fell like a rock dropped from a | | | | also lose a lot of time. Cheap domestic flights are |
| plane and hasn't really come back. | | | | a good way to avoid this. |
| Put simply, this currency issue has made Thailand | | | | Thailand is definitely a great destination for those |
| a cheap, cheap place. Your biggest expense will be | | | | that want to maximize their experience on a |
| the flight. It can run $650 round trip at a minimum. | | | | minimum of expense. There are the usual high |
| It should also be noted that the flight is very long | | | | priced tourist areas, but even a small effort to |
| if you are coming from North America. A flight | | | | avoid them can result in a trip that is cheaper |
| from Los Angeles can easily take 24 hours or | | | | than you could ever imagine. |
| more. | | | | |