Travelling Studies

This summer may be the best time in years to take a well deserved vacation because the travel industry is having financial difficulties in these tough economic times. You now can find incredibly cheap airfares and last minute flights, exclusive hotels and cheap hotels, family resorts and all inclusive resorts, as well as discount cruises and last minute cruises on the web, or at your local travel agency. It stands to reason that if any airplane, hotel, resort, or cruise ship is not fully booked, that represents a significant loss of income that can not be recouped, so this is your time to grab the best possible travel deals in years.

When you search for holiday air flights on the internet you should first look at sites that have ticket price listings for multiple airlines. That way you can compare airfare prices side by side. If you search for air consolidators you’ll find that they have secured blocks of discount airline fares from a number of airlines. One of the well-known major discount airlines you should also look up is Southwest Airlines which is not usually included in the air consolidator or multiple commercial airline websites.

If you are planning air travel to Europe there are a number of European airlines that offer incredibly low fares, some as low as $60 U.S., when you fly between countries within Europe. Ryanair is the top low cost airline in Europe. It also flies to and from the United States.

Choice hotels, luxury resorts, including all inclusive resorts are now offering amazing bargains as they try to maintain full occupancy. On the internet you can search the words, hotels, or hotel finder to locate multiple discount hotel rates. The same also applies to resorts. If you want to take your pet on vacation with you, just search pet friendly hotels.

Another great source for reasonable accommodations are vacation rentals. These can include home owners who own recreational property such as holiday homes, cottages, or condos and now need to rent them because of the slow economy. There are also beach vacation rentals available at substantial discounts.

Luxury cruises at really great discounts abound. One of the major advantages that Americans have is that the cruise lines are increasing their presence by adding a few more ports and increasing some sailings on both the East and West coasts of the United States. Cruise tours are generally comprised of both a cruise and land tour. You can opt for taking the cruise first to a destination port and then continue with the land portion of the tour. Or, vice versa. You can take the land excursion first and then board your ship for the luxury cruise.

If this is your first cruise, or you’re not really sure what you want in a cruise, it may be advantageous to deal with a travel agency that specializes in cheap cruises like a cruise consolidator, by searching that phrase, or by booking with a local travel agency that has extensive experience in booking cruises.

Cruises are more complicated then booking cheap flights or cheap hotel rooms because there are numerous options which can be confusing to many first time cruisers. Some items to consider are the choice of state rooms (inside, ocean view, and balcony), deck location of the state rooms, and dinner sitting options except on ships that have anytime dining, etc. Keep in mind that it doesn’t matter if you opt for the least expensive accommodation, you are always entitled to use all the standard amenities on the cruise ship. All quoted prices are usually based on double occupancy. Always make sure that you are aware of the total cost of your cruise including all government fees and port charges.

When you book any vacation travel deals or holiday travel packages, it’s always best to pay with a credit card. That way you will have a record of all your trip transactions just in case a dispute arises with a bill, or a travel supplier runs into financial difficulty. It’s highly unlikely the latter would happen, but if it does you’ll have a better chance of being reimbursed or rebooked.

Known for rock-bottom eating expenses, most visitors to Thailand nevertheless overspend on food, but in Chiang Mai, deals are just around every corner. The more adventurous traveler who seeks a more authentic Thai experience or wants to make his/her travel money go even further can find cheaper, and often tastier, alternatives if they know what to look for. Many other long-term visitors are baffled when I tell them of my favorite venues, where I get a huge plate of yellow rice with fried chicken, a cup of fish soup, half of a sliced cucumber, and ice water for 50 baht (1.43 USD). And that is on one of the most Westernized islands in Thailand!

In Chiang Mai, it gets even better. There is no reason why you cannot eat a full meal for 30 baht (86 cents) in this town, but I have also managed to hunt down places where you can eat a full meal with ice water included for 10 baht (10 cents) or get noodle soup for 3 baht (9 cents)!

After living here for eight and a half months, I have come up with these ten tips:

1: Take a Hike–
Forgo the motorbike or tuk tuk your first day or two in a new location. Skip the taxis and walk. This slows you down and gives you a feel for the place like no motorized transport ever can. The cheap eateries are often barely noticeable, as they are often in people’s homes, and signs which whizzed by on the bike are attention grabbers at a walking pace. Whoah–noodle soup for 20 baht! Know your surroundings, and you will know how to best take advantage of them.

2. Avoid the Tourist Traps–
This should go without saying, but most people are too tempted by the wide array of options in the main tourist junctions to bother venturing beyond the action. Even in chaotic Bangkok, all one has to do is walk one block either direction from Khao San Road to find delicious meals for around 30 baht and walk away full (free water or iced tea included). Did you come to Thailand to eat Thai food or hamburgers and pasta?

3. Don’t Judge a Book by…
Yawn. That age old adage once again…If you have heard it once…Ahem. Anyhow, it rings true yet again. In Thailand, the extra dollar or two in pricier restaurants is usually a reflection of increased decor rather than increased quality. In fact, the vice versa is sometimes a better rule of thumb. When you pay more, you are paying for ambience. That’s is great if this is what you want, but if you are looking for better food at lower prices, look for establishments with the bare necessities. Plastic furniture that doesn’t match. An absence of music. An antique television set blaring Thai soap operas. Hokey thrown-together decor. Many of these places are just extensions of the Thai entrepreneur’s home, and dining there will give you a much closer look at Thai culture.

4. You Just Can’t Beat the Streets–
The entire world over you will find open-air street food, and it is usually the best value in any given area. This is particularly true in Southeast Asia. Sometimes you will find the usual collection of plastic furniture out front and full service, but often you will just get a small, disposable dish or be expected to eat out of a plastic bag. If it is close enough to finger food, I tell them to save the plastic and eat it out of my hands, but of course it depends on if I’m eating a piece of barbecued chicken or chicken curry.

5. Forage at the Food Markets–
Chiang Mai’s cheapest venues offer an amazing culinary adventure, and the markets are a revelation to anyone who has never had the pleasure. Pick your way through the various stalls, sampling new dishes, or hit the collection of cheap roadside eateries which often accompany traditional markets. My favorite part about the markets is they stay open until the early hours of the morning, so if I am on my way back from the disco I can stop and fill up. I’ll tell you what–it’s a lot better than pulling through the late-night Burger King drive-throughs in America…The best Chiang Mai deals are found in the marketplaces.

6. Compare Prices–
Do not be shy about walking in to a restaurant, browsing the menu, and then leaving. Thais appreciate competition. If you feel guilty, simply smile and say, “Pop kan mai (see you again).” Do this on your walking tours to get a grasp of the local prices and to see what your options are.

7. Be Adventurous–
Try new things, even if they scare you. You might be surprised. Many foods which seem alien to Westerners will be cheap because tourists avoid them. Also, reconsider your notion of cleanliness. In your home country clean may mean pretty, but, to Thais, clean is simply clean. If a lot of people are eating there, you can rest assured the food is likely safe. Don’t blame me if you get Bangkok belly–it is going to happen to you whether you follow my advice or not. Stomach problems in Thailand are an initiation every Westerner experiences, but it is far more often the result of bacteria or spices your body is not used to rather than sanitation issues. Don’t worry.

8. When in Rome…
Ah! Not another cliché…Go where the locals go! This is probably the most important, and most often overlooked, guideline to eating cheaply. Many of the local Thais are living on less 10,000 baht or less a month, and even those with more money naturally seek out the best food at the lowest prices. If I want to find a new place to eat with delicious and sanitary food, I just drive around and look for a small crowd of Thai people eating outside, but it is even better if you have a Thai friend from Chiang Mai to show you around.

9. Speak Thai–
In Thailand, there is almost always a Thai price and a “farang” price. No matter how long you stay, this will apply to you as well–you will never “become” Thai in any sense. However, open up to people and try to speak their language and you may often receive a discounted price or larger portions, especially if you’re a regular customer. One time at the Chiang Mai Aquarium, I received a major discount off the stated entrance fee after attempting broken Thai. “Raakha thourai (how much)?” I repeated, thinking I had misunderstood. “Speak Thai–get Thai price,” the young girl said with a smile.

10. Manipulate the Menu–
Do you really have to eat meat with EVERY dish? I opted for a pad thai with vegetable instead of with chicken one time, and it was topped with an omelette so big it covered the entire dish to compensate (not exactly vegetarian, afterall lol). It ended up being one of the best pad thais I’ve ever had. Do they offer special dishes served on rice for individuals (always a fantastic bargain)? Sometimes, there is no apparent price motive between different dishes, and the reasoning is a mystery. If you are on a budget, choose wisely. Let’s face it-everything on the menu is delicious!

And one more, just for good measure…

11: Eat with the Thais–
Though you should never purposely take advantage of this, Thais are some of the most generous people in the world. Stumble upon a Thai party and you will be ushered into a chair to be force-fed Thai whiskey and delicious food, even if you have no reason to be there. Say you are full and you’re plate will be repeatedly refilled. If this happens to you, DO NOT offer to pay. It would be an insult, although, if you accompany less well-off Thais to a restaurant you are expected to pay. One night, while waiting to catch the morning boat across the river to Laos, I crashed a Teacher’s Cub karaoke party and ended up buddying up with the school director. We got wasted, sang “Stand by Me” for the crowd, and he invited me to come stay with his family for an extended period. If you really get in well with Thais you may have the pleasure to attend a delicious Thai home BBQ. Bring a bottle or two of beer. If you are settling in for the long-term, you may even end up throwing a few of these at your place. Not to worry–there are plenty of places to purchase heaps of cheap meat and vegetables.

In Chiang Mai, deals are not hard to come by, no matter what kind of bargain you are looking for. Even if you prefer fine dining, classy clubs, and luxury hotels, you will surely find a value that far exceeds the money you spend.

Chok dee khrab!

How much spending money you need to budget in Rome is a hard question to answer as it depends on the lifestyle of the traveler, and what kinds of things are non-negotiable while touring.

Back in college, I went backpacking with my best friend. At the time we managed to get by on about 30 US dollars per day to sleep, eat, and sight-see. My friend managed to do this while still buying at least three cans of coke (at about 3 dollars each) per day, normally from an obvious tourist trap of a snack mobile parked about ten feet in front of the Eiffel Tower.

While such a budget would now be totally impossible (Yikes, how many years HAS it been?!), my tastes are no longer those of a young carefree backpacker, and so I’ll write about what it would now take to keep a city slicker such as myself  fed, entertained and bused around  Rome today.

As accommodation in Rome can vary so much for price and quality, it will really throw off a daily budget, So I won’t include it in my daily tally. Let it suffice to say that a bed in a shared dormitory goes for about 23 Euro, and a Room at the five star Hotel Hassler sells for about 600 Euro per night. Somewhere in that range, a bed to suit your needs and your wallet awaits you in Rome.!!

I would budget a minimum of 50 Euro per day to cover your basic needs, such as travel and food (shopping not included) and Rome sightseeing agenda. If you calculate that you are likely to spend around 10 -15 Euro per day in entry fees to monuments like the Vatican Museum or to see the ancient city, etc, that will leave you 40 Euro or so per day for all your food and travel expenses. Tours in Rome normally start at about 20 or so Euros, so as much as I advocate the added value of having a tour guide to fulfill your sightseeing wishes we’d better leave the tour guides out of the agenda for now as well. As realistically if you are looking at shoestring budget a tour guide no matter how good and informative is considered a bit of an extravagance!

So here is how to make the most of your budget. Most hotels, hostels, and B&B’s offer complimentary breakfast. Be sure to eat up and maybe if you can try take some fruit ‘to go’ this will do as snack through out the day, just be sure to leave some for the other guests!! If you carry a water bottle around with you, just refill it at the many water fountains around the city instead of buying a new one all the time. Save money at lunch time by having “pizza a taglio” (pizza by the slice) and a drink. If you get hungry mid afternoon, 1.50 Euro will buy you a heavenly cone of gelato which will keep your bellies pleasantly full for a few hours. Just make sure to stay away from the tourist trap vans, they always charge over the odds for goods that you can get in a shop near by.

Save the real meal, your precious Euros, and your appetite, for dinner. A nice dinner in a typical Roman restaurant (Trattoria) can be had for about 20-30 Euro per person including wine. Share a starter between a few of you and fill up on the bread if needs be. Again staying away from the usual tourist areas will ensure you get a decent meal at a reasonable price.

Known for rock-bottom eating expenses, most visitors to Thailand nevertheless overspend on food, but in Chiang Mai, deals are just around every corner. The more adventurous traveler who seeks a more authentic Thai experience or wants to make his/her travel money go even further can find cheaper, and often tastier, alternatives if they know what to look for. Many other long-term visitors are baffled when I tell them of my favorite venues, where I get a huge plate of yellow rice with fried chicken, a cup of fish soup, half of a sliced cucumber, and ice water for 50 baht (1.43 USD). And that is on one of the most Westernized islands in Thailand!

In Chiang Mai, it gets even better. There is no reason why you cannot eat a full meal for 30 baht (86 cents) in this town, but I have also managed to hunt down places where you can eat a full meal with ice water included for 10 baht (10 cents) or get noodle soup for 3 baht (9 cents)!

After living here for eight and a half months, I have come up with these ten tips:

1: Take a Hike–
Forgo the motorbike or tuk tuk your first day or two in a new location. Skip the taxis and walk. This slows you down and gives you a feel for the place like no motorized transport ever can. The cheap eateries are often barely noticeable, as they are often in people’s homes, and signs which whizzed by on the bike are attention grabbers at a walking pace. Whoah–noodle soup for 20 baht! Know your surroundings, and you will know how to best take advantage of them.

2. Avoid the Tourist Traps–
This should go without saying, but most people are too tempted by the wide array of options in the main tourist junctions to bother venturing beyond the action. Even in chaotic Bangkok, all one has to do is walk one block either direction from Khao San Road to find delicious meals for around 30 baht and walk away full (free water or iced tea included). Did you come to Thailand to eat Thai food or hamburgers and pasta?

3. Don’t Judge a Book by…
Yawn. That age old adage once again…If you have heard it once…Ahem. Anyhow, it rings true yet again. In Thailand, the extra dollar or two in pricier restaurants is usually a reflection of increased decor rather than increased quality. In fact, the vice versa is sometimes a better rule of thumb. When you pay more, you are paying for ambience. That’s is great if this is what you want, but if you are looking for better food at lower prices, look for establishments with the bare necessities. Plastic furniture that doesn’t match. An absence of music. An antique television set blaring Thai soap operas. Hokey thrown-together decor. Many of these places are just extensions of the Thai entrepreneur’s home, and dining there will give you a much closer look at Thai culture.

4. You Just Can’t Beat the Streets–
The entire world over you will find open-air street food, and it is usually the best value in any given area. This is particularly true in Southeast Asia. Sometimes you will find the usual collection of plastic furniture out front and full service, but often you will just get a small, disposable dish or be expected to eat out of a plastic bag. If it is close enough to finger food, I tell them to save the plastic and eat it out of my hands, but of course it depends on if I’m eating a piece of barbecued chicken or chicken curry.

5. Forage at the Food Markets–
Chiang Mai’s cheapest venues offer an amazing culinary adventure, and the markets are a revelation to anyone who has never had the pleasure. Pick your way through the various stalls, sampling new dishes, or hit the collection of cheap roadside eateries which often accompany traditional markets. My favorite part about the markets is they stay open until the early hours of the morning, so if I am on my way back from the disco I can stop and fill up. I’ll tell you what–it’s a lot better than pulling through the late-night Burger King drive-throughs in America…The best Chiang Mai deals are found in the marketplaces.

6. Compare Prices–
Do not be shy about walking in to a restaurant, browsing the menu, and then leaving. Thais appreciate competition. If you feel guilty, simply smile and say, “Pop kan mai (see you again).” Do this on your walking tours to get a grasp of the local prices and to see what your options are.

7. Be Adventurous–
Try new things, even if they scare you. You might be surprised. Many foods which seem alien to Westerners will be cheap because tourists avoid them. Also, reconsider your notion of cleanliness. In your home country clean may mean pretty, but, to Thais, clean is simply clean. If a lot of people are eating there, you can rest assured the food is likely safe. Don’t blame me if you get Bangkok belly–it is going to happen to you whether you follow my advice or not. Stomach problems in Thailand are an initiation every Westerner experiences, but it is far more often the result of bacteria or spices your body is not used to rather than sanitation issues. Don’t worry.

8. When in Rome…
Ah! Not another cliché…Go where the locals go! This is probably the most important, and most often overlooked, guideline to eating cheaply. Many of the local Thais are living on less 10,000 baht or less a month, and even those with more money naturally seek out the best food at the lowest prices. If I want to find a new place to eat with delicious and sanitary food, I just drive around and look for a small crowd of Thai people eating outside, but it is even better if you have a Thai friend from Chiang Mai to show you around.

9. Speak Thai–
In Thailand, there is almost always a Thai price and a “farang” price. No matter how long you stay, this will apply to you as well–you will never “become” Thai in any sense. However, open up to people and try to speak their language and you may often receive a discounted price or larger portions, especially if you’re a regular customer. One time at the Chiang Mai Aquarium, I received a major discount off the stated entrance fee after attempting broken Thai. “Raakha thourai (how much)?” I repeated, thinking I had misunderstood. “Speak Thai–get Thai price,” the young girl said with a smile.

10. Manipulate the Menu–
Do you really have to eat meat with EVERY dish? I opted for a pad thai with vegetable instead of with chicken one time, and it was topped with an omelette so big it covered the entire dish to compensate (not exactly vegetarian, afterall lol). It ended up being one of the best pad thais I’ve ever had. Do they offer special dishes served on rice for individuals (always a fantastic bargain)? Sometimes, there is no apparent price motive between different dishes, and the reasoning is a mystery. If you are on a budget, choose wisely. Let’s face it-everything on the menu is delicious!

And one more, just for good measure…

11: Eat with the Thais–
Though you should never purposely take advantage of this, Thais are some of the most generous people in the world. Stumble upon a Thai party and you will be ushered into a chair to be force-fed Thai whiskey and delicious food, even if you have no reason to be there. Say you are full and you’re plate will be repeatedly refilled. If this happens to you, DO NOT offer to pay. It would be an insult, although, if you accompany less well-off Thais to a restaurant you are expected to pay. One night, while waiting to catch the morning boat across the river to Laos, I crashed a Teacher’s Cub karaoke party and ended up buddying up with the school director. We got wasted, sang “Stand by Me” for the crowd, and he invited me to come stay with his family for an extended period. If you really get in well with Thais you may have the pleasure to attend a delicious Thai home BBQ. Bring a bottle or two of beer. If you are settling in for the long-term, you may even end up throwing a few of these at your place. Not to worry–there are plenty of places to purchase heaps of cheap meat and vegetables.

In Chiang Mai, deals are not hard to come by, no matter what kind of bargain you are looking for. Even if you prefer fine dining, classy clubs, and luxury hotels, you will surely find a value that far exceeds the money you spend.

Chok dee khrab!

Even in today’s economy people still love to travel, and hundreds of thousands of those people from all over the world travel to Las Vegas each and every month. Unfortunately a lot of us who are on a budget or like to think of ourselves as frugal, not cheap, have been priced out of a lot of Casinos located on the strip. The idea of paying $149 to $300 a night in the middle of the week is just a little to much too stomach especially when you have to factor in your gambling, shopping, dining, and going to Vegas shows budgets as well.

The good news is there are plenty a budget friendly Casino Hotels in Las Vegas, and some of them are even on the strip. So let us take a look at a few of the popular budget friendly hotels in Las Vegas.

Casino Royale on the Strip
Located between the Venetian and Harrah’s this small 152 room casino is right in the middle of all the Las Vegas Strip action. I recently stayed here for only $29 a night on a Wednesday through Thursday.

Imperial Palace located on the Strip
Located between Harrah’s and The Flamingo this Casino has over 2,500 rooms and their midweek prices currently start at $35 a night. $55 on the weekends.

Sam’s Town located on Boulder Highway
Sam’s Town is a resort located on Boulder highway in Las Vegas, they have everything you will ever need to enjoy a vacation in Las Vegas including a bowling alley. They also offer shuttle services to the strip and downtown Las Vegas. They currently have midweek specials starting at $39 a night, and their weekend specials start at $59 a night.

Fitzgerald Hotel and Casino located downtown
The Fitz as it is known, is very much a budget friendly hotel with clean rooms. It is downtown within easy walking access to multiple casinos and the Fremont Street Experience. The midweek room rates start at $29 and the weekend rates start at $49.

El Cortez Casino located downtown
This is one of my favorite casinos in Las Vegas, it was remodeled a couple of years ago and that changed this place considerably. It is located within walking distance of Fremont Street and all that downtown Las Vegas has to offer. The rates start at $27 a night. You will definitely get the feel of old school Vegas at the el Cortez.

When heading to Las Vegas do not be afraid to stay at a downtown or off strip property to get a great deal on a hotel room. The gambling requires less money, as the table limits are lower. The food deals are better as well. Most people only use their hotel rooms to sleep a few hours and take a shower before they head out the door again. So do a little research and save yourself some money and do not forget when looking for the best rates in Las Vegas to check the major travel sites but also check directly with the Casino you are interested in, you just might get a better deal.

How much spending money you need to budget in Rome is a hard question to answer as it depends on the lifestyle of the traveler, and what kinds of things are non-negotiable while touring.

Back in college, I went backpacking with my best friend. At the time we managed to get by on about 30 US dollars per day to sleep, eat, and sight-see. My friend managed to do this while still buying at least three cans of coke (at about 3 dollars each) per day, normally from an obvious tourist trap of a snack mobile parked about ten feet in front of the Eiffel Tower.

While such a budget would now be totally impossible (Yikes, how many years HAS it been?!), my tastes are no longer those of a young carefree backpacker, and so I’ll write about what it would now take to keep a city slicker such as myself  fed, entertained and bused around  Rome today.

As accommodation in Rome can vary so much for price and quality, it will really throw off a daily budget, So I won’t include it in my daily tally. Let it suffice to say that a bed in a shared dormitory goes for about 23 Euro, and a Room at the five star Hotel Hassler sells for about 600 Euro per night. Somewhere in that range, a bed to suit your needs and your wallet awaits you in Rome.!!

I would budget a minimum of 50 Euro per day to cover your basic needs, such as travel and food (shopping not included) and Rome sightseeing agenda. If you calculate that you are likely to spend around 10 -15 Euro per day in entry fees to monuments like the Vatican Museum or to see the ancient city, etc, that will leave you 40 Euro or so per day for all your food and travel expenses. Tours in Rome normally start at about 20 or so Euros, so as much as I advocate the added value of having a tour guide to fulfill your sightseeing wishes we’d better leave the tour guides out of the agenda for now as well. As realistically if you are looking at shoestring budget a tour guide no matter how good and informative is considered a bit of an extravagance!

So here is how to make the most of your budget. Most hotels, hostels, and B&B’s offer complimentary breakfast. Be sure to eat up and maybe if you can try take some fruit ‘to go’ this will do as snack through out the day, just be sure to leave some for the other guests!! If you carry a water bottle around with you, just refill it at the many water fountains around the city instead of buying a new one all the time. Save money at lunch time by having “pizza a taglio” (pizza by the slice) and a drink. If you get hungry mid afternoon, 1.50 Euro will buy you a heavenly cone of gelato which will keep your bellies pleasantly full for a few hours. Just make sure to stay away from the tourist trap vans, they always charge over the odds for goods that you can get in a shop near by.

Save the real meal, your precious Euros, and your appetite, for dinner. A nice dinner in a typical Roman restaurant (Trattoria) can be had for about 20-30 Euro per person including wine. Share a starter between a few of you and fill up on the bread if needs be. Again staying away from the usual tourist areas will ensure you get a decent meal at a reasonable price.

If you have spent any time searching the internet you have probably found that there are a wide range of sites that offer travel discounts as well as tips and tricks that can help you save even more and get the cheapest trip. With all this information at your fingertips, you may be feeling somewhat confused as to which option will help you save the most money on your travel plans. Do you go with a package deal or do you search for the cheapest rate on each aspect of your vacation?

Although you may think searching for the cheapest rates may be the best way to save you money, selecting a package deal can really save you even more just as long as it is done wisely. Many discount travel sites offer you the ability to package your airfare, hotel and car rental. In order to get the best deal possible you need to make sure you take the time to do your research. With so many different discount travel sites, each one keeps trying to one-up the other by offering the best package deals. Their competitions can be used to your advantage if done wisely. Do not assume that the first deal you find is the best possible deal on the internet. Take the time to comparison shop so you can make an informed decision without a doubt in your mind that you have found the cheapest travel deal possible.

If you really want to save hundreds on your travel plans than you really need to consider finding a package deal that allows you to plan the cheapest trip possible. With a plethora of discount travel sites available on the internet, you are sure to find the best deal that allows you to plan the cheapest trip possible.

Known for rock-bottom eating expenses, most visitors to Thailand nevertheless overspend on food, but in Chiang Mai, deals are just around every corner. The more adventurous traveler who seeks a more authentic Thai experience or wants to make his/her travel money go even further can find cheaper, and often tastier, alternatives if they know what to look for. Many other long-term visitors are baffled when I tell them of my favorite venues, where I get a huge plate of yellow rice with fried chicken, a cup of fish soup, half of a sliced cucumber, and ice water for 50 baht (1.43 USD). And that is on one of the most Westernized islands in Thailand!

In Chiang Mai, it gets even better. There is no reason why you cannot eat a full meal for 30 baht (86 cents) in this town, but I have also managed to hunt down places where you can eat a full meal with ice water included for 10 baht (10 cents) or get noodle soup for 3 baht (9 cents)!

After living here for eight and a half months, I have come up with these ten tips:

1: Take a Hike–
Forgo the motorbike or tuk tuk your first day or two in a new location. Skip the taxis and walk. This slows you down and gives you a feel for the place like no motorized transport ever can. The cheap eateries are often barely noticeable, as they are often in people’s homes, and signs which whizzed by on the bike are attention grabbers at a walking pace. Whoah–noodle soup for 20 baht! Know your surroundings, and you will know how to best take advantage of them.

2. Avoid the Tourist Traps–
This should go without saying, but most people are too tempted by the wide array of options in the main tourist junctions to bother venturing beyond the action. Even in chaotic Bangkok, all one has to do is walk one block either direction from Khao San Road to find delicious meals for around 30 baht and walk away full (free water or iced tea included). Did you come to Thailand to eat Thai food or hamburgers and pasta?

3. Don’t Judge a Book by…
Yawn. That age old adage once again…If you have heard it once…Ahem. Anyhow, it rings true yet again. In Thailand, the extra dollar or two in pricier restaurants is usually a reflection of increased decor rather than increased quality. In fact, the vice versa is sometimes a better rule of thumb. When you pay more, you are paying for ambience. That’s is great if this is what you want, but if you are looking for better food at lower prices, look for establishments with the bare necessities. Plastic furniture that doesn’t match. An absence of music. An antique television set blaring Thai soap operas. Hokey thrown-together decor. Many of these places are just extensions of the Thai entrepreneur’s home, and dining there will give you a much closer look at Thai culture.

4. You Just Can’t Beat the Streets–
The entire world over you will find open-air street food, and it is usually the best value in any given area. This is particularly true in Southeast Asia. Sometimes you will find the usual collection of plastic furniture out front and full service, but often you will just get a small, disposable dish or be expected to eat out of a plastic bag. If it is close enough to finger food, I tell them to save the plastic and eat it out of my hands, but of course it depends on if I’m eating a piece of barbecued chicken or chicken curry.

5. Forage at the Food Markets–
Chiang Mai’s cheapest venues offer an amazing culinary adventure, and the markets are a revelation to anyone who has never had the pleasure. Pick your way through the various stalls, sampling new dishes, or hit the collection of cheap roadside eateries which often accompany traditional markets. My favorite part about the markets is they stay open until the early hours of the morning, so if I am on my way back from the disco I can stop and fill up. I’ll tell you what–it’s a lot better than pulling through the late-night Burger King drive-throughs in America…The best Chiang Mai deals are found in the marketplaces.

6. Compare Prices–
Do not be shy about walking in to a restaurant, browsing the menu, and then leaving. Thais appreciate competition. If you feel guilty, simply smile and say, “Pop kan mai (see you again).” Do this on your walking tours to get a grasp of the local prices and to see what your options are.

7. Be Adventurous–
Try new things, even if they scare you. You might be surprised. Many foods which seem alien to Westerners will be cheap because tourists avoid them. Also, reconsider your notion of cleanliness. In your home country clean may mean pretty, but, to Thais, clean is simply clean. If a lot of people are eating there, you can rest assured the food is likely safe. Don’t blame me if you get Bangkok belly–it is going to happen to you whether you follow my advice or not. Stomach problems in Thailand are an initiation every Westerner experiences, but it is far more often the result of bacteria or spices your body is not used to rather than sanitation issues. Don’t worry.

8. When in Rome…
Ah! Not another cliché…Go where the locals go! This is probably the most important, and most often overlooked, guideline to eating cheaply. Many of the local Thais are living on less 10,000 baht or less a month, and even those with more money naturally seek out the best food at the lowest prices. If I want to find a new place to eat with delicious and sanitary food, I just drive around and look for a small crowd of Thai people eating outside, but it is even better if you have a Thai friend from Chiang Mai to show you around.

9. Speak Thai–
In Thailand, there is almost always a Thai price and a “farang” price. No matter how long you stay, this will apply to you as well–you will never “become” Thai in any sense. However, open up to people and try to speak their language and you may often receive a discounted price or larger portions, especially if you’re a regular customer. One time at the Chiang Mai Aquarium, I received a major discount off the stated entrance fee after attempting broken Thai. “Raakha thourai (how much)?” I repeated, thinking I had misunderstood. “Speak Thai–get Thai price,” the young girl said with a smile.

10. Manipulate the Menu–
Do you really have to eat meat with EVERY dish? I opted for a pad thai with vegetable instead of with chicken one time, and it was topped with an omelette so big it covered the entire dish to compensate (not exactly vegetarian, afterall lol). It ended up being one of the best pad thais I’ve ever had. Do they offer special dishes served on rice for individuals (always a fantastic bargain)? Sometimes, there is no apparent price motive between different dishes, and the reasoning is a mystery. If you are on a budget, choose wisely. Let’s face it-everything on the menu is delicious!

And one more, just for good measure…

11: Eat with the Thais–
Though you should never purposely take advantage of this, Thais are some of the most generous people in the world. Stumble upon a Thai party and you will be ushered into a chair to be force-fed Thai whiskey and delicious food, even if you have no reason to be there. Say you are full and you’re plate will be repeatedly refilled. If this happens to you, DO NOT offer to pay. It would be an insult, although, if you accompany less well-off Thais to a restaurant you are expected to pay. One night, while waiting to catch the morning boat across the river to Laos, I crashed a Teacher’s Cub karaoke party and ended up buddying up with the school director. We got wasted, sang “Stand by Me” for the crowd, and he invited me to come stay with his family for an extended period. If you really get in well with Thais you may have the pleasure to attend a delicious Thai home BBQ. Bring a bottle or two of beer. If you are settling in for the long-term, you may even end up throwing a few of these at your place. Not to worry–there are plenty of places to purchase heaps of cheap meat and vegetables.

In Chiang Mai, deals are not hard to come by, no matter what kind of bargain you are looking for. Even if you prefer fine dining, classy clubs, and luxury hotels, you will surely find a value that far exceeds the money you spend.

Chok dee khrab!

How much spending money you need to budget in Rome is a hard question to answer as it depends on the lifestyle of the traveler, and what kinds of things are non-negotiable while touring.

Back in college, I went backpacking with my best friend. At the time we managed to get by on about 30 US dollars per day to sleep, eat, and sight-see. My friend managed to do this while still buying at least three cans of coke (at about 3 dollars each) per day, normally from an obvious tourist trap of a snack mobile parked about ten feet in front of the Eiffel Tower.

While such a budget would now be totally impossible (Yikes, how many years HAS it been?!), my tastes are no longer those of a young carefree backpacker, and so I’ll write about what it would now take to keep a city slicker such as myself  fed, entertained and bused around  Rome today.

As accommodation in Rome can vary so much for price and quality, it will really throw off a daily budget, So I won’t include it in my daily tally. Let it suffice to say that a bed in a shared dormitory goes for about 23 Euro, and a Room at the five star Hotel Hassler sells for about 600 Euro per night. Somewhere in that range, a bed to suit your needs and your wallet awaits you in Rome.!!

I would budget a minimum of 50 Euro per day to cover your basic needs, such as travel and food (shopping not included) and Rome sightseeing agenda. If you calculate that you are likely to spend around 10 -15 Euro per day in entry fees to monuments like the Vatican Museum or to see the ancient city, etc, that will leave you 40 Euro or so per day for all your food and travel expenses. Tours in Rome normally start at about 20 or so Euros, so as much as I advocate the added value of having a tour guide to fulfill your sightseeing wishes we’d better leave the tour guides out of the agenda for now as well. As realistically if you are looking at shoestring budget a tour guide no matter how good and informative is considered a bit of an extravagance!

So here is how to make the most of your budget. Most hotels, hostels, and B&B’s offer complimentary breakfast. Be sure to eat up and maybe if you can try take some fruit ‘to go’ this will do as snack through out the day, just be sure to leave some for the other guests!! If you carry a water bottle around with you, just refill it at the many water fountains around the city instead of buying a new one all the time. Save money at lunch time by having “pizza a taglio” (pizza by the slice) and a drink. If you get hungry mid afternoon, 1.50 Euro will buy you a heavenly cone of gelato which will keep your bellies pleasantly full for a few hours. Just make sure to stay away from the tourist trap vans, they always charge over the odds for goods that you can get in a shop near by.

Save the real meal, your precious Euros, and your appetite, for dinner. A nice dinner in a typical Roman restaurant (Trattoria) can be had for about 20-30 Euro per person including wine. Share a starter between a few of you and fill up on the bread if needs be. Again staying away from the usual tourist areas will ensure you get a decent meal at a reasonable price.