The Tourism Authority of Thailand has released figures showing tourism to Thailand is down this year. With the global economy suffering and political infighting within the country you’d be hard pressed to look for other reasons. But honestly, this is the best time to plan a trip to Thailand.

As with the coup 2 years ago all of the political protests are mainly in small pockets in Bangkok. When I went to Bangkok after the coup in 2006 I saw absolutely no sign of the Thai army. Outside of Bangkok it’s doubtful you’ll even hear talk about any of the ongoing protests or cabinet reshuffling.

The global economy being down doesn’t help matters much especially with the rise in fuel costs and day to day costs of living, but other than the flight to Thailand everything else will be very cheap. The average cost of a ticket to Bangkok from the United states is about $1500 right now, which isn’t bad considering the distance you’ll be flying.

With tourism being down there are deals to be had on lodging for sure. You could stay at the Marriott or the Amari hotels and have a great time but they will be costly at $100 a night and above. Boutique hotels and small mom and pop hotels are the way to go. Some of these hotels will give you the 5 star experience for 1 star cost. Typically you will spend $25-$50 a night but if you are staying for 2 weeks or more you can get a nice discount.

As far as food and attractions are concerned you can pretty much do it all without ever thinking about the cost as everything is so cheap. Of course there are up scale places to eat and you could go to Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens on a air conditioned tour bus but that really isn’t necessary. You can rent a baht bus driver for the day cheaply to drive you to the attractions you want to see and the best Thai food can be found right on the street or in small restaurants where the cost is minimal.

In Bangkok you can take the more expensive river tour up Chao Phraya River on a beautiful boat…or you could use the river taxi which only costs 13 baht ( roughly 38 cents ). The river taxi will take you all the way up the river to their last stop which isn’t far from Khao Sarn road but for another 13 baht you can ride it all the way back.

Another thing to consider when planning a trip to Thailand is any medical, dental, or optical needs you have. Typically these services will be less than half of what you’ll pay in the west which will give you a big savings and more reason to visit Thailand. Just having your teeth cleaned or your eyes checked will only cost you around $12-$20. Last trip my brother had a 3 tooth bridge made for him in one day that would have cost him about $2000 in the states but only cost him a quarter of that in Thailand. The doctors and optometrists I’ve seen were all very capable and Thailand has become a world destination to have medical procedures done.

All things considered there is no better time to head to Thailand and have a great vacation.

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