What We Wish We Knew Before Our First Trip to Thailand

Looking back at our 14 days in Thailand, there are a handful of small things that would've made the trip smoother if we'd known them going in. Nothing dramatic — just the kind of stuff nobody tells you until you're already there.

Grab is your best friend

We used Grab (Thailand's Uber-equivalent) for basically all our local transport — private taxis booked through the app, no negotiating, no confusion. ₹500-600 (~$6-7 / ฿210-250) a day covered most of our travel, except the one longer trip to Ayutthaya.

Street food isn't a downgrade

Some of the best meals we had cost next to nothing — ₹1,000 (~$12 / ฿415) a day for two covered real meals, not just snacks. The trick is eating where locals eat, not the restaurants right next to major tourist spots.

Book flights on your own timeline, not "expert advice"

We covered this in detail elsewhere, but the short version: we booked in December (supposedly the "worst" month) and still got our flights down from ₹32,000 to ₹22,000 (~$255 / ฿9,300) per person just by comparing properly. Don't let a blanket rule stop you from booking when it actually makes sense for you.

Mix your stays

We did both Airbnb (₹2,000/night for two, with a pool and gym) and hotels (₹1,000/night for two, with breakfast) — and honestly, mixing gave us the best of both.

Budget extra for the "iconic" stops

The Grand Palace was our one genuinely pricier stop at ฿500 per person. Worth it, just don't expect every cultural site to cost the same — most others were far cheaper.

Bcoz the biggest thing we learned overall: Thailand can absolutely be done on a real budget, you just need to know where the money actually goes before you get there.

Want our full itinerary and day-by-day breakdown? DM us on Instagram or email contactskytrippa@gmail.com — free, no catch.

Compare and book your own Thailand flights on Skytrippa.