Thailand Packages Are Not Cheap

आप इस ब्लॉग का हिंदी संस्करण यहाँ पढ़ सकते हैं।

The dream of all Indians to go on a foreign location is completed by going to Thailand. The travel agents and the portals also contribute to this hype. Anybody who wants to go on a foreign vacation is sent to Thailand. After all the advertisement said the packages start at INR 24,000/- all-inclusive. You calculate in your mind that going to Goa or a Manali Trip sometimes costs you more. You buy the package immediately but when you come back you realize that Thailand packages are not cheap. 

I had a friend of mine who wanted to go on his first international trip.  We too suggested to him Thailand, after all, it is the cheapest. I was not wrong either it is the cheapest in comparison to other international travel destinations. The other destinations I am talking about are Bali, Malaysia, Singapore, and Dubai. If you compare the Thailand package with them it is by far the cheapest. So now you know that the travel agents and travel portals are not lying. Keeping this scenario in mind, you might think that this is a tactic, it isn’t.  If you call an agent and ask for packages, Thailand packages are quoted between INR 25,000-28000. You will see Malaysia packages at around 35-40k, Bali at 45k-50k and Singapore at 60-70k. You will find the same rate on the travel portals as well.       

Coming back to the story I quoted INR 28,000/- per person. Since there is no visa fee it was an all-inclusive cost. But when he calculated the overheads, the cost was coming around INR 35,000/-. Things like traveling to Delhi Airport, lunches and dinners, some shopping, etc. were added to the cost. The total cost of the entire trip came to around INR 140,000/- for a family of four people. This is still a very high cost for a middle-class family. Some people buy this deal and come back bitter as they have to spend more. The final amount is always more than the budgeted amount. You have to realize that travel agent are not travel planners like mastyatri.com. They are there to sell packages; the rest of the nitty-gritty has to be taken care of by you. We do consult/guide our clients on the extra expenditure.  

Let’s take the same example with a single person. The INR 28,000/- Thailand package includes Two Nights in Bangkok and Two Nights in Pattaya, All Transfers, Coral Island Tour and Bangkok City Tour.

Reaching Airport – You will be going to the airport and there will be a return journey back home. If you are living in places like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Punjab you have to travel a great distance. I’ll take INR 1,500 with snacks.

Lunches and Dinners – This also is another misconception that Thailand’s food is cheap. Not for the first-timers, vegetarians, and people who want to eat Indian food. In your four day travel, you will have 1 Breakfast (you won’t get on the day you arrive). The rest of the breakfasts are taken care of in your package. You will have three lunches and four dinners.  I will take THB 200 for each meal which is on the lower side. Therefore for all eight meals THB 1,600 which at today’s exchange rate of INR 2.40 will be INR 3,840/-.

Coral Island Tour with lunch is part of your package. But do you know what happens there? Coral Island is a place to relax and enjoy water sports. Water sport activities cost is not included. Each activity costs you THB 1000. Even if you do two activities (which again is on the lower side) will cost you THB 2,000 or INR 4,800/-.

Secondly, the Bangkok city tour is not good. Ask any travel agent and they will not even know what’s in it. I am very sure you will buy or the travel agent will lure you to buy an extra tour. Since you are going the first time you will buy at INR 4,800/- (THB 2,000 with transfer – a standard cost for any tour)

Visa Cost – I will add this cost of INR 4,800. Thailand was not always visa fee-free. Yes, there is no visa fee till April 2020 but it can revise anytime.   

If you calculate the above you have already spent approximately INR 15000 over the package cost. So your package cost as of now stands at INR 43,000/- (28,000 + 15,000). Well now you know Thailand packages are not cheap.

I have not calculated the cost of water and drinks. Thailand has a huge bar culture and if you consume alcohol, add another INR 5000 just for beers. On average a pint of beer cost THB 60 at Seven Eleven and THB 100 at bars. A hard drink will cost you THB 150 onwards.  You have a lot of Indian food options in Thailand but they are expensive.  If you are a vegetarian add another 20% on INR 15,000. You ought to buy some souvenirs and do some shopping. Keep a budget of THB 2,500 on a lower side. If you add these costs as well you will cross INR 50,000/-.

Do factor the overheads when you buy a travel package. You don’t want to ruin your first international trip on a miscalculation.   

We at mastyatri.com strive to provide quality packages and information to our clients. We just want to see our clients come back happy after spending their hard-earned money on an international vacation. For these efforts, we have been listed in the Top 40 Thailand Travel Blogs and Websites to Follow in 2019.