Traveling to Bangkok on a Budget (PART I): Promo Fare Hunting

It took around 2-3 years before my my dream of going to Bangkok became a reality. To make sure that it would be a wonderful experience, I did a lot of research to make sure that we get the best deal. We were willing to spend some money but we wanted to make sure every peso (or should I say baht?) would be worth it.

If you are planning for a vacation in South East Asia (apart from the Philippines) Bangkok is one of your best options. Especially if you are a Filipino. There are already a lot of beautiful places in the Philippines to go to (I myself have more than a thousand islands to explore). So I thought, if I am going to travel outside of the country, it has got to have things/places (or offers experiences) the Philippines doesn't have. I chose Bangkok because it has:

• The Grand Palace and beautiful Buddhist temples (although we also have cathedrals)

• Dinner Cruise by the River (we actually have a cruise in Manila Bay, but it the experience/ view is totally different)

• Lots of elephants!!! (I believe we only have one- the lonely guy in Manila zoo)

There are a lot of other options. Check out these websites to help you decide:

http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/thailand/thailand_tourist_centre.html

http://www.tourismthailand.org/Where-to-Go


Let's start planning your Bangkok Trip! ^_^

WHEN DO YOU WANT TO GO?
For us, the first thing we had to consider was when we want to go to Bangkok. I am currently in graduate school (and working part-time at the same time) so we felt that best time to go will be during my semester break. According to http://www.travelfish.org/weather/thailand the best time to visit Thailand is between November to February. But the date we chose (Oct 11-14) wasn't so bad as well because it was off peak. We possibly got better rates and the places we went to weren't so crowded yet. There was a threat of a typhoon but thank God the typhoon was over when we arrived. We only experienced a 30-minute rain shower during our stay.

GET READY TO BOOK A FLIGHT!
For us, deciding when we want to go to Thailand was crucial because we wanted to take advantage of Cebu Pacific's promo fare. If you also want to take advantage of this promo, I suggest that you plan months ahead of your trip. Make sure to check Cebu Pacific's website (http://www.cebupacificair.com/Pages/default.aspx) regularly to make sure you do not miss the promo. You can also subscribe to Cebu Pacific for updates.

We bought our ticket 3 to 4 months before the trip but it was worth it. Usual regular (base) fare to Bangkok ranges from PHP 3,000-6,000 one way. But we got it at   PHP 1,200. Because it was my first time traveling out of the country, I was a bit surprised that there were a lot of additional fees to pay . Instead of just PHP 2,400, the total air fare (round trip) per person we spent was PHP 6454.59. Depending on the fuel surcharge or the promo fare you get, the cost can be higher or lower. But at least this will help you get an idea.

Cost of Cebu Pacific Total Air Fare ticket for 3 people (Round Trip from Manila to Bangkok).
This includes 15k check in baggage.

For first timers like me, make sure you also prepare the following fees (per person):

         Travel tax- PHP 1260
         NAIA Airport Terminal Fee- PHP 550

The good news is, you do not have to pay any of these fees going back to Manila. Travel tax/ airport fee from Bangkok to Manila is considered to be part of what you paid to get your plane ticket.

Good luck with your promo fare hunting! ^_^