Thailand best suited for cheap backpacking holidays
Backpacking is gaining popularity worldwide. The journey of discovery with a backpack is affordable and increasingly accessible, partly because travelers are helped on their way by mobile travel applications.
Hotels.com lists the ten cheapest backpacking destinations in the world.
Asia par excellence
Asia is the region par excellence for backpackers who want to stay cheaply in hotels. The cheapest hotel destination in the world is the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. During the first half of 2012, travelers paid an average of €45 for a hotel stay in Hanoi. The top 10 cheapest backpacking destinations in the world consists entirely of Asian cities. Hanoi is closely followed by the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh (€ 47). In third place follows the Thai resort of Pattaya (€ 55).
Thailand for city hoppers
For backpackers who want to visit different cities - without paying too much for hotel stays - is Thailand the most suitable destination. Half of the list consists of destinations in Thailand. In addition to Pattaya, Chiang Mai (€58), Bangkok (€65), Krabi (€71) and Phuket (€73) are also among the cheapest backpacking locations in the world.
Cheapest backpacking destinations in the world
Average hotel room price paid per night during the first half of 2012
- Vietnam -Hanoi €45
- Cambodia – Phnom Penh €47
- Thailand – Pattaya €55
- Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City €58
- Thailand – Chiang Mai €58
- Thailand – Bangkok €65
- India – Goa €70
- Thailand – Krabi €71
- China – Beijing €73
- Thailand – Phuket €73
I wonder how seriously we should take Hotel.com's list because the prices quoted are far from backpacker prices. For the mentioned prices – more than 2000 Bath – you can get a 4 star hotel in Thailand. Even under 1000 Bath you can find nice and quite good hotels, but even a backpacker will find that too expensive.
Indeed, with some searching you can find a great 2000-star hotel with swimming pool in Bangkok for 4 baht, so I don't understand the average prices indicated. Are those really the average prices paid specifically by backpackers? Doesn't seem likely to me........
As the article mentioned, they are average prices. As far as Thailand is concerned (I can't judge the rest) that seems a bit on the high side to me.
The research will be right. But to reassure backpackers. Around 20 Euro and even below that is plenty to find.
J. Jordan.
Haha, what a laugh 🙂
Clearly the author is not a backpacker! Those prices are about 5x too high. The hardcore backpacker survives on a budget of €20 a day, some even less. The average around €35. These prices are all inclusive (accommodation, trips, food and drinks,…)
Completely agree, our hotel in Pattaya with air conditioning, shower, TV and balcony costs 550, - bath per night. The hotel around the corner (with swimming pool) 1100,- bath.
A 4 star hotel incl. breakfast buffet and swimming pool 3000,- bath p. night.
Frank F
Ah and forgot to mention. A backpacker will always first look for a cheap guesthouse, homestay, hostel before entering a (always more expensive) hotel.
You can find a hotel anywhere in Thailand for around 500 baht and even cheaper. Hotels.com knows nothing about backpackers. For 2000 baht I'm in a super deluxe hotel in Thailand.
It also depends on who the questions are asked of.
All Backpack travelers are no longer “Backpackers”.
Nowadays, it has become more of a fashion to travel with a backpack.
People want to look adventurous to the outside world while travelling, so the suitcase goes away and the backpack replaces it, but actually they are still the same travelers because they sleep in the same hotels.
You can easily get the real backpackers out (just look at the backpack and footwear).
The latter group indeed travels on a budget of around 500-1000 Bath per day and they really don't have the money to hang out in bars or watch shows every day.
So if the question was asked to everyone who wears a backpack, then you can get to such high prices.
Calling an average price is of course nonsense, because you have hotels where you pay 30.000 baht per night. Then the average quickly becomes very high.
I was in Pattaya last week and paid 2 baht (about € 600.–) for a double room in a decent hotel, but also saw offers of 15 and 450 baht.
The cheapest I came across was 200 baht (about €5)
Depending on the exchange rate. Currently just under 39 baht for one euro.
Hallo,
Then you can tell me the name of that hotel in Pattaya, for that price!
Regards,
Jan
@jan boerlage
I don't know which hotel you mean, but The Box in Soi 14 has rooms for 350 (fan) and 450 baht aircon, with TV, fridge etc. Dutch/Thai management and food, like your mother used to make at home 🙂
Apex has rooms for 650 baht. In soi Honey I saw hotels for 450 and 550 baht.
Just a little show around there. I saw the 200 baht rooms on second road, in the same area. I don't know the name.
For example, Hotel Thai Thong Villa-Naklua Road 27. 550,- bath p. night.
Without breakfast :-). And there are many more here.
Frank F
In Hua hin I already see signs with 100 thb.
Whether it is a lure seems plausible to me, 2x I went to ask in the low season.
Each time those rooms were occupied, but there were still 500 thb.
I have been a backpacker for years and agree with my predecessors…..
In pattaya you can spend the night for 500 baht in a reasonable room.
In Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) I pay an average of 4-5 dollars per night in the backpackers area.
Those seem to me prices for the real backpacker!!!!! Greetings from Joe
Moderator: advice to the editors is not necessary.
Despite I'm not a backpacker, I'm on Jomtien beach for 750 baths, 50 meters from the beach, with breakfast Thai/Farang, including a safe, TV, air conditioning, clean bed linen, fridge, telephone every day, but unfortunately you don't get an Agogo sleeping companion! That's a pity, but we keep on searching!
21 days Pattaya, 320 euros .. 500 baht per night .. yes no super luxury .. just normal, neat and clean ..
4 nights in Bangkok, Prince palace, 125 euros.