I had just finished planning a trip to Thailand in June for me and two of my friends. I planned early to determine just how much funds I still need to raise. To my surprise, our eight-day trip won’t cost much after all. Here’s why:

First of all, my dad earned a lot of frequent flyer miles this year and they will expire in September. Since he’ll be too busy to use them himself, he’s passing them on to me. The points were enough to for a roundtrip ticket to Thailand. Of course, I still had to pay the taxes myself but getting the tickets for free was a huge help.

If you don’t have anyone who can pass on their soon-to-expire points to you, do what my mom does: get a travel agent to book your flight and even hotel. Travel agents get very good prices from airlines and hotels and can save you the hassle of doing things yourself.

Compare prices of airlines and check online for cheap deals. Be on the lookout for special promotions by budget airlines. Check the newspapers and the airlines’ websites for these. Promotions usually offer super cheap airfares if you book now for travel dates one to five months in advance.

As for accommodations, try looking at guesthouses and hostels instead of hotels. If you’re a budget traveler, you’ll most likely only be staying in your hotel to sleep, go to the bathroom and change your clothes anyway. As long as the room is clean and the bed is comfortable enough, you’re better off staying at a guesthouse.

Finding a strategic area to stay in will cut down your cost. Ask yourself about what you want from the trip. If your answer is partying, try staying near the bars and clubs. If history is your thing, stay where most of the temples and museums are. If shopping is your main objective, stay near the malls. It may cost more to stay in more upscale areas, but if most of the places you want to hang out in are located there, maybe the money you save on transportation will make up for it.

If you’re interested in doing a little bit of everything, look for accommodations with easy access to the subway or skytrain stations or are located along the bus route. Your trip will be so much better if you schedule the places you want to visit that are near each other on the same day. Or you can schedule your day based on a logical route for a more efficient itinerary.

Some cities and towns are cheaper to stay in than others. Bangkok offers a lot of inexpensive guesthouses but some places will require you to put up with shared bathrooms,

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