Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
The cost of my Thailand trip from October 30 to December 13, 2025, was $2,487, for a daily cost of $55 in my 45 days of travel.
- $507 in Travel and Tour costs.
- $1,344 in Food costs, with a daily cost of $30 per day.
- $636 in Lodging costs for 43 nights with a nightly cost of $10.
Note: I redeemed $542 of hotel costs and $889 of Korean Air costs using 143,100 Barclaycard points.
Tours and Travel Costs
These expenses were $507, with the following tours and travel activities making up the bulk of these expenses:
International Flights
- No costs. I used 89,000 Barclaycard points on Korean Air. The price for this flight was $890. These round-trip flights were on October 30 and December 13, 2025, with a 7 1/2 hour layover at Incheon Airport on the way home to Seattle.
Domestic Flight
- $96 for an AirAsia flight for travel from Krabi to Bangkok.
Travel Insurance
- $61 for my Travelguard Insurance for this 45-day trip since my upfront costs were $437-for advanced hotel reservations in Bangkok.
Train
- $37 on the bottom bunk sleeper train from Bangkok to Hat Yai.
Park and Temple Fees
- $24 entrance fees at Wat Po Temple and the Ko Samet park.
Metro Transit
- $43 for Bangkok Sky Train and Airport train rides.
Buses
- $41 for bus rides from 2 to 4 hours.
Boats
- $75 for rides to Ko Samet, Ko Lipe, and the Bangkok Canals and Rivers.
- $53 for rides ranging from 10 minutes to 5 hours.
- $77 for 23 times.
Delightful Food Choices
My biggest trip expense was food at $1,344—about $30 per day.
Here are some of the meals I enjoyed:
Breakfasts
Thai Dinners
Western Style Dinners
Unique Shepards Pie
Thanksgiving meal with pumpkin pie.
Snacks
Drinking Water
Many travelers and locals buy and use plastic water bottles. Instead, I continue to use a SteriPen along with a wide-mouth leftover 20-oz plastic bottle. It has a USB connection for recharging. The purification process was quick—about 1 1/2 minutes of UV light and no chemicals.
Lodging Costs
Lodging costs averaged $10 per night, after I used my Barclaycard points to redeem $542 of lodging expenses.
La Bella Guesthouse, Ko Samet
I booked through https://www.agoda.com/, booking.com, or hostelworld.com, usually a few days before I arrived at my next place. It is important to read the customer reviews on these sites and check the map for the location before booking, so you have a better idea of what you are getting.
With the high temperatures and humidity, I almost always get A/C rooms. Other features I usually get include: hot water showers, a hot pot, a security safe, and a location near attractions or city centers. Most rooms have TVs, but few with English-language channels.
Country Travel Visa Expenses and Changes
Thailand now offers US tourists a 60-day on-arrival visa, whether I entered by air, land, or sea, at no cost. Thailand now has an online visa application process called “Thailand Digital Arrival Card” (TDAC) to replace the paper application card. Foreigners are requested to file 3 days in advance of arrival. Here is the website to apply:
https://tdac.immigration.go.th/manual/en/index.html
If you do not file online, they have rows of machines at the Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to use the TDAC system to apply on arrival. I don’t recommend this because of long lines and the need to fill out lots of demographic information, including flight numbers, lodging places, etc.
Getting Money
Before leaving the Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, I used an ATM to get the Thai Baht I needed for travel and then replenished at one of the many ATMs found everywhere. Many restaurants charge an extra 2-3% when using credit cards. The 7-11 stores only let you charge if you spend more than 200 Baht and add no extra fee.
Getting Bank Fees Back
When I travel internationally, I usually take about $300 in USD and rely on ATMs for replenishing funds. I used a Schwab ATM card and get reimbursed for all bank charges and fees. Other banks offer similar reimbursements.
For this trip, Schwab reimbursed me $39.27 on these charges for the 6 ATM draws of 10,000 Baht, which they added for each draw a 220 Baht processing fee—$6 USD
.
Daily Walking
For years, I have tried to walk at least 3 miles per day for my health and enjoyment. During my 45 days in Thailand, I walked over 200 miles with an average of 4.5 miles per day, ranging from 1 mile (rainy day—14” of rain) to 9.5 miles per day.
Weather
As usual, the weather in Thailand was hot and humid with temperatures ranging from 70 degrees early mornings and 80 to 92 degrees by late afternoons with a humidity of 85% which made it feel even hotter.
It only rained 2 times around the Bangkok and Ko Samet area, but when I was on Ko Lipe and Hat Yai for 6 days, it was a monsoon every day, with one day it rained over 14”.
I got this alert on my iPhone:
That is translated to say:
Informational Alert
DDPM warns of increased rainfall.
Pinned 23-11-2025
2m ago
Prepare for increased water levels in the area. Avoid walking or standing in floodwaters for extended periods.
Beware of venomous animals. Study evacuation routes and methods to temporary shelters near your home. Prepare contact numbers for agencies or organizations that provide evacuation assistance. DDPM
I escaped Ko Lipe and Hat Yai, but I had to take an oversized truck through the Hat Yai floodwaters to a minivan that took me 5 hours north to Krabi, where I caught an AirAsia flight back to Bangkok.
I much prefer this warmer weather in the wintertime compared to the weather in Seattle, where it has been experiencing an atmospheric river and flooding, with temperatures averaging in the low 30s to 45 degrees.
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