Questions About Carrying Usd To Thailand And Thigns To Do?

[firstblud]

I'll be going to Thailand for the first time with my gf for 3 weeks. I have family who will be giving me a place to stay for most of my vacation, although we do plan to visit further and probably find a hotel for the beaches (we are big beach bums).

We're not real big spenders, but we do love to do the following things:

- eat

- relax on the beach, snorkel, swim, jetski, etc

- sightsee

- eat

We might buy a few souvenirs as a keepsake but nothing pricey.

How much should I bring to be relatively comfortable? Should I bring my ATM card with me?

Also, given what little you know about us, what are some things you recommend us doing? We bought a frommers guide, but it's just information overload.

Thanks.

BTW - my relatives (basically my dad and everyone on his side as i'm the only one on his side who is in the USA) say they had some plans for us already but I am hoping for more suggestions since they are residents there and might overlook things that might otherwise be real interesting to us.

[ChangMaiSausage]

Bring your ATM card and eat/sleep/eat it's down to you how much you spend. Eating out in Thailand can be cheap or expensive.

You never mentioned where you will stay? Thailand is a big place and some places are more expensive than others.

[Jingthing]

Sounds like about 100 dollars a day (up to 150) to cover both of you assuming you will be staying in hotels in the 1000 to 1500 baht range. The jetski/snorkel is costly and you may need some local air flights. ATMs are the way to go, definitely bring your cards. You can also bring USD travelers checks if you like. Its a bad idea to bring all that in cash. Notify your bank/credit card companies that you will traveling, especially in the case of credit cards, they may block your account if they aren't warned.

[firstblud]

probably split between bangkok and chiang mai (have relatives in both those places to bum off of). i'll be in thailand for the first 3 weeks of april, so I'm sure there's a few nifty things to do with the new years as well.

i guess one of my main concerns is I want to get the best bang for the dollar. i want to minimize foreign transaction fees and avoid the other fees that goes along with ATMs, credit cards, etc.

[firstblud]

Sounds like about 100 dollars a day (up to 150) to cover both of you assuming you will be staying in hotels in the 1000 to 1500 baht range. The jetski/snorkel is costly and you may need some local air flights. ATMs are the way to go, definitely bring your cards. You can also bring USD travelers checks if you like. Its a bad idea to bring all that in cash. Notify your bank/credit card companies that you will traveling, especially in the case of credit cards, they may block your account if they aren't warned.

$100 a day is pretty steep for the both of us, considering 3 weeks * $100 is about 2 grand. i was hoping to spend about half that considering we will have a place to stay most of the time. am i dreaming (not being sarcastic)?

appreciate the feedback. i will avoid the traveler's checks since it's just a pain. i use washington mutual and they charge a 1% transaction fee.

Does anyone know what the typical ATM fee is in thailand so I know what to expect?

For example, if I withdraw $100, I will have to pay:

- $1 for the 1% wamu fee

- some flat ATM fee

Is there anything else?

[Jingthing]

ATMS give you a very good exchange rate. When I used to use them with US cards, there was no extra charge on the Thai side, only the US side, but that may have changed. Thai ATMS usually allow 10,000 baht withdrawals for each transaction. Of course you can make your trip cheaper by staying in lower end hotels and eating local and you can have a very good time doing exactly that. I think 50 dollars a day for two will be rather tight. It definitely means cheap guesthouses only.