It would not be a great exaggeration of the truth to say that I’m not brilliant with money. As I travel I’m having to pay off loans that I took out years ago in England. The loans were basically in aid of me enjoying my twenties and I pissed all the money up the wall. In an effort to be a little more money conscious, I’ve been keeping a record of everything I spend as I travel, and much to my surprise, I haven’t found it to be that much of an effort.
Check me and my budget diary out.
Now that I’ve been ‘on the road’ for 4 weeks, I figured it was time to share my spending habits with you. In this month, I’ve managed to haul my homo bottom to Bangkok, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. These are supposed to be the more expensive parts of Thailand so I’m hoping that when I compare this to north Thailand in one month’s time I will be a little shocked at what I spent.
I’ve broken my spending into the following categories: accommodation, transport, food and drink (including alcohol in restaurants), bars and clubs, other entertainment (museums, massages, temples etc…), essentials (haircuts, shampoo, laundry etc…) and miscellaneous (things like mobile phone top-up and computer repairs).
Week 1: Bangkok
Accommodation: 1770 Baht; £37.51; $59.64
Transport: 721 Baht; £15.28; $24.30
Food and Drink: 1856 Baht; £39.33; $62.54
Bars and Clubs: 1347 Baht; £28.54; $45.39
Other Entertainment: 600 Baht; £12.71; $20.22
Essentials: 50 Baht; £1.06; $1.68
Miscellaneous: 1630 Baht; £34.54; $54.92
Total: 7974 Baht; £168.98; $268.67
Week 2: Bangkok, Koh Samui, and Koh Phangan
Accommodation: 2795 Baht; £59.23; $94.17
Transport: 1659 Baht; £35.16; $55.90
Food and Drink: 1495 Baht; £31.68; $50.37
Bars and Clubs: 200 Baht; £4.24; $6.74
Other Entertainment: 230 Baht; £4.87; $7.75
Essentials: 626 Baht; £13.27; $21.09
Miscellaneous: 150 Baht; £3.18; $5.05
Total: 7155 Baht; £151.62; $241.08
Week 3: Koh Phangan
Accommodation: 2500 Baht; £52.98; $84.23
Transport: 450 Baht; £9.54; $15.16
Food and Drink: 1911 Baht; £40.50; $64.39
Bars and Clubs: 0 Baht; £0; $0
Other Entertainment: 0 Baht; £0; $0
Essentials: 0 Baht; £0; $0
Miscellaneous: 678 Baht; £14.37; $22.84
Total: 5539 Baht; £117.38; $186.63
Week 4: Koh Phangan and Bangkok
Accommodation: 1680 Baht; £35.60; $56.61
Transport: 1452 Baht; £30.77; $48.92
Food and Drink: 1218 Baht; £25.81; $41.04
Bars and Clubs: 1217 Baht; £25.79; $41.01
Other Entertainment: 290 Baht; £6.15; $9.77
Essentials: 545 Baht; £11.55; $18.36
Miscellaneous: 150 Baht; £3.18; $5.05
Total: 6552 Baht; £138.84; $220.76
My complete 4 week total is: 27220 Baht; £576.82; $917.14
Under £600 is not bad for a first timer, but I reckon that I can do better in February. Here are some of the things that my £576.82 bought me in my first month of travels.
Visits to stunning temples in Bangkok…
Topping up my tan on Haad Yao, Koh Phangan…
Eating awesome street food just about everywhere…
Exploring Bangkok’s gay scene…
Floating market fun times…
All in all, a bloody great month. Here’s to many more.
5 comments
Alana - Paper Planes says:
Feb 1, 2013
The islands eat up your money – there’s almost no way around it – you’ll enjoy the north!
That Gay Backpacker says:
Feb 2, 2013
I actually found that I spent more in Bangkok, but travel to and from the islands was a big expense, f’sure.
giselleandcody says:
Feb 6, 2013
We have been doing the same thing. Cody writes down every single cent we spend.
We have everything written down from the past 11 months.
We found the islands to be the most expensive part of out 7 months in Thailand so far.
That Gay Backpacker says:
Feb 6, 2013
I was so conscious of not over spending on the islands that I’ve actually found myself spending more in the north
I need to sort it out.
Adam says:
Feb 11, 2013
Yeah, the big cities are a big money drain in my opinion. I guess it’s because the nightlife is hard to pass up, whereas on the beaches you can pretty much just chill out and soak up the sun while not spending much. Very impressive that you’re keeping a detailed budget – I wish I did the same!