What does it cost to travel? The big ticket items!

I’ve mucked around with this post for a while now, trying to get the most important info without taking 3 hours to read. I think it’s easier to break things down into 3 big ticket items which are largely the biggest ongoing contributors to life, including travel life.

I've also done a quick summary you can find here.

Accommodation

Food

Transport

The biggest additional cost is transit which is why we stay in places for longer periods (where visas permit, more on that here), because not only is flying expensive, it’s not fun at all, especially with a toddler/baby!

I’ll speak about Thailand, Bali & Malaysia because it's where we have (so far) spent the bulk of our time.

Costs in general for us from cheapest to most expensive were Thailand – Bali – Malaysia.

Bali - restaurant food seems a bit cheaper but it's usually ++ (service tax/normal tax/whatever Bali tax they can throw in there) which adds 16-22% to your bill.

Transport is probably a bit cheaper in Bali if using Grab vs Tuk Tuk in Thailand (common). We hired a bike in Thailand so it was much cheaper, Mayalsia (KL) is more expensive, and annoying, for us *insert big city vibes here*.

Transport in Bali, from the airport, was expensive ($40 to get to our accommodation about 20m drive) but airports are annoying and you can’t be bothered being scammed as soon as you enter a new place. Find the official taxi rank, tell them your location (suburb based) and its fixed price. Jump in, pay more than you should but know you’re going straight there and you’ll have no issues.

From there we used Grab which was cheap, a few dollars here and there, and easy. It was easy enough we relied on it in Malaysia, BIG mistake. Not as cheap, not reliable and we got stuck because we could not get a car! Or food! KL city is an hour’s drive from the airport (60km+) So you need reliable transport.

We pre-booked an Air Asia ride (didn’t show up) Grab largely didn’t show up either so with anything airport related you're honestly better off paying more and going with a taxi (especially if you have a baby!). The cost of a taxi to KL airport was more than double the cost of what we were quoted on Grab, but we got there.

We usually hire a bike (because it's cheap and SO convenient) it’s the biggest thing we missed in Bali & Malaysia. We didn’t bother in Bali because we mainly stayed at a resort (family trip) and we didn’t get out much because we wanted Kaia to spend as much time with family as possible. In Malaysia we should have, but we weren’t there for long so just dealt with the inconvenience that was higher cost and inconsistency/unreliability.

SO! Thailand! Accommodation/Food/Transport. I’ve rounded up slightly because once you change money or take cash out, you’re going to lose a little value (and all ATMs in Thailand charge you 220Bt (~$10) for the privilege of withdrawing money!)

A quick note on $$$, cash is king in Thailand and will get you out of nearly any bad situation as well as being very convenient.

A lot of places won’t take card (especially off the mainland) and if they do you may get a surcharge. Bali and Malaysia card is widely used and accepted and we didn’t need cash. Get a good travel card with a good exchange rate. We use uBank (no fees, good rates). Wise is also something we discovered while overseas and seems to be the best rate and lowest or no fees. We used Wise to pay for accommodation and incidentals around Thailand when we needed to pay in advance and in local currency.

~ Food

There’s a huge variety in cost of food in Thailand pending your travel style and requirements. It starts really cheap, side of the road stalls which are predominantly Muslim and Halal (more common in southern Thailand) we have recently started to enjoy these - something does feel a bit sus about buying chicken and rice in the AM off the side of the road that’s room temp, especially when your not having it until lunch and baby will be eating it, but its been totally fine.

Last time we were in Thailand (2019) we got food poisoning from chicken and we have been super cautious since but have come to learn to trust it. If the locals are eating there, it’s a good sign! We watched for days food go out early and by early lunch time it was mostly gone so we knew it must be fresh and the turnover was high. We pick up a couple little packs of sticky rice and chicken, chicken sticks, a chicken biryani and rice with spicy pork salad ALL for 100Bt (~$4.50) its honestly ridiculous how cheap it is and convenient. We will tip 20Bt as well which to us is <$1 but to them makes a difference and they are very grateful.

Tipping is something that I asked a few locals about, Thai’s are VERY proud people. We found tipping to be a kind gesture and something that they enjoyed but did not expect.

Just up in cost are the cheap 'warungs' we call them, like a little restaurant on the side of the road with stools and tables. They are everywhere and pumping out delicious, authentic Thai food. Some will serve alcohol but a lot of them are Halal. From there our usual suspects are Tom Yum soup, spicy pork larb, chicken fried rice. Sometimes a papaya salad! And not the tourist version! *hello chilli*.

The soups vary from 60Bt to 150Bt ($2.70-$6.60) and the rice dishes vary from 80Bt to 120Bt ($3.50-$5.30). It’s good if you feel like sitting down and having a freshly cooked meal. Note: these places don’t have high chairs and English is often limited, Kaia got real good at sitting on the floor or a big chair real quick!

The next step up would be a sit-down simple restaurant, again they are everywhere. We go here if we still want a cheap lunch, and maybe a beer but don’t want to fuck around with trying to get baby to sit on a stool as most of them will have a baby chair in the tourist areas. Meals range but you can get rice dishes and pad thai for 80Bt-150Bt ($3.50-$6.60) and other dishes around the 150Bt range (masaman curry is a favourite).

Generally speaking, the Thai dishes in the Thai restaurants are cheap compared to western food (i.e. pizza/pasta) which they will sell, but it’s probably not as good as your hoping and you’d be looking upwards of 450Bt for a plate ($20).

The final option I guess is your high-end restaurants, usually in touristy areas and at resorts, with nice views, full sets of wait staff etc. We haven’t dined in one yet haha, there was one here called ‘The Hilltop’ which I was thinking for a special occasion but yeah looked at the menu and it’s at least double/triple what we are used to paying and to be honest the food probably isn’t as tasty as you’ll be getting the ‘tourist version’ of everything with less spice and more ketchup. For us it’s not worth it when the cost of one dinner could feed us for a few days.

For snacks all I have to say is cheap cheap and very convenient haha there are 711’s quite literally everywhere, chippys, chocolate, soft drink etc only a dollar or two. We actually liked when our 4th accommodation was a little further from a 711 (still walking distance) because you get carried away real quick when it’s a quick trip across the road to get a beer or an ice cream.

Beer isn’t too bad, from the 711 it’s about $3.50 for a big can/long neck. Theres also heaps of other options, funky flavoured seltzers etc, my favourite at the moment is a grape for 39Bt ($1.70) the same thing in Australia at a bar would easily be $10 a can. 711 has no serve alcohol periods from midnight-11am then from 2-5pm. I think it’s to restrict tourists from day drinking and to encourage people into the establishments.

Restaurants will usually do specials to get you in the door, a big beer and some cocktails for 90-100Bt ($4) and bars, well we haven’t been to any so I don’t really know but probably not much different, just slightly more expensive (but still cheap compared to Aus). I remember if Jacob and I went out drinking in Perth we could easily spend a few hundred dollars on alcohol, you’d probably have to shout the whole bar to spend that much on a night out here.

~ Transport

There are a few options. For us it's hands down a bike/scooter. It’s so easy and convenient, you can zip around wherever you need whenever you want and you avoid most traffic. Yes we put the baby on the bike and we somehow manage to have the three of us, climbing bag and cott all on the bike too haha sometimes even the locals look at us funny, it's great! It’s going to cost you about 200Bt per day (~$10) if you were to get a Tuk Tuk one way for a 10m drive you’d pay that so for us it’s worth it (and saves us money) Jacob negotiated a monthly rate of 140Bt per day. We also had a win because that bike the steering lock wasn’t working, so we ended up with a better bike for the same price.

If you don’t want to ride around yourself, you can use the Grab app which we haven’t used much but it is here. We used it in Bali (I think it’s a lot bigger there) and tried to use it in Malaysia (it’s there, but unreliable) it’s basically a cheap Uber and you can select bike/car/van etc. I looked at it before to go to a sports bar to try watch a bit of the cricket and it was $170Bt into Aonang ($7.50) it’s about a 10m drive.

The next step up would be the little 3-wheel bikes which there’s always people on side streets and main roads offering to take you – you need to barter so costs will vary but will be slightly more expensive than Grab.

Next are the Tuk Tuks which are the super cute little red open back truck/van things you often see cruising down the street pumping music. You need to barter and cost will be more but should be private (i.e. straight to your destination, see below).

There are also Suntows which is slightly cheaper but will just keep picking people up and redesigning the route to drop people off, kind of like a shared Uber. The guys that drive them must honestly be wizards constantly taking in new information and addresses and redirecting their routes to accommodate the most efficient way.

We got a shared airport transfer when we first arrived and this is what it was, luckily we were the first to be dropped off there were about 10 people and I’d hate to be the last, it would be a real scenic route!

There’s bus stops around and 2 main bus routes, I think they come every 30m or so. It isn’t a “bus” as we know it, it’s more a Suntow which again they just keep piling people in, but it follows a predetermined route.

Then there’s your private taxis and vans which would be more expensive but again, still cheaper than Aus (and you still barter). When we came back to Thailand we were approached by a private taxi, 800Bt he told us to our accommodation Jacob said 500Bt and he said ok so it’s worth bartering and just having a rough idea of what it SHOULD cost.

At the end of the day your going to pay more than you probably had to here and there but like I always say with all things bartering, if your getting an item or service for a price that your happy with, and they are happy with, then it really doesn’t matter.

You don’t have to be worried about getting the cheapest price, all the time, that used to be me and it's exhausting. Now I decide what I am willing to pay before I start and then go from there. At the end of the day, it’s still cheap!

~Accommodation

We pre-booked 2 weeks for when we first got there because we were going straight to Tonsai (little climbing spot) where I knew accommodation was limited and it was heading into high season. Jacob suggested we just get there and figure it out but I was anxious having baby that I needed to be sure we had accommodation sorted. The room was lovely, huge! Massive bathroom and a bath for baby. You are well and truly in the jungle though, you don’t realise it until you get there but it’s a fair hike up from where the boat drops you off to the main little street then a BIG walk up a LOT of stairs to get to the room.

Doing this at least 3 times a day getting Kaia back up and down for naps I think I left there the fittest I have ever been. Couple that with the expensive beer (island tax) and not eating any meat in fear of food poisoning (limited refrigeration and power during the day) I was probably the healthiest I had been too!

We paid 770Bt per night ($33) for a lovely big room with a bath but no aircon (big fan). We got to know the owner and his wife and he said if we came back and wanted to stay he could do it for 600Bt cash per night ($26). It might not sound like a big difference but it does add up, especially when you're staying long term.

This gave me the confidence to shop around locally rather than booking online (again, cash is king here). When we got back to Aonang we stayed in a hotel for 2 nights while spending time online looking at accommodation options, sorting by budget and requirements (we needed aircon! wanted a pool, and a bath for baby was a bonus).

We wanted to keep costs to about $30 a night. I saved 5 places that looked like they may hit the brief and designed a bit of a scoot route to check them out. We walked in, asked to see the rooms and what the best cash price was. It was interesting, some places the cash rate was more expensive than what we could get online and other places it was much cheaper.

Where we ended up staying was a place I hadn’t found online (because it was too expensive!) but it was next door to a place we did check out. They must have been reallyyy quiet because Jacob got chatting with the lady and we managed to get a beautiful big family room, bath, daily cleaning, aircon and nice pool for 600Bt ($26) a night for long term stay! It was luxurious and much nicer than what we had expected for our budget.

From there we went to Spirit Mountain for a few days for my birthday, only one accommodation option there, for what we paid (990Bt per night) it was quite underwhelming, but you live and learn! From there we were trying to bring the budget in and try somewhere new. The resort was lovely but all good things must come to an end! We had a look at a couple of bungalows and one month rental options but they seemed not much cheaper than hotel/resort style and with fewer amenities. You also pay for utilities at the end of the month which we had no idea how to budget in.

We ended up finding the perfect blend of hotel/homestay at a place called Areeya Phu Beach Resort. It was nowhere near the beach (haha) but we managed to meet the owner and negotiate a month’s stay in a little bungalow for 570Bt per night ($24), weekly cleaning, pool and gym and was located well between the two main places we were climbing. We didn’t pay attention to the Mosque next door when we first got there… which proved to be a bit tricky with the call to prayer 5 times per day (first one being at 5am, cue crying baby) but we ended up moving down the back to a family room which was further from the road and we could barely hear it.

The other places we stayed were just for a few days here and there, Uncle House in Krabi was good for cheap accommodation between the airport and Aonang (540Bt per night, $23) and Glow was a hotel well located near the beach and main strip in Aonang (800Bt per night, $35).

A quick note on Bali & Malaysia, bit of a lol but we did two completely different accommodations in Bali – the first was a beautiful little homestay in Sanur ‘The Little Tree House’ it was about $28 per night, which is super cheap for Sanur with limited options and predominantly villas which are FAR more expensive (in the hundreds per night). It had a pool and provided simple well-located accommodation on a quiet street.

Then we stayed at the Grand Mirage in Bali for Jacobs stepdads 60th, this was the BIGGEST and fanciest place I think we have ever stayed annddddd it was all-inclusive! We did 7 nights, and it was wayyyy out of our budget, more than $500 a night! But a nice treat nonetheless. Funnily enough we all got sick here – I think coming from our very simple lifestyle in Thailand to eating and drinking your heart out, our bodies did not agree… lesson learnt…

In Malaysia we stayed in a premium apartment complex. It was weird, a massive complex (40 something stories, hundreds of rooms) with a mix of residents (owners and renters) and short stay. I found accommodation in Malaysia hard to navigate, I remember searching in Thailand being like wow there’s so many options, all looked central and had varying amazing amenities, and for what you got seemed cheap.

We picked this place (Expressionz by Woages) because it was a junior suite room (huge) and had a bath for baby, she had hates the last few showers in our accommodation so this was a priority! It also had a fridge and washing machine which we were due for. It cost us $347 for 5 nights which seemed cheap for what we were getting but I would not stay there again. Although it is located in KLCC (KL city centre) there was no food or amenities within walking distance and grab (food delivery, like uber eats) was so unreliable a few times we nearly got caught out with not having any food for baby!

The stress of having to order things hours in advance and just hoping they would come was not worth it and traffic was so bad that you would be better off just walking, but every afternoon it rained! Anyway, not a vibe, would not recommend.

Lastly, Tune Hotel at KLIA2 (airport stay) is where we stayed when transiting through KL because its cheap and convenient and there’s a bar/restaurant downstairs. But the rooms are tiny and it'swhar does it cost? the big ticket items! pretty noisy. We paid $98 a night, there’s a nicer hotel for a few hundred and then you have the capsule hotel which you basically pay for a sleeping pod.

I’m calling it there before I keep rambling on.

Til next time,

R