Beautiful beaches, rich culture and a bunch of other things make Thailand one of the most popular tourist destinations. It is a beautiful country in South East Asia and tourists love it!
Planning a trip to Thailand can be done in two ways, each with its perks. If you are not sure whether to book everything yourself i.e hotels, flights etc or to opt for a group travel package you’re in the right place.
In today’s guide, we will help you decide whether or not you should go to Thailand on a holiday package.
Budget Analysis:
Travelling with a group holiday package is cheaper because the travel package provider buys the services they promise to provide you in bulk. Let’s do a breakdown of the costs and analyse if financially it’s a better decision to go to Thailand on a group package.
Accommodation & Flights
Group Packages often include flights and accommodation at below-market rates since the travel companies buy everything in bulk they tend to get a discounted rate. Some packages come with extras such as breakfast, transport, or the ability to upgrade your room. You might have less flexibility in choosing specific flight times or hotels. The only bad thing about this is that the included options might not always be your first choice.
On the other hand, you have complete control over your choice of airlines, flight times, and accommodations. You can choose everything for yourself. This can be a good or a bad thing, the way you look at it matters.
Finding the best deals can be time-consuming, and individual bookings might end up being more expensive without the bulk discount rates offered in packages.
Transportation
Transportation to and fro destinations and airport transfers can be annoying to manage yourself. Group Packages can save you the hassle of doing these tasks and provide you with a more seamless experience.
Conversely, you can choose your mode of transport, whether it’s renting a scooter, using public transport, or hiring a private car. This allows for a more personal experience and the ability to change plans on the go. This could cost you a good amount of money if not done smartly.
Food
Many packages include meals as part of the hotel stay or through pre-arranged dining options. This can be convenient and provide a cost-saving advantage.
Dining options might be limited to specific restaurants or meal plans, but You have the freedom to explore local cuisine at your leisure, trying street food, local restaurants, and more. This can offer a richer cultural experience.
Additional Activities
Fun is expensive anywhere, especially in peak season Thailand. Additional activities like jet skiing, yachts, zip lining Etc. can pile up and become a big expense.
Similar to everything, with a group you can enjoy these activities at a discounted rate and sometimes they come as a part of your package. To better understand take a look at these few activities.
Lunch tour by a speedboat at Phi Phi and Khai Islands
For 100 dollars, a minivan will take you to the Royal Phuket Marina where you will be having a buffet-style lunch. Along the way, the van will make multiple stops at different touristy places for you to savour them.
Snorkeling Trip
A full-day snorkeling trip will cost you around 20-50 dollars depending on the type of experience you want to have.
One thing about tourist destinations is the fluctuation of the prices, they tend to go drastically up and down in days when the demand is at peak.
Culture Trips
Thailand has a great and historically rich culture. Group Packages often offer cultural trips, including offerings like spending time with villagers in Thailand. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience as you get to learn the local methods of cooking, play local games with the villagers, make friends etc.
Similarly, you could explore Thai culture on your own as well but for that you have to manifest the interactions yourself, while in the Group Package, the interactions and the fun you’re having may be natural but in reality it’s quite transactional.
Fun-factor
We’re all different, some of us are social birds and love meeting new people while some love their own space. Groups are easily the best way of meeting new people.
Groups are generally a fun place to be in, they can be annoying and they can be very interesting. Usually, you get to travel along with people from all over the world with interesting stories of their own and maybe you click with somebody and start a lifelong friendship.
If you’re more into spending time with yourself and doing things alone, maybe going on your own is a better option for you. However, even in groups, the package providers ensure there is a level of privacy maintained throughout the journey.
Group holiday packages have categories as well for instance there are wellness and retreat packages that are made in such a way that you get to only relax on your trip to Thailand. However, prices may generally vary.
Safety
Safety can be a huge concern in Thailand when travelling alone, it’s not like Thailand is a dangerous place to be in but generally, it is advised by Governments to take a safe approach when visiting isolated areas.
Thailand’s economy is very much dependent on the fact that they are a tourist destination. This means that the Thai government plays their part in protecting the travelers but personal safety should be practiced.
Groups generally move like a pack which makes them less of a target for someone with bad intentions i.e. criminals, it can be a better choice for you to travel with a group if the thought of being away from home in a remote country scares you.
Keeping in view the above facts, it is obvious that one should plan Thailand holidays whenever they find enough time to benefit from the attractions here while staying in budget. Now that we have gone through things that make the experiences different you should be able to choose which boat you want to be in.
