General Reports

I have a Samsung Galaxy S-3 with Cricket.

According to Cricket I have CDMA but the phone also has a SIM card. So I am confused as to bringing this phone and getting a SIM card in Thailand for their GSM networks.

I do have the WiFI switch I can use to go to WiFi networks.

I downloaded WeChat (Chinese). Been using that here in the States (not many Thais use this). I downloaded Tango and we'll see how that goes.

My Cricket account lets me do international text messaging for free. But unknown if I can do that when I actually go there and try it.

Looking forward to my trip and many thanks to the many people that have contributed to the reports here that have answered many of the newbie questions that weren't answered in other reports or other websites.

I will be going to BKK and Pattaya, booked most of my hotels stays at an average of about $40 USD a night, I booked GF (guest friendly) hotels and booked a room for 2 at all places to cover my behind just in case.

Locations I will stay at include. Soi Cowboy, Soi 33 and Nana Plaza area of BKK. In Pattaya, not sure about the area names, but near Beach Rd. Still haven't booked all nights yet.

*clothing, you guys gave great advice. And will dress according to my tastes, weather and comfort.

*food- Haven't eaten any Thai food yet, but I will, someone mentioned how to say "not spicy" in Thai, but I already forgot. This will be important!

*prices- a look into this thread gives good indicators of prices, so spend accordingly.

*lingo- I imagine a language barrier, but dollars and sex will overcum this.

Food is mai phet not spicy, or for english speakers just say "my pet". If you are in tourist areas I doubt you will find real spicy food. But watch it if you buy it from a food cart.

CDMA phones cannot be used on GSM. Last year was different. They could be unlocked. WiFi is OK. Just buy a cheap regular Samsung phone, here, about 900 BT. with SIM card for making phone calls and use the CDMA for WIFI.

I'll be hopping around SE Asia for 6 weeks starting in January. I know a few of the local low cost carriers like Cebu Air, and Tiger Air. I was wondering if there is a site similar to Expedia that has pricing from more local low cost carriers. What's your go-to site? If there isn't a site what about some more low cost carriers in SE Asia?

Thanks in advance.

[QUOTE=FruitNinja;1651068]I'll be hopping around SE Asia for 6 weeks starting in January. I know a few of the local low cost carriers like Cebu Air, and Tiger Air. I was wondering if there is a site similar to Expedia that has pricing from more local low cost carriers. What's your go-to site? If there isn't a site what about some more low cost carriers in SE Asia?

Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]Try Air Asia. No thrill no frill flights. Bring snacks or bring money to buy snacks during flight.

[QUOTE=FruitNinja;1651068]I'll be hopping around SE Asia for 6 weeks starting in January. I know a few of the local low cost carriers like Cebu Air, and Tiger Air. I was wondering if there is a site similar to Expedia that has pricing from more local low cost carriers. What's your go-to site? If there isn't a site what about some more low cost carriers in SE Asia?

Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]Air Asia serves more destinations in Asia than any other low cost carrier. If you buy in advance fares are very reasonable and sometimes dirt cheap.

I know it has been mentioned before, but having some difficulty locating it. Next week will be the King's birthday / Fathers Day in Thailand. Does everything shut down in the city for celebrations? Will it be just Friday, or all weekend? Just trying to plan accordingly.

Thank you

[QUOTE=FruitNinja;1651068]What's your go-to site? If there isn't a site what about some more low cost carriers in SE Asia? Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE][URL]Kayak.com[/URL] lists the low cost SE Asia Carriers. I found airfare between Bangkok and Phnom Penh for $125USD one way on Bangkok Air.

[QUOTE=FruitNinja;1651068]I'll be hopping around SE Asia for 6 weeks starting in January. I know a few of the local low cost carriers like Cebu Air, and Tiger Air. I was wondering if there is a site similar to Expedia that has pricing from more local low cost carriers. What's your go-to site? If there isn't a site what about some more low cost carriers in SE Asia?

Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]I just generally use the carrier's website, especially if you know where you are flying in and out from as the hubs are different.

From Bangkok: Thai Smile, Nok Air & Bangkok airlines.

From KL: Air Asia, Firefly.

From Singapore: Silk air (probably not the cheapest), Tigerair, Scoot, Jetstar.

There are probably more but I haven't used then. Also, don't overlook the larger, full service airline such as Thai or Singapore. Especially true if you have luggage or want to eat / drink on the plane. I flew to bali with the family a few years ago and Singapore Airlines was the cheapest I found.

[QUOTE=TwoTimeTed;1650964]Phones & Stuff.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S-3 with Cricket.

According to Cricket I have CDMA but the phone also has a SIM card. So I am confused as to bringing this phone and getting a SIM card in Thailand for their GSM networks.

I do have the WiFI switch I can use to go to WiFi networks.

I downloaded WeChat (Chinese). Been using that here in the States (not many Thais use this). I downloaded Tango and we'll see how that goes.

My Cricket account lets me do international text messaging for free. But unknown if I can do that when I actually go there and try it.

Looking forward to my trip and many thanks to the many people that have contributed to the reports here that have answered many of the newbie questions that weren't answered in other reports or other websites.

I will be going to BKK and Pattaya, booked most of my hotels stays at an average of about $40 USD a night, I booked GF (guest friendly) hotels and booked a room for 2 at all places to cover my behind just in case.

Locations I will stay at include. Soi Cowboy, Soi 33 and Nana Plaza area of BKK. In Pattaya, not sure about the area names, but near Beach Rd. Still haven't booked all nights yet.

*clothing, you guys gave great advice. And will dress according to my tastes, weather and comfort.

*food- Haven't eaten any Thai food yet, but I will, someone mentioned how to say "not spicy" in Thai, but I already forgot. This will be important!

*prices- a look into this thread gives good indicators of prices, so spend accordingly.

*lingo- I imagine a language barrier, but dollars and sex will overcum this.[/QUOTE]I was familar with wechat but not tango, downloaded tango and it allows you to search for nearby phones anywhere you point to on a map no matter where you are, whereas wechat only allows searches near where you are are present.

[QUOTE=Allover;1651099]Air Asia serves more destinations in Asia than any other low cost carrier. If you buy in advance fares are very reasonable and sometimes dirt cheap.[/QUOTE]Than they nickle and dime you to death.

[QUOTE=JesseJames;1651292]Than they nickle and dime you to death.[/QUOTE]Not really. As long as you don't get over the luggage limits (7 kg carry-on, or however much extra luggage you paid for), you'll be fine, no mandatory extra charges. AirAsia is straightforward, unlike some crappy low-cost airlines that try to [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord123][CodeWord123][/url] you at each opportunity (for instance, charge $100 if you forget to print your boarding pass).

[QUOTE=FruitNinja;1651068]I'll be hopping around SE Asia for 6 weeks starting in January. I know a few of the local low cost carriers like Cebu Air, and Tiger Air. I was wondering if there is a site similar to Expedia that has pricing from more local low cost carriers. What's your go-to site? If there isn't a site what about some more low cost carriers in SE Asia?

Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]My go-to site is ITA Matrix, useful to compare various dates and airport combinations.

For low-cost, it's best to check the specific carrier site (e. G. AirAsia). Keep in mind that low-cost airlines sometimes operate from non-major airports (in Bangkok Don Mueang DMK instead of BKK, in PI Angeles / Clark CRK instead of MNL and so on).

In Thailand, check AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air.

[QUOTE=Allover;1651099]Air Asia serves more destinations in Asia than any other low cost carrier. If you buy in advance fares are very reasonable and sometimes dirt cheap.[/QUOTE]Air Asia flights are comfy (stewardesses are cute), they are generally on time, and they let you increase your baggage allowance by paying online for very reasonable rates. Nice if you are coming back after doing a lot of shopping.

Buts it's still a low budget operation and there can be surprises. For example, they cancelled the flight I was planning to take to and from Manila-Shanghai about two weeks before the flight. I was able to reschedule my hotel and other flights. But it was still a pain in the ass and I had to pay to change my ticket home on another airline.

Something to be mindful of when dealing with this or and other low budget airlines.

[QUOTE=UncleVolodya;1651338]Air Asia flights are comfy (stewardesses are cute), they are generally on time, and they let you increase your baggage allowance by paying online for very reasonable rates. Nice if you are coming back after doing a lot of shopping.

Buts it's still a low budget operation and there can be surprises. For example, they cancelled the flight I was planning to take to and from Manila-Shanghai about two weeks before the flight. I was able to reschedule my hotel and other flights. But it was still a pain in the ass and I had to pay to change my ticket home on another airline.
[/QUOTE]I agree. Air Asia is generally very good and economical airlines. I have flown them many times, but they have also cancelled flights and changed times on me several times recently and it took up to 3 months to receive a Visa card credit for the cancelled or changed flights. Notably they changed the flight time of my Macau to Manila flight to the next day so I cancelled my ticket as a result. They also discontinued their route from AC to Puerto Princessa a week before I was scheduled to fly. I cancelled my trip to Palawan on account of that screw up and went to Subic instead.

Come to think of it all my cancelled or changed times Air Asia flights had one feature in common: a Philippine connection. I have never had a problem with Air Asia in connection with flights to or from any other country in SE Asia. I have flown them from BKK to Phuket, Phnom Penh, Macau, Singapore, KL, and Jakarta without any problems. Look for the low fare rates. Note: Air Asia uses Bangkok - Don Mueang (DMK) as its Thai hub not Suvarnabhumi (BKK) which actually is not bad because it is much less crowded. Pay in advance for your luggage weight and front row seating for a trouble free flight.

I now prefer just about any airlines over Air Asia for flights to and from the PI . Cebu Pacific is good and very cheap, but sometimes their flight times are not worth the savings IMHO. Philippine Airlines have much better flight times for example than Cebu Pacific and they are cheaper than Thai Air to Manila.