[Guest Post] 5 Simple Tips to Discover Koh Phangan For Less Than $25 a Day by Agness From eTramping

Ko Phangan Beach

Koh Phangan, Thailand - Last week we talked about Bangkok. This week, we leave the capital city of Thailand and head south to the island of full-moon parties. Agness from eTramping has been traveling since 2011 and blogging with her best friend Cez. Recently, she took some time out to share with us some tips on how to have a fun and safe trip to Koh Phangan Beach, all for under $25USD.

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Koh Phangan is a popular tourist destination in Thailand. It's even more popular amongst party-goers visiting the island for its famous full-moon parties.

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Until a few years ago it was beautifully cheap when compared to most Western countries. Nowadays, it may not be so easy on your wallet. This is because so many local people have gotten used to rich kids coming over to forget about common sense and party like it was the last time of their life. 

While a lot of things are expensive, there are a few things you can do to avoid overspending and follow your $25 per day budget. Here are 5 tips you can follow.

A solitary canoe in Koh Phangan, Thailand

#1 - No Need For a Tuk-Tuk

When you arrive at the bay, there will be plenty of tuk tuk drivers waiting for you to offer their taxi services. Most of them will offer it for free as a package with a cheap bungalow. In their offer, bungalows will cost around 600 Baht a night, and they won't charge you for the lift. If you just want a ride, it's a fixed 100 Baht price, whoever you ask.

Renting a scooter can be so much fun!

When we came in, not a single "backpacker", apart from us, didn't take them up on their offer. 

We were the only ones who went past the tuk tuk crowd and walked to look for bungalows. I bet everyone on the boat was a budget traveller.

Instead of taking a tuk-tuk, you can rent a scooter. Just opposite the bay, there are plenty of small travel agents and scooter rental places. 

It costs 100-150 Baht to rent a scooter for a day. It's much cheaper than a single tuk tuk ride for 2 people. You're free to explore the island and look for cheap accommodations.

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#2 Eat Locally and Pay Likewise

Fancy pizza, spaghetti, burger, etc.? Don't be surprised when you pay the premium. Western food is not what local people eat. Therefore, it's made solely for tourists, and tourists are expected to afford paying more.

Typical street food in Koh Phangan - Seafood salad with rice

Search for small, rather bad-looking  "kitchen-outside" local restaurants. They offer good, fresh and local food (noodles, salads, rice, seafood, etc.) at low prices. You can get a meal for $1 and wash it down with a beer at the same price. Your wallet will not hurt this way and you will try new flavors, part of your Thai experience.

When you arrive at such a place, try to look for the Thai menu, rather than the English one. More often than not, they have different prices for the same meals.

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Papaya salad with peanuts on the go

#3 Don't Give Up On Finding a Cheap Bungalow

If you follow everyone else's path on arrival, you'll probably end up with the free tuk tuk ride to a bungalow where you'll overpay, (so that they can pay the tuk tuk driver). 

There's an alternative for you - go find accommodation yourself! Yes, it may seem harder, and probably will be more tiring, but you'll save money and will be able to enjoy your stay more.

One bungalow can even be shared with 5 people

You don't have to go far, there's only one rule - go and ask. Go from one bungalow place to another and ask for a price. Then, ask for a discount. Once you find a bungalow at the right price, go and check out the standard. 

If everything's right, you have just saved money without compromising on anything.

It's always good to share bungalows, so find others to join you or ask them if you could join them. People travelling to Koh Phangan, more often than not, like parties and the more people the merrier.

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These bungalows were worth every penny bargained for

Me and Cez found 3 amazing girls and spent our whole Koh Phangan experience with them. We rented 2 bungalows at 600 Baht ($20) a night, which means it was 120 Baht ($4) per person per night. We looked for this place no more than an hour and it was very close to the bay we arrived at, (we walked).

#4 Don't Drink From Buckets

Instead, you can enjoy your drinks from bottles

BEWARE! Koh Phangan is infamous for numerous spiked drinks. Spiking is dropping "rape pills" into someone's drink. 

Those pills dissolve without altering the taste, and as soon as they start working, the person who drinks it will not remember what happened, while obeying every request of other people. A person in this state is very vulnerable.

In Koh Phangan, it's not only rapes that happen with the use of spiking, but also robberies. Spikers have isolated their victim from their friends and then ask him or her to take them to the victim's bungalow. When they arrive, they say that they are helping their drunk friend get to bed. 

When in the room, they ask where all the money and valuables are, what are the pin numbers to debit and credit cards, etc. During our stay in Koh Phangan, we have heard a few first-hand stories of this, so be very careful - it's a real danger.

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How to avoid getting spiked? 

• Drink only from bottles you opened yourself. 
  
• Cover bottle openings with your finger.
  
• Don't drink from buckets. They are extremely easy to spike and usually many people fall victim at the same time. Unknowingly, all your friends may get spiked at the same time and nobody will be left there to help you.
  
• Go to parties with friends and make sure everyone is aware of what can happen and what to do if they suspect something.

#5 Be Extra Careful Riding Your Rented Scooter

You may wonder why it's cheaper to rent a scooter for a day than to get a single ride with a tuk tuk. It's because the rental companies make most of their money from "repairs". Before you rent a bike, you will need to sign a contract, in which all damages are listed with a price - should you break something. Then, off you go.

Rent a scooter, but BE CAREFUL

Roads on Koh Phangan in few places are very dangerous. There are some extremely steep hills and roads on them are mostly covered in sand. This works like water on the road, so if you slip, you're done.

Cez crashed a scooter there. It was a very steep downhill part of the road, there was sand he didn't notice. He wanted to go slow and without thinking about it, he hit the breaks at the wrong time. When the scooter fell to the ground he jumped off, but it didn't stop for another few meters. He was careful and sober, but it still happened. So please be very careful.

When we gave back the scooter to the rental place, the owner was very happy because according to the contract Cez had signed, damage charges were US$500 for the few scratches on one side of the bike. Believe me, a new bike would probably cost less. Together with friends, we negotiated the price down to $300, which is still a lot more than it should be. Therefore, once again, please be extra careful or rent a jeep.

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*This post was shared on both Suitcases and Sippy Cups and Walking on Travels for Travel Tips Tuesday

Need some new travel gear? Check out these essential items:

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Agness is a Polish vagabond who, after graduation, left her comfort zone and set off for a journey of her lifetime. 

She has been constantly travelling the world since her first flight to China in 2011 (slowly, but surely as she says), living like a local for less than $25 a day. 

She became a passionate photographer and adventure blogger sharing her life enthusiasm and travel experience with everyone around. You can follow her adventures on her (and her best friend's) blog eTramping, or find her on Twitter and Facebook.

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And now we'd like to ask you: Have you ever been to Koh Phangan? Do you have any tips on how to enjoy a trip there?

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