Cheap flights to
Thailand

Over the years, we’ve come up with some favorite tricks to find cheap flights. Booking within the Goldilocks Window is one of those. This is the period that’s not too far away from your departure date but not too last minute. That’s when we’ve seen the best fares. It falls about 1-3 months before domestic trips and 2-8 months ahead of international trips.

For anyone booking a flight during high season or on a trip that requires specific dates, booking in the opposite season of your departure can help you get the best fares. So, if you want to visit Thailand in December, start looking for flights in June. If at all possible, book before 21, 14, and 7 days ahead of your trip. We’ve seen prices spike pretty consistently on those dates.

Some flights, especially during busy periods, never seem to get any cheaper, no matter how closely you monitor them. This is where the Greek Island Trick comes in handy. It’s where you try to get as close to your final destination as possible for the cheapest price, then find a budget flight to reach your final destination.

If flights to Phuket are out of your budget for December, try flights to Bangkok and take a domestic flight or other mode of transit between the two. You could even try to fly to Seoul, Singapore, or another city in Asia. It might seem odd, but if you can find a flight deal to Singapore for $500 roundtrip and a $200 flight from there to Thailand, you could save a few hundred dollars versus a flight to Chiang Mai from the US.

We see deals from all over the country, and some of them are from airports you might not expect. If you live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, you’ve probably searched for flights out of Detroit and Chicago in addition to your home airport. But you might want to consider looking even farther away. There are no direct flights from the US to Thailand, so flights really vary from airport to airport.

Check around the country, and if you see a deal that seems too good to be true, like $400 round trip from LA, you might want to snag it. Then, you can look for a cheap flight from Grand Rapids or Chicago to LA. It takes more planning and effort but could be the difference in whether you can afford a Thailand vacation.

Flying in the off-season is one of the most obvious ways to save money. When destinations are busy, hotels and airlines can charge more. But in the off-season, which in Thailand is from July–September, you can get great hotel and flight prices. This is the rainy season in much of Thailand, but it usually only rains for a couple of hours each afternoon, and you can still do many of the same activities you would in high season. If you don’t mind humid weather, this is an easy way to take a cheaper trip.

Shoulder season, just before and after high season, is also a good time to visit. That’s April–June and October. The weather should still be pretty good, and you’ll find better deals and fewer crowds than during the high season. If your heart is set on visiting Thailand during the winter, try to fly on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday. Those days are generally the least expensive days to fly. Avoid Fridays and Saturdays, the most expensive days, if possible.

Does searching for airfare leave you stressed and discouraged? We get it. Fortunately, there are easy ways to make technology do the work. Set a fare alert for your Thailand dates or a few fare alerts if your departure dates and airport are flexible, then go about your life until you get an email telling you prices have dropped. Or, sign up for Going, and we’ll monitor all flights from your home airport and let you know when we find the best deals. It’s best to do this before the Goldilocks Window we talked about to make sure you’re getting the deals that show up during that time.

Thailand is far from the US, with a long flight and a layover. But most travelers in the US will be able to reach Bangkok with only one connection. From small airports, or if you’re heading elsewhere in Thailand, you’ll likely make two stops.