Booking Airline Tickets in Country

[Explorer8939]

I am planning to spend at least 3 weeks in LOS shortly, but plan to break up the trip with excusions to KL, Vietnam and Cambodia. Normally, I would book the air tickets from home, but I am considering waiting until I have spent some days in Pattaya before booking my tickets.

 

So, assuming I book at least a week in advance, is there any penalty for buying AirAsia tickets in LOS, compared with buying them in the USA? 

[thestigy]

Before you leave for your trip get on the web site of each carrier you think you might need to fly with (Air Asia, Bangkok Airways, etc.) using both your desktop/laptop and your mobile phone.  You will get a sense of how easy their sites are to use (some mobile sites are easy some are not).  You will also get a sense of the pricing you will be up against.  Unlike in the U.S. the Asian carriers I've used don't seem to drastically inflate fares in the last few days (or even the day of).  Check it out.  It's very easy to handle your plans in an ad-hoc fashion on short notice.  

If you don't feel like messing around on your phone you can also drop into a local travel agent office in Pattaya and let them handle the  booking for you (for a trivial additional cost).  While not as common as a 7/11 it is quite easy to find one.

Note - you can fly some of the discounted airlines out of Don Mueang (DMK, located in Bangkok) or Utapao (UTP, closer/quicker to Patts).  I suggest you familiarize yourself with these airport options.  For short-haul they might be the way to go, BKK is not the only game in town.  

You mention Viet Nam.  Be aware of visa requirements.  Some countries require them, some do not.  Not all countries are as easy to enter as Thailand.  Some have Visa on Arrival options but you may need to have regulation size passport photos taken to provide with your VoA paperwork.

Air travel within Thailand is also nice.  Think UTP to Chiang Mai or Koh Samui or Krabi.

Tip - Bangkok Air from UTP to Phuket (or maybe it was UTP to Krabi to Phuket, it's been awhile) arrives after the last boat to Ko Phi Phi.  For same day flight & boat to Phi Phi you might need to fly from BKK or potentially land in Krabi and catch that ferry (but I've not done that, check the schedules).

Bali is a good one to knock off the bucket list.  I loved Ubud.  It was a great rest for the liver.  And, you'll look a little less like a SEA whore monger (if you even care about that sort of thing) when people say accusingly "Oh, you've been to Bangkok?" and you respond, yes, "I loved Thailand and Bali was so surreal as well."  Eat, Pray, Love bitches....  

Lastly, there is absolutely no reason to book your airfare while in the States.  I would actually recommend against that....IMHO.

Edit - also check out the one-way fares.  You won't get butt-raped like you would in the States.

[PatPow]

Thank you,  good information that I also needed to help me plan my trip