Bangkok/Pattaya round trip from Spokane, Wa.
 

My solo round trip from Spokane, Wa. to Bangkok and Pattaya, Thailand. I left on Oct. 28 and returned on Nov. 13, 2019, giving me two weeks in Thailand. This time of year is one of two "shoulder" seasons, when the weather is somewhat cooler and drier and prices and crowds are not high yet. The peak season for weather goes from earlier in November to late February, along with bigger crowds and higher prices.

The Korean Airline (KAL) flight (the cheapest and almost the quickest flight) cost $710, and KAL turned out to be a great airline to fly on, with reasonable no-show and ticket change fees, too. This fare included a Delta Air connection from Spokane to Seattle. Prepare ahead for transferring from domestic flights to Int'l flights. I barely made my flight connection from Seattle to Seoul on a Boeing 777. The next plane to Bangkok was an Airbus 380. I felt a bit loggy and headachy on both flights, but felt just fine after landing...go figure!

I stayed three nights in Bangkok in Nk Guesthouse, seven nights in Pattaya (a little less than 100 miles further) at Br Guesthouse, and at the same place in Bangkok for four more nights. I recommend guesthouses like these for the solo traveler for their great locations, low price, great reviews, reliability, and cleanliness. The cost was about $20 for each of the fourteen nights. Adding the food budget (mostly restuarants, street food, and 7-11 stores) the entire trip cost under $1500.

The trip back was surprising. I had a slight cold for a few days, which I thought would make the flights even less comfortable, but I felt fine on the two return flights, better than on the way over...again, go figure! I had a long eleven hr. layover at Incheon Airport in Seoul this time, but that is the nicest airport I've ever seen, which helped with the ordeal. In Seattle I missed my scheduled flight back to Spokane, but Delta booked me another flight leaving less than two hours later for no extra cost, which I appreciated. I had a great trip (in spite of being in my late 60s), and gained much related knowledge and have further details I'd like to share.