My first trip abroad, in 2016, started with a travel agent who disappeared. That left me doing every booking myself, with no experience at all.
Which is how I ended up in a five-star hotel in Bangkok by accident.
The mistake
I found a hotel listed at 4,000 for two nights. I read that as 4,000 rupees, which sounded like a bargain, and booked it.
It was 4,000 Thai baht. That is a very different number.
I thought I’d found a cheap room. I’d actually booked a five-star hotel.
The hotel
The hotel was the Prince Palace Hotel in Bangkok. And here’s the twist. I loved it.
I liked it so much that I went back on purpose. I stayed there again in 2018 and again in 2023 on my trips to Thailand. The mistake turned into my Bangkok hotel.
The lesson
Check the currency before you click book. Every booking site shows prices differently, and a number without a currency next to it means nothing.
But I’ll also say this. Some travel mistakes cost you. Some of them turn into the places you keep coming back to.