To get to the new airport you've basically got three options: 1) Taxi 350B, 2) Airport Bus 150B, 3) Khao San Road minibuses 120B.

Now if there are two of you the choice would seem to be a simple one - take the taxi! No need to read on!

If you're alone I'd also recommend the taxi but if you are really saving the baht you've got:

1) The Airport Bus - It's comfortable, spacious and relatively hassle-free. Disadvantages are that it doesn't run to a schedule - you've got to stand there and wait, and wait. This does have one advantage however: You might meet other travellers while waiting and get to share a taxi! One other disadvantage of the Airport Bus is that they seem to take the absolute longest, most traffic-jam prone route. You're at serious risk of missing your flight if you take one of these in the day time.

2) The Khao San minibus - Cheaper than the above, they run to a schedule and they'll come to your guesthouse. Great isn't it? Well you're squeezed in like sardines and some of those vehicles look like they're about to break down. You also have to book in advance, reducing your flexibility. One advantage is that they're in tune with the road conditions so they'll avoid the worst of the traffic jams.

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This applies especially around the back of Soi Rambuttri near Khao San Road. Every morning I go for my muesli and a group of travellers will be haggling for a trip to the railway station. They're just standing there, looking like they've been just standing there for quite some time and in the interlocution I can just make out "100 baht each" or something ridiculous. For me this isn't a great way to start the day!

These drivers are time-wasters, not interested in using the meter, very interested in taking you for more than just a ride (definitely in the case of the tuk tuks), and getting in the damned way and making nuisances of themselves.

If you want to take a taxi:

1) Haul your bags over to the main road. For our group above that would be either Chakrapong or Phra Athit. Perhaps 50 metres. Yes, the hardships.

2) Flag down a taxi. This is easy, they're coming down the road in a constant procession.

3) Open the door, get in, tell him where you're going.

4) He'll switch the meter on.

5) Get to your destination, pay the fare, get out. (If you need to, you can wait a few seconds for your change. They offer change to the nearest five baht these days.)

While all this is happening your counterparts over at Soi Rambuttri will still be standing around engaging in useless banter with a dead-beat scam merchant who is not interested in turning on the ignition for anything less than a 500% markup.

For your information the trip to the railway station costs 50-60B - that's for the *car* not per person - taxis never charge per person.

That's the drill for taxis now...

If you want to take a tuk tuk:

1) Don't

They're filthy and they spew noxious pollution. That's the drivers I'm talking about. There's no need to take one in Bangkok for any kind of journey. The taxi will always win in terms of price, safety, speed and comfort. Do the locals a favour and help to consign these evil menaces to the scrap heap.

Back to taxis: I find the yellow ones to be a lot nicer than the blue ones. The purple ones are good too.

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Don't let fear of getting ripped off stop you taking a taxi. Just be prepared to insist they use the meter, rather than giving you a flat-rate quote. Some drivers may refuse, if so, just try another. At least you get air-con when the traffic's bad.

Incidentally, the taxi drivers with Buddhist texts written on their cabs’ ceilings, seem to be more amiable - just an observation.

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The taxis in Bangkok were pretty dodgy and I'd heard some bad stories before I arrived. My friends and I stuck to the green/yellow cabs.

We also made sure though that we always asked for the meter when we used the taxis. If the driver didn't put it on, we didn't get in. We always followed a map with our finger and would point out monuments loudly. This prevented drivers from taking 'alternate' routes in what is a chaotic, disorientating place.

I'm sure we were highly annoying passengers, but we never got ripped off.

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By walking upstairs to the departures area you can haggle for a much better price for a taxi that has just dropped off and would otherwise be returning to city centre empty.

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Money saving tip: To avoid rip-off taxis when you arrive at the airport, hop up to Departures and get a meter taxi from there. Should cost around 200 baht to get into central Bangkok.

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