How much does it cost to do a backpacking trip in Asia for 3-4 months on a budget?

Hutchch0920

I thought 6 weeks was a rush. I would probably opt for 12 -14 weeks if I went again. It wasn't the pace of travel, more that there were places that got missed off....great swathes of Thailand passed us by through a coach window.

On scuba I think it's about £20-30 a dive. Internal flights are super cheap. Look at hostelbookers and hostelworld for hostel information.

We went round on a little under £28 a day including everything but flights. We went scuba diving a couple of times, a 2 day boat trip to Halong Bay, visited Angkor Wat, went on quite a few excursions, had a dress made...all sorts.

That said, having just checked one of the places we stayed as an example, Golden Mango Inn in Siem Reap cost us $5 a night each when we stayed, it is now all the way up at $17.50!(They have a swimming pool now though) and then other places I have looked are still about the same, a double bed in Ho Chi Minh city for $9 each/night is the same now as it was in 2010.

The website seat61 is really very good for figuring of travel expenses. My suggestion is, make a rough itinerary/route. Figure out how much it will cost you to get there then from A - B - C, then have a look at accommodation costs on the hostel sites. Finally look through the forums on lonely planet for ideas on what to do where and how much it will cost. This is really the only way you will know how much you will need. We did our budgeting backwards and said well we can save XX amount by XX date, how long can we go for?

bigadaj

You could probably do that for £20 a day but it depends where you are, Singapore would be triple that or more and some rural areas would be less.

I'd allow a month in each country as rushing round means you dint see everything and also the more travelling you do the more it costs, particularly flights.

From your original proposal I would definitely ditch Nepal, that a long way. I'd probably also remove the
Phillipinnes and replace it with Indonesia, closer and easier to travel round, probably cheaper at least for a similar level of security.

Fundamentally do some research and come up with a reasonable itinerary, then come back here or probably tripadvisor to iron things out. You'll end up varying your proved itinerary in any case because you'll love some places and not be keen on others o cel you get there so keep plans fluid.

Doshwaster

LiveOnce wrote: »

So a little bit more information:

I am prepared to live in a reasonably clean hostel / place / whatever as long as it has A) Clean bed A hot shower.

You may want to add C) Air conditioning to that list. In many parts of SE Asia it's the difference between a good night's sleep and a bad one in a room that's like a sauna.

PompeyPete

bigadaj wrote: »

From your original proposal I would definitely ditch Nepal, that a long way. I'd probably also remove the Phillipinnes and replace it with Indonesia, closer and easier to travel round, probably cheaper at least for a similar level of security.

I'd ditch Nepal too, wonderful country, but it's too far from everywhere else on the itinerary, and I doubt whether you'll get cheap flights from any of the countries you plan on visiting. I'd also ditch the Philippines.

But I'd add Laos, it's easy to reach overland, and has a well beaten tourist path. We got there by overnight sleeper train from Bangkok [saved on one night's accommodation] to Nong Khai, which sits wonderfully on the Mekong River right on the Thai/Laos border, spent a few night at this lovely place...

http://www.mutmee.com/
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g303915-d550862-Reviews-Mut_Mee_Guest_House-Nong_Khai_Nong_Khai_Province.html

...and when we left it'a simple case of a short tuk tuk ride to the border crossing at Friendship Bridge, purchase visa on the spot, and into Laos at Vientiene. Over a couple of weeks, by bus we did Vientiene [the capital], Vang Vieng [beautiful scenery], and Luang Prabang [culture]. Getting out of Laos from Luang Prabang is easy, either a short flight to [say] Chiang Mai, or a more adventurous way is to take the 2 day/1 night slow boat to the Thai Border at Huay Xai.

You could also consider Myanmar [Burma]. It's a fantastic destination but it's not all that friendly on the budget now that the country has opened up.

Vietnam is great, the people are very welcoming, accommodation is cheap, as is eating and drinking. We were in Saigon/Da Lat/Da Nang/Hue and Hoi An for all of last September.

Outside of the Peak SE Asia [December/January] season, and Festivals [eg TET National Holiday in Vietnam], you'll have little problem 'winging it'.

I always plan a trip for ages before setting off, but never keep to it. All the places to look for information have been mentioned earlier in the thread, so you can't really go wrong. Get a good Guidebook, Lonely Planet South East Asia on a Shoestring or ditto Rough Guide are both excellent. But treat the guidebooks as a good friend and not as a Bible.

As a first timer I'd start my trip in Bangkok and stay in the Khao San area for 3 or 4 nights. You'll meet lots of like-minded people who'll be happy to swap notes on their travels.

Find time [from Bangkok] during your trip for a few days in the Kanchanaburi area, brilliantly described by The Man in Seat Sixty One...

http://www.seat61.com/Bridge-on-the-River-Kwai.htm

Getting to Cambodia from Bangkok is easy by train. Bangkok [Hualamphong station] to Aranyapraphet on Cambodia Border, takes 5 hours, two trains a day, 3rd Class only, and costs 48 baht [£1]. Jump out of the train, into a tuk tuk and you'll be at the border [Poipet] in a few minutes. Great trip, watching the world go by as the train chugs along on a single track, ladies jumping on and off all the time flogging food and drinks. Sit at the back of the train with the monks.

We normally do trips a month at a time, and apart from topping and tailing in Bangkok rarely visit the same place twice, as there's simply so much to see everywhere else. And when you 'wing it' you can stop anywhere as long or as little as you want.:)

Voyager2002

Great post from Pompey Pete. However, a few days ago I had a night in the Kao San Road area of Bangkok and absolutely hated it. Prices were significantly higher than elsewhere in the city, and quality a good deal lower. And yes, there are loads of clueless backpackers but you would learn more by reading a good guide book and/or doing a web search.

Doshwaster

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Great post from Pompey Pete. However, a few days ago I had a night in the Kao San Road area of Bangkok and absolutely hated it. Prices were significantly higher than elsewhere in the city, and quality a good deal lower. And yes, there are loads of clueless backpackers but you would learn more by reading a good guide book and/or doing a web search.

I'm no great fan of the KSR either. It's OK for a day if you want to say you've been there but otherwise it's just full of 18 year old backpackers who have just got off the plane and haven't a clue what to do next and then proceed to blow their first month's budget in a few days on Red Bull buckets.

Of course if you are an 18 year old backpacker then you'll probably love it.

PompeyPete

Yeah, we all have different experiences of Khao San Road [KSR]. I'd give KSR itself a wide berth after dark, but you don't have to veer more than a few yards to hit quieter areas. Close to Phra Arthit, which is one road in from the river, between Pinklao Bridge and Pier 13 is an ideal area to set up for a couple of nights.

As for the KSR area being expensive, that depends where you park your backside. There's plenty of inexpensive places to stay, eat and drink, watch the world go by, and mix with like-minded people. It doesn't take more than a few seconds to suss that the backpacker your talking to is clueless, in the the same way that another backpacker will offer lots of interesting info.

I've stayed in Sukhumvit on Soi 4, and as well as finding it expensive, hated the place. Feels like the Middle East colliding with Africa colliding with Bangkok. Fine too if you're a fat bellied, red faced, middle aged westerner chasing a bit of skirt, and prepared to pay over the odds [I sort of fit parts of that profile, but I'm careful with my money].

Doshwaster

PompeyPete wrote: »

Yeah, we all have different experiences of Khao San Road [KSR]. I'd give KSR itself a wide berth after dark, but you don't have to veer more than a few yards to hit quieter areas. Close to Phra Arthit, which is one road in from the river, between Pinklao Bridge and Pier 13 is an ideal area to set up for a couple of nights.

Yes indeed. Over recent years the influence of KSR has spilled over into neighbouring streets but they haven't yet caught up with the brashness. I think it's Soi Ram Butri which is next door and is full of laid back bars and restaurants but isn't as busy or loud as the KSR itself.

PompeyPete wrote: »

I've stayed in Sukhumvit on Soi 4, and as well as finding it expensive, hated the place. Feels like the Middle East colliding with Africa colliding with Bangkok. Fine too if you're a fat bellied, red faced, middle aged westerner chasing a bit of skirt, and prepared to pay over the odds [I sort of fit parts of that profile, but I'm careful with my money].

Well, I'm a fairly fat bellied red-faced and (early) middle aged westerner too! Soi 4 is certainly an eye opener and it can be quite entertaining to grab a bar stool and people watch but I wouldn't want to stop there either as the area can turn very unsavoury at night.

To be honest I was in Bangkok for 3 nights last October and it was probably my least favourite of my 8th-ish visits there in the last 10 years. Like you it was always my gateway into SE Asia. Maybe I'm just getting bored of the place and need to give it a break for a while. If I go back to the region this year I think I'll just pass straight through the airport.

PompeyPete

Doshwaster wrote: »

To be honest I was in Bangkok for 3 nights last October and it was probably my least favourite of my 8th-ish visits there in the last 10 years. Like you it was always my gateway into SE Asia. Maybe I'm just getting bored of the place and need to give it a break for a while. If I go back to the region this year I think I'll just pass straight through the airport.

We're getting a bit bored with Bangkok too. Our next visit to SE Asia will start in Saigon. We really enjoyed our Qatar Air experience via Doha last September. Transit times at Doha outward was a couple of hours and about four hours coming home. And Doha is a really smart new airport.

Our return tickets cost £434 each, Qatar Air have several flights from LHR every day, so it's easy to find flights that don't involve overnight airport hotels either outward or return.

And we found it as easy or easier to get on the road from Saigon. Plus Vietnam on the whole is cheaper than Thailand, and has many places worth a few days.

But before thinking about SE Asia we've got Nicaragua as our next hurdle at the end of April.

Doshwaster

PompeyPete wrote: »

And we found it as easy or easier to get on the road from Saigon. Plus Vietnam on the whole is cheaper than Thailand, and has many places worth a few days.

But before thinking about SE Asia we've got Nicaragua as our next hurdle at the end of April.

I loved Hanoi, Halong Bay and Hoi An in Vietnam 2 years ago. Much cheaper than Thailand (12p for a beer!) and a lot less hassle (especially from "ladies of negotiable affection"). Doing the south of the country is on my short list for this year.