Budget!!!!

Hey hey!

Right to give you an idea of what im doing...

Landing in Bangkok 1/3/11 then basically thinking travelling in a big P shape. East through cambodia, south to north vietnam, laos, northern thailand down to phuket and then have flights from singapore to australia for working down the east coast.

Im just worried about my budget for the asia part planning to end up in singapore round august. So in 5 months im hoping to make £4k last. I looked into general costs transport, hostels (very basic), food etc and think i'll be ok but I've got several problems: im useless with budgeting my money. Plans are likly to change as i intend to go where the breeze takes me and well, ive never been travelling on my own or more than 2 weeks away from UK.

If anyone has any comments on my budget or lack of it, money saving idea's or general input/ there experience's cost wise round these places it would be much appreciated.
No matter what, its still so on ....and I cant wait!!!

Cheers,

Wilson

Wilson,
I havn't been any of these places yet myself but during my RTW next year i plan on doing a similar route to that. From forums, research and speaking to friends who have travelled SE asia they say budget for about £500-600 a month to live comfortably. You can do it for cheaper E.g. cheap hostels, street food, basic travel. but for half decent hostels and eating out sometimes and visiting landmarks about £500/600 pm is what i've heard.

Would like to heard from other experienced travellers too on what they recommend.

Dom

I have heard that Laos is really cheap. So I would spend as much time there as possible if I were you (thats what I'm gonna do on my trip, which btw. is the same as yours only the other way around. I've also heard that Laos is the most awesome place on the planet. Everyone is saying so. So look forward to it. I know I am).

Another tip is, obviously, stay in dorms. Do what you do at home and get drunk before you get to the bar so you wont have to buy too much at the bar. Don't eat at restaurants, eat where the locals eat (you might get sick at first though, but hey, la vida loca right). And, don't stay too long in Bangkok. It will eat your money up.

Cheers

Tony-Guy

Quoting Tony-Guy

I have heard that Laos is really cheap. So I would spend as much time there as possible if I were you (thats what I'm gonna do on my trip, which btw. is the same as yours only the other way around. I've also heard that Laos is the most awesome place on the planet. Everyone is saying so. So look forward to it. I know I am).

Another tip is, obviously, stay in dorms. Do what you do at home and get drunk before you get to the bar so you wont have to buy too much at the bar. Don't eat at restaurants, eat where the locals eat (you might get sick at first though, but hey, la vida loca right). And, don't stay too long in Bangkok. It will eat your money up.

Cheers

Tony-Guy

LOL u're right. don't stay too long in bkk. i'm so broke after coming home from bkk.

Hahaha! it is wierd how different people experiance different places....I found BKK really cheap...I only ate street food...and only drank beers from the 7 elevens and street bars.... acommodation also pretty cheap....spent way under £20 a day....other places in Thailand were way more expensive! Still cheap tho!!

Yeah I heard bangkok sets u back as well but I guess its all about what u do. I think its things like tubing in Vang vieng where I can see myself blowing a lot of cash no matter how cheap the drinks are!

I guess you can live really cheap in Bangkok if you have awesome self-constraint and manage to resist the numerous 'tempations' to spend your money.

Hey anyone been to chiang mai yet?lonely planet has just voted it as one of the must visits next year. I'm thinking of doing it solo...and it think itd be much cheaper than bkk

Food and accommodation is really cheap in Thailand, it has always cost me <USD20 a day.

But activities are really expensive, like the Gibbon cost me USD80, micro flight USD80, etc. Angkor Wat entrance cost USD20(1day), USD40(3days) in 2005.

ChiangMai is the best place in the whole Thailand, so relaxing. If you want even more hippie and bohemian, go Pai and MaiHongSon or MaeSot near the Myanmar border, same as going to or at the border for Laos like Phu Chi Fa. etc.

Wilson,

4000 pounds should last you in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. Phuket is not a good idea, expensive and commercialize.

With that budget, you might want to watch out for Singapore and Australia, these are really high cost living countries, not any cheaper than UK.