With that said, sleeping comfortably is not my style so some money will be saved there! hotels. Thanks for the suggestion. I’d love to visit some of the southeast Asian countries but would only have 4 weeks to do so. We’ve been told that actually our budgets are on par with the price of things nowadays. With the flights from country to country, do you think $4,000 is enough to have saved? And I am not just talking about one or two women - it is usually quite evenly balanced between the genders and at times I have noticed entire construction crews consisting of women. The standard cutlery over here is either chopsticks or a fork and a spoon. Being a status symbol, this unfortunately opens the door for some really bad (cheap) products to come on the market, and there have been cases where Thais have actually been killed by these bad products. Will this do the job? I was there in October 2018 as a solo female traveler. You must get sick of reading these same questions mate but I’m heading off in Feb to Istanbul for 4 days then off to Nepal and India before making my way SE Asia. Take a boat ride down the Khwae Noi River in Thailand (jump off and float downstream if you like), but avoid the modern day “Bridge Over the River Kwai” in Kanchanaburi, an ugly modern structure bearing no resemblance to the bridge blown up in the classic Alec Guinness movie (which was shot in Sri Lanka!). Oops posted to early, thank you for the help and happy new year wish you both the best! Try to buy your bus ticket a couple of days in advance if you can. English isn’t my mother tongue (it is Afrikaans), but I have always thought that most of the world can at least speak or understand English. ☞ Click here to see all hotels and guesthouses available in Borneo on Booking.com. The city also serves as a regional hub for southeast Asia, providing endless travel options.—Heather Van Deest. Entrepreneurship and self-reliance seems to be much more alive over here. Agree on the cheap food - in Southern Taiwan, you're looking at 3x cheaper the prices than in Taipei. I thought I would write a bit about some of my observations from having lived in Southeast Asia for the past 30 months. Thailand (Koh Samui only). “Like many expats in Cambodia, I ended up in ‘the Kingdom of Wonder’ completely by accident,” says Lina Goldberg. Hey! While I am on the subject of white skin… In Asia they are absolutely obsessed with white skin and there are many articles and blog posts which have been written by other people about this. Very refreshing to have an honest and realistic view on travelling SE Asia. Do you think this will be sufficient? We plan on a week in Malaysia and Thailand each, a couple of days each in Laos and Cambodia and the most time in Vietnam. I don’t know where you could volunteer, but you could have a look online and I do know that the Mad Monkey Hostel in Siem Reap and P.P in Cambodia do great work for the community. Great snorkeling, beautiful beaches, and big ass dragons. For people looking for natural beauty, you can’t beat Palawan. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1N_8hWUVTNar_G_8tQeSmQ. Kidding! You can get a Cambodian visa at the border. Me and my sister and travelling south east asia in October for 2 months: 1 week in Indonesia, a few days each in singapore and Kuala Lumpur, 4 weeks thailand, 10 days laos, 2 weeks vietnam and a week in Cambodia…. Just a few random observations from my time so far in Southeast Asia. I am planning a 2 month trip to SE Asia for May and June. One of my favorite parts of living here is the tropical climate. Q: What’s the toughest thing about being an expat? Have you spent much time in the south of Taiwan. Living and working on Gili Trawangan was definitely one of the best decisions I made during my time in South-East Asia. or do most places accept cards? This is what am searching for exactly really an interesting blog. Any info would be greatly appreciated. We will be taking around £3.5k each with us. Also, you could look into Couchsurfing in Singapore to save money . A taxi ride across town costs less than five bucks. Would you be able to provide us some advice on what we would be able to afford with our budget? “Since most foreigners cannot own land in Thailand, a number of luxury condos have been developed in recent years aimed at retirees,” Denis reports. I've also been to Boracay, but tbh, it's so Americanized and so full of tourists that I feel like it's not a good representation of what Philippines is like. I’m not sure what sort of “long flights” you mean – from home (which is where?) I managed to live off less than 5000 USD in Thailand and Laos for about almost 5 months. Living in Southeast Asia is a lot easier than you probably think…it’s easier to get around, to get what you need, to find a community that will welcome you. She lives there full-time, along with two dogs and other gentle creatures. *Note, drinking booze is one of the biggest budget busters when on the road. Those are the sites to look at – booking.com, hostel bookers, hostel world, hostels club. As a side note, I am actually not quite certain whether many of these labourers are in fact Thai. This budget is without including gear/insurance/international flights from canada, but would need to include possible flights from chiang mai to southern thailand, hanoi to luang prabang, and from luang prabang to chiang mai . I would recommend having something booked for Christmas and New Years, it’ll be busy. Must see: Ankor Wat in Cambodia, Koh Rong in Cambodia, Everything in Thailand, KL and Batu Caves in Malaysia (Malaysia is a great country with lots of delicious food too! I had been living and traveling in Asia for awhile before I finally made the decision to visit Laos, and I absolutely fell in love with that amazing country. Seven years ago, Denis and his wife (originally from Britain) built their retirement home near the city. While the distance may be intimidating, the reality on the ground is much less so than you may imagine. Spend $3,500 a month and you’ll live like royalty. $3,000 for a two month trip is a great budget. They loved me there. So don’t resist the tug of exotic Asia. We spend $50/day for a couple in the countries you listed. It’s definitely in my top three places in South-East Asia, and island hopping around Coron and El Nido was truly amazing. The budgets above are for those staying in guesthouses, huts, hostels, and eating lots of street food and eating at local restaurants. Don’t know exactly when that time will come, but I’m definitely looking forward to getting back to my favorite island in South-East Asia. We spent about $35 / day as a couple in India. We love to explore, immerse ourselves in the culture and nature, and of course, I love a nice beach. There is more crime in Central/South America and Africa and obviously, in some cities in Europe, North America and anywhere in the world! Hi there! The following budget is specific to Thailand but can be loosely followed for all of Southeast Asia: Big Beer in a Restaurant: 75-100 THB ($2.40-3.20), Bucket Cocktail: 250-400 THB ($8.33-13.33), Pad Thai On The Street: 30-50 THB ($0.90-1.50), Pad Thai in a Restaurant: 50-120 THB ($1.50-3.60), Budget Private Hostel/Hotel Room: 300-600 THB ($9-18), Massage On The Beach: 300-400 THB/hr ($9-12), Flight/Boat/Bus Combo to Koh Samui From Bangkok: 1,666 THB ($50), 24hr Motorbike Rental: 100-200 THB ($3-6) (Depends On Place & Duration), ☞ Click here to compare prices for hotels and guesthouses in Thailand on Booking.com. I lived for over a year in a fairly unknown city south of Kaohsiung (Donggang). Janet and John Nisted live in Penang—and asked why they chose to live here, the answer, for them, is simple. © 2020 Smarter Travel Media LLC. Hello! I met a solid group of people, and realized how beautiful these two islands are. I’ve worked that out to be $7,360 USD, which is about $1,225 / month for 6 months….which is $40/day. or can you get them upon your arrival to any country? blog.globehop.co/2014/09/20/singaporean-food-you-must-eat/, We did eat street food in Singapore! Thanks again for an amazing budget guide! By my calculations, you will have the equivelent of $2,982 USD. I know Donggang and Kenting is nice as well - I've bene to both. Singapore. Although you technically could scrape by on 2,000 GBP (total for you and your girlfriend) for three months in the countries you listed, you would be missing out on some things with that budget. Also how long do you think is needed in each country and what are your absolute must go too/see/do? Some great stuff here and a wealth of information in one place. If it has not been amended, do these budget estimates still apply in 2019-2020? Would £2000 for the whole trip (not including flights) be enough do you think? About 5 months into my trip I arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand and I liked it so much that I have lived there ever since (I say “there” because right now I am in Vietnam for a month, but still consider Chiang Mai my “home” for now). Myanmar: ($50-$60/day) This budget will be rising with each passing day. Thanks look forward to hearing back from you. Do you have any suggestions as far as which countries to spend more/less time in? Do you think this is enough? We are backpacking for four months with less that that amount though. I do know that fiber is available, but most places I've been to in Manila, Makati and Cebu tend to not have it. Of course, the answers are different for every country, so that’s why we made this quick & easy guide to budgeting a Southeast Asia backpacking trip. Rob reports that life here wasn’t always easy. The sunset and sunrises up there though make the whole trip worth it. Well, that is definitely not the case. Hi goats, absolite love your blog, me and my partner are heading off to china, thailand, Japan and india for a month each in February in that order with possible detours else where. Q: Which tourist attraction in Southeast Asia is most overrated, and where should travelers go instead? I’m planning to visit Thailand, Vietnam and the Phillipines. I’ve been looking on agoda, airbnb, hostelworld, etc. You’re right, Sihanoukville has cheap food, beers and accommodation. Moreover, I would like to know how should i go about booking hostels, beach huts and other accomadations. We want to visit Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Me and my friend are planning to go to SE Asia in February 2015. Ok, go ask Google how many people live in Asia: And then ask her about the land area of Asia: You do the math. My girlfriend and I are seriously considering travelling to SEA next year once she graduates and my temporary job contract runs out. Kinabalu for less than $100, and in just one day, if you are in fairly good shape.