Usually when people hear I’m traveling around the world for five months, they assume it’s expensive and I must have lots of money to do it. But it’s actually a lot cheaper than you would think. I’m not the most budget minded traveler out there, but I did try to watch my spending and keep track of it as much as possible. Here’s a breakdown of what I spent in two months traveling through Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. All figures have been converted to US dollars, and I’ve only counted my portion of any shared rooms. (Also, this is my 100th post, so I thought it was appropriate that it be about numbers.)
Lodging: $766.25
I spent 50 nights in Southeast Asia, so this comes to an average of about $15.33 per night. And really, I could’ve done better. If I kick out the two nights Amanda and I stayed in Seminyak ($76 for two nights) and the two nights we stayed in Brunei ($69 for two nights), both of which were a splurge, the average for the remaining 46 nights drops to $13.51 per night. I only spent two nights in a dorm during my time in Southeast Asia. The rest of the time was either in hotels, guesthouses, or a private room at a hostel. More than half of the lodging included free wifi and some sort of free breakfast, ranging from toast to a full buffet or set menu. I stayed in many guesthouses that cost less than $10, or even $5, per person, and most of them were perfectly comfortable, clean and safe, and most were run by the friendliest people.
Flights: $820.39
I learned early that I don’t like overland travel. Sitting on a bus for more than a few hours is uncomfortable, exhausting, and tedious. So even though it is usually the cheapest way to travel, I ended up booking more flights than most long term travelers would. This number includes the following flights: Singapore to Bali; Yogyakarta, Indonesia to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; Brunei to Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Siem Reap, Cambodia to Pakse, Laos; Pakse, Laos to Vientiane, Laos; Luang Prabang, Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam. This averages out to about $16.41 per day, although I’m not sure how useful a daily average is for flights. (I used Delta Skymiles to get my round the world ticket, so all I paid for that was $167.80 in taxes, which is not included in this total. It was 180,000 Skymiles for an economy round the world ticket with SkyTeam.)
Other transportation: $427.25
This is any mode of transportation besides airplanes. Taxis, tuk-tuks, metros, trams, buses, airport transfers, ferries, etc. This ranges from $1 tuk-tuks in Siem Reap to a $40 fast boat and mini van combo from the Gili Islands to Seminyak. Some of these are easy to negotiate, and I’m willing to bet someone with better negotiation skills could’ve gotten better prices on a few. I also got ripped off on my taxi from the Hanoi Airport, but I was running late to meet Victoria. Over 50 days, this averages out to $8.55 per day.
Activities: $307
Just like everything else in Southeast Asia, activities were usually inexpensive. In Singapore, I went to the Night Safari. In Indonesia, I went snorkeling, saw rice terraces, got a pedicure, took a cooking class, saw two dance shows, went on a volcano tour, and visited Borobudur. In Malaysia, I saw orangutans, proboscis monkeys, and a rain forest park. In Cambodia, I went to the Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum, took a cooking class, and explored Angkor Wat. In Laos, the only activity I paid for was tubing. In Vietnam, I went to the Museum of Literature and the Hoa Lo Prison Museum. I averaged $6.14 per day for activities.
Visas: $125
Unfortunately a lot of countries charge for entry visas, and some need to be obtained ahead of time especially if crossing land borders. Indonesia charged a $25 fee for their visa on arrival. Cambodia was $20 for visa on arrival. Laos was $35 for visa on arrival. The visa on arrival process is very easy for these countries. You have to arrive by air at certain airports (check the embassy websites for more info) and you just fill out a form and pay the fee at the airport. Be sure to bring passport sized photos (two for each to be safe) for Cambodia and Laos.
Vietnam requires that you apply for a visa ahead of time. If you’re traveling by land, you need to know what date you will be arriving and complete the visa process ahead of time. However, if you’re traveling by air and arriving at certain airports, you can apply online for $20 (I used a site called My Vietnam Visa which was really quick and simple, but there are others) and tell them the earliest you will arrive. So for example, if you tell them you will arrive November 1, you can still book your flight for November 3, but you will still have to leave the country within 30 days if you have a 30 day visa. Then once you arrive at the airport, it’s another $25 to complete the visa process, so it cost me a total of $45 for my Vietnam visa. I needed a passport photo here too.
Also be aware that some countries also charge departure taxes at certain airports. Sometimes this is included in the price of your flight, but sometimes it isn’t. When Amanda and I flew out of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, I think it was 100,000 Rupiah, which is about US$12, but don’t quote me on that. We didn’t have enough Rupiah left, paid in US dollars and got Singapore dollars back as change for some reason. (Visa charges were current as of late 2011 for US citizens. Some charges vary depending on country of citizenship.)
Food and other miscellaneous items: $1500?
Here’s where I didn’t do so well at keeping track of expenses. Eating is something you do two or three times a day, and it’s easy to lose track of what you spend quickly. So I had to work backwards, knowing what my bank balance was when I started and knowing what I spent on everything else. Hopefully I did my math correctly. This category averages out to $30 a day. That’s all meals and snacks, random bottles of water or soda, ice cream stops on hot days, alcohol, bug spray, sunscreen, after sun gel, shampoo, toothpaste, contact solution, souvenirs, postcards and stamps. (Even if a handful of my postcards never made it to their recipients.) Again, this is an area that can definitely be done for less if you’re more careful about eating cheaply and not splurging as much.
In 50 days in Southeast Asia I spent a total of $3,945.89, which is an average of $78.92 per day. Or $62.51 per day if you subtract what I spent on flights. Most people who travel extensively through Southeast Asia would probably say this is outrageously high. If you travel slower than I did, travel overland more than I did, and seek out even cheaper lodging and food, you can definitely get by on half or even less than half of what I spent. There were days in Siem Reap when I spent $3 on dinner, including a beer. There were days in Laos I spent $3 a night for my half of a twin room. The hotel I stayed at in Siem Reap was $18 a night for a single room, and the hotel I stayed at in Hanoi was $10 a night for a single. Both were nice enough my mom would approve, and included good breakfasts and wifi. So it’s definitely possible to travel comfortably without a lot of money, and you can do it without sharing a hostel dorm room with eight other people.
So when are you buying your plane ticket to Southeast Asia? If you’ve already traveled through Southeast Asia, what was your daily average?
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Tags: round the world, solo travel, southeast Asia, travel addiction, travel pictures, travel spending
That just amazes me! I don’t know why, because I’ve heard SE Asia isn’t that expensive, but it does. I guess it’s just seeing the numbers broken out. Fantastic!
Amy recently posted..Australia: Day 8, Golf with Roos
I *really* could’ve done this part of the trip for less. Like I said, I wasn’t exactly counting every penny. You could probably shave off a huge percentage of my daily budget, especially if you go over land instead of flying as much as I did. It’s definitely an inexpensive part of the world.
I was surprised that Singapore was not listed on your costly Lodging. It was the most expensive city I visited in SE Asia. Look forward to seeing your cost after SE Asia and how it compares.
Keith recently posted..Santa’s Horny Transport
Thanks Keith! Singapore was the only place in SE Asia where I stayed in a hostel dorm, so I think it was only about US$15 per night for my bed. An actual hotel would’ve definitely been more expensive. Also, it was all downhill after SE Asia.
Hey Ali,
I’m always interested in posts about budgets for certain destinations. Although your budget is higher than what most backpackers might spend in the region, I feel it was appropriate given the amount of time (only 2 months) and all the activities you covered. I think if you were on a 6 to 12 month trip in the region, it would make more sense to pace yourself but given your situation I think your budget was reasonable.
Thanks Samuel! I definitely traveled a little faster than most, and I totally did not pay attention to what I was spending on food and misc items. All the flights bumped up my spending too. I still love how cheap SE Asia was though, especially after all I spent on the rest of my trip.
I love your bungalow in Indonesia. I probably would have spent my entire 2 months there haha.
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures recently posted..Chicago: Day 3 & 4
Except that it only had salt water! It was fine for 1 night but I don’t think I could’ve handled too many salt water showers!
I heard that SE Asia is cheap, but it never occured to me that you could spend that little and experience so much. Very cool!
Sabrina recently posted..Travel Photo Thursday: New Mexico Thunderstorm
Thanks Sabrina! I could’ve spent even less but when things are that cheap, it’s hard to make yourself count pennies.
I’d love to get back to SE Asia someday – it’s so cheap compared to most other places and what you get for your money is quality. Congrats on your 100th post!
Andrea recently posted..Foodies Guide to Margaret River
Thanks Andrea! It’s crazy looking at what I spent, knowing how little that number is and still knowing I could’ve easily done cheaper!
Congratulations Ali! I always feel a sense of victory when I nab a bargain. The guesthouse Steve and I stayed in, in Vang Vieng, was 35,000 kip per night and it was one of the biggest and most comfortable rooms I’ve stayed in! I’m interested to know… how did you choose your accommodation? Did you book in advance or wing it on the day? Did you choose places that were in the guidebooks or go by word of mouth/on-the-ground research?
PS Congrats on 100 posts!
Maddy recently posted..5 minute wander with… Maddi
Thanks Maddy! Sounds like a great place you stayed at in Laos. I picked my accommodation a few different ways. Sometimes I booked ahead of time through Hostel Bookers or Hostel World, sometimes I went off of recommendations from other travelers, and sometimes I just waited until I got there to look around and find something. I definitely prefer booking ahead of time, but that has its disadvantages.
Ah man… interesting post! I too am always wondering how much being gone so long costs. Thanks for sharing!
Dan
Dan Thompson recently posted..POTW: Easter Island
Thanks Dan! The rest of my trip was expensive, but at least I started inexpensively!
I think your budget is pretty decent considering you got to see a lot of different places in such a short amount of time. We probably spent more than most backpackers in SE Asia, but we did 3 countries in a month and we didn’t always stay in $5/night hotels. We enjoy splurging on nicer hotels every once in a while and going out to a nice dinner.
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Thanks Christy! I think it’s important to splurge every once in awhile when traveling, otherwise it would be hard to keep up with the penny pinching the rest of the time.
That’s much cheaper than I thought South East Asia would cost. I think for me the biggest expense would be airfares from Australia and then everything else would pale in comparison. No wonder why tonnes of people are going to Asia for their holidays rather than stick around at home. With the Australian dollar so high you’d be crazy not to.
The airfare would definitely be the only big expense. SE Asia is not expensive at all, and even if you don’t want to stay in hostels, there are plenty of nicer places that are still really affordable.
Wow, Ali – I think that’s incredible – especially for flights. We must pick your brain about Cambodia.
Kent recently posted..A Travel Dream – Show Up at the Airport and Go Anywhere.
Thanks for sharing your budget. It’s always interesting to see what other travellers spend.
A quick question just to clarify: the final numbers are just for you and not both you and Amanda, right?
Thanks Susana! Correct, just for me. I was traveling solo more than half of the time I was there, and the times I did have a friend with me, I only showed my portion. So if a room was US$20 per night, I only included US$10 for my half. Let me know if you have any other questions!
It may be high but I think it helps people understand if they don’t want to go bare bones how much they can expect to pay. And it’s still a steal!
Ayngelina recently posted..Food Friday: Pave
Thanks Ayngelina! Definitely still a cheap area to travel in even if you don’t go completely as cheap as possible.
it’s amazing that you kept good track of all of your expensive. it seems like it will help for future trips.
Maria D. recently posted..10 Free Things to do in Hong Kong
Thanks Maria, I hope it’s helpful to lots of people!
If you are a wise tourist it would be much better if you will only buy those things that is much important. Probably it would be much helpful if you will not buy things or spend money because of impulse. Anyway having a vacation doesn’t mean to spend. Enjoy and be practical; just enjoy the place and food.
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Thanks!
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Love seeing everything broken out like this! SEA is on our itinerary for the summer, so we’re really hoping we can have a blast and still keep it cheap. South America has been more expensive than we thought! Chile and Argentina at least…
I wish more people kept such good detail of their expenses. Super inspiring to see how reasonable travel can be!
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Thanks Tony! I’m glad it’s inspiring! Chile & Argentina can definitely be more expensive than the rest of South America. You can do SEA cheaper than I did if you don’t fly as much and if you’re a little more conscious of your food & misc spending.
Thanks for posting this! I loved your bungalow and your tuk tuk in Siem Reap looked just like mine did! As for your budget, I don’t think you did too badly at all! In Asia, where things are cheaper.. it’s easier to spend more money without realizing until you check your bank balance! Flying vs Overland travel is always a personal choice. I like mixing the two, because I would easily get annoyed if I took 5 long haul buses in a row! I appreciate you taking the time out to formulate this post. Very helpful!
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Thanks Jodi! I’m glad you found it so helpful!
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I love posts like this. It’s fascinating to check out how much other people are spending in Asia. I’ve been living in the Philippines and one thing that continually blows my mind is how cheap it is to live like a king here.
John recently posted..Sunset and Shakes at White Beach, Puerto Galera
Thanks John! I knew it was a cheap region before I got there, but somehow seeing it in person makes it that much more amazing just how cheap things are. And I totally could’ve done this part of my trip for less if I had tried. I hate that I didn’t make it to the Philippines though.
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Wow! I haven’t done much traveling, but this blew my mind. And gave me some great tips!
Me and my husband (both 25 years old) plan on traveling Asia for 2-3 months. My husband is a very outgoing, extrovert person, whereas I am quite shy, and (I will admit it) a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to traveling and trusting foreign places and people. My question is, what countries/cities did you find that you felt “safer” in?
Also, we are pretty big partiers – can you suggest where we should go, if we want that type of trip?
Thanks Janelle! Keep in mind, I traveled a little faster than average and flew more often where others usually took buses, so my spending was higher than average.
Honestly, I felt safe in all the SE Asian countries I traveled in. I didn’t feel unsafe at all there. I can understand about being scared, but you will be fine once you get there. Check out a post I wrote on my other site for a pep talk: http://travel-made-simple.com/is-traveling-safe/
As far as partying, sometimes it just depends on what hostel you stay at in any city. Vang Vieng, Laos is known for parties and tubing down the river while drunk and/or high, but people also die because they get out of control or jump off a rope swing into a shallow part of the river.
I’m going to send you an email with some info. Happy travels!
I am flying soon to Indonesia and I am planning to go to Gili Air. Can you tell me if you booked that Bungalow with time and how much did it cost? Can you give me the contact. It seems a wonderful place to stay a couple of nights.
Thanks
Jordi
Hi Jordi! We didn’t book the bungalow on Gili Air ahead of time. We didn’t find too much lodging listed on line, so we just took the boat over from Gili Trawangan assuming we’d find something. A guy who owns the bungalows was waiting at the dock for people looking for a room, so we went with him. It was about US$28 for one night (there were 2 of us, so $14 each) and we were there in October 2011. If you want to look for that one in particular, when you get off the boat, turn left and go all the way down until the dirt path kind of ends. It’s at that end of the island (it’s a very small island) but I don’t know if the place even had a name. Also, keep in mind that the bathroom was salt water only, so you might not want to shower in that for too many days. Sorry I can’t give you any more specific info!
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Hey Ali!
I’m just starting to plan a 1.5 month trip to SE Asia, and this post has been so helpful! It’s nice to hear that you were traveling by yourself for a little and felt safe, because I plan on being by myself for parts of my trip and meet up with friends for the other. Since I’m still in the beginning stages of my planning, I’ll definitely be emailing you with some more specific questions that come up!
Thanks Donna! Yes, I felt completely safe in SE Asia. The people are so incredibly friendly. Always be aware of your surroundings and use common sense, but you shouldn’t have any problems there. Feel free to email me with any questions, I’m glad to help! Have fun planning!
It is amazing how cheap SEA is, and it’s funny how easy it is to take it for granted when you’re there, you just start to expect it, and after a while you stop comparing it to western prices. I think the cheapest hotel room we stayed in was 150 baht.
Sofia recently posted..Top 5 Romantic Valentines Day Destinations In The UK
It does amaze me how cheap SEA is! Being able to find such cheap rooms and really great food for next to nothing was really nice. It certainly made it harder to deal with western prices when I left SEA though!
I stayed in a bungalow in Thailand for a few days, but I wouldn’t mind revisiting Asia and staying longer.
Claudine recently posted..Watch ‘Carmen’ in Lights in Sydney, Australia
I never made it to Thailand, but it’s high on my list. Wouldn’t mind revisiting a few other places in Asia too!