Submissions by Emclich

Emclich

We used booking for pretty much all of our accomodation. Using the map function we basically just surveyed the area we wanted to stay in and tried to find something that we liked. We were also three people, which meant that we were often able to share a single room and save money that way.

(Keep in mind that the 3.5$/night accomodation is a bit skewed since we spent 3 nights in Ha Giang on a tour. But in hind-sight, Vietnam did have the nicest accomodation for the price in all of the countries we visited. Our all time favorite was in Hoi An for 5.02$/night and the cheapest on the trip was in Cat Ba for 2.77$/night (Hotel room).

What 3 months of backpacking South East Asia cost (Feb-May)

backpacking

Emclich

Hi! I just came back from SEA! :D

I brought a pair of old sandals, a pair of sneakers and a pair of flip flops with me. I got great use out of all of them but as other commentors have said you can make do with much less. As long as you bring a pair of comfortable shoes and don't care if they get dirty you'll be fine.

Not sure about mens backpacks but the Osprey Farpoint was popular from what I saw! They have a 40l one if that's what you're looking for :)

South east Asia solo backpacking

backpacking

Emclich

Hmm... if I HAD to rank them it would probably be:

Vietnam, 2. Southern Thailand, 3. Northern Thailand, 4. Cambodia, Laos and 5.the Philippines.

Vietnam was definitely the highlight of my trip. It is gorgeous, and, since it was right in the middle of our trip it meant that we had gotten comfortable with the backpacking lifestyle but still had energy left to explore a bunch.

Thailand is just simple and nice. You'll meet a bunch of backpackers and the tourist sector is really well developed. Pretty much just a safe bet if you want warm weather, beautiful beaches/nature and kind people. Oh and the food <3

Cambodia and Laos kind of melted together for me since one of my friends got quite sick. We loved Luang Prabang and Siem Reap but they don't stand out very much in comparison to the others countries on the list.

I have a love-hate relationship with the Philippines. The laid back attitude of the locals on some of the islands, especially in El Nido is a breath of fresh air, the beaches are the most beautiful I've ever seen and for the most part people are really kind. However, it was much more expensive than we had expected and we felt unsafe in the bigger cities that we visited. We actually decided to leave the Philippines early because of these reasons. We were on a budget so we might have missed out on some food, but in my opinion the Philippines ranks on the bottom of the food tier list for SEA. Nothing horrible, but nothing amazing either.

What 3 months of backpacking South East Asia cost (Feb-May)

backpacking

Emclich

10d

Glad you enjoyed it :D

What 3 months of backpacking South East Asia cost (Feb-May)

backpacking

Emclich

11d

I was just away backpacking for the last 3 months and visited both the Philippines and Vietnam :)

While the Philippines is GORGEOUS, amazing water and beaches, bustling cities and beautiful nature all around. I still preferred Vietnam. It was my first time backpacking and for me it was a lot easier to travel in Vietnam compared to the Philippines. The tourist sector is more developed and there are just way more options wherever you want to go. The Philippines was also the only place where we actively avoided walking around after dark, opting for cabs, so take that as you want.

It's also cheaper, and you'll have an easier time if you're vegetarian :) (I adored Vietnamese food)

If you want to hike and explore mountains I HIGHLY recommend Northern Vietnam. Sapa is absolutely lovely, and the Ha Giang Loop was lifechanging. Definitely the highlight of my trip. City life is also great, lots of night markets (I recommend going on a food tour!)

My opinion, go to Vietnam, you wont regret it.

Vietman or the Philippines for solo trekking

backpacking

What 3 months of backpacking South East Asia cost (Feb-May) Travel

I just came home from my backpacking trip to South East Asia on Sunday. I visited Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines with two friends. We recorded EVERY. SINGLE. expense that we had and I have decided to compile my expenses for all of you to see :)

Please feel free to ask any questions, (unrelated ones as well), if you're wondering about what a specific thing cost I'm more than happy to check :)

Observe:

We travelled quite fast, which you might have been able to deduce from the number of countries we visited in just 3 months.
Our daily budget was approximately 30 USD a day (333 sek) where we were looking to spend a maximum of 10$ on hostels, 10$ on food and the remaining 10$ was saved for travel expenses.
We also had an activity budget of 500$.

Yes. We were strict with our budget. Was it hard to stick to it? No. Well. Except for the Philippines.

COSTS BEFORE THE START OF THE TRIP: 2269$

Direct flight round trip ticket: 1154$ - (1 Checked in bag and 1 carry on)
Insurance: 112$
Vaccinations: 565$ (Hep A+B (2 doses), Tyfoid, Meningitis ACWY, Kolera)
Equipment: 438$

Explanation of all categories:

Food: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and non alcoholic drinks.
Accomodation: Hostel cost.
Transportation: Long and short form transport not related to any activity, Visas.
Activities: Entrance fees, hired drivers, tours.
Souvenirs: Post cards, paintings, clothes etc.
Alcohol: Alcohol
Misc: Anything not included in the categories above, laundry, toilet fees, bank fees.

Northern Thailand: 11 Days = 226.77$

Food: 53$ (4.18$/day)
Accomodation: 50$ (4.54$/night)
Transportation: 40$ (Bus to Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai + buses and trains in BKK)
Activities: 43.42$ (Temple Hopping and Cooking Class)
Souvenirs: 16$
Alcohol: 20.4$
Misc: 3.95$

Laos: 10 Days = 332.93$

Food: 54.14$ (5.4$/day)
Accomodation: 52.65$ (5.2$/day)
Transportation: 140$ (EVISA, 2 day boat to LP, bus to Vang Vieng, van to Vinetiane)
Activities: 37.48$ (Lagoons, kayaking, tuktuk for a day, entrance fees)
Souvenirs: 36.37$
Alcohol: 10.70$
Misc: 1.59$

Cambodia: 11 Days = 450.27$

Food: 104.8$ (9.45$/day)
Accomodation: 51.83$ (5.1$/night)
Transportation: 196.36$ (VISA (big cost) 30h to Siem Reap, bus to Koh Rong, Phnom Penh)
Activities: 64.76$ (Angkor Wat, killing fields, Tuol)
Souvenirs: 22.61$
Alcohol: 7.75$
Misc: 2.16$

Vietnam: 21 Days = 643.1$

Food: 134.21$ (6.1$/day)
Accomodation: 76.81$ (3.5$/night)
Transportation: 96.08$ (Van to HCMC, bus to Hoi An, Hanoi, Cat Ba, Hanoi)
Activities: 281.53$ (Cooking class, food tour, Ha Giang, Ha Long Bay)
Souvenirs: 28.3$
Alcohol: 12.51$
Misc: 13.96$

Philippines: 15 Days = 1002$

Food: 98.67$ (6.57$/day)
Accomodation: 123.73$ (8.2$/night)
Transportation: 577.62$ (flights ;-; and the boats were expensive too)
Activities: 164.62$ (3 scuba dives, snorkeling tours and island hopping)
Souvenirs: 29.3$
Alcohol: 0$ (did not feel safe enough to drink)
Misc: 8.71$

Southern Thailand: 18 Days = 612.37

Food: 146.7$ (8.15$/day)
Accomodation: 142.68$ (7.92$/night)
Transportation: 131.96$ (4 boats, 1 bus, vans, tuktuks n bolt)
Activities: 49.69$ (ziplining, snorkeling tour, yoga)
Souvenirs: 135$
Alcohol: 4.07$ (150 b bucket)
Misc: 2.27$

I also freaked the fuck out after a close encounter with a dog on Koh Rong and decided to get the rabies vaccine = +148$ (3 doses+doctors visit).

In total I spent approximately 3365$ in the 3 months we were travelling and 5634$ including all costs before the trip. This number would've been a LOT lower if we had skipped the Philippines, but you live and you learn. We were still mostly within our budget.

Again, please feel free to ask any questions :)

backpacking

11d