BootsnAll Travel Community

Soon I will receive some money, about 2.5 K in US dollars, and be able to go travelling for 6 weeks-3 months. I'm pretty much sold on SE Asia but I wonder where people would/did go and what is there to see and do? In short, what is your dream trip for that budget and duration (includes airfares)?

hi ww! haven't seen you around bna as of late(or maybe i've just been blind)!

how much is airfare to SE asia from the uk? the reason i'm asking is that from the US west coast, it already costs a little under $1000USD to fly to bangkok. which, if i had 2500USD, would leave me with 1500 for three months - i'm not quite sure i'd trust myself with that amount for that long, though it's do-able.

anyway, i did not regret my time at all relaxing on the beaches in south thailand. i actually would do that again if i were to go back (though maybe for a shorter period of time). this time, i think i would also drop by laos, vietnam, and cambodia. if i had time, i'd go over to india and nepal!

are you 100% set on SE asia? or have you looked into south america or africa at least? keep us updated!

Hi WW!!

First thing to keep in mind is that it may cost a good 600-800 dollars r/t. I flew to Bangkok the first time from Italy a couple of years ago and it was around 600 U.S. r/t when the U.S. dollar was much stronger than the Euro(those were the days!!). The one thing to keep in mind is whether or not you decide to buy a r/t ticket to/from Bangkok or if you just buy a one-way ticket there and then buy another one way ticket home from another location(since you probably will start and finish in two different countries). Last year I spend about 550 U.S. from Michigan on a one-way flight to Bangkok. Either way, with 2.5 thousand you probably want to consider half of that going to airfare if you plan on visiting multiple countries. You can often find great deals for airfare around S.E. Asia, but it all depends on what season you are going.

I'd of course recommend Thailand as does everybody, but in wake of the tsunami disaster, some locations are obviously off limits. I suggest going to Ko Samuii and Ko Phangan(full moon party!!) and spend a couple of weeks in those areas. Good parties(if that's what you are interested in) and great people, but of course it's going to be very full of tourists seeing as how the West Coast islands like phuket and phi phi are off limits right now. You may need to look at booking in advance b/c of that, but i'm not sure.

You could always go to the north, which is beautiful and has great culture, but I found it to be completely different than the tourist-oriented islands. It all depends what your motives are for the trip...parties and meeting tons of backpackers or meeting a few people and immersing yourself into the culture.

Cambodia is great too, especially the Angkor Wat Temples, but they are overwhelmed with people from January to March or April. I went in last feb. and it was crowded, but still awesome. The accomodations and food can be found for cheap, but the park pass and somebody to take you around the temples almost doubles your cost for those days in Siem Reap(which is almost a must without your own transport). You can always enjoy the "happy pizzas" as well which make the temples that much better!! I suggest ecstatics pizza. You really don't need more than a 4 or 5 days if you are trying to see as much as possible. You could spend another few days in Phnom Penh as well, but you'll have to take a boat up the river(about 5 hours I believe) to see both of those locations. The people are great, but it is still very much a reality check to visit there as many people are in extreme poverty. Nevertheless, the people remain positive and full of life.

I'm now realizing i'm writing a ton of stuff, so if you want to contact me on the side, I can offer up some more advice. I spent some time in the Philippines and Bali as well, but I unfortunately missed out on Laos and Malaysia which are supposedly amazing. You can get bye on 20-25/day without a problem if you really are budget conscious in most of these places. Add another 10 to 15 for a great night of drinking though. Contact me via email if you would like more help....



sunbro18@hotmail.com

Hope this helps a little.

Best regards,
sunbro

Thanks y'all, and welcome BB! I have just been hiding around the boards, Xoom.

Yeah, flights will be at least 600 and it will be cheapest to go roundtrip to Bangkok or somewhere because overland travel in SE Asia is relatively cheap -- it's just a question of having the time to get around, hence I'm planning a (very lose) intinerary. Thankfully there is always Air Asia, just wondering how busy it gets.

The west coast of Thailand is anything but off-limits! On the contrary,in the areas which have not been so heavily affected, tourism is urgently needed to help people get back on their feet. Check out Rolf Pott's http://vagablogging.net. I have to check what the situation is like closer to the time, but I'm planning to do a tour to the island he talks about. Nobody was killed there but the people have no way of earning much money at the moment.

I'm also thinking about Africa (not quite wanting to go there at the moment) and South America (a little torn, but less likely), but SE Asia will probably win through.

I don't make much more than that and I live in Boston.. so I would think you can get by in a place as cheap as Thailand with that much

Let's say RT ticket to Bangkok is $650. (Please shop around for the best fares! But you knew that!) But make sure you can change the return date to an earlier date, so if you run low on funds

For 90 days' travel, that leaves you with about $20/day. This is quite doable in SE Asia if you watch your budget closely. Cheap guesthouses, local bus transport, food in outdoor markets, etc., and minimize the drinking, partying and shopping. If you can do a few $15 days in a row, you can save up for a splurge.

Remember the costs of visas and other incidentals, as well as the entry fee to Angkor Wat. I always advise people to get the 7-day Angkor ticket: it gives you plenty of time to explore, and averages less than $10/day. If you get 4 people together you can hire a car and driver for a day for US$20 total (=$5 each), or rent a bike for a buck or two.

Thanks Bubbha, It's a good idea to round up a few people to go on some shorter excusions, although I normally travel solo. Accommodation is expensive that way, but I find the experience much more intense. It will be the first time that I budget for things like eco-trips and entrance fees, but I reckon I can live on $10-15 most days, so that'll make up for it.

Better to go for 6 weeks and see more than for 3 months bumming around on the cheap, I reckon -- but then maybe I'm turning into a flashpacker (shudder)

I would definitely recommend Southeast Asia for that amount of time. You can go to a half-dozen countries overland from Bangkok and internal flights are fairly reasonable if you want to fly, from say Bangkok to Hanoi. Load of variety there and you can see a lot in a few months without being on the run all the time. Plenty of places to chill out and recharge in every country.