Korean Job Discussion Forums

[beckett]

Hi guys ,

Well after spunking a lot of money in my first few months in korea I am hoping to start saving in febuary for a 3/4month trip around Asia next august .

I gather from these boards that a lot of you are seasoned travelers(I am not) and I am sure many off you have spent a few months treking around Asia. So my question really is how much did you spend ? I am hoping to go to Thailand , Vienam , Cambodia , Indonisia , Philipines ,Taiwan etc . I realise that peoples spending habits are very different. I would classify myself as a bit frivilous with cash. I like to buy things , have a beer , eat decent food , do water sports , go on tours , buy presents for family friends etc . Would not need to stay in fancy hotels or anything like that.

So if any could help me out with their experiences that would be great. I am thinking that maybe 6 million won would cover a trip like this for 3-4 months ? Maybe I am aiming to low ???

I realise that it is hard for people to judge a question like this but anyway any advice would be great thanks !

[JJJ]

Mind you this is just me and I've done the backpacking, hostels, sleeping on the beach, in a park, 24 hour bus rides etc. (and won't do it again)........I think 6 million plus airfare would be perfect.

Have fun

[Kurtz]

How many flights will you be taking? That will eat into your budget.

These days I budget at least 50 bucks a day in Asia. Some days I spend less, some days a hell of a lot more if I buy something I can't resist.

Will you be taking tours? they can add up, so can entry fees into sites/temples plus the costs of tuktuks/taxis, getting scammed here and there, costly nights at a bar where some bar girl sits drinking with you all night even though you swore to yourself when you were sober you'd never do that.

SE Asia can be done on 20-30 bucks/ day but sounds like you're not a true shoestringer so I'd say 6 mill would last you a little over 3 months if you factor in some flights.

If you're into sitting around on the beach and you're not traveling much, maybe 4 months in Asia.

August though man, not a good time over that way but Indonesia should be good.

[runthegauntlet]

Yeah, 6 million should definitely be enough for 3-4 months. It'd be even better if that didn't include plane tickets. If it does, figure 5-800k RT from Korea.

Also, check out AirAsia.com. The sooner you book, the cheaper the flights are. And I mean cheap like, cheaper than a bus. Some of my upcoming flights: Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap: 30 USD. Phnom Penh to BKK, 31 USD. Singapore to Bali: 22 USD, etc.

It's hard to plan out that much, but I'm on a strict time table so have to plan it out. With four months to roam around, I probably wouldn't book flights until I was in the country. Just a heads up, though.

[Schneepat]

In 2006 I did a two month trip through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. I had a budget of $10 a night for hotel rooms. That usually got me a decent room with AC and hot water. Unfortunately, in Bangkok that got me a windowless hovel in Khaosan. Travel ranged from local cheap buses in Cambodia to long distance VIP buses in Thailand. I did a few tours in Vietnam, and I spent four days at Angkor Wat. Food was for the most part local except for Cambodia where eating local turned out to be quite bad for my digestion. The whole trip cost about $5500 Cdn, but that included airfare from Korea to Bangkok, Luang Prabang to Chiangmai, Hanoi to Bangkok, and Bangkok back to Winnipeg.

So, I budged $50 a day for my day to day expenses (food, tours, lodging), and transportation costs were above that. Granted, I tend to not always want to take the cheapest (and most uncomfortable) path, so you could do it for less.

[bucheon bum]

I've generally budgeted $30/day in SE Asia, but last time I was in Bangkok (2007), I found it was a challenge. You might want to budget $40/day in Thailand and Malaysia to be safe. Less than that for the other countries you mentioned (besides Taiwan).

Is 6 million including airfare? If no, it is easily do-able. If yes, then you can still definitely follow that budget, but you'll have to watch your money a bit, especially if you're taking multiple flights.

edit: grammar for 1 sentence.

[beckett]

cheers lads some good advice there !

Think 6mill including airfares would be my target.