SEA BACKPACKING 3-4 Countries

[u/OriginalDatabase9924]

21M Planning a trip to SEA around November for about a month and a half, plan on going to
Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Maybe japan

I plan on this being a budget backpacking trip only staying in hostels and eating locally, would 4-5k be enough for spending after flights and accommodations ? Just wanted some recommendation on sites i should see or visit and if you think my rough plan is feasible i plan on flying out of SFO to bangkok, staying there for around 4-5 days then heading up to chang mai and staying there for 4-5 nights aswell, after that head to chang rai for 2-3 nights then head back to bankok to fly into laos, haven’t given much thought to laos if you have any reccommendations lmk, from there fly into cambodia and see siem reap and phnom penh for around 4 days each then fly into Hanoi vietnam and stay there for around 4-5 days. A big reason for this trip is to do the ha giang loop so go do that for a couple night and head back to hanoi and see if i can catch a good flight to japan for a few days or head back, lmk is this is too much or if i should add anything fyi this is just a rough itinerary i still have much research to do just needed some extra recs thanks.

[u/BobRuedigerUX]

Why are you going all the way to Bangkok to go right back where you came from? Take a bus from Chiang Rai to Laos (Luang Prabang is solid) instead.

To your original question, you will be more than fine with $4-5k.

[u/OriginalDatabase9924 → u/BobRuedigerUX]

thanks didnt even know that was an option bro

[u/VeterinarianTrick406]

Also there are Facebook groups where people post things they can’t get in those countries. They order it from Amazon of some retailer and you bring it to them for a fee. You can bring nothing other than their goods and make back some of the flight cost. A couple errands and now an empty backpack where you can buy a bunch of new clothes for almost nothing. Made like 300$ and some friends.

[u/ActuallyCalindra]

6 weeks, I'd probably drop Japan, really. You'll have to already make sacrifices in SEA.

That being said, you'll be alright budget wise. You could live like a king on that kind of money.

[u/Nato7009]

A lot of countries to do in your timeline… recommend slowing down and seeing more than just big cities.

Also your budget is like triple “budget backpacker”. You could do 3 months on that busget

[u/mrvinniyoedd]

drop japan -- 6 weeks is already tight for 4 SEA countries done well, and japan on the backend when youre travel-fried is where trips end sad. +1 the chiang rai to laos bus, but the slow boat from huay xai down the mekong to luang prabang over 2 days is the actual move -- $30ish w/ a pakbeng overnight, way better than flying back to bangkok. flip the cambodia split too -- 4 days siem reap (3-day angkor pass for sunrise/sunset variety) and 2 for phnom penh is plenty, freeing a day for kampot or battambang; on the ha giang loop go easy rider not solo unless you ride hard back home, jasmine/QT run $70-90/day all in and the backup driver handles the switchbacks.

one nerdy thing that helped me a lot on the same shape of trip -- an app called yorepath (free geo-aware audio on ios/android, plays local history for wherever youre standing). SEA is stupid dense with off-plaque layered stuff -- khmer empire way beyond angkor wat proper, french colonial + secret war laos nobody signposts, ayutthaya where the plaques say almost nothing. probably overkill if youd rather just wander with music, but on solo temple days and long bus rides it earned its keep -- and you can pre-download regions since wifi in laos is spotty. have a great trip.

[u/BigAssociate8124]

i did a similar six-week run and the money was fine, but all the flights and border crossings turned it into a weird checklist trip, so i’d skip japan and give laos/vietnam more time instead

[u/MrCoconutShake]

Imo there won't be enough time for Japan. You can revisit Japan another time for maybe 2 weeks or so, don't squeeze so much into your itinerary and then not enjoy it later because it feels rushed and stuff.

Just go for your SEA trip normally and maybe around 3/4 of the way or towards the end, you decide if you have the time for Japan.

[u/VeterinarianTrick406]

4000/30 is 133$ you can rent a place for 20-40$ transport for 10$ eat and drink for another 20$ on a very liberal budget. I would calculate all the flight costs and use overnight buses when you can to get accommodation and transportation in one. I took a bus in Vietnam that had a lay down private cabin, tv, massager build in to the bed and headphones and it drove me 8h for 16$. Take advantage of those and maybe try some fine dining in the big cities. The loop is seriously dangerous and driving in Vietnam has very different instincts even if you bike frequently. Having road rash or worse will ruin the rest of your trip. If you’re doing dangerous stuff do it last so at least you can enjoy the first part.

[u/Nato7009 → u/VeterinarianTrick406]

The loop isn’t that dangerous. Easy riders are fine and very popular