How far will 10 grand take me?

bibbly

Having left college and gone into work, i never got the chance to travel, so now after scrimping and saving, i have 10,000 euro I am willing to blow on the trip of a lifetime..

I have been planning to go to Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Malaysia then down to Oz to do the 1 year work thing.

my question is? do i have enough money, time is not a factor, after leaving my job i am free as a bird. Just the money, i could get a loan but want to avoid this..

This money does not include the big flights and visas, just accommdation local travel and set up costs in Oz.

Ive read that around Asia 30 quid a day is more than enough, I am finding planning where to visit and what to do and see, the easy part, but budgeting hard.

Also, I have spoken to people who have brought 15 grand set up money to Oz?? Am i way off the mark?

terencemc

Nah man, 10k should be fine.
Be savvy with your money...SE asia, you'd be grand on 15-20 euro a day...just don't be stupid.
Insurance - I find travelnomads pretty good and cheap.
Visa - Get it on the australian govt website - no other place or they'll nail you for commission
Accommodation - Stay in friends houses for the first few weeks as hostels are pricy enough in the cities...couchsurfing is great but no one will host you unless you are an active member

gafferino

Be advised Australia is very very expensive (in the cities anyway). I'm here now after travelling through South America on my way here. What time of year do you arrive? If its summer time then getting accom is a lot harder. Coming into winter now and you would have the pick of places to live (I'm in Melbourne). Just bear in mind it will take a few weeks for you to get sorted and in that time you will be paying for a hostel and food etc etc. You will also need money for a bond. Just things to think about but I would imagine 10k though asia and Aus start up money you should be fine.

dory

10,000 is fine. I usually spend either $1000, or €1000 a month travelling, depending on the type of country. Aus is very expensive to set up in. So keep a good bit for that. And then you'll have money left to travel again after if you don't end up spending it all by sleeping on couches or finding a job really fast.

kraggy

Anyone who says that 15-20 per day is enough in SEA these days must have been hiding in their bungalow all day long.

Not even possible in Laos, never mind Thailand.

digme

kraggy wrote: »

Anyone who says that 15-20 per day is enough in SEA these days must have been hiding in their bungalow all day long.

Not even possible in Laos, never mind Thailand.

Could you elaborate on this for others, including myself.

dory

digme wrote: »

Could you elaborate on this for others, including myself.

I'm not SEA expert but I did travel there once so I'll break it down a little.

5 Euro min for a bed, I always ended up paying more because I travel alone so had to get a single room. Not many dorms in Thailand. 6 Euro was my average per night.

Food - At least another 5 Euro unless you're just going to stick to street food and bananas.

Buses, you may want to travel somewhere, that could be up to a fiver.

Trips can be 30 - 40 Euro a day, trains can be 10 Euro or so. Few beers at the bar. SEA is cheap but as I said, I'd never try it on less than $1,000 a month. That breaks down to 27 Euro a day (I think the exchange rate was better when I was trying this 2 years ago).

If you go too cheap then it's not a holiday, it's a struggle and you have to constantly count your pennies.

That said OP, 10,000 is fine for some travelling and then to get set up in Aus, especially if you're not counting flights. You could travel for 2 months and still have 8,000 grand to set yourself up.

digme

I was fascinated with Asia since i was a young fella of around 14,bruce lee and all that haha,anyway it's nice to get first hand info from yourself and others.

So,30 euros a day at the minimum,that's not too bad really I suppose.
When you said if you go on the holiday on the cheap it's not a holiday,it brought back memories haha,I know exactly how you feel,not nice.

Time to save an extra few bob I'd say.
Btw, any tips, advice, nice places to go, feel free to tell us.