Thailand and Laos on 1000 euro, possible?

johnnyfruitcake · 16-09-2010 05:54PM #1

Do you think its possible to hit thailand and laos for a month with a grand to spend, flights paid for and on to oz with a grand to get going

dory · 16-09-2010 07:37PM

So €1000 is for Ireland - Thailand - Aus with spending money for a month in Thailand/Laos?

Em...No. How much would the flight be? €700- €800 or so? Asia's cheap but no that cheap. Is the grand for settling in in Aus too?

killbillvol2 · 16-09-2010 07:47PM

He said flights were paid for I think.

It's doable, the more time you spend in Laos the better from a budget point of view. You won't be living it up though.

darrenh · 16-09-2010 08:39PM

€1000 for a month is perfect. Thats €33 a day.

€5 accomodation.
€5 Food
€23 to do whatever the hell you want.

Some days you'll spend money, others you wont. Keep a good eye on it and you'll be fine. If you plan on going on the piss 7 nights week forget about it. Drinking 1 or 2 nights you'll be fine.

Myself and my girlfriend did it on €100 each a week for a few months. It was tight but doable.We did watch every baht! We had our fair amount of drinks too.

Laos imo is more expensive. Only slightly though. Food is far cheaper in Thailand

Street food in Thailand is as good and nice as resturants.

7/11 (kinda like centra!) provide a lot of things.
Toasted cheese sandwich for - 50c
Home made bucket around - €2
Air conditioned relief from the heat - Until they ask you to leave!

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Wanderly-Wagon/Trips/5086

kraggy · 16-09-2010 11:11PM

Laos is NOT more expensive than Thailand. I don't care what anyone says.

OP, you are leaving it very tight.

Darrenh said

€5 accomodation.
€5 Food
€23 to do whatever the hell you want.

But what about the taxi from the airport to central Bangkok. Also, 5 euro is not enough for a a whole day's food in Thailand.

OP, were you thinking of going to the islands? There's no way in hell you'll have enough in 1000 euro if you're intending to go to Samui, Koh phangnan etc. Ferries alone would take up a decent chunk of your daily budget.

Darrenh, when were you over there? I was there a few months ago and it ain't as cheap as it was.

Also, the weakening euro means that after commission, you'll get less than 40 baht for 1 euro. Many people on boards who give advice (in good faith) about Thailand were there when it was 50 baht to the euro.

darrenh · 16-09-2010 11:38PM

This time last year.

Kraggy, I'm nearly sure it was you that I had this disagreement with before. May I drop dead, both myself and my girlfriend lived on €200 a week in SE Asia.

Fair enough I take your point on the weakening euro, but why say its not possible when I did it. I didn't have magic money that I didn't know about. I'm not lying for the craic, to dupe the OP in to going and falling short on money.

Food in Thailand is a lot cheaper than Laos for definite. Beer is the same price if not dearer in Laos. Accommodation is slightly cheaper in Laos, but you can get places in Thailand very cheap. You need to shop around. Street food is very inexpensive. Where did you eat in Thailand? 80B breakfast, 100B lunch, 100B dinner. Just over €5 and thats not all street food. (ok €7)

The spare €23 will cover all costs. On the day you travel to a new place you will not be doing any activities so thats where the money will go for that day and so on.

I was in Samui, Koh Phangan, Ko Tao, Ao Nang all one after the other, on €200 a week(€100 each). There are no activities on these islands. There quite frankly boring. Drinking is the main event. Ya you can get your PADI or snorkel but outside that there isn't much.

So with the euro getting you 20% less Baht, I recommend to the OP that you take €1200.

Kraggy, I haven't a clue what way you spent your money. Maybe I just (luckily) got better bargains!;)

johnnyfruitcake · 17-09-2010 12:19AM

The 1000 is just for spending in Thailand and Laos, might skip Laos and just hit the islands in thailand instead, and maybe cut back to 3 weeks, thats still plenty of time?

plonk · 17-09-2010 12:26AM

South thailand is the most expensive place as its tourist central and it all depends what time of the year you are going. Personally If I only had 1000e for a month I would see as much as I could of Laos and north Thailand, much cheaper and a much better experience imo.

I spent 2000 au$ in three weeks in thailand but I was living it up in peak season (which is December and January). Beer is pricey probably similar to offy prices here but accommodation, travel and food all can be gotten cheap.

The second time I was in thailand I probably spent half that.

Also it depends what your into. You could probably get a job in a bar in vang vieng if you were staying for a bit longer that would provide everything free.

In a bar or restaurant it will be between 1.25euro and 2euro for a beer

killbillvol2 · 17-09-2010 01:42AM

kraggy wrote: »

Laos is NOT more expensive than Thailand. I don't care what anyone says.

OP, you are leaving it very tight.

Darrenh said

€5 accomodation.
€5 Food
€23 to do whatever the hell you want.

But what about the taxi from the airport to central Bangkok. Also, 5 euro is not enough for a a whole day's food in Thailand.

OP, were you thinking of going to the islands? There's no way in hell you'll have enough in 1000 euro if you're intending to go to Samui, Koh phangnan etc. Ferries alone would take up a decent chunk of your daily budget.

Darrenh, when were you over there? I was there a few months ago and it ain't as cheap as it was.

Also, the weakening euro means that after commission, you'll get less than 40 baht for 1 euro. Many people on boards who give advice (in good faith) about Thailand were there when it was 50 baht to the euro.

The taxi from the airport is less than a tenner from the total budget so why bring that up? In any case, the rail link opened a couple of weeks ago.

I'd definitely agree that Laos is cheaper than Thailand though. As I said earlier it's doable but there won't be any luxuries.

€5 could easily feed you for a whole day (and I left there 3 weeks ago) but on €1000 for a month you'd have very basic accommodation, enough food and very limited fun. (If you feel like going on the razz drink Thai whiskey - cheap and mind-altering

).

purcela · 17-09-2010 01:56AM

€250 a week over there is no problem, and that includes all of your costs to travel from Thailand to Laos, and internal Thailand travel costs!

Drink is crazy cheap in Thailand. Stick to 50 baht large Changs from 7/11 if you are running short. The exchange rate has weakened since I've been there but I am going back in October, and my budgeting with the current rate hasn't changed much if you stay in average accommodation (don't waste your time with the high end stuff).

DO NOT cross Laos off of your list. It's a lovely place to experience, and believe me, tubing will be one of the highlights of your life. It is so cheap, easily manageable on a budget, and you won't see anything like it again.

gustafo · 17-09-2010 10:03AM

when i go to asia my biggest problem is not the cost of guesthouse, food, drink, travel its the woman that usually take most of my money but happy days

dory · 17-09-2010 03:27PM

darrenh wrote: »

I was in Samui, Koh Phangan, Ko Tao, Ao Nang all one after the other, on €200 a week(€100 each).

I usually agree with your take on these things. But I would just like to state.

€200 for two people does not = €100 each. I couldn't find one single room in Thailand. So I have to pay for a double room all the time. So when your budget is €5 per person, for a singleton it's €10 per person.

Same for taxis, even things like buying sun cream. Things you have to buy but may not fully use but you still have to buy more of these things that you can't share the cost of.

May not put it up too much, but at the end of a few weeks I've always noticed the difference financially between travelling alone and with another person.

darrenh · 17-09-2010 03:48PM

Thats true and I never really accounted for that.

OP will you be traveling alone?

I find though you can always cut your cloth to measure. For example, If I was earning 20k a year, I would get by on 20k. Then one day you get a pay rise to 30k a year and by the end of that year you have spent the 30k and still felt like you have just got by. Anyone understand me cause I'm kinda confusing myself!

Maybe cut your trip to 3 weeks, as in 21 days instead of 30. Totally forget about the islands in the south of Thailand and spend 2 weeks in northern Thailand between Bangkok and Chiang Mai/Pai. The cross over to Laos, spending 2 days on the slow boat, 2 days in Viang Vieng and then onto Vietenne(spelling is crap at this stage), where you can cross into Thailand and get an over night train to Bangkok. There will be plenty of beaches in Australia to look forward too. Ask anyone who has been in Thailand and they'll tell you central to north is the best and it's cheaper.

Otherwise go to the islands and blow your €1000 on the party of a life time. Enjoy!;)

dearg lady · 17-09-2010 04:09PM

I'd imagine you'll be fine with a grand, even taking into account the premium of travelling alone. In bigger cities you can get more hostel type accomodation or single rooms, maybe with shared bathroom. In smaller places this is harder to get but accom is generally cheaper there.
Take cheap travel options and eat cheap (easily done in Asia

)

I was there recently(Laos and Malaysia this time) and spent aroun 600-700 in 3 weeks. Had a few decent nights out, didn't feel like I was scrimping or anything.

dory · 17-09-2010 05:58PM

darrenh wrote: »

I find though you can always cut your cloth to measure. For example, If I was earning 20k a year, I would get by on 20k. Then one day you get a pay rise to 30k a year and by the end of that year you have spent the 30k and still felt like you have just got by. Anyone understand me cause I'm kinda confusing myself!

I have a friend who earns 3 times what I do, and he is contantly broke, while I can afford a nice life, travel etc.
And last year, I was working 6 hours a week as a teacher, my two friends are doctors, and I constantly had more cash by the end of the month. They are 'put the card behind the bar' type people.

Some people will always find a way to blow money! I think that has been one of the best lessons of travelling. I am a super saver since I came back. I was always terrible with money before!

wannapress · 18-09-2010 10:18AM

Jases i lived on those cheese foaties fron 7/11 for months!!!

darrenh wrote: »

€1000 for a month is perfect. Thats €33 a day.

€5 accomodation.
€5 Food
€23 to do whatever the hell you want.

Some days you'll spend money, others you wont. Keep a good eye on it and you'll be fine. If you plan on going on the piss 7 nights week forget about it. Drinking 1 or 2 nights you'll be fine.

Myself and my girlfriend did it on €100 each a week for a few months. It was tight but doable.We did watch every baht! We had our fair amount of drinks too.

Laos imo is more expensive. Only slightly though. Food is far cheaper in Thailand

Street food in Thailand is as good and nice as resturants.

7/11 (kinda like centra!) provide a lot of things.
Toasted cheese sandwich for - 50c
Home made bucket around - €2
Air conditioned relief from the heat - Until they ask you to leave!

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Wanderly-Wagon/Trips/5086

kraggy · 19-09-2010 08:38PM

darrenh wrote: »

This time last year.

Kraggy, I'm nearly sure it was you that I had this disagreement with before. May I drop dead, both myself and my girlfriend lived on €200 a week in SE Asia.

Fair enough I take your point on the weakening euro, but why say its not possible when I did it. I didn't have magic money that I didn't know about. I'm not lying for the craic, to dupe the OP in to going and falling short on money.

Food in Thailand is a lot cheaper than Laos for definite. Beer is the same price if not dearer in Laos. Accommodation is slightly cheaper in Laos, but you can get places in Thailand very cheap. You need to shop around. Street food is very inexpensive. Where did you eat in Thailand? 80B breakfast, 100B lunch, 100B dinner. Just over €5 and thats not all street food. (ok €7)

The spare €23 will cover all costs. On the day you travel to a new place you will not be doing any activities so thats where the money will go for that day and so on.

I was in Samui, Koh Phangan, Ko Tao, Ao Nang all one after the other, on €200 a week(€100 each). There are no activities on these islands. There quite frankly boring. Drinking is the main event. Ya you can get your PADI or snorkel but outside that there isn't much.

So with the euro getting you 20% less Baht, I recommend to the OP that you take €1200.

Kraggy, I haven't a clue what way you spent your money. Maybe I just (luckily) got better bargains!;)

Food is not more expensive in Laos, and alcohol is DEFINITELY not cheaper in Thailand.

I was paying 70 baht for a bottle in Thailand but only 12,000 kip in Laos.

The former was €1.40 at the exchange rate of the day (1.75 by the exchange rate of today) and the Laos price was 1 euro even at the time and 1.20 by today's exchange rate.

Foodwise, I spent an average of 1 euro for a noodle dish in Laos, and about 2.50 in Thailand. I don't know Darren where you ate in Laos.

To say Laos is more expensive than Thailand for beer and food is wrong.

darrenh · 19-09-2010 10:28PM

kraggy wrote: »

Food is not more expensive in Laos, and alcohol is DEFINITELY not cheaper in Thailand.

I was paying 70 baht for a bottle in Thailand but only 12,000 kip in Laos.

The former was €1.40 at the exchange rate of the day (1.75 by the exchange rate of today) and the Laos price was 1 euro even at the time and 1.20 by today's exchange rate.

Foodwise, I spent an average of 1 euro for a noodle dish in Laos, and about 2.50 in Thailand. I don't know Darren where you ate in Laos.

To say Laos is more expensive than Thailand for beer and food is wrong.

You spent 2.50 (125B) on food every time in Thailand!!!!! Some snazzy restaurants you ate in then! I never got a beer in Laos for 12000kip. 20000 is the norm. Agree to disagree?!

kraggy · 20-09-2010 02:04PM

darrenh wrote: »

You spent 2.50 (125B) on food every time in Thailand!!!!! Some snazzy restaurants you ate in then! I never got a beer in Laos for 12000kip. 20000 is the norm. Agree to disagree?!

Agree to disagree.

johnnyfruitcake · 21-09-2010 12:39AM

so the trip has been cut back to 3 weeks, flying into Bangkok, then head up to Laos, then to the islands, Phi Phi, Koh Phangan and then fly from Krabi to KL to catch a flight to Sydney.

All flights = 860 euro

Leaves me with a grand to spend and a grand for oz.

Any advice on cheap transport and accomodation between these places is much appreciated

buses, trains, cheap hostels etc.

cheers for all the replys

Vim Fuego · 21-09-2010 07:33AM

I did three weeks in Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia last year. Accommodation was sorted before we left and I spent €450 on eating, drinking & activities. You have plenty of money in my opinion.

We're back here for a much longer stay this year. The girlfriend and I saved up a lot before we left and we're not exactly slumming it and still finding it hard to spend the money!

We've been here a month, only hit Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Pai in our travels so far. I'll be doing the rest of your itinerary, excluding Oz, soon enough. A few tips for you:

Bangkok - we stayed in a nice place called Udee but that might be a bit far out for you and would require taxies etc but they do have nice dorms. The cheapest accommodation you're likely to find is on Khao San I imagine. in terms of transport, the sky train is cheap and excellent but doesn't cover much of the city.

Get taxis instead of tuk-tuks if you must as they are cheaper. Never agree to a price before you get into the taxi, make sure you tell them to turn on the meter. Taxi from the airport into town should cost you no more than 400 baht, anything more is a rip off. Do not agree to any free tours as you'll end up in overpriced souvenir shops.

Also, beware of people offering to take you to ping-pong shows for a 'free look'. Myself and the girlfriend thought we'd go to one for the laugh, ended up screaming the face off a Madam who handed us a bill for about €70! We haggled down to about €20 and got the hell out of their (it was called Super Pussy in Patpong so avoid) :-)

I would consider a trip to Chiang Mai. We spent 10 days in Bangkok, loved it but then we came to Chiang Mai (where everything is half the price of BKK) and i couldn't believe we stayed as long as we did in BKK. By the time we leave here, I think we'll have been here a month or so. My mates stayed in Spicy Thai hostel here, it's cheap and the place for a party (but noisy).

A trip to Chiang Mai would be on your way to Laos. My friends just got the slow boat to Laos the other day, they said it was fine despite hearing some horrible stories (from hysterical brummies mind you). Alternatively, you can get a train from Bangkok to Nong Khai (this is my plan in October), spend a day or so there (supposed to be a lovely village) and make the crossing there. This is also the most popular way to go into Laos.

In general, trains around Thailand are the way to go. I was on the website yesterday and saw that you can actually travel over 1,000km in first class for less than €20! Go 2nd class and it's even cheaper. Shorter journeys are pocket change in comparison. Trains do take up a lot of time so you may want to try a cheap flight if the budget allows it.

A couple of useful sites:

Travelfish.org - THE site for travelling around SE Asia. It really has all the info you could need.

kayak.com - cheap flight comparison engine. Got us a €40 flight to Chiang Mai which saved us a days travel.

hostelworld.com - Obvious but it is useful. One thing i would say is that the reviews seem to be written by gritty travel types that have waaaaay lower expectations that me so take all effusive recommendations with a pinch of salt. It's definitely not a comprehensive list of hostels in each location and often, you can find much better than they offer.

twitter.com/rochenstein - this is my account and I've been updating it with all our activities/accomm/eats so far. If you look back over the latest tweets from the past month, you'll see all my recommendations that i couldn't possibly recall now.

Gotta run out the door now but I'll be back to this thread later if you have any questions or if I think of anything else.

Also, goddamn I love SE Asia, it's amazing.

nxbyveromdwjpg · 21-09-2010 07:39AM

Laos is definitely cheaper, for everything.

I would not have thought this do-able, the south islands are the same pricewise at this point as resorts in Spain.

magentas · 21-09-2010 12:40PM

How do you plan to get from Laos to the islands?

I'd recommend heading back to Chiang Mai and getting cheap flight from there to Samui to save a lot of time (this was only flight I got when I was there, you're not gonna miss anything sitting on a bus for 12hrs changing in Bangkok and another 10hrs to Surat Thani to get boat to islands)

I would definately recommend taking the slow boat over border to Laos though, beautiful journey.

Any amount of travel agents over there cheap and cheerful. I wouldn't make any travel plans in advance, just take it as it comes and book your trips accordingly:)

BTW €1000 for 3wks should be loads, I expect transport will be your biggest expense as your planning a lot of stops in a relatively short time but it's still cheap as chips!

Have a blast:D

Four of a kind · 22-09-2010 10:03PM

Vim Fuego wrote: »

I did three weeks in Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia last year. Accommodation was sorted before we left and I spent €450 on eating, drinking & activities. You have plenty of money in my opinion.

We're back here for a much longer stay this year. The girlfriend and I saved up a lot before we left and we're not exactly slumming it and still finding it hard to spend the money!

We've been here a month, only hit Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Pai in our travels so far. I'll be doing the rest of your itinerary, excluding Oz, soon enough. A few tips for you:

Bangkok - we stayed in a nice place called Udee but that might be a bit far out for you and would require taxies etc but they do have nice dorms. The cheapest accommodation you're likely to find is on Khao San I imagine. in terms of transport, the sky train is cheap and excellent but doesn't cover much of the city.

Get taxis instead of tuk-tuks if you must as they are cheaper. Never agree to a price before you get into the taxi, make sure you tell them to turn on the meter. Taxi from the airport into town should cost you no more than 400 baht, anything more is a rip off. Do not agree to any free tours as you'll end up in overpriced souvenir shops.

Also, beware of people offering to take you to ping-pong shows for a 'free look'. Myself and the girlfriend thought we'd go to one for the laugh, ended up screaming the face off a Madam who handed us a bill for about €70! We haggled down to about €20 and got the hell out of their (it was called Super Pussy in Patpong so avoid) :-)

I would consider a trip to Chiang Mai. We spent 10 days in Bangkok, loved it but then we came to Chiang Mai (where everything is half the price of BKK) and i couldn't believe we stayed as long as we did in BKK. By the time we leave here, I think we'll have been here a month or so. My mates stayed in Spicy Thai hostel here, it's cheap and the place for a party (but noisy).

A trip to Chiang Mai would be on your way to Laos. My friends just got the slow boat to Laos the other day, they said it was fine despite hearing some horrible stories (from hysterical brummies mind you). Alternatively, you can get a train from Bangkok to Nong Khai (this is my plan in October), spend a day or so there (supposed to be a lovely village) and make the crossing there. This is also the most popular way to go into Laos.

In general, trains around Thailand are the way to go. I was on the website yesterday and saw that you can actually travel over 1,000km in first class for less than €20! Go 2nd class and it's even cheaper. Shorter journeys are pocket change in comparison. Trains do take up a lot of time so you may want to try a cheap flight if the budget allows it.

A couple of useful sites:

Travelfish.org - THE site for travelling around SE Asia. It really has all the info you could need.

kayak.com - cheap flight comparison engine. Got us a €40 flight to Chiang Mai which saved us a days travel.

hostelworld.com - Obvious but it is useful. One thing i would say is that the reviews seem to be written by gritty travel types that have waaaaay lower expectations that me so take all effusive recommendations with a pinch of salt. It's definitely not a comprehensive list of hostels in each location and often, you can find much better than they offer.

twitter.com/rochenstein - this is my account and I've been updating it with all our activities/accomm/eats so far. If you look back over the latest tweets from the past month, you'll see all my recommendations that i couldn't possibly recall now.

Gotta run out the door now but I'll be back to this thread later if you have any questions or if I think of anything else.

Also, goddamn I love SE Asia, it's amazing.

Can you link me to the website where I can see costs for travelling around thailand etc?

Cheers!

Vim Fuego · 23-09-2010 04:20AM

Here you go: http://www.railway.co.th/English/FareRate.asp

nitrogen · 23-09-2010 02:35PM

The average office worker is on between 15k-20k (€360-€490) a month, which will include paying rent and other monthly outgoings, therefore it's possible to get by on very little in Thailand.

Contrast to that, I found the price of drink more expensive than France or Spain.

dory · 23-09-2010 04:03PM

nitrogen wrote: »

The average office worker is on between 15k-20k (€360-€490) a month, which will include paying rent and other monthly outgoings, therefore it's possible to get by on very little in Thailand.

The is a fairly nuts statement.
Your average worker doesn't pay by the night, doesn't eat out (there are very very few hostels with kitchens in Thailand), doesn't get buses/trains, doesn't buy sun lotion, doesn't go on the razz as often. I'm not even bothered continuing with that one...

beagle001 · 28-09-2010 04:31PM

All depends on the individual,you could spend that in a night in Bangkok or make it last the month no problem.
Myself and a friend traveled Thai and Laos a while back for less than that but we were both not drinking and this also included a healthy budget each day and we scoured the entire country.
So muchfree stuff to do there but i think the biggest expense in booze when traveling like that.
Work out what you want from the trip and you will know before you go if it is enough.
Heading over in December and I cannot wait

beagle001 · 28-09-2010 04:37PM

kraggy wrote: »

Laos is NOT more expensive than Thailand. I don't care what anyone says.

OP, you are leaving it very tight.

Darrenh said

€5 accomodation.
€5 Food
€23 to do whatever the hell you want.

But what about the taxi from the airport to central Bangkok. Also, 5 euro is not enough for a a whole day's food in Thailand.

OP, were you thinking of going to the islands? There's no way in hell you'll have enough in 1000 euro if you're intending to go to Samui, Koh phangnan etc. Ferries alone would take up a decent chunk of your daily budget.

Darrenh, when were you over there? I was there a few months ago and it ain't as cheap as it was.

Also, the weakening euro means that after commission, you'll get less than 40 baht for 1 euro. Many people on boards who give advice (in good faith) about Thailand were there when it was 50 baht to the euro.

Have to say I agree with Darrenh here,Laos is definitely more expensive than Thailand and this goes for many things,food,accomodation general travel necessities and a transport.
It has rocketed up in the past few years and although I really enjoy the country Thailand gives you better value.

dearg lady · 29-09-2010 10:57AM

beagle001 wrote: »

Have to say I agree with Darrenh here,Laos is definitely more expensive than Thailand and this goes for many things,food,accomodation general travel necessities and a transport.
It has rocketed up in the past few years and although I really enjoy the country Thailand gives you better value.

I'm surprised at people saying Laos is more expensive than Thailand, tho it maybe depends whereabouts, where in Laos were you beagle and darren?
I was in the south this summer and accomodation food and drink were considerably cheaper than Thailand. Per the beer example above, I was paying 9-10,000 kip for a beer. Transport was probably slightly more exp.
I haven't been to the north of laos in 3 years so maybe prices have increased since then!

beagle001 · 29-09-2010 01:44PM

I have been all over the country for many years visiting,relatives live in savanahkett and I have seen a big jum in prices in the last 10yrs.
Vientiane has considerably shot up and is way above what they should charge the same goes for rental accomodation,I have a few mates working in Vientiane and they are considering living in Nong Khai and commuting over daily as it is cheaper for them in Thailand.
I kow there are places up north where I have found real nice bungalows for 1 dollar a day and cheap food but if you compare it with general living necessities not shop bought beer it is actually more expensive.
Next time your at the border crossings have a look at the amount of Laos brining in 4x4 trucks packed with general items.
Laos makes hardly anything itself and imports everything from Thailand and China,they have to add a little on themselves to this bringing up the prices,this I understand but its the price hikes in hotels and restaurants around the tourist areas that actually is going to be their downfall eventually if they want to compete with Thailand for tourist dollars.

Thailand and Laos on 1000 euro, possible?

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