Hi, my friends and I are trying to plan our trip and what we are thinking Kuala Lumpur to Borneo then onto the Phillippines. From there to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia then Thailand. We are flying into Kuala Lumpur. Is this feasible?? We were planning maybe 3-3,5 months but money is a big issue for us. How much do you think we would need to do this?
I know Asia is cheap but realistically we are gonna need to get transport between all these places. Any advice would be greatful and love your website :)
Answer: Hey, you're asking me if visiting 6 countries in 3 months is OK? It's doable, but you'll have a hell of a rush. You can save time by taking the overnight trains and buses.
Budget: it depends on how you want to travel, and where you want to travel... And have all your friends agreed to travel cheaply? If not, find out ;-)
Anyway, for 1 month you can easily spend 1600 USD (roughly estimate) per person. You CAN spend less than this -- but it's up to you. If you want to travel cheaply during the whole trip (dorms, street food, local transport) you can survive on 1050-1200 USD per month (few backpackers have had a lower budget than this).
Your greatest expenses during the trip will be the flight from KL to Borneo, from Borneo to Philippines, and from Philippines to Vietnam. You should buy flight tickets as early as possible to get the cheapest ones, or else you're stuck with the expensive ones. I bought a ticket from Borneo back to KL two days before departure, and it cost at least twice as much! :-S But at least, I got to be flexible. It was through AirAsia.
And not to mention the visas -- that will also be an expense. It's visa-free in the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia for many nationalities and for a certain period.
Amanda