How to travel around South East Asia without breaking the bank

South East Asia – Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore – is one of the most popular backpacking destinations in the world. This beautiful, tropical, magical region of the globe is packed full of intrigue and mysticism not to mention legendary beaches, dense rainforests, captivating cities, remote villages and landscapes so breathtaking even the best photographers can’t do them justice.

However it’s not just the landscape and the welcoming foreign culture that is so appealing to travellers; this part of the world is cheap. OK, so you have to fork out several hundred pounds to get there, but once you’re there, as long as you’re savvy, you can live on just a few pounds a day and get to eat delicious local cuisine, stay right on the beach and meet all kinds of people. Here are our top tips on how to travel on the cheap around South East Asia.

Before you get started on the travelling, you need to be aware of the latest currency exchange rates. Each country in SE Asia has its own currency and goes further in some countries than others. You can find information on the latest currency exchange rates online at Currencies Direct so you’ve no excuse not to stay up to date.

thai beach cc scaredy_kat

Getting to and from South East Asia is your biggest expense. The cheapest airport to fly into is Bangkok. It is a major airport hub with flights leaving and departing for all regions of Asia every few minutes. So fly in and out of Bangkok in Thailand and travel overland between the other countries.

Travelling overland in Asia is easy. There are buses and trains as well as coaches and internal flights, however to keep costs as low as possible travel by bus or train. Trains are split into first and second-class compartments. First class tickets are more expensive, as you’d expect, but on busy trains it is advisable to go first class. However, if you’re journey is short then second class is fine.

Buses are usually the cheapest options. You even get food included and they are great places to meet people. Seat61.com is a great website offering local travel advice.

Accommodation wise you can choose between beach huts or city hostels or apartments. If there is a group of you travelling together an apartment will be cheaper than a hostel. Beach huts are much better options than large hotel complexes. You can pay just a few pounds per night for a hut right on the beach. To get the cheapest rates go for huts with fans rather than full air conditioning and don’t request hot water… you’ll probably only want cold showers after a day baking on the beach.