Low Cost and High Value of Southeast Asia

As I mentioned in my previous post, this blog entry is an extension of cost effective travel, focused specifically on our experiences in Southeast Asia. While we aren’t experts on the this area of our world, we are experts on cost and logistics and SE Asia is hands-down the place to get the most bang for your buck when traveling.

Cassia Cottage, Phu Quoc Vietnam

For many Westerners like us, it’s truly difficult to comprehend the low cost of Southeast Asia. Sure, the flight to get over there generally isn’t cheap (or short), but once you arrive, you can literally stay and eat for under $50 a day. That’s food, drink AND lodging. And it isn’t like you are staying in a tiny apartment, with an alley view and your neighbor is blaring his music. We’re talking white sandy beach, towering limestone cliffs, sparkling green water, authentic Thai cuisine and more Singha than you can possibly consume. You can even spend the day pampering elephants, if that’s what you are looking for…

Alright, lets get to the nuts and bolts…or in this case, the dollars and cents. Keep in mind that the flight cost is an estimate and will vary based on your airport and time of year (I have estimated high to prove cost effectiveness). Also, for SE Asia, I’m sticking to the entire country, opposed to specific towns, as I think there is more value at looking at these destinations holistically.

Thailand - ($1100 flights + $650 food/stay +$200 elephant nature park = $1,950/8 days/pp)

Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai Thailand

It doesn’t get any better than Thailand. As I described in detail above, you can literally “have your cake and eat it too” in this unbelievable destination. Who wouldn’t want to walk through the jungle with gentle giants and then fly down for some sunny Thai beach relaxation? And for $1950?! If you want to learn more about this cost estimate and the exact itinerary behind it, check out our Thailand itinerary here for exactly where we stayed and ate (FYI - when calculating the cost for this post, I subbed out Rayavadee luxury resort for a highly rated neighboring hotel called Sand Sea Resort to save big bucks). The only negative that I can think of when visiting any country in SE Asia is the overall travel time (16 - 25 hours). But as we always say…just book the flight!

Cost notes:

Chankam Boutique Hotel, Chiang Mai Thailand

• The elephant sanctuary that we visited in Chiang Mai (socially responsible park catering to abused elephants and other animals - check out our vlog here!) is only $200 for a full day adventure; walking, feeding and bathing these gentle giants. The day is called “pamper a pachyderm” and can be booked directly through their site at www.elephantnaturepark.org. We also stayed in Chiang Mai for $70/night in a beautifully decorated Thai accommodation called Chankam Boutique Hotel, right in the heart of the city.

Railay Beach, Krabi Thailand

• You can stay on Railay Beach for well under $100/night - close to bars, restaurants and water transport to nearby Phi Phi islands (and Phuket). We routinely ventured down the beach for $5 lunch gyros and a $1 20 oz Singha bottled lager.

Thailand is…

Perfect for: SE Asia cuisine, nightlife, beach vacation, elephant sanctuary, warm weather, low cost

Not perfect for: Short travel time, craft beer, wine, high end dining (outside of Bangkok)

For more info on the details of our stay, visit our exact itinerary here.

Vietnam - ($1,050 flights/shuttles + $525 food/stay +$70 Island tour and cable car = $1,645/8 days/pp)

I don’t think we have been anywhere that has THIS much value. Not only is everything incredibly inexpensive, but Vietnam is also very safe. When you combine safety and cost with the food, culture and beauty, it is truly a must visit destination. While Ho Chi Minh is a bit more expensive (as far as SE Asia goes), the island of Phu Quoc was nothing short of unbelievable. I can vividly remember the day I realized how much money I was saving. I was waiting for Kailah to do some shopping near our hotel, so I sat down at an outdoor restaurant nearby for a beer. It was 85 degrees, palm trees swaying overhead and my bottle of Saigon Red lager was going down smooth. I got up to leave and paid my 11,500 Vietnamese Dong. As I was walking away, I was doing the math in my head and realized that my beer cost 50 cents…at a restaurant!

Cost notes:

Bun Cha Ha Noi, Phu Quoc Vietnam

Long Beach, Phu Quoc Vietnam

• There is a Bun Cha restaurant (Called Bun Cha Ha Noi) near where we stayed on Phu Quoc that makes this incredible dish for $2.20 USD. It’s a great value, and I would pay $15 for this meal back in the US because it is so delicious.

• We literally ate dinner ON the beach, with our toes in the sand, overlooking the Gulf of Thailand (yes, Vietnam borders the Gulf of Thailand) for under $20 (with several drinks). We sat there, mostly by ourselves, drank fruity drinks out of hollowed out coconuts and devoured Vietnamese cuisine.

• In our Vietnam itinerary that we published (link below), it references Cassia Cottage as our Phu Quoc accommodation. For the purpose of this post, I chose one of the other accommodations on Long Beach, as they are much more inexpensive and come highly rated. We would still recommend Cassia Cottage (incredible value, food and accommodation), but I wanted to emphasize the low cost of Vietnam.

Vietnam is…

Perfect for: SE Asia cuisine, nightlife, beach vacation, bee farm, gondola, warm weather, low cost

Not perfect for: Short travel time, craft beer, wine, high end dining (outside of Ho Chi Minh)

For more info on the details of our stay, visit our exact itinerary here.

Listen, I know SE Asia is a LONG way to travel for a “vacation” on a beach. But any and all of these countries are so much more than just value and beautiful weather. The kind people and delicious cuisine alone are more than enough to plan an adventure. With that being said, I hope this post helped clarify the cost of the two SE Asia countries we’ve visited. If you want to read more about why we chose Vietnam as a destination, check out this post I wrote a while back.

Cheers!

Kyle

Yes, you can afford to travel abroad!

I constantly hear people tell me that they “wish they could travel abroad” and then they turn around and book an all inclusive somewhere in the Caribbean for the same price, or more. What I’ve come to realize is that it isn’t cost holding them back, but rather, it’s the fear of the unknown. As travelers, we know that the expense for that all inclusive we booked is set in stone and we’re going to eat and drink our fill on a beautiful beach for a week. It’s very familiar to our past experiences. On the contrary, when we book a trip abroad, we generally don’t know what it will cost, or what our experience will be, so we fall back into our comfort zone - especially when a week of vacation is at stake. My goal with this post and future posts is to help build confidence in travel abroad and hopefully show how we can do it for a reasonable price.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on our blog, so I thought it would be helpful to walk through the top three most cost effective destinations abroad that we’ve experienced while traveling from the US - especially as we can start to see the light at the end of the COVID tunnel (thanks vaccines!). Obviously, we haven’t been everywhere, so this list is purely from our perspective. I also think it is relevant to mention that “cost effectiveness” is relative to the travel style of the traveler. Kailah and I try and find the best “bang for our buck” without sacrificing location and experience (value-based travel). This means that we don’t stay in hostels and generally don’t pay for luxury. It isn’t that we look down on either of these accommodation styles, they generally just aren’t our “thing”. Beyond that, “cost effectiveness” is pretty straight forward – the value you get for the cost you pay - food, admissions, experiences etc.

Also, for the purpose of this post, I am going to leave out Southeast Asia, as the cost is so low, Europe and North American destinations can’t contend. I’ll write a subsequent post about our cost experiences in SE Asia. Lastly, all weekly costs that I mention are all-in (including food/drink), and assume that you fly out of Boston or New York, so estimates might vary depending on your airport.

Anyway, on to the fun stuff…

Ponta Delgada, Azores - $1400/pp for a week

Whenever I talk about this location I feel like I’m giving away a true secret of the travel world. It has a temperate climate year-round, vibrant green hillsides, gorgeous lakes, natural hot springs and GREAT food and wine. We visited in late November and enjoyed walking around in sunny 65 degree weather during the day and then out again for dinner along the festive decorated streets. Besides the restaurants of Ponta Delgada and drinking and eating Azorean cuisine, there is plenty to do around the island. We took a full day private tour, bathed in the natural thermal baths, hiked for a jaw-dropping view of Sete Cidades and visited a natural salt water swimming pool.

Cost notes:

• Off season rates can get you as low as $90 ($150 high season) a night to stay right in the middle of Ponta Delgada (check our itinerary below).

• We routinely found beers at a restaurant for $3 a glass and bottles of wine for under $10. The delicious Azorean cuisine was just as reasonable. Kailah and I ate and drank at A Tasca in Ponta Delgada (highly recommend) for under $60.

• The full day tour we took cost us $200 and was completely private. Our driver was incredibly accommodating and brought us anywhere we wanted to go, including dropping us off at a restaurant and picking us up when we were done.

Ponta Delgada is…

Perfect for: A relaxing stay in a temperate climate, incredible views, hiking, Azorean cuisine, thermal baths

Not perfect for: sandy white beaches, night life, resorts, golf (although there are two courses)

For more info on the details of our stay, visit our exact itinerary here.

Montepulciano, Italy - $1600/pp for a week

Tuscany is obviously much more well known than the Azores, but Montepulciano belongs on this list. With so much commercialization in local cities (and even in Montepulciano), it’s difficult to find a place that makes you feel like you are IN Italy. The rolling hills and vineyards are exactly what you dream of. And the food and wine? Indescribable. The fact that it is inexpensive is why I am writing about it. Where else can you rent a farmhouse stay (called an agriturismo) for less than $80 a night and then go out with your party of four for a Florentine steak, with red wine carafes for under $100?

Cost notes:

• As I mentioned, there are many agriturismo options surrounding Montepulciano that you can book for under $100. We stayed in a very nice and rustic agriturismo for $60/night back in 2013

• Our favorite restaurant in the world, Osteria Aquacheta, is located in Montepulciano and is mentioned below in our itinerary. It is an incredible example of low cost. Their Florentine steaks are enormous, delicious and fairly priced based on the weight. In addition, the restaurant offers entire carafes of local wine for 6 euro (~$8).

• You can save a ton of money in Tuscany and eat like royalty by buying local wine, meats, cheeses, breads and vegetables.

Montepulciano is…

Perfect for: high quality wine (at low cost), local food (meats, bread, cheeses etc), scenery, authentic Italy

Not perfect for: beaches, bars, night life, seafood, beer

For more info on the details of our stay, visit our exact itinerary here.

Dingle, Ireland - $2000/pp for a week

Dingle is my favorite town on Ireland’s west coast. While it is very well known at this point, it still retains it’s small town Irish feel, with its vibrant pub culture and some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. It meets my low cost criteria because accommodations can be as low as $150 a night and many of the excursions can be done at no cost (check out our itinerary, link below).

Cost notes:

• We’ve stayed at Murphy’s B&B twice now and love it because it’s around $150/night and located directly over Murphy’s pub. It’s also within walking distance of every store and pub in Dingle (and the owner serves an amazing Irish breakfast every morning, which is included).

• Again, if you wanted to shave more cash off, you could always shop at Garvey’s SuperValu (1 min walk)

Dingle is…

Perfect for: bars/pubs, Irish culture, whiskey, traditional music, coastline scenery, golf

Not perfect for: wine, resorts, public transportation, food variety

For more info on the details of our stay, visit our exact Ireland itinerary here.

Cheers! - Kyle

Why Vietnam?

As Americans, many people have asked us “why, of all places, did you choose to visit Vietnam?”. Honestly, it wasn’t a question I was prepared to answer at first. I hadn’t really thought about justifying it to anyone. Some people asked because their only exposure to Vietnam was related to the US and Vietnam war, while others were concerned for our safety. And then of course, the question that got posed the most frequently, “why travel so far for vacation?”.

The answers to these questions are always impossible to communicate without a more in-depth conversation. Which can be said for most of our trips. It always comes back to “why we do what we do”. That why is rooted in a specific feeling. It’s the feeling of stepping off of an airplane and knowing you are in a completely different part of our world. The people are different, the language is different, the food is different…literally everything is different. That newness sparks curiosity for us. It ignites adventure. It makes us remember how small we are. For Kailah and I, it isn’t just a “vacation”. I try not to even use the word because it comes with the implication of escape. We don’t want to escape anything. We just want to live more. And for us, that living is defined by experiencing new cultures.

We chose Vietnam because we had such an amazing experience during our first trip to Asia and we wanted to have another adventure just like it (Not to mention the low cost!). We decided that our perfect recipe this time around would be “a dash” of city and the balance spent near a beach, with copious amounts of culture. After visiting Thailand, we knew we wanted to explore some of the other surrounding countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. We also knew that during our time frame, the most southern Asian and Indonesian countries would be in the middle of Typhoon season, so we wanted to be certain to avoid a dreary trip. Following in-depth research and conversations with other travelers, we landed on sunny southern Vietnam.

A deciding factor, the culture piece is so important to us when traveling. Like anyone else, we enjoy lounging on the beach with our beverage of choice, but we also generally try to combine it with a new authentic experience. In Vietnam, we were able to get the best of both worlds by exploring Ho Chi Minh city (formerly Saigon) for a couple days and then spending the balance of the week on the tropical island of Phu Quoc. Bustling Ho Chi Minh gave us exposure to the chaos of everyday life in Vietnam’s capital, delicious Vietnamese restaurants (shout out to Bep Me In) and the bustling night life of Bui Vien Walking Street. In Phu Quoc, we were able to slow way down, enjoying more Vietnamese cuisine on the beach, but also exploring a nightly open air market, organic bee farm, pepper farm and panoramic gondola over to Hon Thom island. I will never forget the garlic and herb, pork Bun Cha dish served near our hotel. It was a simple, traditional, mouth watering dish served by smiling locals.

There ya have it. The “why” for Kailah and I. We will continue to return to Southeast Asia (and everywhere else we can get our hands on) in continued search of the curiosity and inspiration that we get from stepping off a plane for the first time. Hopefully this helps put in perspective why we love to do what we do. More details coming soon on our Vietnam adventures!

Safe journeys,

Kyle