And as it usually happens, our travel dream took shape in a way we never imagined. It came unexpectedly, while we were planning a trip of the same number of days to the opposite side of the globe, and when the day came to decide where to go, we let fate decide, flipping a coin.
And fate wanted us to go to Asia for 40 days, to live an experience that challenged and changed us, a trip that we still browse in our minds and that we will certainly never forget. It was a dream come true, in its most beautiful form, as it was meant to be.
What we had started planning in the spring of 2019 was thought and rethought, organized and reorganized, planned and canceled and planned again, until we arrived at these 40 days that involved a complex itinerary, 13 flights, 2 bus trips through Cambodia, sunrises caught in the airport, a Christmas celebrated in Phnom Penh, walks through the most beautiful places in Southeast Asia, a stopover in India, dozens of soups and plates full of rice, moments of peace and disconnection.
It was the adventure of our lives, lived to the fullest!
It is almost impossible to emphasize in just a few words, even 10,000 words, everything we experienced on this trip, but I want to start the story from “once upon a time” and tell you how we planned this trip, what itinerary we chose for the 40 days in Asia and how much the whole adventure cost us.
I assume that, if you clicked on this article, you already want to embark on your own adventure through Southeast Asia (so I don’t have to tell you that it will be the coolest trip you have ever taken) and that you need some advice. Well, I think this article will shed some light.
40 days in Asia – Organization, Itinerary, and Budget
I start by saying that I intentionally chose the word “Asia” because we did not set out on that “standard” trip through Southeast Asia, but we thought that these 40 days should be about the journey and not about the destination.
Our destination, Vietnam, was reached only after two weeks of wandering through the Middle East and after a stopover in India. Once in Vietnam, we followed the plan that I had outlined a few years ago, and then the road home took another 15 days, with the associated stops.
I try to structure this article as well as possible, in such a way as to give you all the information you need when you start planning a longer vacation in Asia. The first thing you need to do is make a list of the steps you need to follow. I have an excel for every big trip I plan, and I write everything down there.
Travel planning in 7 steps
- Set the duration and period of the trip
- Calculate a budget (estimate)
- Draft an itinerary (on paper)
- Check the travel conditions in each country (question: "Do I need a visa for country X?")
- Buy plane tickets
- Book accommodation
- Apply for visas if necessary
Determine the duration and time of your trip
The first thing you need to do is determine the time of your trip and its duration. In terms of time, it is recommended to visit Asia between November and March.
Temperatures are more pleasant, the rainy season has finished its work, and the weather is perfect for exploring. Also, keep in mind that December and January are the peak months for tourism in SE Asia, and prices can be a little higher than in other months.
When it comes to the duration of your trip, those who do not have remote jobs (like us) need to take into account a few factors. It all starts by checking how many days of vacation you have left, but also what days off there are in the period you have chosen (December and January are full of days off).
We always take advantage of these days to extend our vacation. It is very important to determine from the beginning how much time you have available, because depending on this you will decide when to leave, where you will go and how long you will stay in each country.
In our case, we had 45 days available, from December 1 to January 13. After a lot of research, we managed to establish an itinerary for 40 days and an estimated budget.
Calculate a budget (estimated)
After a bit of online research, we establish an estimated budget. We decide on an amount that we are willing to spend – the “Travel budget”, then we do some simulations on skyscanner and booking.com, to see what the prices are for flights and accommodation.
Then, based on the documentation, we divide the budget into categories. I told you in this article that we never make the budget by day because on some days we spend more, on others less. The budget division looks like this:
- Transport
- Accommodation
- Tourist attractions
- Visas
- Other expenses (food, medical insurance, internet card, etc.)
Also in an excel, we allocated an amount for each category. In the end, it turned out that the budget for tourist attractions was higher than we had anticipated, and the one for accommodation was much lower than we thought. One after another, when we draw the line, it turns out that our estimates were good and that we did not exceed the established budget.
Our Budget
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Flights: When it comes to flights, we estimated a higher budget than we actually spent. We had a total of 13 flights, with an average of 80 euros/flight/person (we had estimated 100 euros/person). The fact that we only flew low-cost, short distances contributed to this. The longest flight was Abu Dhabi-Budapest (5 hours), and the shortest was Jeddah – Riyadh (55 minutes). We bought our plane tickets in advance, the first Milan-Istanbul-Jeddah plane tickets were bought in August 2022. All flights cost us around 2000 euros.
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Accommodation: we saved the most money on accommodation. We had initially estimated a budget of 40 euros per night/2 people, but most accommodations cost us between 6 and 20 euros/night. The most expensive accommodations were in Abu Dhabi Airport (110 euros/night), Saudi Arabia (between 30 and 50 euros/night), Dubai (60 euros/night) and Kuala Lumpur (50 euros/night). On the other hand, the cheapest accommodations were in India (6 euros/night/double room), followed by Cambodia (10 euros/night) and Vietnam (between 7 and 20 euros/night). In the end, the average was 27 euros/night for at least 3-star hotels and good apartments. In total, 40 nights of accommodation cost us 1080 euros.
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Tourist attractions: here we estimated 500 euros, but in the end we realized that all the activities cost us 688 euros, for two people. During our stopover of only 2 days in New Delhi, we opted for a private tour of the Taj Mahal (80 euros) and a tour of New Delhi (37 euros). The day trip to Ha Long Bay cost us 83 euros, while the tour to the Mekong Delta cost us 45 euros. In addition to these tours, we also take into account the entrance fees to various tourist attractions and museums.
In the chapter on other expenses, we have UBER transportation in Saudi Arabia, public transportation in Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai, food, sim cards, the indispensable medical insurance on vacation, tips and shopping. Because we traveled with only one backpack per person, we had to visit laundromats in Vietnam and Cambodia. In general, we paid 1 USD for each kilogram of clothes.
All costs mentioned are for 2 people.
As I said, it is extremely important to set a budget as soon as the idea of a longer trip is born. You are the one who knows best how to plan your budget, and everything we write here is just some guidelines. Costs differ from one traveler to another and are based on both the pocket and the preferences of each person.
When planning your budget, try to read as many travel blogs and specialized websites as possible. It is good to put everything on paper and even allocate an amount of money for unforeseen expenses (here I am not only referring to medical expenses).
The budget is also influenced by the countries you want to visit:
- Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates are more expensive*
- Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are more budget-friendly destinations*
We made this classification based on the costs we had in these countries. We took into account the costs of accommodation, transportation and food.
Sketch an itinerary (on paper)
The hardest part is setting an itinerary. If you're going to any corner of the world for the first time, it's normal to want to see as many places as possible, from as many countries as possible.
And Asia is very attractive from this point of view. We knew that we had 40 days and that the most distant destination in Asia would be Vietnam. On the initial list, the one from 3 years ago, we had Laos, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines, in addition to Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. However, this time, our plan turned out to be completely and completely different.
Although we wanted to reach all the countries mentioned above, we also had to leave something for the next vacations. Our itinerary was based on three things: 1) We wanted to reach Vietnam; 2) We had a limited budget (if we went directly to Vietnam, the price of a one-way ticket exceeded 800 euros/person); 3) Saudi Arabia was our obsession.
And so, we found some cheap flights to Jeddah, and then decided on the destination based on "the cheapest available flight to East Asia"). From Saudi Arabia we flew to Dubai, and from Dubai we went to India. After two days in India, we flew to Da Nang.
And our trip looked like this:
- 8 days – Saudi Arabia
- 4 days – Dubai
- 2 days - India
- 10 days – Vietnam
- 6 days – Cambodia
- 10 days – Kuala Lumpur
- 1 day – stopover in Abu Dhabi
Saudi Arabia – although I wanted to stay a little longer in Saudi Arabia, to get to Al Ula, the flights didn’t work out, and after 8 days of exploring the two biggest cities in Arabia, we flew to Dubai. I wrote a complete guide to Saudi Arabia, which you can read here.
Dubai – is the place we fell in love with and the one we plan to visit soon. We arrived in Dubai for the first time on a layover, and then (in 2019) we promised that we would come back and stay for 2-3 days. We stayed in Dubai for four days and it was one of the few destinations where we didn’t want to be tourists.
In Dubai we didn’t run after tourist attractions, we didn’t go on desert safaris or yacht rides, we didn’t do anything that we probably would have normally done. We enjoyed Dubai differently… and it was amazing.
India – I always said I wasn’t ready to visit India and that we would postpone a possible vacation as long as we could. Well, the cheapest way to get from Dubai to Vietnam was through New Delhi or Mumbai. And we thought it would be a shame to only have a layover of a few hours and not leave the airport. With this crazy idea, we bought two separate plane tickets (with Air India Express and VietJet) and stayed in New Delhi for 2 days.
The goal? To reach the Taj Mahal. At some point, we had the idea of going further, to Mumbai and Calcutta, but the Universe conspired and didn’t let us turn our madness into a hard reality. We stayed 48 hours in New Delhi, visited a small part of the city and arrived at the Taj Mahal.
Vietnam – we had 6 places to visit in Vietnam, and to complete our plan we chose to stay for 10 days. We flew from New Delhi to Da Nang, with Vietjet (the ticket cost us quite a bit – 100 USD/person). We stayed in Da Nang for a few days, visited Hoi An and the Golden Bridge. Then we took a domestic flight to Hanoi, took a trip to Ha Long Bay, and then flew to Saigon.
Cambodia – to get to Cambodia we chose the cheap option: the bus. There are a lot of transport companies that operate on the Saigon – Phnom Penh route, and prices start from 20 euros/person.
Since we were in SE Asia, we wanted to try the VIP bus option (it’s something we’ve only seen in Asia), and the 8-hour ride was a bit easier than we imagined. It was Christmas in Phnom Penh, and on December 26 we left for Siem Ream, to see the famous Angkor Wat.
Another 5 hour trip on a minibus where we were packed like sardines and three days exploring Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. The two bus trips cost us 45 euros/person.
Kuala Lumpur – we are still amazed that we stayed in Kuala Lumpur for 10 days and we think we are the only tourists who do not travel full time and who still stayed in Kuala Lumpur for so long.
Our plan was to stay for 3 days, on New Year's Eve, and then go to either Bali or Singapore. We had decided to go to Singapore, by bus, but after a month of backpacking, we caught a cold that lasted for days and sleepless nights. It was already January 3, and we had been on the road for 34 days, at an alert pace (every three days we were in the airport or on the bus), and the cold was the way our body put us in "vacation" mode.
So we stayed in Kuala Lumpur for 10 days, the place where we really rested. We chose a tourist attraction or a place to visit every day, we would sit by the pool, eat and watch TV. The crazy traveler in me would say that we should still go somewhere, to Bali or Singapore, but reason taps me on the shoulder and reminds me that we are not robots.
Abu Dhabi – a short stop on our way to Europe.
How to Set Up a Perfect Itinerary for a Long Vacation in Asia
When you start sketching out an itinerary, make a list of all the places (not just the countries) you want to visit. Depending on your travel pace, you should allocate a certain amount of time to each country.
It’s a good idea to do some research beforehand, but you’ll see that opinions are divided. Some recommend spending 20 days in Vietnam, and we’ll tell you that we managed just fine with 10 days; others recommend spending 15 days in Cambodia, but I think 5 is enough; some recommend not to travel in a hurry, saying “it’s not good”, but I tell you that you have the right to travel as you want.
You know your limits well and have your own pace, so use this information as a guide and only choose what you think suits you.
Itinerary ideas for 40 days in Asia
- Dubai (3 days); Thailand (12 days); Vietnam (12 days): Singapore (3 days), Kuala Lumpur (4 days), Cambodia (6 days)
- Vietnam (12 days), Cambodia (6 days); Kuala Lumpur (4 days); Singapore (3 days), Indonesia-Bali (8 days) + Hong Kong/Sri Lanka/Laos
- Thailnada (15 days) Vietnam (15 days); Cambodia (6 days); Dubai (4 days)
- The options are numerous and you can play around with them. If time allows, take advantage of every stopover you have and try the multi-city flight option.
Check the travel conditions in each country (question: "Do I need a visa for country X?")
Most health restrictions have been lifted, but before you move on to the next step, take a look at the travel conditions for each country on your list.
In short, we tell you where you need a visa, how much it costs, and how to get it.
- Saudi Arabia – visa on arrival (VOA) / e-visa = between 480 and 550 SAR
- India – e-visa = between 10 and 25 USD (depending on the period of travel)
- Vietnam – VOA / e-visa = 25 USD (for e-visa)
- Cambodia – VOA / e-visa = 35 and 37 USD respectively
- Malaysia – visa-free
- Singapore – visa-free
- United Arab Emirates – visa-free
Buy flight tickets
Skyscanner is a reliable helper when planning holidays. On this site you can compare prices and find the fastest or cheapest options. When you have decided on a flight, I recommend that you buy your tickets on the official website of the airline that operates that flight. Under no circumstances can we recommend that you buy your tickets from intermediary agencies (Go to Gate, cheaptrip, etc.).
How to get to Southeast Asia cheaply?
Direct flights to major cities in Asia are quite expensive, and if you don't want to go from place to place, like we did, the most convenient option is a flight with a stopover in Dubai, Qatar or even Athens. In short:
- Emirates – flight with a stopover in Dubai (there is a multi-city option, if you want to stay more than 1 day in Dubai)
- Qatar – flight with a stopover in Doha
- Scoot – direct flights from Athens to Singapore. I heard that the prices are quite good, but it's good to know that Scoot is a low-cost company
- If you want to start your trip in the Maldives or Sri Lanka, Wizz Air is a good option for those on a smaller budget.
For flights within Asia, I recommend the following airlines:
- Air Asia – for flights between Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
- VietJet and Vietnam Airlines – for domestic flights in Vietnam
- Thai lion Air – for domestic flights in Thailand
- IndiGo, AirIndia Express and Spice Jet – for flights to/from and domestic flights in India
- Fly Nas – for flights in the Middle East
- Wizz Air – Maldives, Sri Lanka, Middle East
The cheapest flights come with baggage restrictions. Most companies accept cabin baggage (trolley) weighing max. 8 kg + one personal item (laptop bag/purse/backpack)
Book accommodation
For accommodation, I recommend Airbnb and Booking.com. In general, prices for an apartment or a decent hotel start at 15 euros. And for 4-star or high-class hotels you have to pay a few hundred out of your pocket. Those who travel on a low budget already know that Asia is a paradise.
Here are the accommodations we had and were satisfied with:
- Dubai: Al Jawhara Metro Hotel** (close to the metro station, clean rooms and very good price for Dubai) – from 50 euros/double room
- Da Nang: Crystal Boutique Hotel**** (excellent location and clean rooms) – from 8 euros/double room
- Kuala Lumpur: THE FACE Suites***** (excellent location, infinity pool and fully equipped apartments) – from 90 euros/apartment (we got an offer and paid only 50 euros/night)
A few things you need to know if you are going to Asia for the first time
- Download the Grab app – it works the same as Uber and Bolt, and in some countries you can even order a tuk-tuk (e.g. in Cambodia, I went to the airport in a tuk-tuk)
- Currency exchange – most places only accept cash (especially at food stalls and markets). Cambodia officially uses both the US dollar and the riel (it’s a good idea to have some dollars with you); in Vietnam, currency exchange is available at travel agencies (you get a better exchange rate if you have 100-baht bills); in Dubai, there is an exchange fee that varies between 3 and 13 dirhams.
- A “type G” plug adapter (the one from the UK) will come in handy in the United Arab Emirates, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
- Also pack some essential medications (we had Paracetamol, Furazolidone, Claritine, Ibuprofen and Faringosept), as well as mosquito repellent (Dengue fever is quite common in Indonesia). Don't forget your SPF cream.
- If you're staying more than 4 days, I recommend buying a SIM card.
- Read a bit about "tourist scams" to know how to avoid them.
- If you're visiting temples, you should know that there is a dress code (long pants/long skirt + t-shirt or blouse that covers your shoulders and cleavage)
- For a low-cost budget, I recommend using public transportation, where possible (in Hanoi and Saigon we used public transportation to get from the airport to the center and managed to save 40 euros!)
- Rent a scooter in less crowded areas (Da Nang/Hoi An, Bali, Chang Mai). I wouldn't ride a scooter around Hanoi or Saigon, but in Da Nang it was really nice and extremely easy.
- Avoid restaurants with European or American specialties. Asians don't know how to make pasta, pizza or burgers, and in general these restaurants are also very expensive.
Although we have visited a good part of Southeast Asia and spent a few weeks in this part of the world, we do not consider ourselves experts.
I just hope that I have managed to shed some light online and that the information that we have gathered in our two trips through Asia, will be really useful to you.
We wish you a beautiful adventure in this corner of the world, to enjoy good weather, delicious food, smiles and unique experiences.