A trip like the one I am currently on, obviously has numerous costs associated with it. The majority are such things as accommodation, in-country travel, food, drink, activities etc while actually out in the world. However there are other items that are key to a long term trip like mine that have to be handled upfront – or at least planned for. Flights, Visas, Insurance especially.

Flights

When I originally picked up my flight for this trip, it was priced at just under £750 with Qatar, inclusive of taxes for a return ticket Manchester to Bangkok, (March 2023). On average, and factoring in the issues around fuel pricing this year, the £750 for a return was a very good price for less than 8 week’s before departure. Having looked into pricing for other people, it can be had for as little as £500 even on the same time frame. All depends on when you book, when you fly & who you fly with really, although I can recommend Qatar Airways.

In fact flying via the middle east, is in my opinion the best way to get out to Asia as it handily splits the flights into 6.5 hour sections, which is about my limit for flights before I go stir crazy. So if you do look at Thailand at all, checkout Gulf, Qatar, Emirates, Etihad, Oman & Saudia (this one is a dry airline though) airlines first. These options can be a little more expensive than other airlines such as Finnair or Turkish, but for me the individual journey lengths win out as does the quality of service you experience with airlines such as Qatar.

Insurance

No matter what, get travel insurance. Do not rely on insurance via your bank account or credit card. Those policies while okay for a weekend away somewhere, are not really made for a long haul trip of a couple of weeks or a few months. Use firms like World Nomads or Safety Wings for example. Yes, you pay a little more, but it is so much better. They’ll cover you for all sorts from tech theft, exciting activities like diving, climbing etc to injury, repatriation and so on. My policy for several months cost me £370 and gives me absolute piece of mind for any adverse situation that comes up.

One key thing to note around insurance for South East Asia in particular, you are NOT covered for coming off a scooter/motorbike if you don’t have a license for those back home in the UK. While it is possible to hire out here without one, even get away it with police checkpoints, it is not worth the cost to your wallet or health if you have an accident. Hospital care is not cheap out here if you get really hurt. There has been at least 3 involving British folk while I have been travelling so far… and the year still has a few months to go!

(December 14 Edit: There have been 6 injured, incorrectly/not insured British travellers been involved in scooter accidents arounds Thailand since I got to Asia.)

Visas

As a Brit, something to get used to is that while our passports do get us into a ton of countries around the world with minimal questions asked, others require you to have a visa in your passport/on your email from them granting access. Other’s still give different numbers of days entry based on where you are from etc.  Across South East Asia it is possible to get a mix of Visa Exemptions & Visa on Arrivals, however sometimes you may need/want to get a visa upfront (for instance on a tour with a fixed schedule) or to ensure you can actually get on a plane from your home country if your return date is in the distant future..

• Thailand.
  • Until 31st March 2023, a UK passport holder can get a visa exemption of 45 days when you fly into the country. It is possible to get another 30 days on top of this by heading to an immigration office in country before the time runs out. The exemption costs nothing and the extension costs 1900thb (£43).
  • For longer initial periods, it is possible to get a 60 day single entry visa from the Thai UK Embassy. Took me about a week to get mine after applying online – only went this route as at the time they were not offering 45 days exemption, just 30 days. This can also be extended by 30 days. Cost for the visa is £30 with postage on top.
• Cambodia.
  • Whether you fly in or enter overland, Cambodia offers both visa on arrival & e-visas. VOA costs $30 plus up to $7 for processing. E-Visa costs $36 total. With the E-Visa simply show your email visa at immigration and they will do the rest. 
  • You can get other visa’s via Cambodian Embassies however for most folks usage the above work fine. You get a total of 30 days entry to the country with the standard tourist visas either E-Visa or VOA.
• Laos.
  • Laos grants 30 day VOA’s to UK passport holders for a cost of $40 (£33). These can be obtained at various airports and overland entry points. Straightforward and easy. Once upon a time you had to get them from an embassy usually in a nearby country, which often burned a day or so of time out of a trip. Was a good way to meet people though!
• Vietnam.
  • Following changes around Visas & entry due to the COVID pandemic, Vietnam only seems to offer Tourist E-Visas with a 30 day length. No visa on arrival or anything exemption etc
  • The E-Visa costs $25 and is paid for online. Take a copy of your e-visa with you to your point of entry (arriving airport or one of several overland entries).
• Malaysia.
  • British passport holders get 90 days visa free entry on arrival at various points (Pedang Besar near Thailand for overland, or Kuala Lumpur for air arrivals most notably). Which is great. 

There are other places that I should cover, but as situations change it’s just easier to get this posted then push an update out as and when I find out about places like Taiwan, China, The Phillipines, Indonesia etc.

So there you have it, main other expenses for a sabbatical or even for a none standard 2 week beach holiday! Of course I have not covered new clothes, ruck sack, case etc, but that is all common sense. Although one rule applies: Take half of what you planned and double the money. You can buy so much across the region at better prices than home…

Money Travel

Jon

He's just this guy, you know.