I tracked every dollar I spent across 9 months in Southeast Asia — here's what it actually costs

Posted by Colonel_Mender93@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 17 comments

Just wrapped up 9 months across Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. Tracked every single expense from day one. Here's the real data, no rounding:

A few things that actually move the needle on costs that don't get talked about enough:

Volunteering at hostels is underused. I walked into The Lost Boys on Koh Rong after someone mentioned it at a hostel one city over. They said they didn't need anyone. I stayed two days, made myself useful, and they changed their mind. Free bed, free food, one of the best months of the trip.

Temple stays in Thailand are completely free and almost nobody does them. Buddhist temples will let a respectful traveller sleep in a spare room or hang a hammock. I did this almost exclusively during my hitchhiking stretch. Monks gave me food, water, a shower, and a place to charge my phone. You just ask via Google Translate.

The floor is genuinely under $10/day — hammock camping or temple stays, hitchhiking, street food. That's it.

Happy to answer questions on any of this. I put everything into a proper guide if anyone wants the full breakdown — routes, visas, motorcycle buying, border crossings, the works. Just reach out and let me know! Safe travels everyone