Travelling budget Asia and New Zealand 2017-18
Please keep in mind that this travelling budget and all further mentioned prices and averages are based on our experience when travelling across Asia and New Zealand in the year 2017 – 2018.
In India, Nepal, Vietnam and Laos we fulltime rode motorbikes we had bought locally and sold again afterwards. In Thailand we used public transport and rented 2 motorbikes for a few days. In Borneo (Malaysia + Brunei) we only used public transport and in New Zeeland we rented a small campervan. If you would like any more detailed information don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
The table below gives an overview of our average daily cost per country and per person. These averages are based on what we spent as a couple staying in hotels every night. In Vietnam we spent about 3 weeks at a friend’s house so this probably leads to a slightly lower average. In Nepal we did a hike which in turn increased the average price. From all the countries we’ve been to, Nepal is by far the cheapest outside of the tourist areas. Prices will probably also be a little higher when traveling alone as this in general makes it more expensive to, for example, find a place to sleep.
| Country | Duration | Daily cost/day (€) |
| India | 3 months | 11,3 |
| Nepal | 1 month | 13,4 |
| Vietnam | 2,5 months | 12,8 |
| Laos | 2 months | 15,3 |
| Borneo (incl. Brunei) | 1 month | 15,4 |
| Thailand | 1 month | 13,9 |
| Malaysia | 3 days | 20,1 |
| New Zealand | 1,5 months | 22,7 |
| Average | 350 days | 14,5 |
As our transport costs aren’t covered by our daily costs a seperate table gives you an overview of our costs for the different types of transport. The cost of the motorbikes takes into account what we paid for the bikes, how much it cost us to fix them up and how much money we got back when selling them.
| Country | Type of Transport | Total cost 2p (€) | Cost/pp/day (€) |
| India and Nepal | Yamaha FZ 150 and Honda Unicorn 150 | 386 | 1,65 |
| Vietnam and Laos | Yamaha XTZ 125 and Honda XR 125 | 668 | 2,74 |
| Thailand | Renting 2 Honda CRFs 250 | 57 | 9,47 |
| Public transport | 135 | 2,94 | |
| Borneo | Public transport | 189 | 2,78 |
| New Zeeland | Renting van | 1445 | 17,20 |
| Boat (between islands) | 293 |
The transport costs are calculated considering the different forms of transport we used. Public transport covers the use of buses, boats, rickshaws and sometimes taxis.
To complete this overview of our costs I would also like to share with you the prices of our plane tickets and visa. Please keep in mind that especially the prices of visa might have completely changed by now and will anyhow be different for people with another nationality and depend on the type of visa you are applying for.
| Flight | Price/person (€) | Country | Price visa/person (€) | Import motorbike/ bike (€) |
| Belgium – India | 245,84 | India | 80 | |
| Nepal | 40 | 27,5 | ||
| India – Vietnam | 310,99 | Vietnam | 45 | |
| Vietnam – Borneo – Thailand | 182,71 | Laos | 40 | 2,75 |
| Malaysia – New Zeeland | 220,5 | |||
| New Zeeland – Belgium | 530,74 |
We hope that this overview can help you to prepare for your next trip and inspire you. Travelling doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Just send us a message or react below if you have any questions regarding our budget or the preparation of your next adventure.
We would love to hear from you!
