Vacation Game Plan: Baller on a Budget

Alright, looks like Angelique and I have hammered out the best travel game plan we could come up with as well as figuring out some of our costs. That being said, I've never been good at logistics, so as long as I don't end up kidnapped(attempted in Morocco), roofied (Scotland) mugged (Spain) or deported, I think I'll be doing quite well!

February 11th-
~Fly to Bangkok  and stay at the Tara Garden Hotel (2 people/$113.00/3 nights, no visa required)

February 14th-
~Flight to Udon Thani, arriving at 12:15 PM ($30.01/One Way/Air Asia)
~Bus from Udon Thani Airport to Laos Friendship Bridge (45 minutes/$3-5)
~Get a Laos Visa ($35.00/need 2 passport sized photos)
~Taxi/Tuk Tuk ride to Vientiane ($2-7 )
~We will be staying at the I-House New Hotel (2 people/$81.00/3 nights)

Feb 17th-
~Take the "bus from hell" up to Hanoi
~Leaves between 5:00-7:00PM nightly and is a 22 hour journey (assuming none of the usual breakdowns,pick ups, scams, traffic occur) 250,000 kip ($31.42/ Ticket for a Modern Sleeper)

Looks....ummm...cozy, huh?

Feb 18th-
~Arrive in Hanoi with visa in hand (as of 2013:$95 visa fee/Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul) and stay at the Hanoi Senses Hotel (2 people/$72.00/4 nights)

*It should be noted that if you plan on arriving into Vietnam overland, as opposed to flying, you will need to apply ahead of time at your local Vietnamese Embassy. You can only apply online if an airport is your port of entry.

Feb 22nd
 ~Flight from Hanoi back to Bangkok  at 11:00 AM (AirAsia $101.00)
Feb 23rd-
~Arrive back in Seoul and pass out from exhaustion or in reality, head to the pub to watch the 6 nations rugby matches!

Seems to be a bit of a whirlwind tour but I am definitely up for the challenge!

Total of $435.95 (USD) each = 2 flights, 3 pretty good hotels, 2 different country visas, train tickets and cab fares. This is give or take about 10 or 20 bucks, but it's really not bad!

You can always cut down on cost by seeking more budget accommodation, like hostels or smaller guesthouses. Angelique and I are getting cranky in our old age and favoring comfort for our first big vacation! :) I recommend Asia Rooms or Hostel Bookers. Both sites are great, logically organized and neither one charges a booking fee for the service!

There are plenty of ways to save money once traveling around Southeast Asia. Laos is notoriously one of the cheapest to travel, with many people getting by on $15.00/day. One of my favorite blogs, tells about a man who spent 22 days in Laos and only spent $168.00 on food. He is a master budgeter and you can read up on the details of his journey at Travels of Mike.

Eating on a budget is never an issue for me as I pretty much love all food. Here's my game plan, short and sweet:

Vietnam- Pho and holla for dolla beer!
Thailand- What it do street carts and Thai tea?
Laos- Sticky noodle overdose!

One Night in Bangkok:Planning My Sweet Vacation!

The reality of "deskwarming" is that I spend very little time actually being warm.  It's freezing and instead of planning my lessons, I find myself planning my big trip for February vacation. Heres the plan so far:

Bangkok, Vientiane, Hanoi!

I am super excited for some quality time with my good friend Angelique, in Southeast Asia. From Seoul, it is pretty simple to find cheap flights on both Skyscanner and AirAsia. When I first began my search (about two months ago) there were round trip flights from Seoul, going for around $350.00. The closer it got to vacation (and the more people book-many epik folks have this time off) the more expensive it got. Fortunately, my mom got me an awesome birthday present and paid for my trip!

Initially we wanted to attempt all to get to Cambodia as well, but with the time we would spend actually traveling, it seemed a bit tiring even for us! So in the end we decided on 4 days in Bangkok, a flight to Udon Thai and then a bus across the border into Vientiane.

3 1/2 days in Vientiane and this is where details get a bit foggy....but it's looking like the 24 hour bus "from hell" as they like to call it, into Hanoi in Vietnam. Shouldn't be so bad with Angel there we always manage to keep ourselves entertained and I plan on making a list of "challenges" for the journey.

After we reach Hanoi we will spend a few days trekking around Vietnam, frequenting happy hour, eating pho and then make out way back to Bangkok. At the moment it looks very possible that we can find a fairly cheap flight back into Bangkok to enjoy the end of our weekend and vacation.

A few things I want to do:
1. Ride a motorbike in Hanoi

2. Temple Hop in Vientiane

3. Take a Muay Thai lesson in Bangkok

4. Eat as much Pho as humanly possible, in Vietnam

5. Dine for a cause at a local Makphet in Laos. Makphets offer hands on cooking experience to marginalized youth and the dishes look yummy!

6. Get a Thai massage

Yep, nice and rough. Haha

7. Take a day trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay and get a junk boat!

and depending on how daring I feel.....

8. Get my bungee jump on in Thailand!

Oh, The Places You Will Go

Less than 2 months  and I will be in Asia. I can hardly wait to begin traveling around Korea, but here are a few other places I would love to see while I am abroad.

1.Camiguin Island, Philipines

Camiguin Island is also known as  "Fire Island" due to the amount of  volcanoes. It also happens to be famous for sweet lanzones. Yum!

2.Tokyo, Japan

Not only is Tokyo home to one of my favorite rugby teams, it's also just an insanely different city from anywhere I've ever been in my life. The city is full of contrasts: new & traditional

 3. Hong Kong 

The host of the international tournament Hong Kong 7's, one of the largest rugby 7's tournaments in the world. Anyone noticing a trend yet? I'm only a bit obsessed.

4. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I remember doing a report on Ho Chi Minh city in 5th grade. In order to keep a promise to my 11 year old self, I have added it to my bucket list!

 5.Bangkok, Thailand

You know what they say: One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster. Long before the hangover I lusted after traveling to Bangkok, but I never really thought I'd end up in Asia! Lucky me! :)

6.Luang Prabang, Laos

 

Just look at it! Luang Pranbang has so much history, beautiful natural sites, great weather and a charming, relaxed old town appeal.

7.Bali, Indonesia

 and on the way home with my newly acquired Fijian husband.......

8. Australia

9. New Zealand

 10. Fiji