Thailand & Cambodia: A rough budget

This trip isn’t going to happen until the end of the year, but it’s a big expense. I want to make sure that I will definitely have the money saved for the trip, and I will need to purchase flights and accommodation far in advance of actually going. So we’re starting to talk about it now.

This is a trip I’ve been wanting to take for years. The book First They Killed My Father (affiliate link) was what first inspired me to visit Cambodia. And Thailand is such a beautiful and interesting country. It’s been on my wish list for as long as I can remember.

Cambodia
Time: 7 days
Must see:  Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh Trail (heard there are some great bicycling tours)

Thailand
Time: 14 days
Must see:  Ko Phangan (10 days), Phuket area (4 days) … lots of beaches and rock climbing.

Our time in Cambodia will be a little more structured because there are sights we want to see that are a bit spread out over the country. The plan is to start our trip in Cambodia. Then, fly into Thailand. We want to visit a few areas and rent huts on the beach … spend our days rock climbing, relaxing and exploring.

As for our budget? BF and I estimate the entire 3-week trip will cost us a maximum of $2,750 each.

Flights: $1,500 each (Vancouver-Cambodia, Cambodia-Thailand, Thailand-Vancouver)
I just checked on Expedia for the 3 flights we need during the time period we want, and it came to about $1,600. I expect that prices will drop a bit, and I will do more research to get the best prices.

Food: $20/day each = $420
We want to do a combination of street food and restaurants. I think this is a high estimate, but it’s better to over estimate on costs at this point. Plus it might be fun to try proper sit down restaurants too.

Accommodation: $15/night each = $315
We can do this cheaper, but we both really want to stay in beachfront huts while we are in Thailand. And because we want to already have a place booked by the time we get there – that comes at a price. We know that the best priced accommodation probably won’t have websites, but we need guaranteed accommodation (with air conditioning!) and our trip will be during the busy season, so we’re willing to pay the premium. We checked out a few beachfront places on the island of Ko Phangan that BF has stayed at before, and they were about $20-25/night. We also want to spend a couple nights in the Phuket area, and that will most likely be a bit more expensive to be closer to the beach.

Miscellaneous:  $500
This includes basically everything else that doesn’t fall into the first 3 categories. Including bus/cab fare, tours, bicycle rental, tipping, souvenirs, etc. While this might seem like a high amount for miscellaneous expenses, I’m going to over estimate what I’ll be needing to save just to be on the safe side.

What do you think about our rough plan and budget? Is it reasonable?