bUDGET: MYANMAR
We were a bit nervous about the potential costs of Myanmar, with tales of a shortage of hotels, charging exorbitant prices. Actually it was good that we were braced for it; so we weren't shocked by the actual price. We had no problems finding mid-range accommodations that we were comfortable. The only excepting being a pretty bad hostel in Yangon, or first stop, where we paid $72 for a tiny 4 bed dorm room ($18/bed) with very questionable shared bathrooms. After that we found rather nice places but usually had to get two rooms as we never found one room with enough beds for the 4 of us. We are not one of those families that will all squeeze into 2 tiny beds. Two doubles would work but that seems to be rare in Asia. For a few days we can manage 1 double and one twin but this trip is for a year and that just won't work long term for us. Accommodations, as always was the largest chunk of our budget.
Pre-trip estimated budget:
(Since Myanmar wasn't ever on our itinerary this is hard but we had originally figured $125/day for SE Asia)
$125/day for 21 nights: $2625
Actual Expenses:
Visas: $200
RT flight Bangkok-Yangon: $618
internal flight: $464
Daily expenses:
Accommodations: $2074
Food and Drinks: $630
Transportation: $367
Entertainment: $206
Clothing: $43
Supplies: $70
Total: $3392 or $162/day
Total Actual Expenses: $4674
A whooping $2049 over our original SE Asia budget. We knew we were going to go over budget when we made the decision to go to Myanmar and we felt it was worth it. Flights and visas make up almost 1/2 of the additional expense and then probably the slightly higher cost of accommodations and transport due to the sheer length of travel entailed in getting around in Myanmar. Asia has turned out to be more expensive than we had budgeted. Let me rephrase that: the way we are traveling in SE Asia is more expensive. We have met other travelers, usually single and in their 20's but some families as well, doing it significantly cheaper but we are staying at what most travelers would probably term "mid-range" and our actual costs reflect this.
Pre-trip estimated budget:
(Since Myanmar wasn't ever on our itinerary this is hard but we had originally figured $125/day for SE Asia)
$125/day for 21 nights: $2625
Actual Expenses:
Visas: $200
RT flight Bangkok-Yangon: $618
internal flight: $464
Daily expenses:
Accommodations: $2074
Food and Drinks: $630
Transportation: $367
Entertainment: $206
Clothing: $43
Supplies: $70
Total: $3392 or $162/day
Total Actual Expenses: $4674
A whooping $2049 over our original SE Asia budget. We knew we were going to go over budget when we made the decision to go to Myanmar and we felt it was worth it. Flights and visas make up almost 1/2 of the additional expense and then probably the slightly higher cost of accommodations and transport due to the sheer length of travel entailed in getting around in Myanmar. Asia has turned out to be more expensive than we had budgeted. Let me rephrase that: the way we are traveling in SE Asia is more expensive. We have met other travelers, usually single and in their 20's but some families as well, doing it significantly cheaper but we are staying at what most travelers would probably term "mid-range" and our actual costs reflect this.
